Qin Yi tugged the jade pendant from his waist and tossed it to Lu Xi. “Go tell Prince Wuyang that although Bianjing is renowned for its countless forms of entertainment, shadow puppetry has long been languishing without much development. Since Qin Yunduan is highly skilled in this art and thoroughly understands its finer points, have him establish a shadow-puppet troupe and devote himself to refining it, so that the art of shadow theater may flourish throughout our dynasty.”
Lu Xi bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Yan Tongshu gave Qin Yi a thumbs-up.
After receiving the oral decree, Prince Wuyang glanced at the shadow-puppet stall and walked away reluctantly, looking back every few steps.
When the performance ended, Qin Yunduan emerged from behind the screen. A crowd of children gathered around him, their eyes sparkling with admiration as they called out, “Brother! Brother!”
Qin Yunduan was delighted. He immediately took out the shadow puppets he had brought with him and lifted the children onto his lap one by one, letting them play with the puppets.
Yan Tongshu and Qin Yi left through the north entrance. Lu Xi led a horse over.
Qin Yi mounted, then reached a hand out to Yan Tongshu. “Come on. I’m taking you somewhere nice.”
“Where?”
Qin Yi gave a little wave of the hand he had extended toward her. “Somewhere you’ll regret missing.”
“Is it far?”
“It’s getting late. I’ll take you home afterward.”
“Then all right.”
Yan Tongshu told Pearl and Jinbao to go back first, then took Qin Yi’s hand. With a slight pull, he hoisted her up behind him.
“Sit tight.” Qin Yi tugged on the reins, and the horse sped off.
Yan Tongshu watched the scenery rushing past them.
At last, the two of them arrived at the northern part of the city.
She looked up. On the towering structure before them were three large characters:
**Observatory.**
Qin Yi dismounted first, followed by Yan Tongshu.
When the guards on either side saw Qin Yi, they hurriedly stepped aside and knelt in greeting.
Qin Yi led the way, with Yan Tongshu following behind. They passed through layer after layer of the structure until they reached a high platform.
The platform stood roughly forty meters high, and it was covered entirely in steps.
Yan Tongshu had climbed only a third of the way before she lost her temper.
Climbing stairs was exhausting.
If she found that the view wasn’t worth all this trouble once they reached the top, she was going to have it out with Qin Yi.
At long last, they reached the observatory. Yan Tongshu braced both hands on her knees and panted heavily.
Qin Yi came over to her. “How is your stamina this poor?”
“Oh—” he said, as though suddenly realizing something. “That’s because someone is lazy, loves good food, and hates exercising.”
The mockery could not have been more blatant.
Yan Tongshu drew a deep breath and brought one foot down hard on the top of Qin Yi’s foot.
Qin Yi clenched his teeth against the pain. “Yan Tongshu!”
Yan Tongshu glared at him. “Friends are equals. This is the treatment friends deserve.”
“You—” Qin Yi restrained himself.
Once Yan Tongshu had recovered, she walked a few steps forward, only then noticing that two soft couches and a table had already been set up on the observatory.
On the table sat a pot of hot tea, two teacups, and an assortment of fruits and pastries.
Yan Tongshu’s legs were trembling, so she hurried over and sat down.
Qin Yi sat on the other couch.
“What did you bring me here for?” Yan Tongshu asked.
Qin Yi picked up the teapot and gave it a shake. It was full.
“Some time ago, the Directorate of Astronomy reported that a meteor shower would appear around the middle of the hour of Hai tonight. The view from the observatory in the northern part of the city is supposed to be the best.”
“ A meteor shower!” Yan Tongshu exclaimed excitedly. “There’s really going to be a meteor shower?”
“What the Astronomical Bureau predicts isn’t necessarily accurate.” Qin Yi poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her, then ordered someone to bring over two wool blankets. “But to miss such a beautiful sight would be a lifelong regret.”
It was late autumn, and the observatory tower was still so high above the ground. The wind was fierce, and the cold was biting.
He had no intention of letting Yan Tongshu use illness as an excuse to shirk her duties again tomorrow.
Yan Tongshu took the teacup, wrapping herself in the blankets. Warmth spread through her.
She took a sip of hot tea and suddenly felt a little guilty.
Today, she had glared at the dog emperor—no, at the Sagely Ruler—and even stepped on the Sagely Ruler’s foot. Yet the Sagely Ruler was so magnanimous that he had brought her to watch a meteor shower.
A tiny sliver of guilt toward the Sagely Ruler began to rise in her heart.
