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Chapter 19
Two months later an emissary from the Da Yong Country came to the imperial city. In the interest of maintaining the peace between the two countries, he wanted to arrange a marriage between their eldest prince Mo Yuan and a Princess from Tian Yuan Country.
Zhao ZhenZong was right now only seventeen years old. He hadn’t even been married for more than a few months, so where would a Princess of an appropriate age to marry to Da Yong come from? The youngest daughter of the previous Emperor was already twenty-eight or twenty-nine and all of them were already married. They definitely weren’t appropriate for a political marriage. They could only pick from the daughters of royal relatives.
The Da Yong Country was high up in the mountains, the weather there was very poor. If one went there just passing the test of acclimatizing to the climate was already a hard task, don’t even talk about their coarse and barbarian customs. For example widows there often re-married the next male in line after their husband died; whether it be their husband’s son or his brother. They also had the custom of sharing wives. All of these things were seen as normal. However to the royal kin of Tian Yuan Country, unless they were mad or stupid, they wouldn’t want their daughters to marry there.
If it wasn’t for the fact that she was being controlled by the Regent, OuYang MingYue definitely would not have passed up this opportunity. The status of women in Tian Yuan Country was low, not like Da Yong where women were respected and valued. They could be the head of their own households and even be involved in politics.
Right now the person in control of the Da Yong Country was the Dowager Empress Xiao. She was the Eldest Prince Mo Yuan’s biological mother. Because the men and women of Da Yong Country had relative sexual freedom; this kind of “hell” to the women of Tian Yuan Country was to OuYang MingYue like heaven. If she went there she had the hope of becoming a bird flying in the sky, and could even enjoy multiple beautiful men.
But right now her every move was being monitored by the Regent. He might be happy to leave her unharmed for the moment, for his own amusement, but he definitely wouldn’t let her leave the Tian Yuan Country and go to an enemy nation. The things in her head could help the Da Yong Country annihilate the Tian Yuan Country so before she could do that, he definitely would annihilate her first.
OuYang MingYue was very clear about this. As soon as she stepped one foot out of Tian Yuan Country she would be dead. So anyone could try for this political marriage, except her. But as for Madame OuYang, how could she pass up this chance to get rid of OuYang MingYue? When OuYang MingYue thought about this she had no choice but to indicate to Bai Lian that she was ready for him to propose marriage.
In order to escape this political marriage, there was a flurry of marriages in the Imperial City.
The royal families were originally to slowly look for a good son-in-law for their precious daughters panicked. It was pretty much at the point that as soon as they discovered a not-bad son-in-law candidate, they would kidnap him back to get married. Bai Lian had just cancelled his previous engagement and right now he was inundated with better offers. However his entire heart was fixated on OuYang MingYue. Even if his father beat him half to death, he insisted on going to her door to propose to her.
He had cancelled two engagements with the OuYang family. Then after a big fuss, he went back to his initial choice. If this got out then he would definitely be laughed to death by others.
Madame Bai initially wouldn’t agree but when her son threatened to commit suicide by banging his head against the wall, she had no choice but to agree with great reluctance. The Bai family hurried and got there just as Madame OuYang was about to enter OuYang MingYue’s onto the list of marriage candidates to Da Yong, and with Lord OuYang’s permission they exchanged the marriage gifts.
{T/N: I realize what I’ve been translating as “Grandfather OuYang” and which actually reads literally as “Old Man OuYang” is actually referring to OuYang MingYue’s dad and not her grandfather. I’ve changed it to Lord OuYang but I haven’t fixed up the old chapters yet but I will at some…. much later…. stage.}
She was a daughter of the family after all. Even if he didn’t value her, he didn’t want to throw her away like a piece of trash.
Bai Lian was crazy with joy. OuYang MingYue was filled with reluctance but in order to survive she could only endure for the moment and get her revenge later. She had had the thought of secretly sending a message to the emissary of Da Yong and using the gunpowder and gun as bargaining chips to ask them to help her escape. But as soon as the notion arose, when she opened her eyes the next morning she discovered a thread of blood had appeared on her neck. It was caused by a sharp object pressed against her neck. The wound didn’t hurt and also didn’t bleed much but it was enough to frighten her to death.
