Chapter 2: They Don't See Each Other, Is the Empress Afraid?
Back when she was still a young woman awaiting marriage, Chu Yueyuan often heard noble ladies at various banquets in the capital talking animatedly about the mysterious Prince Yi of the Great Qi Dynasty—Pei Muwei.
It happened so many times that my ears got calluses.
Even her older sister, Chu Wanxi, who was known for her high standards and was considered the most beautiful woman in the capital, praised men highly.
Prince Yi was the ninth prince born to the late Emperor Wu and Consort Pei. Unlike the other princes, the ninth prince took Consort Pei's surname after his birth, which was unprecedented.
When the late Emperor Wu made this decision, it naturally caused a great uproar in the court and was strongly opposed by the court officials. However, Emperor Wu overruled the objections and finally allowed the ninth prince to inherit the surname of Consort Pei, becoming the only prince of the Great Qi who was not of the same surname.
People say that Pei Muwei is a genius of his time, proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, archery, horsemanship, and horseback riding.
Some say that Pei Muwei is a ruthless and wicked monster. He is unorthodox, disrespectful to his elder brother, and unfilial to his parents. He angered the Empress Dowager Pei to death. Therefore, he was sent by the late Emperor Wu to guard the border in Beiting and was not allowed to return to the capital without imperial decree.
Until a few years ago, the Northern Buddhist army defeated the foreign enemy. In order to demonstrate his imperial power, Emperor Shang issued an edict to summon Prince Yi back to the capital for an audience.
That night, Chu Wanxi, who had just returned from the New Year's Eve palace banquet, was all smiles. She rarely rekindled her superficial sisterly affection with her and held her hand, whispering secrets all night long.
From her sister, Chu Yueyuan learned that during the six years that Prince Yi had taken over Beiting, he had single-handedly built up the formidable Futu Army, making him a powerful figure second only to the Prince of Shu.
On the golden nanmu wood carved dragon-patterned Luohan bed, the woman's long, ink-black hair was draped over her shoulders, her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and the scarlet silk embroidered wedding dress under her jade neck was disheveled and open, revealing her collarbone as beautiful as piled-up jade, and her snow-white skin shone with a delicate luster in the candlelight.
When Chu Yueyuan's gaze fell upon Prince Yi's handsome yet aloof face, she instantly understood the origin of the world's description of him as a "monster."
The man was dressed in silver armor, tall and slender, with a handsome face. In particular, his phoenix eyes under the lion-shaped helmet were like moonlight filling an autumn pond. Unfortunately, his eyes were filled with a chilling coldness, revealing a distant and aloof attitude that kept people at a distance.
Chu Yueyuan suddenly felt that if the man was truly a demon, he should be a proud and unruly snow wolf king atop the Cold Mountain, cold and ruthless, with absolute majesty.
"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Is Your Majesty unharmed?"
A person as aloof and cold as ice crystals speaks with an exceptionally clear and crisp voice.
"I am well..."
Chu Yueyuan lowered her head and noticed that the neckline of her dress was slightly open, revealing a large expanse of alluring skin. She hurriedly covered herself up and said gratefully again, "Thank you, Prince Yi, for coming to my rescue."
Pei Muwei swiftly sheathed his sword, his tone calm: "Since the Empress is unharmed, I request that Your Majesty accompany me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to read the edict left behind by the Emperor."
An imperial edict?
Chu Yueyuan looked up in confusion, only to see Prince Yi's handsome face expressionless as he stretched out his long arm and handed her a bright yellow scroll.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally took the edict from the man's hand. She slowly unfurled the scroll and scanned the contents. The further she read, the wider her bright eyes widened, and her rosy lips gradually lost their color.
The edict, written in the voice of Emperor Shang, rebuked the Prince of Shu for his treasonous act and entrusted the young crown prince to Prince Yi, who came to his rescue. On his deathbed, Emperor Shang appointed Prince Yi as the regent of the Great Qi and ordered him to support the young crown prince's ascension to the throne. As for the affairs of the court, he entrusted them all to the regent until the crown prince came of age and was returned to the emperor.
