In the Qinghe Hall of the Dongwei Imperial Palace, seats for the officials and ladies-in-waiting had been prepared well in advance to welcome the foreign envoys and various imperial relatives.
A group of people in unique attire had already taken their seats. Their tall stature and deep-set features attracted the curious gazes of many people.
The courtiers of Dongwei sized up the leader while whispering amongst themselves.
"I heard that the leader is Mu Bai, the iron-blooded general of Chu. He is quite handsome, but he looks rather gentle, not as terrifying as people say."
"He's not the only one with such a poor appearance and personality. I heard that a new young general has also emerged in Nan'an, hasn't he?"
"Tsk tsk, they really are one wave after another. These young people are amazing!"
The official in blue robes recalled the few excessively young top scorers admitted in this autumn imperial examination, and a complex expression of bitterness, like jealousy, appeared on his face.
Seeing the official in blue robes' expression, the others also remembered several particularly young and outstanding officials in the court, and their faces showed the same expression.
The surrounding whispers weren't loud, but the gazes directed at them were particularly noticeable. Jiang Qing, sitting next to Mu Bai, secretly nudged her friend's sleeve and whispered, "Mu Bai, what do you think those old men from Dongwei are saying? Why are they looking at us so strangely?"
Mu Bai glanced around and noticed the strange looks from several officials in the distance. Did they seem jealous? Mu Bai wasn't sure, so he frowned slightly and said, "Don't worry about Dong Wei and the others. Just wait for the Fifth Prince to arrive, then we'll wait for him to choose his consort and protect him and his consort."
Hearing his friend's old-fashioned and serious demeanor, Jiang Qing curled his lips, too lazy to talk to his overly rigid friend anymore.
However, Jiang Qing was still very curious about the Fifth Prince's future imperial consort, and his gaze couldn't help but secretly turn towards the group of women.
At this moment, not everyone had arrived yet, but the women's side was already filled with elegantly dressed women.
Each of them looked beautiful and had a slender figure, but having grown accustomed to the valiant women of his own country who could ride horses and hunt with such spirit, Jiang Qing felt that these women from Dongwei were too frail. Although they looked good and had fair skin, Jiang Qing always felt that if he were a little stern, those delicate Dongwei women would probably be scared to tears.
Jiang Qing frowned, unable to understand why Empress Gong insisted that the Fifth Prince choose a woman from Dongwei as his imperial consort.
Jiang Qing's curiosity was quickly aroused by Xie Ping's arrival.
Thanks to Emperor Bai Dongwei's special arrangement, the envoy from He Chu was placed below Xie Ping, the fifth prince of He Chu.
Jiang Qing watched as a tall, handsome young man in black, narrow-sleeved robes, walked slowly toward her. He had a slight smile on his lips, but his eyes were as cold as ice. Jiang Qing had a premonition that this was the Fifth Prince, Xie Ping.
The image of the cold, expressionless, refined boy in my memory vaguely overlaps with the handsome, aggressive-looking young man before me.
Mu Bai paused for a moment, then quickly stood up and bowed to Chu. Following Mu Bai's bow, the other envoys from Chu also quickly stood up and bowed: "Your humble servant greets the Fifth Prince."
Xie Ping gave a casual "hmm" and waved his hand, gesturing for the group to sit down. Even when facing envoys from his own country, Xie Ping couldn't concentrate on the people in front of him.
He quickly sat down in his seat, turned his head to look at the women's area, and glanced over but did not see that beautiful figure. The tall figure even showed a somewhat dejected look.
Mu Bai frowned slightly. Was it just his imagination?
There's a feeling that their Fifth Prince seems a bit... anxious as he sits down and looks in a certain direction?
Mu Bai was unaware of his mistake. He got up early to dress himself up in his most satisfying clothes. The seemingly cold but actually flamboyant Prince Xie Ping quickly checked on his beloved, his future imperial concubine Qingqing, at the banquet.
Upon noticing that his beloved had not yet arrived, Prince Xie Ping felt an even stronger chill emanating from him.
Especially when his gaze swept over his love rival Wu Yong and Hu Nanxu, the "brother" who was particularly "good" to Qingqing, the disgust and coldness in his eyes intensified.
Wu Yong, who was sitting in his seat, suddenly felt a malicious gaze. He raised his head abruptly and looked around with cold eyes. The young man, who did not find the source of the gaze, frowned slightly and stopped looking. However, there was a hint of irritation and unease in his eyes.
This unease intensified as he looked in the direction of the women.
Lin Nanxu, or rather Hu Nanxu, shared the same feelings. After returning to his original biological family, he went to the local government to change his surname back and participated in the autumn imperial examination again, becoming the top candidate most valued by the current emperor.
Even though everything was progressing in the direction he wanted, Hu Nanxu felt a sense of unease.
With a strong and resilient heart, Hu Nanxu suppressed the unease in his heart and calmed down. His overly outstanding and delicate face appeared even more aloof and outstanding.
This attracted the attention of many wealthy young ladies who were filled with romantic longing.
Today's banquet has truly been a feast for the eyes of the young ladies of Dongwei. All sorts of outstanding and uniquely handsome young men are present, including Hu Nanxu, whose temperament is as aloof as snow; Hu Yong, the young general with red lips and white teeth and youthful spirit; Xie Ping, the hostage prince with a handsome and cold demeanor with a hint of wickedness... and so on. It is truly difficult to choose, and one can only wish that one had a few more pairs of eyes so that one could see all these outstanding and uniquely handsome young men.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Book categories, authors, and full-length book rankings
Homepage Click Ranking Recommended Ranking Favorites Ranking Temporary Bookshelf
PC version of all novels, latest updates, site map, member bookshelf
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