If it was just deeper by three cun then she would not be able to see the sun the next day.
The Regent had a god-like ability and was even able to see into people’s hearts. It was completely out of her expectation. She immediately became quiet and obedient. She used a silk scarf to obscure her neck and all day she stayed in her room to practice her needwork. Every day her behaviour was no more than what a noble young lady should do. Although living like this had once been extremely painful for her, now she slowly got used to it. Sometimes when she looked in the mirror she almost couldn’t recognize who the dead-eyed person gazing back at her was.
Every day she lived very peacefully, however the despair and terror in her heart was growing stronger and stronger.
The really upper echelons of royalty wouldn’t want their daughters to become the main wife of Da Yong’s eldest prince, however there were a few more outlying families that didn’t mind sacrificing a few daughters in order to gain the favor of the Regent. So the list of names on the candidates was also not short. The Regent sent the same over to the Da Yong emissary to let them choose themselves. After they picked one he would promote the girl to the title of Princess and cement the harmony of the two countries with her marriage.
The Da Yong country was weak. Although they knew this wasn’t a real Princess, they didn’t have any choice. Luckily all they required was a peace treaty to come along with the political marriage. This way they would obtain a breath of relief under the increasingly overwhelming power and influence of the Tian Yuan Country. For this they didn’t want to quibble over small details.
After they picked a girl that was suitably beautiful and well-mannered and after hearing that the Tian Yuan Country also intended to give her a large and plentiful dowry, the emissaries from Tian Yuan Country were very satisfied. They intended to return home without much delay.
The day before the emissaries planned to leave the Tian Yuan Country just happened the Lantern Festival. The Palace already had festivities planned and in order to send the emissaries off well, they decided to make the day even more grand. They invited all the ministers of the fourth rank and above to bring their wives and daughters to attend.
OuYang MingYue did not have any favor in her house. However after OuYang Ya’Er had the scandal, Madame OuYang had no choice but to confine her. Lord OuYang thus decided to take OuYang MingYue to show that they still had a daughter worth showing off and who would not long after marry into the prominent and noble Bai family. Although OuYang MingYue was a mess underneath, however on the surface she still had her “can mesmerize a nation” face and just by standing there could help gain the OuYang family some face.
Inside the Regent’s Manor, Zhao Xuan held the completely soft little fox on his knee and dressed him garment by garment.
“Did you forget which day it is. Why are you forcing me to go into the Palace? In my opinion you shouldn’t go either. That way we can save a lot of trouble.” Zhou YunSheng melted into his lover’s embrace as though he was completely boneless.
This day’s Lantern Festival was held in the middle of the month when the moon was most round. Other people might want to gaze upon the scenery and the moonlight, but to him this day was difficult to endure.
As soon as he woke up this morning his entire body felt strengthless. All he wanted to do was curl up in the blankets and sleep some more in order to prepare for the activity of staying up all night making love.
Yes, the night of the full moon was precisely the most important opportunity when a fox demon would absorb the moonlight and dual cultivate at the same time. If the moment was grasped correctly their cultivation could increase exponentially. If they missed the opportunity, they would be weakened for at least five or six days.
On previous full moons his lover had always locked him in the room to make love with abandon. Even if there was some urgent political matter he wouldn’t pay it any mind at all. But today why did he suddenly go crazy and insist on taking him into the Palace to participate in some sort of banquet? Look at his love-starved appearance, could he really go out to see people?
Plus a few days ago they had received news from their spies that Zhao ZhenZong had planted assassins among the dancers and intended to try to murder the Regent. If the Regent died he would be able to take back power. Even if the Regent didn’t die and it caused the two countries to go to war, he could use the opportunity to make trouble from the inside. On one hand he could use the chaos to find opportunities to kill the generals that were loyal to the Regent and on the other he could raise and gather generals that would be loyal to him. It was normal for a couple of people to get killed during war time, no one would get suspicious.
If the Tian Yuan Country remained stable and calm then Zhao ZhenZong would not have an opportunity to grasp power. Only if everything became mired in chaos would he get a chance.
As an Emperor he cared not a whit about the lives of his people. For power he was willing to kill them all. It was no wonder that in the original story, there was a violent rebellion against him. Only when OuYang MingYue went to seek aid from Da Yong country did he get saved. From then on he became a puppet that OuYang MingYue controlled.