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, then took out all the food from her peddler’s bag and generously shared it with Qin Yi.
Qin Yi picked up a cat-ear pastry and said with a smile, “It seems there’s going to be one fewer cat ear in the world.”
Yan Tongshu picked up a piece of pea cake and held it out to Qin Yi. “Try this one too.”
It had been her favorite snack as a child. Later, when she grew up and went away to study and work, she rarely had the chance to eat it anymore. Even when she returned to her hometown, there was nowhere that sold it.
Qin Yi accepted the cake, and Yan Tongshu took one as well. The two of them began eating slowly.
The night wind gradually died down, and silence settled over the land.
Suddenly, a streak of silver flashed across the horizon.
Yan Tongshu leaped to her feet from the couch.
The silver light burst apart, transforming into ten thousand streams of radiance that poured down from the heavens.
One, two, ten, a hundred…
Countless.
A meteor shower streaked across the sky.
Yan Tongshu closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and immediately made a wish.
Qin Yi did not look up at the sky.
He merely turned his head, his gaze falling on Yan Tongshu’s profile, illuminated by the starlight.
After making her wish, Yan Tongshu looked at Qin Yi excitedly. “It’s so beautiful.”
Qin Yi nodded.
Yan Tongshu gave him a puzzled look. “Hmm? Why didn’t you make a wish?”
“Make a wish?” Qin Yi had never heard of such a thing.
Yan Tongshu nodded. “Like this—put your hands together in front of your chest, close your eyes, and silently make your wish. Then your wish will come true.”
“I have no need for that,” Qin Yi said arrogantly. “This world already belongs to me.”
Yan Tongshu: “…”
Qin Yi’s gaze lingered on her delicate features. “What did you wish for?”
“Could you make it happen for me?” Yan Tongshu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Qin Yi raised one brow slightly. “We can give it a try.”
Standing beneath the meteor shower, Yan Tongshu said, “I wished that I could live a peaceful, uneventful life, keep my head on my shoulders forever, make lots of money, grow rich, never have to worry about food or drink, and be happy and carefree for the rest of my life.”
As she spoke, Yan Tongshu lifted her head toward the sky.
Countless meteors streaked through her eyes, breathtakingly beautiful.
Qin Yi’s heart stirred. He rose and walked over to Yan Tongshu’s side, lowering his eyes to look at her. “That’s all? Such simple wishes?”
“The simplest wishes are the hardest to fulfill.” Yan Tongshu gazed up at the sky.
The meteors gradually grew sparse. At last, the final few trails of light glided across the heavens and vanished behind the distant mountains.
The night sky returned to stillness. The stars shone quietly overhead.
“Then…” Qin Yi’s voice was slow and drawn out. “Would you like to give it a try?”
Yan Tongshu looked over at him in confusion. “Try what?”
Qin Yi stared unblinkingly at Yan Tongshu. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, “If we take our relationship one step beyond friendship, then half of everything in this realm will be yours—wealth, power, status. Even I will obey you.”
Yan Tongshu frowned. “Are you serious?”
Qin Yi nodded solemnly.
“I agree!” Yan Tongshu took a step back, clasped her fists, and shouted, “Godfather!”
Qin Yi’s expression darkened to an alarming degree. Even the skin on his face began to twitch.
Yan Tongshu’s scalp prickled. She could almost hear the grinding of his teeth.
“Yan! Tong! Shu!”
Yan Tongshu felt as though a voice like collapsing mountains and roaring seas had erupted before her.
She heard Qin Yi say, “You’re deliberately playing dumb again!”
Yan Tongshu lowered her head and stared at the tips of her shoes without saying a word.
What… was the big deal?
He had said he would give her half the empire. Apart from acknowledging him as her godfather, what else could a man do?
The moment Qin Yi saw the stubborn back of Yan Tongshu’s head, the fire in his heart became even harder to suppress. “Don’t hold it in! Say what you’re really thinking!”
Yan Tongshu remained silent.
“You—”
Qin Yi was furious enough to feel his lungs might burst, yet he was completely helpless against Yan Tongshu.
He pointed at her with a trembling finger, his whole body seeming like a ball of fire on the verge of exploding.
In the end, after holding it in for a long while, all he managed to spit out was, “You’re deliberately playing dumb!”
Then he strode away.
Yan Tongshu remained where she was, picking at her fingers.
It wasn’t her fault.
Weren’t all men like this?
Take Lü Bu, Sun Ce, Chai Rong, and Zhang Zuolin, for example. Didn’t they all rise to prominence by acknowledging godfathers?
