"Court is in session!"
With the shrill cry of Eunuch Li, the sound of drums and music resounded in front of the Golden Hall.
On one side, Helian Qi reached out his hand to Dongfang Yi, signaling for her to take it and walk forward with him.
She obediently placed her hand in his.
She knew that on such an occasion, only a harmonious relationship between the emperor and the empress could reassure the court officials.
Holding hands in front of them, they walked up the palace steps covered with red carpets. On both sides stood guards in official uniforms.
After they climbed the steps and entered the main hall, all the ministers bowed and made way for them in the middle.
Although Dongfang Yi had been the empress for a long time, this was the first time she truly felt the nobility of her status.
It was the feeling of being a superior after being worshiped by thousands of people.
In the harem on normal days, although she was nominally the most noble woman, there was the empress dowager oppressing her, and there were concubines like Concubine Chu and Concubine Lian who were so presumptuous as to oppose her.
It was not until this moment that she truly experienced the pleasure of being an empress.
Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth curled up proudly, and her mood became much more pleasant.
After the two of them were seated, the ministers below shouted in unison, "Long live the emperor! Long live, long live, long live! May the empress live a thousand years! A thousand years, a thousand years!"
Immediately afterwards came the shouts from outside the Golden Hall. The shouts were so loud that they lasted for a long time.
"All ministers, rise!" Helian Qi said.
Dongfang Yi secretly observed his movements from the corner of her eye. She always felt that he was quite different from his usual self.
Maybe this was the Son of Heaven. He could do what others couldn't and enjoy the honor that ordinary people would never have in their entire lives.
Below, Prime Minister Dongfang looked at his daughter, who was so graceful and noble. A flush appeared on his weather - beaten old face.
His daughter had really made something of herself!
It took nearly a quarter of an hour for the shouts outside the Golden Hall to completely subside.
"Announce the envoys from the Southern Neighboring Country to enter!" Eunuch Li shouted in his shrill voice.
Not long after, a man walked in from outside the hall. He was wearing a military robe, leather boots, and a leather hat. Behind him followed another man and a veiled woman.
Their looks were very different from those of the people in the Dongsheng Kingdom. They had high noses, deep eye sockets, and their eyes were blue, as if they contained the stars and the sea.
"Shun, the eldest prince of the Southern Neighboring Country, pays respects to the emperor of the Dongsheng Kingdom!" the leading man said.
He also made a salute gesture by crossing his hands on his shoulders.
Helian Qi nodded at them and said, "The Dongsheng Kingdom welcomes all the envoys from the Southern Neighboring Country. You must be exhausted from your long journey."
The man named Shun bowed again and pointed to the two people behind him. "They are Ye, the second prince, and Yaoji, the fifth princess of the Southern Neighboring Country."
After saying that, the two people behind him also bowed to Helian Qi.
"On this visit, we have come to offer treasures. First, we present a South Sea night - shining pearl, which is known as the 'Eternal Day in the South Sea'. It is said that on the nights when it appears, the whole place will be as bright as day," Shun said in his rough voice.
A redwood box was then pushed in from outside the hall.
When the box was opened, a night - shining pearl the size of a dragon egg appeared in front of everyone.
All the ministers exclaimed in surprise, and even Dongfang Yi was momentarily stunned. She had never even heard of such a large night - shining pearl.
Helian Qi could feel the woman beside him suddenly tremble. Then he also looked at the night - shining pearl with a meaningful look.
It seemed that the woman really liked it.
Although he had no interest in such things, since the woman liked it, the pearl was now of value.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.
Shun looked at everyone's reactions and couldn't help but smile proudly. Then he began to introduce the next items to be offered as tribute.
The items presented later were rare, but not as astonishing as the night - shining pearl.
Dongfang Yi felt bored just sitting there, so she yawned sleepily.
Suddenly, she felt as if someone was staring at her intently.
Frowning, she began to look around.
When her eyes met those of Ye, the second prince below, her eyebrows furrowed even more.
Sure enough, he was staring at her without blinking. And why did she feel that he was so familiar, as if she had met him somewhere before?
Could it be someone the original owner of this body had known?
But she quickly dismissed this thought. She was sure that she had never formally met him.
Where did this inexplicable sense of familiarity come from? And why was he staring at her without blinking on such an occasion?
Helian Qi beside her seemed to notice that something was wrong with the woman beside him. He slightly turned his head, his eyes as if asking what was wrong.
Dongfang Yi subconsciously averted her gaze and shook her head.
Below, Shun had almost finished introducing the list of tributes.
All the ministers were praising the king of the Southern Neighboring Country for his generosity, but it was obvious that they were just flattering.
After the night - shining pearl, none of the subsequent tributes were as outstanding.
Shun bowed to Helian Qi again and said, "On this visit to the Dongsheng Kingdom, the king of our country also has a gift for Your Majesty."
Then he raised his hand and motioned to the woman on his left rear.
The woman named Yaoji slowly walked to the front, raised her hand, and removed her purple veil.
A gust of wind blew through the hall. Even from so far away, Dongfang Yi seemed to be able to smell the unique fragrance on the woman.
What kind of a woman was she?
When Yaoji removed her veil, her whole face was exposed to everyone's view.
All the ministers held their breaths, and Dongfang Yi couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Yaoji's eyes were the unique blue of the Southern Neighboring Country. Her eyebrows were very light, and there was just a mole between her eyebrows, which adorned her beauty perfectly. Her cherry - like lips were tender and thin. Every breath she took seemed to be seductive.
What a beautiful woman! Dongfang Yi exclaimed in her heart.
She heard Shun below, seemingly very satisfied with everyone's reaction, continue, "This is Yaoji, the fifth princess of our country. She is specially sent to Your Majesty."
Oh, so it's a beauty trap. They're trying to strengthen the relationship between the two countries by offering a beauty, Dongfang Yi thought.
She knew that most noble women in ancient times were like this. They were sent to different families for the interests of their own families to gain the maximum benefits.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the woman in front of her. Although she had peerless beauty, her fate was at the mercy of others.
Maybe for women in ancient times, beauty wasn't necessarily a good thing.
But Helian Qi just frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, and then said, "I understand the good will of the Southern Neighboring Country. But Yaoji is a princess of your country. How can I take away what belongs to others? Please ask Yaoji to return to her country!"
The meaning in his words was obviously a rejection of this political marriage.
After hearing his words, Shun's face showed a hint of embarrassment. His expression froze on his face, but he couldn't flare up immediately.
He could only force out a couple of awkward smiles.