Actually it should be mentioned that in both of these lives, his fate was to become a powerless puppet.
Speaking of the banquet, Zhao Xuan said with a cold laugh, “They’re just a bunch of clowns, and they think they can defeat me?” Then his tone of voice changed and became embarrassingly cloying.
“Good Li’Er, be obedient and come with me to the Palace. Then tonight I’ll make sure to feed you until you’re full – on the dragon throne.” Actually it wouldn’t be the first time that they had made love on the dragon throne but it was only this person couldn’t remember and actually eagerly anticipated it. {T/N: He’s talking about previous lives}.
Even if a cow entered the Imperial City it would still be a cow. If an idiot wore the gown of the Regent he was still an idiot. Really it was a case of a leopard not being able to change its spots.
Zhou YunSheng glared at him with annoyance. He waved his hand and said, “Fine, fine, fine. Tonight I’ll definitely do you do death!”
Zhao Xuan couldn’t wait. He held his face and kissed him deeply then he licked his earlobe, entering a string of data. Two people played together for a while. Originally they wanted to enter the palace soon but they didn’t think they would take off their clothes, wear it, then take it off again. They actually were late almost an hour.
The main hall was already filled with people. All the civil and military ministers were standing about, chatting to each other.
The emissaries from Da Yong were seated to one side. In order not to create gossip, they didn’t converse much with these important ministers. The female family members were all seated outside the main hall. The floor on the courtyard outside had been laid with a thick red carpet and there were many fire pits lit around so it wasn’t cold. Actually sitting here made it easier to look up and gaze at the beautiful moon, so it was quite elegant.
The Eldest Prince HeLian MoYuan was actually disguised as one of the assistants of the emissary. At the moment he whispered to him, “Is that one the wife that you picked for this Prince? Her appearance is too ordinary. This Prince should be marrying the most beautiful woman in the world.”
The emissary said helplessly, “In order to preserve the harmony between the two countries, I beg the Prince to endure it. It’s just your main wife that’s all. You still have two cefei positions and four consorts. And you can have as many concubines as you want, so don’t quibble about this. Beautiful women are as plentiful as stars in the sky, if you really picked you would get dazed.”
HeLian MoYuan still felt dissatisfied in his heart. He felt that his main wife really shouldn’t be so ordinary. That girl did indeed have delicate features but her entire air was very boring, and she didn’t have any liveliness or spark about her. Right now she was sitting by her mother’s side and not saying a thing. If you didn’t look at her closely you might even take her for a wooden carving.
“Just thinking that in the future I will have to share my life with her, this Prince feels that it would be infinitely boring. Look at the girl sitting in the fifth seat on the first row, isn’t she beautiful? Especially her figure, it’s very voluptuous and enticing. If she took off all her clothes and lay inside the blanket she would definitely look fantastic. Of all the women in the world, this Prince thinks she is the most beautiful. She’s deserving of the praise “the beauty of this generation”. This Prince wants her. Go and enquire whose family’s daughter she is.” HeLian MoYuan was unable to escape from the shackles of his destiny. Even though he didn’t meet Ouyang MingYue on the street, he still saw here outside the main hall and fell in love with her at first sight.
The emissary looked at OuYang MingYue and sighed. “That girl is sitting in the first row that means she is from a high ranking family. Do you really think that she would be willing to follow us to Da Yong? Prince, don’t think about it, it definitely won’t come true.”
“Hn, if you don’t want to go I’ll go over myself. Even if she doesn’t want to, we can kidnap her covertly.” After speaking, HeLian MoYuan got up and wanted to go over.
Just as the emissary tried to stop him, there came an announcement from outside. The Regent had arrived.
Although this person only had the title of a qinwang, he was the real holder of power in the Tian Yuan Country. In these years the Tian Yuan Country had become extremely powerful and influential under his control and very soon would probably become undefeatable. The Da Yong people knew that they definitely could not offend the Regent.
The emissary immediately got up to greet him. HeLian MoYuan also was not an idiot so he had no choice but to put aside the matter of the beauty for now and go with him. All the military and civil ministers immediately moved to either side and when the Regent came close they all bowed and loudly spoke their greeting.