And An Lushan was already so old, yet he still acknowledged Yang Guifei as his godmother.
They could all do it, so what was wrong with her acknowledging a godfather?
If he didn’t like it, then he didn’t like it.
She hadn’t even complained that he was less than three years older than her—far too young, and completely unsuitable.
In silence, Yan Tongshu packed the remaining food back into her bag, then silently made her way down from the observatory.
The guards had been waiting for her for quite some time. “Lord Yan, curfew has already begun. His Majesty has ordered us to escort you home.”
“Oh.” Yan Tongshu kept her head lowered as she followed the guards to a carriage.
As she climbed inside, she asked, “Where’s His Majesty?”
The guard replied, “His Majesty has returned to the palace.”
Yan Tongshu gave an absent-minded “Oh,” then lowered the carriage curtain.
That night, Yan Tongshu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At last, she sat up in bed.
“How could this be my fault?”
Yan Tongshu picked up Yuanzi and stared into its round, beady eyes. “Yuanzi, tell me—can this really be blamed on me? I was merely doing my best to be a man, a man who could hold up the heavens and stand proudly upon the earth. Then he suddenly got angry for no reason at all. And not just a little angry, either.
“Isn’t an emperor supposed to keep his emotions hidden? Yuanzi, take a good look at him. Does he meet the standard? He gets angry at the drop of a hat, his face goes dark at the drop of a hat, and he loses his temper at the drop of a hat. Besides, how can this be blamed on me? He was the one who first suggested taking our relationship a step further. I haven’t even blamed him for frightening me!”
“In short!”
Yan Tongshu reached her conclusion indignantly. “This is all his fault. Now go to sleep!”
Hugging Yuanzi, Yan Tongshu rolled over, pulled the quilt over herself, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
Half a stick of incense later, she sat up again.
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
Dog emperor, dog emperor—the dog emperor who has stirred up her heart!
Qin Yi was a bona fide dog emperor.
For the first half of the night, Yan Tongshu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It was only in the latter half, when her frayed nerves finally began to settle, that she drifted into a hazy slumber.
“Yan Tongshu.”
“Yan Tongshu?”
Yan Tongshu opened her eyes groggily.
Qin Yi was lying on his side beside her, propping his head up with one hand, a faint smile lingering in his eyes.
Under the covers, he took Yan Tongshu’s hand. “Your hand is so cold. Want me to warm it for you?”
As he spoke, Qin Yi placed Yan Tongshu’s hand against his waist.
The touch was warm and all too real.
Yan Tongshu’s fingers curled slightly, and she hurriedly sat up. “Have you no shame—”
Her eyes suddenly widened.
When she sat up, the quilt covering them both was pulled up as well.
Beneath it, Qin Yi was actually wearing nothing at all.
In the dim yellow lamplight, the contours of his honey-colored muscles stood out clearly.
Yan Tongshu’s face flushed.
Qin Yi chuckled, caught her hand, and placed it against his chest before slowly guiding it downward. “It’s still too cold. Let me warm it for you a little more.”
“Warm this!”
Yan Tongshu shot upright in one swift sit-up.
She thumped her head in frustration.
It was all that shameless dog emperor’s fault.
In weather this cold, he not only dressed so lightly but also kept taking off his clothes at the slightest opportunity.
He was utterly shameless.
He had corrupted her—a perfectly upstanding young man.
Since she was already wide awake, Yan Tongshu simply got up to wash and change.
When Pearl came to wake her, she was utterly stunned. “Young master, you’re actually up this early?”
Yan Tongshu glared at Pearl angrily. “Pearl, you must remember this.”
Pearl blinked. “Huh?”
Yan Tongshu declared with great force, “Lust brings a blade down upon your head.”
“Huh?” Pearl was even more confused.
What was Young Master talking about?
On the bed, Yuanzi raised its head and glanced at Yan Tongshu before yawning and going back to sleep.
After being tossed around all night, it had hardly slept either.
Yan Tongshu let out a long, long—an exceedingly long—sigh and walked out of the room.
Chewing on a fried dough stick, Yan Tongshu arrived at the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Qin Yi had not come to the office there to review memorials in quite some time, but his chair had always remained off to the side.
Yan Tongshu sat down at her own desk and silently chewed the fried dough stick in her mouth.
She opened a document.
Seeing this, Pearl hurriedly began grinding the ink.
Yan Tongshu finished the fried dough stick in her hand, wiped her fingers clean, and picked up the brush beside her.