The sounds of fighting outside the carved window gradually subsided, and the main hall became extremely quiet.
It was so quiet that Chu Yueyuan could clearly hear the dripping sound of the silver water clock, each drop seeming to patter against her taut heartstrings.
Her darting gaze swept past the golden axis, first to the bloodied and mangled Emperor Shang on the Persian lichen, then she secretly glanced at the unseeing Shu King under the dragon bed. She felt a chill run from the soles of her feet up her spine to the top of her head, and couldn't help but shiver.
The imperial edict in his hand was still freshly printed, but the body of the deceased emperor had long since turned cold.
Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, the instigator of tonight's palace coup is right before our eyes.
With a crisp "thud," the gold axle fell to the ground.
Chu Yueyuan took a step back, instinctively wanting to get away from the treacherous minister in front of her. In her panic, her crimson embroidered shoes accidentally stepped on the scattered pearls on the floor tiles, and she slipped, falling forward uncontrollably.
In a flash, a blue light flashed before Chu Yueyuan's eyes, and she felt something cold pressing against her lower back. She instinctively grabbed the cold, hard object supporting her.
The man used his sword as an arm to catch her as she nearly fell.
Chu Yueyuan lowered her eyes to look at the sword sheath that she was holding tightly in her hands.
The scabbard was forged from jade and intricately carved with a coiled snake pattern. The snake's body was engraved with clearly defined scales, and its head was triangular. The protruding gemstone eyes looked as if they were stained with blood. The design was so lifelike that it seemed as if the snake was about to pounce on you at any moment.
"ah..."
Chu Yueyuan let out a short scream. Startled, her hand trembled, and the unsheathed sword blade sliced through her right palm. She lost her balance again and fell heavily onto the gilded floor tiles.
This time, however, the man stood by indifferently and did not offer any help.
Pei Muwei's patience is limited. A person can be foolish once or twice, but there can never be a third time.
His eyelashes were lowered, his dark eyes unfathomable, and his voice was extremely indifferent: "Is Your Majesty afraid?"
Chu Yueyuan was naturally afraid. On her wedding night, she was actually going to help the thief who murdered her husband to seize the family property. Even if this were written in a storybook and embellished, she would still be a viper who would be drowned in the spittle of the world.
But she feared death more than being disgraced.
The burning pain from the wound on her palm made her shudder to think how much it would hurt if that wound were on her neck!
She didn't want to die. She was still so young, she hadn't had enough of Guanfangyuan's pastries, hadn't worn the legendary peacock skirt, and hadn't even warmed her seat as the most beautiful woman in the capital.
Having just experienced a brush with death, she cherishes the feeling of being alive even more.
Chu Yueyuan took a deep breath, gently shook her head, and tried to suppress the tremor in her voice: "Prince Yi has misunderstood. I... just accidentally fell."
The hall fell silent again, the air thick with a suffocating stillness. The cold floor tiles seeped out a chilling aura, slowly seeping into her frigid body.
Just when Chu Yueluan thought she had seen through the truth and was about to follow Emperor Shang and his wife to their final resting place, a pair of hands with distinct knuckles appeared before her eyes.
The man had long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, and the bluish veins extending from his wrist to the back of his hand were slightly bulging, exuding a strange and unsettling power.
Chu Yueyuan reached out without hesitation and placed her hand in the man's palm.
With a pull and a tug, she slowly stood up, but the movement aggravated the wound on her palm, causing her to furrow her brow in pain, yet she dared not utter a sound.
Pei Muwei saw blood on his palm, and he reached out to pick up the gilded dragon and phoenix patterned wine pot from the red lacquered and gilded begonia tray.
That was supposed to be the wedding wine that Emperor Shang and Chu Yueyuan drank tonight.
