The prince of the high realm stood up, his face flushed red with anger and embarrassment, whether from fear or shame. He shouted, "Didn't you see me here? Why did you fire arrows at us? Is this how the Qing Dynasty treats its guests?"
Seeing that he was exaggerating the matter, An Ke's face fell. "Why is the envoy here? Didn't I tell him to return to the post station as soon as possible?" An Ke's expression was not good, her voice was cold, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Unfortunately, the envoy didn't realize this and kept trying to curry favor with her. He said with a look of seeking praise, "I was just worried about leaving the princess alone, so I thought I'd see if I could do something for her."
He didn't see that as he spoke, An Ke's face turned extremely cold, and she laughed angrily, "Oh? It seems the envoy hasn't been idle these past two days, has he? He actually found out everything about the palace? He even knows I'm a princess?"
Upon hearing An Ke's words, the prince quickly covered his mouth, blurting out what Lord Gao had said in his haste. "I was just guessing; it's not as serious as you say." Prince Gao was sweating profusely, as he couldn't bear such a huge burden.
Just investigating a beautiful woman doesn't warrant being labeled a spy who investigates someone's secrets.
An Ke snorted coldly and stopped looking at him, as if looking at him even once would be an insult to her eyes.
"Your Excellency should return to the post station as soon as possible. This is not a place for you." Yongqi looked at his cousin's angry expression and could tell at a glance that she didn't like him. Naturally, she didn't want him to stay here any longer, especially since he was a prince of the other country.
Perhaps the prince was pretending not to hear, or perhaps he was genuinely carefree, for he walked over nonchalantly and immediately grasped his bow and arrow. “I also enjoy archery in the High Realm. I wonder if I have the honor of learning from you all today?”
The saying goes, "You can't hit a smiling face," but this prince was like a toad perched on a shoe, utterly irritating.
"Alright, then why don't I have a match with the envoy?" An Ke's mind raced. She didn't want to waste any more words with him here and just wanted to finish the fight quickly.
The prince of the high realm was more than happy to do so, and he was eager to show his bravery in front of this beauty.
"I think this prince is really in trouble. My cousin is so angry, she'll probably take it all out on him." Yongqi sat to the side with a smile, waiting for the next joke and watching the show.
“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us to do this? What if he reports this to the Emperor…” Qing’er was worried, fearing that this matter would have a negative impact on An Ke.
"Don't worry, it's alright. He didn't say he was a prince of the High Domain, just an envoy. Besides, you can't just come and go in the palace without a summons. But he went and not only went up to the city wall, but also followed us to the training ground. If he weren't so foolish, I would have thought he came to find out our secrets." Yongqi said to reassure everyone, and it was indeed true.
Anke thought so too, saying that since he had made it clear from the beginning that he was a prince, it was probably just a few words of sarcasm and that was it. But now he himself hasn't admitted it, and is just an envoy. So naturally there's no need for him to hold back.
The prince from the high realm was about to let An Ke shoot a few more arrows, but An Ke glanced at the thin prince with disdain and said, "Your Excellency should worry about yourself. Should I let you pass?"
"Please go first," the prince said with a smile, feeling that today was the perfect opportunity to win over this beauty.
Unexpectedly, An Ke's lips curled into a slight sneer, and he drew his bow, firing all five arrows simultaneously, each hitting the bullseye. "The envoy has arrived. Please enlighten me."
The prince of the High Domain was surprised that this beauty was not only beautiful but also an excellent archer. He was momentarily embarrassed, since what he had just said was just him boasting to himself. He never drew a bow and arrow in the High Domain, mainly because he was afraid of hurting his hand.
"Since the princess is so capable, I am truly impressed." The envoy immediately stated his position, not wanting to continue the competition. Then, he shamelessly added, "I wonder if the princess is destined to marry the prince of my High Domain?"
Anke found it hard to imagine how this person came up with such a thing. "The prince's words are rather awkward, leaving one unsure how to respond," Anke said, no longer wanting to argue with him further, and directly revealed her hand.
Now it was the prince's turn to be dumbfounded. "You... how did you know?" He was flustered and even blurted out some incoherent words.
“You slipped up yesterday. You clearly said the wrong thing, but your ministers insisted on protecting you instead of immediately shifting the blame onto you. If it weren’t for some order from your king, you would probably be their prince.” Anke glanced at him lightly.