Judging by Qin Yi’s expression yesterday, he had looked as though he were about to die of anger.
He wouldn’t settle the score with her later, would he?
Resting her head on one hand, Yan Tongshu reviewed the documents while mulling it over. Judging by his expression, it seemed unlikely that he would get over his anger anytime soon.
Sigh…
The morning was already half over when Meng Zheng pushed open the door and entered. He placed the entire defense plan for the Northern Liao envoys’ arrival in the capital on Yan Tongshu’s desk, his expression grave.
“There’s been a change. We need to revise it.”
“A change?” Yan Tongshu opened it to examine the plan.
Seeing the dark circles beneath Yan Tongshu’s eyes and her poor complexion, Meng Zheng asked, “You’ve heard the news too? You didn’t sleep well last night either?”
Yan Tongshu promptly put on a puzzled expression. Meng Zheng frowned. “You didn’t hear?”
Yan Tongshu asked in confusion, “What exactly happened? Don’t be so cryptic.”
Meng Zheng sighed. “News came yesterday that the Northern Liao envoys were attacked in Zhanzhou. The attackers claimed to be followers of the Heavenly God of Beifu, saying that the Northern Liao had betrayed the Heavenly God by making peace with our dynasty. They said they had come in the god’s name to wipe out the delegation.”
What a load of nonsense.
She had never heard of any religion that preached war instead of peace.
“You suspect there’s a traitor within?” Yan Tongshu pressed.
Meng Zheng nodded. “After Zhanzhou comes Yunzhou, and from there they’ll enter the capital. Yinzhou borders the Northern Liao, while Zhanzhou is separated from Yinzhou by a thousand li. Without an accomplice on the inside, how could Beifu’s people have slipped into Zhanzhou undetected and carried out an assassination?
“Governor Feng of Yunzhou has already taken men to Zhanzhou to escort the delegation. The envoys should be entering Bianjing very soon. Bianjing is the heart of the realm, as well as the capital. Nothing can happen to them here. Otherwise, not only will you and I be held responsible, our dynasty’s reputation will suffer as well.”
No wonder Meng Zheng had revised the defense plan.
Yan Tongshu understood at once. She lowered her head and carefully reviewed the plan, making corresponding adjustments to the personnel of the Kaifeng Prefecture.
The two of them discussed it together.
Before long, they had nearly finished. The defense plan was now even more meticulous, with a clearly designated person responsible for every detail. Only then did Yan Tongshu relax slightly and ask, “By the way, have there been any changes in the delegation’s casualties?”
Meng Zheng shook his head. “No. However, because of Beifu’s attempted assassination, Princess Xing’an—who was supposed to enter the capital in secret—has been exposed ahead of schedule.”
Yan Tongshu was startled. “The princess?”
Meng Zheng rolled up the revised defense plan and looked up, giving Yan Tongshu a smile. “What? Interested?”
He tucked the plan into his robes and teased her, “I hear Princess Xing’an is a renowned beauty of the Northern Liao—so breathtakingly beautiful that any man who lays eyes on her can never make room for another woman in his heart. Lord Yan, be careful not to lose your soul when you welcome the delegation.”
Yan Tongshu shot him a look.
As a woman, at most she would be dazzled and appreciative.
How could she possibly lose her soul over the princess?
Yan Tongshu suddenly smiled sweetly. Her eyebrows rose and fell mischievously as she looked at Meng Zheng. “Lord Meng, you’re awfully generous with your praise of Princess Xing’an. Could it be that your manly heart is beginning to stir?”
“How could that be?” Meng Zheng protested hurriedly. “I could never fall for Princess Xing’an! Absolutely never!”
Yan Tongshu looked at him, baffled. “Why are you reacting so strongly? I was only playing along with your joke.”
“I—”
Meng Zheng did not know himself why he had reacted so strongly. All he knew was that a stubborn feeling had risen in his heart: he did not want Yan Tongshu to misunderstand him.
Not even as a joke.
Meng Zheng shook his head. “Let’s stop talking nonsense. Princess Xing’an is a princess of the Northern Liao, and she’s secretly entering the capital with the peace delegation. She must be here for a marriage alliance. You and I don’t stand a chance.”
Then Meng Zheng added, “Absolutely no chance. And you’re not allowed to entertain any ideas either.”
Yan Tongshu huffed. “What ideas could I possibly have?”
Even if she wanted children, her physical condition wouldn’t allow it.
After receiving Yan Tongshu’s assurance, Meng Zheng returned to the Divine Guard Army in high spirits.