As the gilded dragon and phoenix patterned wine pot slowly tilted, a stream of wine flowed from the dragon's mouth spout, quickly washing away the blood from the woman's palm and revealing her smooth, creamy skin. The wine, mixed with blood, splashed onto the ground, and the winding water gradually gathered under the man's black boots embroidered with python patterns.
The burning pain of strong liquor washing over a wound is comparable to sprinkling a handful of fine salt into it.
Chu Yueyuan wanted to pull her hand away in pain, but the man's hand on her wrist was strong and firm, not allowing her to back down even a little. She could only bite her lower lip tightly and look up at the man's handsome profile, but she dared not speak her anger.
He only dared to mutter to himself: Pei thief must have done it on purpose!
The two Chu sisters were exceptionally beautiful, possessing a beauty that could rival the legendary beauties of the Qiao sisters. They were known as the "Big and Little Qiao" sisters, and even Pei Muwei, who was far from the capital, had heard of their fame.
The young empress before me wore a crimson wedding dress, her black hair gleaming like ebony in the candlelight. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was hidden beneath her long hair, her eyes moist, with a faint pink tinge spreading at the corners, like hibiscus petals dampened by rain.
A small bloodstain stained her eyelid, like a seductive red mole, which diminished the woman's beauty and elegance by a third, giving her an inexplicable allure.
Pei Muwei's gaze was calm as he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please bear with me. My sword is not clean."
The man's tone was calm, and his clear, gentle voice made Chu Yueyuan realize that she was judging a gentleman by her own petty standards.
As her gaze fell upon the man's spotless silver armor, a childhood memory suddenly surfaced in Chu Yueyuan's mind.
The Chu family mansion was adjacent to the Earl of Zhongyi's mansion. When Chu Yueyuan was young, the young master of the Earl's mansion next door would often climb over the wall and chase after her to play.
From a young age, Prince Meng harbored a dream of becoming a hero, and he often brandished his prized red-tasseled spear, speaking eloquently and spiritedly before her:
"Big Goose, do you know that the more enemy soldiers a warrior kills on the battlefield, the more skilled his swordsmanship becomes? When they swing their swords, they can clearly predict the angle at which blood will spurt from the opponent's wound. A true master can walk through mountains of corpses without getting a drop of blood on himself!"
Just how many people had this man killed to be able to wear such spotless silver armor?
Noticing the sudden tremor in the soft hand in his palm, Pei Muwei put down his wine cup, took a white silk handkerchief from the sandalwood tray, and bandaged the wound on the woman's palm. He said calmly, "If Your Majesty is ready, please come with me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to deliver the imperial decree."
The man addressed her as "your humble servant" repeatedly, his words far more humble than those of the arrogant and domineering King of Shu. Yet, his upright and proud spine never bowed even slightly to her, the Empress of Great Qi.
Chu Yueyuan looked down at the blood-stained white silk handkerchief in her palm.
Long before the imperial edict for her investiture was issued to the Chu family, her virginity had already been verified by the head maid. However, according to the rules of the palace, the Inner Palace still prepared a foot of snow-white silk handkerchief on the wedding night to signify that the woman was offering her most precious virginity to her husband.
However, the events of tonight made Chu Yueyuan quickly realize a truth: a pure body is far less precious than life.
Chu Yueyuan bowed slightly, then looked up at Prince Yi, her tone gentle and respectful: "I entrust the future well-being of myself and the Crown Prince to Minister Pei."
After she finished speaking, she saw the man smile slightly.
Although the man's smile didn't reach his eyes, his phoenix eyes were quite beautiful, with elegantly upturned corners, losing some of his aloofness and arrogance and gaining a touch of extremely charming tenderness.
"Your Majesty, I will do as you wish."
——
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was brightly lit.
