The next day, in the Hall of Heavenly Purity.
He Lianqi was sitting upright on the grand master's chair. Beside him sat Shun, the eldest prince, and Ye, the second prince of the Southern Neighboring Country.
"Your Majesty, our country has come this time to convey our father's wish to form an alliance by marriage with your country. Therefore, we have sent our fifth younger sister here. We hope Your Majesty will show her more love and care!" Shun said in such a way.
He gently stroked his beard with his right hand, looking quite proud.
"Princess Yaoji is like a saint in our Southern Neighboring Country. Sending her here is no disgrace to Your Majesty's reputation," Ye beside him added.
He looked quite different from his elder brother. Shun clearly carried an air of arrogance and domineering, while Ye had a calm look in his eyes, seemingly without any ambition.
"Since the empress of our country has already accepted Yaoji, and Yaoji is the kind intention of the emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country, I will surely love her as if she were my own younger sister!" He Lianqi replied with his eyes slightly squinted.
He deliberately emphasized the words "own younger sister" very heavily, as if deliberately emphasizing her identity and strongly indicating that there was absolutely no possibility for Yaoji to enter the harem as a concubine.
Hearing this, Shun's smile on his face froze for a moment. He immediately wanted to stand up and refute, but was suddenly pressed down by Ye beside him. Ye shook his head, signaling him not to be too impulsive, after all, this was the Dongsheng Country.
So he then asked with a kind smile on his face, "Your Majesty, our father sent Yaoji here to form an alliance by marriage. If you want to recognize her as your younger sister, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
His words were very soft, but every word hit the point without a single bit of nonsense.
He Lianqi immediately squinted his eyes slightly. He understood in his heart that this second prince must not be as innocent as he seemed on the surface.
Because his wisdom was obviously above that of the eldest prince Shun.
Thinking of this, he hooked his lips and returned a kind smile. Then he continued, "I know the painstaking efforts of the emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country. But the harem is a noisy place. If Yaoji were sent there, it might not be a good thing. However, if she becomes a princess of the Dongsheng Country, she can enjoy infinite glory. Isn't that wonderful?"
His words were very beautiful. For a moment, the people in front of him had nothing more to say in refutation. After all, he had shown so much courtesy. If they refuted further, they would be being ungrateful, and they couldn't blame He Lianqi for getting angry.
"Alright then! I thank Your Majesty on behalf of Yaoji!" Shun said somewhat dejectedly as he bowed.
After saying that, without waiting for He Lianqi to say anything else, he strode straight out of the Hall of Heavenly Purity.
He Lianqi frowned slightly, with a hint of displeasure in his heart.
"I hope Your Majesty will forgive us. My elder brother is just like this. Even at his age, he is still as childish as a naughty boy. I apologize on his behalf here. I hope Your Majesty won't mind," Ye said in such a way. There was a strong sense of apology in his tone, as if he were truly full of sincerity.
He Lianqi's look in his eyes became deeper as he looked at Ye. He knew in his heart that Ye must not be a simple character.
But the complex emotions in his eyes were immediately withdrawn. He still hooked his lips and said with a generous smile on his face, "It doesn't matter! I'll send a palace maid to show you around the palace."
After saying that, he even let out a few hearty laughs.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ye crossed his hands and bowed, and then withdrew from the Hall of Heavenly Purity.
Behind him, He Lianqi watched his back gradually disappear from his sight. His eyes slowly drooped, and the look in his eyes was hard to see clearly.
What remarkable princes of the Southern Neighboring Country! One forced him to make a decision first, and the other spoke soft words in a gentle manner.
One played the bad cop, and the other played the good cop. What a flawless scheme on the surface.
On the other side, the eldest prince Shun, who had already left the Hall of Heavenly Purity, stopped when he reached a palace wall. He raised his hand and punched the wall.
A fist mark immediately appeared on the red wall due to the heavy force.
But the man who punched seemed not to feel any pain at all. His eyes still showed a killing light.
"Why is elder brother so angry?" Ye walked over slowly and said.
The teasing look in his eyes made the man in front of him a bit unhappy for a moment.
"Ye, you really have a big heart! Father sent us here to let Yaoji enter the harem. Now she has become a princess. How can we explain this when we go back?!" he said in a furious tone.
"Elder brother, why worry? Whether Yaoji becomes a concubine or a princess, she will always be in this palace and by the side of the emperor of the Dongsheng Country. As long as she is close, it will be very easy for us to do anything," Ye squinted his deep eyes slightly.
His blue eyes rolled in his eye sockets, like a precious gemstone, extremely beautiful.
There was full of confidence in his words, completely different from the humble look he had in front of He Lianqi just now.
Hearing this, Shun frowned deeply, with hesitation in his heart. But he still said in a rough voice, "Anyway, I've already sent the person here. If Father blames us in the future, you'll bear all the blame!"
After saying that, he turned around and ran towards the palace gate. He didn't forget to turn back and shout in a rough voice, "I'm going out of the palace to drink. This palace of the Dongsheng Country is really boring. I'll leave tonight's banquet to you, younger brother."
Ye stared at the back of the man in front of him without blinking. There were emotions in his eyes that were hard to understand, but the slightly hooked corner of his mouth seemed to show that his master was in a fairly good mood at this moment.
Just then, a palace maid passing by with a tea cup in her hand was suddenly pulled down by him.
He bent his eyes and hooked his lips, asking in an infinitely charming way, "Which direction is the Empress's Palace?"
The little palace maid was immediately dazzled by his smile.
After all, in the palace, she was just an ordinary little palace maid. Where would a handsome man smile at her?
Immediately, as if bewitched, she pointed to the right side of the road and then said, "Go to the end and turn left, and you'll reach the Empress's Palace."
Hearing this, Ye hooked his lips and smiled at her again. Then he raised his hand and rubbed her head, saying, "So obedient."
After saying that, he walked in the direction she pointed.
"Excuse me, may I ask who you are, my lord?!" the little palace maid behind him suddenly blushed and asked loudly with her head down.
But Ye just let out a few soft laughs and didn't even turn his head.
Seeing this, the palace maid just continued to carry the tea cup in her hand dejectedly and walked in the direction she should go.
All this would only be a dream - like experience for her. There had once been a god - like figure who had gently called to her.
On the other side, in the Empress's Palace.
Dong Fangyi had just finished lunch, and her mood became more and more excited as time passed.
Because today was the day when the fireplace would be completed. After Shen Fu came in the afternoon to pour the boiling iron juice into the inner wall and let it cool, a complete fireplace would be made.
It happened to be the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. In about half a month, the fireplace could be fully lit.
Thinking of this, she was extremely excited in her heart. She seemed to be able to imagine herself snuggling up to the fireplace and eating roasted sweet potatoes in winter. That was the taste of happiness!