Yan Tongshu turned to Pearl. “Who do you think the Northern Liao princess will marry? Which member of the imperial family is close enough to her age?”
Qin Yi was one of the younger members of the imperial family, and he was already twenty-five—almost twenty-six.
Those younger than him were either seven or eight, or eleven or twelve. Neither age was suitable.
There weren’t many who fell within the appropriate range.
Counting on her fingers, there weren’t even three.
If they widened the scope to more distantly related members of the imperial family, they would have plenty of options.
But if the relation was too distant, it would slight the Northern Liao princess and make their side seem lacking in sincerity.
Pearl and Jinbao exchanged a glance and thought it over seriously.
“I know!” Pearl’s eyes lit up. “The emperor.”
Yan Tongshu’s back stiffened slightly. “The emperor?”
“That’s right.” Pearl began counting off the reasons. “First, the emperor is of a suitable age. Second, he isn’t married, and his harem is empty. That must be because his standards are high. The Northern Liao princess is beautiful, so she’ll surely be to his liking. Third, since she’s here to marry for the sake of peace, it would be perfectly reasonable for the emperor to confer a title upon her and take her into the harem as a consort. From then on, the two countries could form a marital alliance and there would be no more wars.”
“Oh.” Yan Tongshu lowered her head and opened a fresh document. “Now that you put it that way, it really does seem suitable.”
She was the foolish one—she had actually excluded the dog emperor without even realizing it.
Yan Tongshu continued reviewing the documents.
After all, it was perfectly normal for an emperor to have three palaces and six courts.
Someone like Qin Yi, who was nearly twenty-six and didn’t have a single woman by his side, was the abnormal one.
Oh, well. Congratulations to him.
That evening, Yan Tongshu returned home and sat with Pearl and Jinbao, roasting tofu skin.
Yan Tongshu stared at the tofu skin as it gradually blistered from the heat. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
“Pearl.” Yan Tongshu called Pearl over. “You’re good at embroidery. Help me make something.”
“What?” Pearl asked innocently.
Yan Tongshu gave her a sly smile and whispered a few words into her ear.
Pearl’s bright eyes immediately widened. “Is that really a good idea?”
“It’s fine. He won’t recognize it.” Yan Tongshu dismissed her concern. “Just make it. If anything happens, put the blame on me.”
“Oh.” Pearl tilted her head, thinking. “Then let me figure out how to make it.”
Once the tofu skin was ready, Pearl finished the charred, spicy pieces. Then she slapped her thigh. “I’ve got it! I know how to make it.”
That fast?
Yan Tongshu was stunned.
Pearl set down her bamboo skewer and hurried back to her room. After rummaging around for a while, she returned with thick white cloth, black cloth, needles and thread, scissors, and cotton batting.
Jinbao couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but he dragged over a chair and joined them. Pearl had Jinbao help her cut the fabric.
She handed the charcoal stick to Yan Tongshu. After thinking for a moment, Yan Tongshu divided the design she had envisioned into separate pieces and drew the outlines on the white cloth.
Once she finished drawing, Jinbao picked up the scissors and cut out the pieces of fabric.
Pearl then stretched one of the pieces taut in an embroidery hoop and handed it to Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu painted eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the cloth.
After she finished, she thought for a moment, then added tears beneath the eyes.
Pearl took out some coarse embroidery thread and began stitching.
Since the eyes, nose, and mouth were so small, she finished them in no time.
She then sewed the two pieces of black cloth meant for the hair together, stuffed them with cotton, and stitched the arms, legs, and body together before stuffing them as well.
Once everything was assembled, a tiny, sobbing Qin Yi—about the size of a forearm—was complete.
Yan Tongshu blew a puff of warm air over her fist, then punched the mini Qin Yi squarely in his plump, fluffy cheek.
She had even drawn tears, and Pearl had embroidered them with two shades of white thread to give them depth. They looked just like real tears.
One punch caved in the cheek of the chibi cotton Qin Yi. Paired with the tear trickling down his face, he looked as though he were truly crying.
The three of them burst out laughing.
Yan Tongshu gave the cotton Qin Yi several more punches.
Even if she put this chibi doll right in front of Qin Yi, he would never recognize himself.
The next time he made her angry, she would beat the cotton-doll version of him mercilessly right in front of his face.
Hmph! By then, she could beat him while he remained completely oblivious, forced to watch without realizing what was happening. Just imagining it was satisfying enough.
The more Yan Tongshu thought about it, the happier she became. But the bald cotton doll was rather ugly.