It must be said that the King of Shu really knew how to pick a day. On the occasion of the Emperor and Empress's wedding, civil and military officials gathered together, enjoying delicacies and singing songs. Just as everyone was happily toasting each other, they were suddenly surrounded by soldiers who had stormed into the palace.
Unexpected calamities are nothing more than this.
During the banquet, a loyal and devoted minister stepped forward and coldly questioned the King of Shu whether he intended to force the king to abdicate. The next moment, his head rolled down the white marble steps, shocking all the officials present into silence.
Just as the guests were filled with apprehension, the Northern Buddhist army descended like divine warriors and suddenly engaged in a fierce battle with the Shu King's forces.
After half an hour of fierce fighting, the valiant Buddhist army brought the rebels in the palace under control.
At the wedding banquet, civil and military officials and members of the royal family were invited into the Taihe Hall by the Futu Army, whose murderous aura had not yet subsided. As everyone trembled with fear, the Empress and Prince Yi finally entered the hall one after the other, but the Emperor Shang was nowhere to be seen.
An official immediately inquired with concern, "Your Majesty, where is His Majesty now? Is he injured?"
Chu Yueyuan gripped the scroll tightly in her hand, her dark eyes slowly sweeping over the astonished and uncertain faces of the courtiers below. She composed herself, her expression sorrowful, her beautiful eyes gradually welling with tears, her voice choked with emotion:
"His Majesty...died by the King of Shu's blade..."
She broke down in tears halfway through her sentence, sobbing uncontrollably.
Upon hearing the news of the Emperor's death, all the civil and military officials froze on the spot, their faces filled with extreme shock and disbelief. Several senior officials clutched their chests tightly, seemingly trying to calm their violently beating hearts.
After a moment of silence, Prince Duan, the most prestigious prince in the court, stepped forward first. His thick eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes gleamed. He went straight to the point and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty the Empress, did His Majesty leave a will before his death?"
On the high steps, the woman's slender shoulders trembled, her voice choked with sobs: "His Majesty, on his deathbed, did indeed issue an imperial edict..."
Upon hearing this, His Highness and all the officials lifted their robes and knelt down in unison to receive the imperial edict.
Chu Yueyuan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, slowly unfurled the scroll in her hand, and her clear, melodious voice echoed in the hall:
"Heaven has dealt a severe blow to Qi. I unexpectedly entrusted the wrong person with the responsibility, wrongly appointing the Prince of Shu, and thus suffered this calamity. Heaven's will to abandon us has its own reasons. Fortunately, Prince Yi, with his loyalty and righteousness, with his hair disheveled and wearing a crown, bravely protected the Crown Prince. On my deathbed, I hereby appoint him as Regent, to assist the Crown Prince in building a great empire for eternity, in order to repay the hopes of the people..."
After Chu Yueyuan read the imperial edict aloud, she ordered the Grand Eunuch Wang to distribute the edict to the prince and his ministers. She then quietly retreated behind Prince Yi.
As expected, after a flurry of whispers, many officials began to raise questions.
"The handwriting on the imperial edict is indeed His Majesty's, and the imperial seal is also undeniable. However, the late Emperor feared the power of the Northern Court and repeatedly tried to incorporate the Buddhist Army into the Imperial Guard. His relationship with Prince Yi was extremely hostile. Why did the late Emperor suddenly entrust the Great Qi's empire to Prince Yi before his death...?"
"While the Crown Prince is indeed young, there are many trustworthy members of the imperial family. Leaving aside Prince Chen of Baling and Prince Liang of the North, there are His Majesty's brothers, Prince Duan and Prince Anxian, in the capital alone. How could Prince Yi, a non-royal prince banished to the Northern Court by the late Emperor, possibly be a suitable candidate..."
"Indeed, and moreover, the lineage of Prince Yi has always been in doubt..."
Hearing the endless doubts from the higher-ups, Chu Yueyuan frowned slightly, and couldn't help but look up at the man's handsome back, wondering if she had mistakenly boarded a pirate ship.
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