Chapter 158: Trouble at the Birthday Banquet

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Updated: August 18, 2013

As night fell, the entire imperial palace blazed with lanterns and decorations, overflowing with festive cheer. Following close behind her elder sister, Lianyue entered the main hall and immediately felt a cool breeze wash over her, dispelling the oppressive heat of summer.

The hall was magnificent and vast enough to accommodate several hundred people. A thick crimson carpet edged in gold covered the floor, while multicolored silk ribbons hung from the beams. Twelve round pillars were carved with vivid scenes of soaring dragons, leaping tigers, azure birds, and drifting clouds, each image lifelike and exquisitely rendered.

At the very center of the hall stood two dragon thrones for the emperor. An elderly man and a middle-aged man, both dressed in yellow robes, occupied them. Beside them were two slightly smaller red seats, occupied by the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Three seats below the Empress’s place stood empty, while the consorts were arranged farther down according to rank.

On the Empress Dowager’s side, Qiao Ke was still nestled beside her, waving his little hand at Lianyue. She waved back, but her gaze was soon drawn toward a man in black robes.

He sat together with her elder and second brothers, Yuwen Lingxi—Xiao—and Qiao Zhi. The familiar look in his eyes and his cold, austere bearing immediately told Lianyue who he was, even if she was slow to realize it. With bold brows, bright eyes, and a well-proportioned face, he sat among several exceptionally handsome men. At first glance, he seemed somewhat unremarkable, but a second look would inevitably draw one’s attention to him.

This was Yuwen Lingxi in his identity as Dark Nether. His current appearance was naturally the result of taking the Face-Changing Pill. Though it was not as handsome as his true face, it suited his present identity perfectly, and he was quite satisfied with it.

Especially pleasing was the delighted light that sprang into Lianyue’s eyes. It lifted his spirits considerably, and the corners of his lips curved upward without restraint.

Naturally, many people noticed the exchange. Only those in the know understood that Lianyue was looking at Dark Nether. Everyone else probably assumed she was merely greeting the men seated there.

When Qiao Zhi saw that Lianyue had not spared him so much as a glance, disappointment spread through his heart. He looked at Dark Nether with a trace of hostility, then turned toward Yuwen Lingxi—Xiao, who appeared not to have noticed the interaction between Lianyue and Dark Nether. The thought he had long held—to quietly wait by her side while retreating a step—wavered for the first time.

He quickly suppressed it, then raised his head to glance at the father seated above. Sure enough, he had been noticed.

The elderly man seated on the dragon throne was naturally the guest of honor at that evening’s birthday banquet: Qiao Run, Supreme Emperor of the Nishang Empire. Compared with the Empress Dowager beside him, he looked far more like a man nearing sixty. Deep furrows crossed his face, and his slightly drooping eyes were clouded with age.

Yet no one doubted the wisdom and shrewdness concealed beneath that clouded gaze.

Prompted by her elder sister, Lianyue withdrew her eyes and followed her forward, bending to pay her respects.

A slightly aged voice rang through the hall.

“Which one of you is the little moon of the Yue family? Come here.”

Lianyue felt somewhat puzzled. She looked up at her elder sister and caught the flash of surprise in her eyes. After that brief astonishment, her sister still nodded at her.

Lianyue had no choice but to walk a few steps forward and stop.

She had thought that distance would be sufficient, but the aged voice clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily.

“Come closer to me.”

The Empress Dowager also beckoned to her warmly.

“Moon child, come to Grandmother.”

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Lianyue felt the countless concentrated gazes gathered upon her. With so many people in the hall, the Empress Dowager and Supreme Emperor had singled her out for special favor. No doubt quite a few people were already seething with jealousy.

Lianyue did not care much about that. She walked forward with poise and stood before the Empress Dowager and Supreme Emperor, asking neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Is this close enough?”

“Your appearance is not like hers, but your bearing truly resembles her.”

Only then did Lianyue understand. The only member of the Yue family who had shared a connection with the Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager was probably her grandmother. Thus, when the Supreme Emperor spoke of “her,” he must have meant her grandmother.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lianyue arched her brows and answered brightly, “I have resembled my mother since I was little.”