After some thought, she said, “There’s still time. Let’s make it an outfit while we grill the meat.”
“Mm.” Pearl stared at the cotton doll. “Young Master, your doll is so cute. Its eyes are so round. I’ll make one for myself tomorrow too. Hmm… I’ll make a little Pearl.”
Jinbao shouted, “Then I want one too! I want a little Jinbao!”
Pearl readily agreed. “All right, I’ll make one for you. We’ll each have one.”
And just like that, the three of them happily came to a decision.
That night, before going to bed, Yan Tongshu smiled as she looked at the cotton doll dressed in a dark teal robe.
She placed the doll in the corner, raised both fists, and shouted like Bruce Lee as she gave the cotton doll several punches.
Then she kneaded it back into a chubby, adorable shape, tucked its body beneath the covers, and went peacefully to sleep.
Sure enough, with the cotton doll standing guard, Yan Tongshu slept soundly through the night without a single dream.
……
Before long, the day arrived when the Northern Liao delegation entered the capital.
Yan Tongshu stood at the city gates with the Minister of Rites, the Left and Right Vice Ministers of Rites, and a host of other officials to welcome them.
With banners fluttering in the wind, five carriages slowly entered the capital under the escort of Northern Liao soldiers.
Once they passed through the gates, Yelü Hezhu—the Liao king’s younger brother and the Northern Chancellor of Liao—stepped down from one of the carriages. Smiling broadly, he approached the assembled officials with his attendants. He exchanged pleasantries with each of them in turn, chatting and laughing so amiably that he looked more like someone visiting relatives than a foreign envoy.
After making the rounds, his gaze fell on Yan Tongshu. He clasped his hands and smiled.
“You must be Kaifeng’s incorruptible judge, Lord Yan, correct? Truly, heroes emerge in their youth! You are handsome, distinguished, and extraordinary in appearance. No wonder everyone says that Kaifeng’s incorruptible judge, Yan Qing Tian, is the most upright official in the entire Dawu Dynasty—and also its finest young talent!”
Yan Tongshu, who had waited so long that she was practically delirious, suddenly found her eyes lighting up.
Had she really become this famous?
Even the Northern Liao had heard of her.
How embarrassing—though she supposed she ought to be pleased.
Yan Tongshu lifted her chin ever so slightly, the corners of her lips curling upward despite herself. “Chancellor Yelü is too kind, too kind. Serving the imperial court and seeking justice for the people are simply this humble official’s duties. I am hardly deserving of such praise.”
The Minister of Rites gave a small snort beside her.
Putting on an act.
Yan Tongshu paid him no mind and smiled. “I, on the other hand, have long heard that Chancellor Yelü is learned in both ancient and modern affairs, broad-minded and magnanimous, a venerable statesman of great repute. To meet you today is truly a blessing granted once in three lifetimes.”
“Ah, you’re too kind, too kind.” Chancellor Yelü stroked his great beard and laughed heartily.
He and Prince Ming had a similar air about them. Both appeared amiable and harmless, but everyone present knew exactly how much weight the name “Yelü Hezhu, Chancellor of the Northern Liao” carried.
He was the ruthless man who, acting alone, had forged alliances and played one side against another to destroy the three-tribe confederation led by the rebel Yelü Zhigu—and then slaughtered every noble of all three tribes.
He was anything but benevolent.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Yan Tongshu, Chancellor Yelü went to greet the others.
At last, the formalities came to an end. The Minister of Rites invited the Northern Liao delegation to proceed to Duting Post Station.
Once they arrived, the Vice Minister of Rites began directing the staff as they settled the Northern Liao delegation in.
Yan Tongshu sat to one side, taking a moment to rest. She sipped her tea and looked toward the outer courtyard.
In the distance, two identical-looking maids supported a woman as they led her toward the room prepared for the princess.
The woman’s face was hidden behind a veil, leaving only a pair of striking, vivid eyes visible.
Their color was lighter than that of the people of Bianjing—a pale amber. As her gaze shifted, it seemed filled with a vigorous, vibrant vitality.
She wore a brilliant red dress, its hem embroidered with elaborate, radiant flowers in gold thread. Her waist was hung with an array of ornaments: turquoise, wolf fangs, silver bells, and more. Her arms were wrapped in layer upon layer of bracelets and golden bangles.
Yan Tongshu thought that with an outfit like that, every step she took must make the ornaments chime, producing a crisp, delightful sound.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the corridor, lifting one corner of the veil.
Yan Tongshu stared, utterly spellbound.