"In that case, has the princess taken a fancy to this prince?" Now that the other party already knew his identity, he no longer concealed it. Looking at the radiant beauty before him, the prince struck what he thought was a very handsome pose and asked her.
"Prince, you should think about how to explain this to the Emperor," he said, giving An Ke a flirtatious wink. An Ke felt the air around him had become polluted; he couldn't bear to stay on the training ground any longer. He tossed aside his bow and arrows and turned to leave.
Although Ertai didn't hear what they were saying, he saw the prince flirting with the princess. If Yongqi and General Ji hadn't stopped him, he probably would have lost his temper and gone up on stage to beat him up.
Watching An Ke leave, Qing'er and Xin Rong exchanged a glance and hurriedly chased after her, with Ertai following closely behind. Yong Qi had no choice but to stay and take charge, saying, "Please, Prince Gao Yu."
General Ji also stayed behind to handle the remaining matters with Yongqi.
Prince Gao Yu became anxious again, but then straightened his back. He had only concealed his identity and hadn't done anything wrong, so what was he afraid of?
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
"Can't these people from the Ministry of Rites hurry up and finish making the wedding dress? That way, An'an won't have to make so many." The Emperor looked at the people from the Ministry of Rites with great impatience.
Li Yu naturally understood the Emperor's thoughts, and quickly ordered everyone to leave, since the Emperor's wrath would be difficult for anyone to withstand.
The official from the Ministry of Rites wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly left, only to run into the Fifth Prince arriving with the prince from the Gaoyu region.
Before Li Yu could even speak, his apprentice announced that the Fifth Prince had arrived with envoys. Li Yu also felt that today was truly an inauspicious day; why were one troublesome thing after another?
But there was nothing he could do, so he had to greet him with a smile. "Fifth Prince, what's this?" Li Yu was also puzzled by the envoy's appearance and couldn't figure it out.
Yongqi did not answer Li Yu's question, but instead asked, "Is Father Emperor busy right now?"
"I just finished discussing Princess Yong'an and Princess Qing's matter with the people from the Ministry of Rites, and the Emperor threw a huge tantrum," Li Yu recounted truthfully.
"That's alright, I'll trouble Eunuch Li Yu to go in and inform them," Yongqi said, cupping his hands in greeting. If he didn't handle things properly today, he probably wouldn't have the face to see An'an and Xinrong.
Seeing the Fifth Prince's determined attitude of not giving up until he saw the Emperor, and realizing the seriousness of the situation, Li Yu hurriedly went in to report. "Then I'll trouble the Fifth Prince to wait here for a moment. This servant will go right away."
After they went in and told the Emperor about it, the Emperor also found it rather strange. If he wasn't mistaken, weren't they all at the training ground today to compete in archery? How come they have time to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation now?
Since the Emperor had become curious, he naturally ordered Li Yu to bring them in. Looking at the envoy following Yongqi, the Emperor frowned unhappily. Could it be that this envoy had caused some great trouble?
As expected, one should not dwell on things in one's mind, for once one does, they become reality. After hearing what Yongqi said, the Emperor's face was beyond dark and gloomy.
"If you are a prince of the High Domain, why would you disguise yourself as an envoy to our Great Qing? Could it be that your High Domain wants to uncover the secrets of our Great Qing? Is that why the prince is pretending to be low-key?" It has to be said that the Emperor has been with An Ke for a long time and has gradually been influenced by what he has seen and heard.
The prince was terrified. He remembered his father's instructions before he left: to be careful and discreet in the Qing Dynasty. He never expected the Qing people to act so unpredictably, demanding accountability from him without any explanation.
He had no choice but to defend himself, but the more he spoke, the darker the Qing emperor's face became, and his voice gradually softened. In the end, under the Qing emperor's oppressive gaze, he couldn't help but lower his head.
"Oh, I didn't expect the prince to have visited our city gate?" The emperor's eyes narrowed dangerously. Actually, it wasn't a big deal, but the emperor was just using this as an excuse to make a fuss.
"Yes, can't we go to this city gate?" the prince said softly, afraid that he might accidentally step on a tiger's tail again.
