Chapter 27 Part 2

When Xuyu heard her name, her heart skipped a beat.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of meeting the crown prince.

So many years had passed, and knowing the other party’s identity, she could rely on her memory to find some of Li Mao’s appearance in the former Prince Ding Mansion from the face of the current crown prince. But how could he possibly recognize her as the half-sister he hated in the past.

It was just there were a few other people she didn’t want to see.

She had seen it just now. Why were they all present today? Pei Xiaoyuan, whom she had offended before, the dissolute Prince of Wolf Court, and Yuwen Zhi, who she bumped into outside Kaiyuan Gate when she arrived that day, were all present.

If she went, she would definitely be seen.

All three knew that she was a woman.

It was not that she was afraid of being exposed on the spot. Under such circumstances, not to mention Pei Xiaoyuan and that prince, even Yuwen Zhi, who had an old grudge against her, would not act rashly to such an extent as long as he still had a trace of rationality.

She just didn’t want to meet these three people, not even one of them.

Yang Jiming had already walked out with two disciples. Wang Chunlei, who was called, was very surprised and hurried out. Lin Mingyuan was disappointed when he didn’t hear his name. He looked at Xuyu with envy.

Xuyu hesitated and hadn’t reacted yet, eunuch Cao frowned and shouted, “Hurry up! How dare you let His Highness the Crown Prince to wait for you?”

Song Bokang smiled hastily and said, “This boy has just entered the department. I saw that he has unique painting skills, so I specially cultivated him. He didn’t expect to receive such an honor today. He must have been too surprised and frightened.”

The eunuch’s expression brightened up, and he glanced at Xuyu: “Work hard, and you will be rich and prosperous in the future.”

Song Bokang bowed and responded, then quickly came to Xuyu and urged her in a low voice: “Why don’t you hurry up?”

Xuyu knew that she couldn’t avoid today’s scene, so she could only lower her head and follow Song Bokang to Chongtian Hall.

The atmosphere in the hall at this moment was not as solemn as the one in the square where the gods were being worshipped. The officials did not line up strictly, but instead gathered around the crown prince according to their official rank and seniority, listening attentively to the conversation between him and the two painting directors.

This was probably the most glorious moment in Fang Shanjin and Yao Xu’s lives so far. The two of them surpassed many high-ranking and powerful ministers of the dynasty and stood in the position closest to the crown prince. Every time the crown prince said something, the two nodded once, with a respectful and nervous look.

Eunuch Cao led the two deputies and four painters into the main hall. The noise they made attracted the attention of all the officials in the hall.

Court painters belonged to skilled officials, but those who were as respected as Ye Zhongli in the past were extremely rare, and one might not appear in a few hundred years. People like Fang and Yao here could not enter the eyes of those who wore gold and purple in the palace, let alone these painters.

Everyone just glanced at them and then looked away again, no one really paid attention to who they were.

Xuyu lowered her neck and her eyes, sandwiched between several people, she followed Song Bokang all the way into the hall, then she knelt down and kowtowed to the crown prince at the front.

Crown Prince Li Mao was intelligent and studious since childhood, respecting teachers and valuing the truth. After he grew up, he was even more humble and modest, gentle in temperament, and adhering to filial piety, which won him unanimous praise from all officials. Indeed, the rumors were not unfounded. At this moment, even when addressing these low-ranking, unknown court painters, he wore a smile on his face. After they finished their bows, he instructed them all to rise, saying, “The world is in harmonious order, with a wise ruler governing the nation. When the Supreme Emperor celebrates his longevity, the lords from all four corners will come to the capital to pay homage and celebrate this grand occasion. This Shenshu Palace is the celestial treasure hall for the longevity festival, and among its halls, the Chongtian Hall holds the utmost importance.

“The long scroll of Celestial Beings and The Capital painted by Ye Zhongli in those days can be called a divine masterpiece, unparalleled through the ages. It left the foreign dignitaries who were present at the time in awe, their spirits moved and their minds captivated. Not long ago, the old kings and envoys from Shiguo, Kangguo, Kunmiguo, Linyiguo, and others who had personally witnessed the New Year’s Day ceremony in Yong’an Hall back then, have brought up this famous painting. Although many years have passed, to this day, those foreigners still remember it and yearn for it. Therefore, when the new palace is built this time, it is essential to reproduce the long scroll in this hall, displaying the grandeur of our empire and showcasing the great style of our country that reaches all corners of the world.

“You painters should all have the same heart as Ye Zhongli in the past in serving the imperial court. You should try your best to be sincere and paint with all your heart, so as to live up to the civil and military achievements of the current supreme saint and the great grace of heaven!”

The crown prince’s words not only made Fang Shanjin, Yao Xu and others grateful and excited, and they once again led the painters behind them to kneel and kowtow, but even all the officials in the hall were deeply moved and saluted to the crown prince one after another.

Chengping had never been very interested in these things. Today, he just came with the others because he was holding an official position. After entering, he fell behind the crowd and casually looked at the magnificent palace that would be used for the emperor’s birthday celebration. His gaze then drifted at his friend among the crowd. He was wearing an official robe today, and standing next to the stout, leopard-head and tiger-mustache, Jinwu General Han Kerang, he looked even more like an energetic young man. At this moment, his friend’s eyes were on the crown prince, his expression solemn and focused, clearly unaware of Chengping’s boredom.