A moment of clarity appeared in Qiao Run’s murky eyes. He studied the graceful young woman standing before him and said evenly, “Prince Zhi has told me quite a bit about you. Now that I see you for myself, I find that you are indeed quick-witted and unwilling to suffer even the slightest loss.”

“Thank you for your praise, Supreme Emperor.”

The conversation had become so bewildering, and changed direction so abruptly, that Lianyue could scarcely keep up. Perhaps this was simply what happened when people grew old. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have obediently offered a few words in response, but with hundreds of eyes fixed upon her, she was not used to making casual conversation like this. She only wanted to end it as quickly as possible.

Naturally, Qiao Run, seated upon the throne, saw through her little thoughts. His clouded gaze swept over the hall below, and he asked lightly, “What do you think of Prince Qiao Zhi?”

Lianyue stared at him in bewilderment. What did one thing have to do with the other? Could this conversation become any more absurd?

She was not the only one caught off guard. After freezing for a moment, Qiao Zhi panicked and began to rise, only to be stopped immediately by a single look from his imperial father.

Lianyue suspiciously watched the exchange between them. She guessed that Qiao Zhi must have said something to the old man. Since he showed no mercy, she would not hesitate to return the favor.

With an utterly serious expression, she asked, “Do you truly want me to say?”

“Yes.” Qiao Run had not expected her to question him in return.

“You really want me to say it in front of all these people?” She had to lay the groundwork properly.

Her question only aroused Qiao Run’s curiosity. By that afternoon, he had already understood his son’s feelings, and he genuinely wanted to know how this remarkable son of his was viewed in Lianyue’s eyes. His tone grew firmer.

“Yes. Say it here.”

Lianyue deliberately turned toward Qiao Zhi with an embarrassed look.

“But the Supreme Emperor told me to speak.”

Qiao Zhi immediately sensed that something was wrong. He instinctively tried to stop her, but it was already too late. Lianyue’s clear voice rang through the hall.

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“Prince Qiao Zhi is as beautiful as a flower, with a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.”

The moment those words were spoken, Qiao Zhi’s face turned green. Some people in the hall stared in utter astonishment, while others struggled to suppress their laughter.

“No, that is not quite right. The proper words would be dashing and elegant, carefree and handsome. He is also warmhearted and loyal to his friends.”

Qiao Zhi’s expression improved slightly. That was more like it. That assessment was far more realistic.

“However, he is just a little too clever for his own good, slightly narcissistic, and a little shamelessly persistent.”

Lianyue was quite pleased to see the changes in Qiao Zhi’s expression. She also noticed the amusement in Dark Nether’s eyes. Suddenly, praising one man and disparaging another in front of the man she liked felt somewhat awkward. She had originally intended to say much more, but in the end, only one final sentence remained.

“That is all.”

She then looked toward the Supreme Emperor, who was stroking his beard with a smile.

“You told me to say it.”

“Well said. It seems the two of you already understand each other quite well.”

“More or less.” Seeing that Qiao Run still showed no sign of stopping, Lianyue’s tone became perfunctory. “If there is nothing else, Moon child will return to her seat.”

Without waiting for Qiao Run to respond, she turned and began walking toward her elder sister, Lianyu.

“How would you like to marry my son?”

The startling question rang out like thunder from a clear sky. It not only brought Lianyue to an abrupt halt, but also plunged the entire hall into a moment of silence.

Only then did Lianyue understand what this had all been about. As she turned around, she shot an angry glare at Qiao Zhi, who looked just as stunned, then addressed the man on the dragon throne word by word.

“Has the Supreme Emperor grown old and confused? Everyone under Heaven knows that Lianyue is already betrothed. By bringing this up, are you looking down on the Yue family, or on the Yuwen family to whom I am betrothed?”

At that moment, Lianyue could only invoke the engagement she herself did not favor. If Uncle Zhou had said something like this, she respected him as an elder and could simply laugh it off, since everyone would take it as a joke.

But hearing it from this man filled her with nothing but irritation, especially because he had made the proposal in front of Dark Nether and so many others. Did he truly think she was someone anyone could marry off as they pleased?

Qiao Yi, who had been troubled by thoughts of his own, naturally did not support his imperial father’s proposal. Compared with his half-brother, he would much rather see Qiao Ke succeed him. This time, he did not remain silent.

“Father is only joking with you. Miss Yue, please do not take it seriously.”