“Of course not. Didn’t anyone tell the prince that this city tower is next to the emperor’s harem? Besides, no one is allowed to enter or leave without an imperial edict. Since the princess of my Great Qing has repeatedly told the prince, why did the prince follow the princess to the training ground today?” Yongqi said with certainty, his eyes filled with contempt.
He really looked down on this thin man who couldn't even draw a bow and arrow. Besides, this man was full of lies and his eyes were always wandering around. His gaze not only lingered on his cousin An'an, but he also paused for a moment on Xinrong.
"Very well, very well indeed. Has the Prince of Gaoyu failed to educate the prince properly?" The Emperor was furious and slammed his hand on the table, startling the prince so much that he trembled. Yongqi and the others even knelt on the ground, begging the Emperor to calm down.
"It seems that this Great Qing is not a suitable place for the prince to stay here any longer. Why not return to the High Domain as soon as possible? I think the Prince has been away from home for several days, and the King of the High Domain must be very worried about him." The Emperor's words were already so blunt that any sensible person would have been ashamed and quickly withdrew.
But the prince of the high realm clearly had a distorted thought process, and even asked, "Does the Emperor's promise to let the princess marry me still stand?" His eyes were filled with hope.
The Emperor had just overheard their conversation and naturally knew that the Prince of Gaoyu had probably taken a fancy to An'an. He sneered inwardly, thinking, "Do they even deserve the noble Princess Yong'an of the Great Qing?"
"Of course, there's no better time than today. Tomorrow I will host a banquet to send the envoys back to the High Territory." After saying this, the Emperor ordered him to be driven out, not wanting to see him again.
Having received the answer he wanted, the prince didn't care about anything else and walked out in a good mood.
Li Yu overheard the Emperor and his entourage's conversation inside. Seeing the smug figure of the prince, she spat out a curse. Did they really dare to covet the princess?
"Father, should we move this matter forward?" Yongqi and Jichu exchanged a glance, and in the end, Yongqi stepped forward.
"What else can we do? Are we going to let them turn my harem up into chaos? Was An'an very angry today?" The Emperor looked up from the pile of memorials and glanced at Yongqi.
Yongqi recounted Anke's actions and expression that day, which made the Emperor's face even more grim. He ordered Li Yu to instruct the Ministry of Rites to quickly make corresponding changes and ensure that they were sent away by tomorrow.
Having received the order, and also because he really disliked the people from that high region, Li Yu quickly sent the message to the Ministry of Rites.
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Rites, he saw the people inside bustling about, searching for this jade artifact and that ornament. When the officials of the Ministry of Rites saw Li Yu, they dared not neglect him and went straight to greet him, fearing that the Emperor might have some instructions.
Unexpectedly, his prediction came true. The Emperor actually wanted to bring forward the marriage alliance between the Qing Dynasty and the Gaoyu. The minister of the Ministry of Rites was completely stunned and almost fainted. These days, he was so busy with the happy events in the palace that he barely had time to rest.
Unexpectedly, there was an even bigger matter waiting for him to handle. He had to deal with such an important matter in just one day, which was really difficult for him. He was just about to ask Li Yu to speak on his behalf to the Emperor when Li Yu whispered to him that he should just handle it as he saw fit.
The minister of the Ministry of Rites immediately understood: the Emperor didn't take this matter seriously; he only wanted it to be done superficially. Once he understood, the minister thanked Li Yu profusely and saw him off.
Immediately afterwards, he ordered everyone to stop what they were doing and quickly send someone to instruct Princess Ziwei of Shufangzhai, in preparation for tomorrow's happy occasion.
"Sir, why did you move up the schedule? We're all in a panic right now."
"Yes, there are so many things we haven't prepared yet, and we can't even find them all. How come this has been prepared ahead of schedule?"
Everyone was complaining, but then the minister of the Ministry of Rites narrowed his eyes, slammed his hand on the table, and the room fell silent instantly.
"This is the Emperor's order, how dare you complain? Don't you all want your heads?" the minister said sternly, but seeing the crowd hanging their heads, he immediately softened his tone, "However, the Emperor also said that we should handle it as we see fit. What does 'handle it as we see fit' mean? It means we just need to make it look good on the surface, it won't take much effort. Once this matter is resolved, won't things be a bit easier?"
Then everyone realized what was going on.
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