Chapter 99
"His Majesty has arrived!"
In the guest hall of Penglai Academy, everyone, led by the Grand Princess and Princess Wenyi, knelt on the ground.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The Grand Princess bowed her head and kowtowed. As the footsteps drew nearer, two skirts, one bright yellow and one pink and white, stood side by side before her eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat and she instantly understood what was happening.
"Rise!"
His voice was authoritative and much stronger than before.
The Grand Princess was mentally prepared. She calmly stood up and looked towards the front of the hall. The next second, her eyes widened suddenly, and she instantly lost her proud etiquette.
Of course, she was considered lucky. One after another, gasps of surprise rang out in the hall, and someone accidentally bumped into the tables and chairs, causing a sizzling sound.
Disrespectful behavior in front of the emperor could be fatal.
But no one cared about these things at this moment, and more importantly, neither Emperor Chengyuan nor the Southern Attendant intended to pursue the matter.
They were already used to how outsiders reacted when they saw Rong Rong.
Emperor Chengyuan smiled and gently squeezed Rong Rong's small hand in his palm.
The intimacy between the two should have been the most shocking thing, but everyone's attention had already turned to Rong Rong.
Rong Rong wore a flowing pink and white floral dress, looking as ethereal as a fairy. Her noble and elegant demeanor was like a gentle breeze as she stood gracefully. The rosy glow outside the door gilded her with a layer of gold, making her look like a dream.
What's even more breathtaking is her exquisitely beautiful face, like the first rays of dawn, radiant and stunning, or like a budding flower in the early morning, fresh and delicate.
Everyone was captivated by her breathtaking beauty. Even Yu Yingyan and his companions were still speechless with amazement when they saw Rong Rong again.
"Impossible!" Mu Fangfang screamed, shaking her head frantically in disbelief that Rong Rong looked like this. "It's fake! It's fake!"
"Yes! It must be fake!" Mu Fangfang quickly convinced herself. She had grown up with Rong Rong since she was a child. If Rong Rong was this beautiful, she couldn't possibly not remember her.
And the villagers of Baijia Village! It's impossible for them to remain so calm; no one has ever mentioned Rong Rong's beauty.
So this must be fake; Rong Rong is wearing a human skin mask!
"Your Majesty! Don't believe her! She's wearing a mask! This isn't her real face! It's fake! It's fake! She's deceiving everyone!"
Mu Fangfang rushed towards Rong Rong like a madwoman, as if she wanted to tear off the mask from Rong Rong's face with her own hands.
But before Nan Shi could make a move, Lou Boshan, who was standing next to her, knocked her unconscious with a single palm strike.
Immediately afterwards, several eunuchs stepped forward and dragged the person away; the whole process took only a few blinks of an eye.
The Grand Princess's lips twitched. After all, Mu Fangfang was her savior, and she should speak up for her.
But in the end, the Grand Princess remained silent. She decided that now was not the time to speak, and that she would seek His Majesty's help privately.
However, just as she finished thinking about Mu Fangfang, another scream rang out from inside the house.
"Ah!" It was Princess Changning. She even jumped up excitedly.
"Shut up!" The Grand Princess was startled and pulled Princess Changning to her knees with a thud. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
The Grand Princess looked apprehensive, fearing that she might offend His Majesty or Lady Jiangyang. Clearly, Lady Jiangyang's attitude could directly influence His Majesty.
Princess Changning, however, was not in a hurry. Even while kneeling, her eyes were still fixed on Rong Rong with great enthusiasm, her face full of excitement and anticipation, as if she wanted to rush to Rong Rong and give her a big hug.
At this moment, she felt deeply ashamed of her past ignorance and even looked down on the Lady of Jiangyang as a mere ornament.
If a vase is the most precious vase in the world that thousands of people are vying for, then these common folk are not worthy of even glancing at it.
Rong Rong chuckled, finding the princess's frankness endearing.
Her laughter instantly lightened the atmosphere in the living room.
"It's alright!" Li Tianyi waved his hand and laughed, taking Rong Rong's hand as they passed through the crowd and sat down at the head of the table together.
Only then did everyone finally notice the two's actions.
The disbelief just moments before instantly turned into understanding.
Who could have imagined that there could be a woman so beautiful? And who could not fall in love with such a woman?
Even the former admirers of Marquis Jiangyang, who were hostile to Rong Rong one second and wished she would disturb His Majesty and be punished by him, suddenly became complicated in the next second.
In front of such a beauty, they could no longer feel any desire to compare themselves; doing so would only be humiliating.
They even unconsciously repent for their previous malice, wanting to be forgiven by the beauty and to gain her favor.
Compared to the beauty, even the handsome and charming Marquis Jiangyang was nothing special, not to mention Yu Yingyan, the most handsome man in the Southern Frontier.
She was utterly hideous in front of Lady Jiangyang!
Rong Rong's appearance inadvertently awakened the romantic fantasies of several people who were deeply in love with Yu Yingyan, causing a sharp decrease in the number of Yu Yingyan's female confidantes.
And this is just the beginning. In some ways, Rong Rong has done a great service!
After Li Tianyi exchanged a few words with the Grand Princess, he dismissed everyone. Li Tianyi didn't say much about his relationship with Rong Rong, and naturally no one dared to ask.
Rong Rong was helpless because Li Tianyi always held her hand tightly wherever they went, as if he was afraid she would run away.
Rong Rong had no intention of running away. Compared to Jiangyang Marquis Xie Tianrui, there were clearly fewer variables with her old acquaintance Li Tianyi, making her feel safer.
Most importantly, she knew that Li Tianyi didn't have much time left.
Whether it's accompanying Li Tianyi on his final journey or Rong Rong regaining her freedom immediately after Li Tianyi's death, she should choose to be with Li Tianyi.
Li Tianyi didn't ask Rong Rong where she went or why she was brought back to life. Rong Rong wouldn't take the initiative to explain either. There weren't many people in the world who had seen Rong Rong. Rong Rong would still be known as the orphan girl from Baijia Village.
Neither of them mentioned how Li Tianyi planned to deal with Jiangyang Hou.
That same day, Li Tianyi took Rong Rong back to the palace.
At the same time, all the ministers received news that their emperor was going to appoint an empress.
"Becoming Empress?" Upon receiving this news, Marquis Yongning immediately turned his gaze to his eldest daughter, Ding Caiwei, his eyes gleaming with intense hope.
The Yongning Marquis's mansion has long lost its former glory. When the title was passed down to him, he was only a sixth-rank official, and a sinecure at that. If he didn't get promoted or think of other ways, his son would only be able to inherit the title at a lower rank.
Unfortunately, his eldest son was also a good-for-nothing and could not be relied upon. Only his eldest daughter was exceptionally beautiful and talented.
He originally planned to marry his daughter into a prestigious family to secure a future for the Marquis's household, but he had been delaying it until now because he hadn't chosen a suitable family.
He knew, of course, that the highest-ranking family in the world was His Majesty, but His Majesty was deeply in love with the late Empress, and they had no chance.
But then, things took an unexpected turn; His Majesty was going to appoint an Empress!
This is a signal that His Majesty is no longer obsessed with who came before whom and is willing to accept other women.
With his daughter's talent and beauty, he believed that she would eventually win the Emperor's favor.
The Marquis of Yongning was ambitious, and his eyes were full of ambition and longing as he looked at Ding Caiwei, as if he could already see the prosperous scene of the Marquis of Yongning's mansion bustling with activity.
In contrast, Ding Caiwei was horrified, "Father, no!"
Ding Caiwei's voice cracked on the spot, and her outburst startled the Marquis of Yongning, his wife, and her elder brother, the young master.
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