This type of service was even better than for the Emperor.
Zhao Xuan held the little fox’s soft hands and walked towards his seat in the main hall. He waved his hand. “Today is the Lantern Festival, there’s no need to stand on formalities. Everyone drink and enjoy yourselves ba.”
All the ministers obeyed and sat down on their original spots. However they didn’t behave as freely as before and even lowered their voices by quite a lot. A few who were brave glanced over a few times and discovered the Regent didn’t come alone. There was a young nobleman beside him with a startlingly beautiful appearance. From his clothing it could be seen that this young nobleman wasn’t a minister or an official, so how was it that he was able to come to the banquet? What kind of relationship did he have with the Regent?
Everyone was thinking about this but no one dared to ask. They also didn’t dare to ask about the young nobleman’s identity.
HeLian MoYuan stared dumbly at them. He almost couldn’t believe that such a miraculous person could exist in the world. Just then he thought that OuYang MingYue was a top level beauty, however when compared to the young nobleman, one was a cloud that floated in the sky and the other a wilted flower on the earth. They completely couldn’t be compared.
The young nobleman was wearing a robe inlaid with silver embroidery. On the outside he wore a jacket made of black and gold tulle, it was embroidered with white peonies. It was clearly just black and white but on his body, it looked beautiful and extremely magnificent. A fall of long dark hair was only held by a simple white hairband. As he sat in his seat, he was illuminated by candlelight. His features were exquisite and there was a bone-deep seductiveness about him. However his golden eyes looked extraordinarily clear and pure, the contrast made him look even more fascinating.
HeLian MoYuan was unconsciously holding his breath. He was really scared that the scene in front of him would disappear into bubbles like a mirage.
There were many people who felt the same way as him in the hall. Because of the young nobleman’s presence, the hall became much quieter. Only when the Regent looked over piercingly did everyone wake up from their dream and immediately begin drinking and eating, trying to cover up their red eyes and cheeks.
WanQi Yan saw the young master and then saw the lustful look in the eyes of the Da Yong emissary. His heart felt very uncomfortable.
These couple of days he had already realized that his feelings towards the young master weren’t pure. Every waking moment he would desire to see him and protect him. Even his dreams were filled with the young master’s shadows. And when he woke up his pants would be a mass of wetness. He felt extremely guilty and anxious and purposely didn’t dare to visit for many days.
Now when he saw the young master again he was startled to find that his longing for the other person was already carved into his bones. However everything was too late, and he was in the wrong….
Zhou YunSheng had been an Emperor before, as well as a powerful minister and a superstar. So he was used to being stared at.
He didn’t feel cautious at all. He sat on the soft seat, holding a half full glass of wine with one hand. Because his entire body felt weak, his amber eyes were dewy and suffused with light. The look was extremely gentle and tender.
“Zhao Xuan you dragged me here forcibly so I hope you made sufficient preparations. If it really gets to the point where I can’t control myself then I’ll rape you here in front of everyone, then I’ll see if you have face to see people in the future.” However when he spoke, the illusion of the beautiful youth was immediately shattered. However his wild and untamed manner of speaking was also mesmerizing.
Wang Bao’s legs shook and he went to hide in a corner.
He knew the young master would do exactly as he said. He was a fox demon ma, any big matter could be dealt with by simply changing his appearance. But the Regent was different, he would be pointed out by everyone. Lord Regent you had better tell everyone to disperse and take this little demon home and take care of him. Otherwise he will harm others!
Wang Bao sighed to himself but Zhao Xuan naturally didn’t hear his thoughts. Even if he heard it he wouldn’t care.
He held his wine cup and took a sip. Smiling, he said, “Don’t worry Li’Er, I definitely won’t delay the important matter of dual cultivating with you today.”
Zhou YunSheng made a “hmmph” sound. He ripped off a chicken leg and stuck it into his mouth.
The effect of the full moon would expend a lot of his energy. Right now he should eat more.
When the young nobleman started eating, his casual and unrefined movements completely broke his mysterious and aloof image. However it also looked extremely cute.
Really with a devilishly beautiful face as his, no matter how coarse the movement it would still look perfect.
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