Chengping felt more and more bored. He then glanced at his enemy of County Prince Mansion opposite. That shizi’s expression looked cold at this moment, with his lips tightly pursed, and seemingly staring at the gray hair of an old official in front of him that was exposed outside his official hat. But then again, it seemed as though his thoughts were elsewhere, lost in contemplation. Whatever he was thinking, it was unlikely to be anything pleasant.

Chengping couldn’t help but snort in his heart.

At this time, several court painters summoned by the crown prince came in with the eunuchs outside the hall, all bowing their heads and looking respectful. Chengping naturally had no interest in looking at them, his eyes casually swept across those figures, then he thought about something else in his mind.

One of the important purposes of his trip to the capital this time was to marry a princess.

Many years ago, during the Jingsheng era, Chengping’s father had fallen from power when their tribal encampment was seized by a rival clan. This rival, who proclaimed himself khan, was initially unable to command the allegiance of the other tribes. Chengping’s father, seeking to reclaim the encampment, formed alliances with other clans. However, the rival khan managed to win the favor of the old Emperor Jingshen and was granted an imperial title along with a marriage alliance with a princess. This immense honor from the Holy Dynasty deterred the other tribes from rebelling, leading them to submit, forcing Chengping’s father to endure years of humiliation and resentment. To demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the dynasty, he was even compelled to send the young Chengping to Chang’an as a hostage.

It wasn’t until later, when turmoil erupted and the rival khan rebelled against the central dynasty, that Chengping’s father seized the opportunity to defeat him, reclaim the encampment, and restore his former title as khan.

Although the incident had now passed, and Chengping’s father had already received the golden seal from the emperor, but in his opinion, this was not enough. In the past, his enemy also received the honor of marrying a princess of the central dynasty. If he did not have it, it would not only be a pity, but also fail to truly convince the tribes.

The envoys who came with Chengping had already made a request to the Ministry of Rites, and the emperor should have known the wish of Chengping’s father. Even if it was out of consolation for the old Khan who had always been loyal to the central dynasty, the emperor had no reason to refuse. Granting the marriage was a foreseeable and inevitable result.

Although the emperor only had two heirs, one was crown prince and the other was Prince Kang, and there was no princess to be given. But it didn’t matter, as long as the emperor wished, there would be no shortage of princesses. The one who was married to the enemy of Yu Chengping’s father was also an imperial daughter who conferred the title of princess.

Although the emperor had no biological princess, there were daughters among the royal family and the imperial clan.

As far as Chengping knew, there were two unmarried women of marriageable age, one was the County Princess Yucheng of Prince Ning Mansion, and the other was the County Princess of Grand Princess Mansion, named Danyang. The one he was most likely to be granted marriage to should be one of the two county princesses.

Although he didn’t care who he married, but after all, it was a wife he would have to share his life with, so he naturally made some inquiries and learned that the county princess of Grand Princess Mansion had a reputation for being quite fierce. Because of this, he had been contemplating ways to avoid the possibility of being forced into a marriage with her.

Speaking of who in the court was most likely to help him in this matter, it was naturally Yuan Zhi from the Palace Office. He should have made friends with this eunuch on this trip to the capital. He knew that the emperor had been obsessed with Taoism in recent years, making it difficult for officials to have an audience with him. Yuan Zhi had taken advantage of this, gaining influence and becoming quite unpopular due to his arrogance. He really couldn’t do such thing as lowering himself to flatter people. Moreover, he heard that this eunuch’s house in Yongchang lane in the north of the city was closed all year round. Aside from attending to official duties, Yuan Zhi rarely interacted with other officials and did not seem to engage in the typical corrupt practices of past influential eunuchs. He lived a reclusive life, without a single neighbor or friend. Given all this, he decided against making any attempts to visit him.

He heard that it would be soon the birthday of the princess of the present emperor, who was most likely dead but no one dares to tell the truth. Recently, this eunuch seemed to be personally supervising this matter in the Zanxing Temple and did not come here to serve the crown prince this morning.

Chengping thought of this and subconsciously looked towards the area near the crown prince. Suddenly his gaze froze, his pupils seemed to be hooked by something strange, and he even forgot to blink.

Who did he see?

The woman named Ye whom he met in the Ganliang County Governor Mansion a few months ago?

He blinked and looked again, and was immediately stunned.

The hall was deep and wide, and he was standing at the back, not very close to the other person. There were many people between them, but he would never make a mistake.

This woman was now dressed the same as several other painters who were walking with her, with a black hat and a green robe. Hanging her neck and bowing her head as she was receiving instruction from the crown prince. Her face could not be seen, but it was enough to tell from her profile.

It was clearly Miss Ye!

Shocked, Chengping couldn’t help but take a step closer to the figure in the hall. As soon as he moved, his arm was suddenly grabbed from behind, stopping him from moving forward.

He turned around.

Pei Xiaoyuan, who had been near Han Kerang just now, had quietly turned around and stood behind him. It was he who grabbed him.

Their eyes met. Chengping reacted with his eyes wide open. Just as he was about to speak, Pei Xiaoyuan shook his head solemnly, motioning him to be quiet and follow him. He then let go of his hand, turned around and walked out silently.

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