Shangguan Wanning got up early, changed into the clothes she had chosen, and sat in front of the mirror to carefully put on her makeup.
"Miss, you are so beautiful," Lu Tong exclaimed, "Even the gods in heaven would be tempted by you."
Shangguan Wanning turned around and gently pinched Lutong's waist. "You are just sweet-mouthed."
"I'm serious." Lu Tong paused, hesitated a little, and asked, "But do you really want to go to the State Guest House dressed like this? You are already pretty, and if you dress up, you will definitely outshine the other two ladies. If the King of Qi chooses you, then..."
Shangguan Wanning put down her eyebrow pencil. "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. Don't worry, I won't let you marry me to a place so far away."
Lu Tong stuck out her tongue, picked up the hairpin and put it on Shangguan Wan Ning's head.
She came to the State Guest House in a carriage sent by the palace. The two girls selected with her were the daughter of a doctor in the Guanglu Temple and the daughter of an editor in the Hanlin Academy.
Shangguan Wanning could see that they were all a little nervous.
The eunuch came over and said a lot of comforting words, and drew lots to decide who would go to see Qi Yanbei first.
Shangguan Wanning drew the last one.
She sat in the living room waiting until the eunuch called her.
"Princess, you are the most promising one. I heard from His Majesty of Qi that if we can marry the princess from the Central Plains, we will definitely treat her as a noble concubine. If we have the chance in the future, we can come back to visit relatives."
Shangguan Wanning smiled sweetly and did not take the eunuch's words to heart.
When she walked into the inner hall, Qi Yanbei's eyes immediately lit up and he showed a look of joy. He walked forward and looked at Shangguan Wanning.
"We meet again...as expected."
"Your Majesty."
Shangguan Wanning bowed and saluted. Qi Yanbei listened to her gentle voice and felt as if touched by something. His heart trembled slightly.
"No need to be polite."
Qi Yanbei went to support Shangguan Wanning, and the moment he lowered his head he saw a flame pattern on her wrist.
In an instant, Qi Yanbei's heart froze, and his chest felt stuffy, as if a huge rock was pressing on him and he couldn't breathe.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Shangguan Wanning saw that beads of sweat had already seeped out of Qi Yanbei's forehead, so she took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.
Qi Yanbei was about to take it when he saw a flame pattern on the lower right corner of the handkerchief.
He stretched out his hand, then immediately retracted it.
However, in that instant, his chest hurt again, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Qi Yanbei hurriedly retreated.
He looked at the bright and beautiful Shangguan Wanning in front of him, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and asked with a smile: "Why does Miss Shangguan like the flame pattern so much?"
Shangguan Wanning smiled brilliantly when she heard this.
"Your Majesty, you may not know that when I was born, I had a red birthmark on the right side of my back. My parents thought that this birthmark was too ugly for a girl, so they found the best tattoo artist to tattoo a flame pattern on me."
Qi Yanbei seemed to be thinking about something.
"Your Majesty, I am here today to..."
Shangguan Wanning took a step forward, and Qi Yanbei suddenly felt dizzy. He staggered and fell into the chair.
"His Majesty."
Seeing this, the guards around Qi Yanbei hurried forward to support him.
"I'm fine." Qi Yanbei's back was covered with cold sweat. He forced a smile and said, "Miss Shangguan, I suddenly feel unwell. Please go back."
"Well, Your Majesty, take care of yourself. I'll take my leave."
Shangguan Wanning turned and walked out, suppressing a smug smile on her lips.
On the way back, Shangguan Wanning felt very relaxed. She believed that after this meeting, Qi Yanbei would definitely not choose her as his concubine.
"Miss, are you really okay?" Lu Tong asked worriedly.
Shangguan Wanning held her chin with a relaxed expression. "Don't worry, after this meeting, Qi Yanbei will definitely think that I am an unlucky person. I am incompatible with him, so how could he let me stay by his side forever?"
It turned out that Shangguan Wanning had previously read about the customs and folk habits of the State of Qi.
She discovered that in Qi State, fire was considered an ominous symbol.
Although Shangguan Wanning thought this custom was ridiculous, it had nothing to do with her.
She drew flame patterns on the back of her hands and on her handkerchief, and at the same time, she made up a lie that she had flame tattoos on her body.
In addition, her approach just now caused Qi Yanbei great physical discomfort. As long as Qi Yanbei was not obsessed with sex, he would not take her as his concubine.
After Shangguan Wanning left, Qi Yanbei returned to his room to meditate. It took more than an hour for his body to gradually recover.
He poured himself a glass of water, sat down at the table feeling lost, and sighed deeply.
He really likes Shangguan Wanning.
The one who is as bright as a rose and as hot as a flame...
Um?
Thinking of the flame pattern on Shangguan Wanning's wrist, Qi Yanbei felt a lingering fear again.
It seems that he and this girl are destined not to be together.
"Someone come."
Qi Yanbei called out, and his guards and the eunuchs from the palace walked in at the same time.
The eunuch bowed and saluted, then asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, have you made a decision?"
"Let the daughter of the editor of the Hanlin Academy follow me to Qi State."
The eunuch paused and smiled meaningfully. "Your Majesty, among these three women, Princess An Ning is the best choice in terms of beauty, talent, and family background. Don't you... like her?"
"I like it, but I'm afraid I'm not worthy of it." Qi Yanbei explained the reason and expressed deep regret.
Unexpectedly, the eunuch covered his mouth and laughed after listening.
Qi Yanbei's face darkened. "Why? Do you think it's funny, father-in-law?"
"No, I should congratulate Your Majesty. If Your Majesty really likes Princess An Ning, you can ask for her without any hesitation. The flame pattern and the physical discomfort are all fake."
"What?" Qi Yanbei was shocked.
The eunuch took out a small packet of medicine powder from his sleeve, rubbed it on his hands, and poured it on the handkerchief, so that it could not be seen at all.
He stretched out his hand in front of the guard, who shook it away impatiently, but developed the same symptoms as Qi Yanbei.
"Well, Your Majesty?"
Qi Yanbei suddenly realized.
"Humph, this girl...she really tried her best not to marry me. But where did she find these medicines?"
"She has a master who is a famous doctor in the martial arts world. What are these medicines?" The eunuch came close to Qi Yanbei and said in a low voice, "Shangguan Wanning is still the apple of Mu Jingrui's eye. If you marry her, you can also strike a blow to Mu Jingrui. It's the best of both worlds, why not do it?"
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