"Show the way," Zhao Wujiang replied indifferently.
The stall owner and Princess Baiyue turned toward the sound. Striding out from the crowd was a dashing, jade-like young master dressed in black, twirling a folding fan. A smile played on his lips, though it carried an undercurrent of depravity.
Four servants followed behind him, wearing wicked grins as they recognized that their master had set his sights on yet another fresh prey.
The young master sauntered toward Princess Baiyue, twirling his fan. The pristine figure in white before him was clearly a man dressed as a woman, but those peerless features were exceptionally alluring. With her timid air, she possessed an ultimate purity and vibrancy.
Relying on his family's high-ranking influence, he often roamed the streets and alleys of Jingdu to trick naive maidens into returning home with him, yet he had never encountered such a supreme stunner.
"My little brother, do you fancy these glass beads? My family has plenty of these pretty things. Would you like to come and take a look?"
The black-clad young master took a light sniff, and the faint fragrance emanating from the beauty before him made his heart flutter, instantly leaving his throat parched.
Princess Baiyue was overjoyed and asked innocently, "Do you really have a lot of them?"
*Clearly a virgin who hasn't seen much of the world...* The black-clad young master offered a lecherous smile and opened his mouth to speak, but then he caught sight of something hurtling through the air from not far away. As he focused his gaze, it was a whistling gold ingot.
*Thump!* The gold ingot smashed heavily against his forehead, instantly raising a bruised, red-and-blue swelling. He flew into an uncontrollable rage.
"Who's there?! Get out here!"
In the crowd, a youth whose clothes were as dark as ink walked toward him slowly, followed by an elderly, white-haired servant.
The black-clad young master's pupils constricted slightly. This youth possessed an extraordinary bearing and a heroic aura, and his handsome features completely crushed his own. His anger flared even hotter on the spot. Jealousy, mixed with the blinding fury of having his fun interrupted, distorted his features. He raised a hand in a wave and ordered the servants behind him, "Break one of his hands for this young master, you base scum!"
The four servants howled and screeched as they charged at Zhao Wujiang. Zhao Wujiang remained completely unperturbed and unpanicked, even raising an eyebrow at Princess Baiyue, who was watching.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang! Boom!*
Before the four servants could even get close to Zhao Wujiang, they were struck as if by lightning. Like kites with snapped strings, their bodies flew backward, crashing hard onto the ground and leaving trails of blood in their wake.
A chorus of gasps erupted from the surrounding onlookers.
"What kind of pathetic trash are you? How dare you try to harm my young master!"
Jia Ersan's eyes burned with fury as he stood half a step behind Zhao Wujiang.
Ignoring the terrified black-clad young master, Zhao Wujiang walked over to Princess Baiyue and said warmly, "Pay more attention in the future."
"You... it's you... it's the person from the carriage yesterday!" Princess Baiyue's bright eyes and pretty teeth showed as her delicate brows knitted together. "Why didn't you pay any attention to me yesterday?"
"I'm aloof. Let's go." Zhao Wujiang grabbed her delicate hand and dragged her toward the direction of the Court of State Ceremonies.
"Let go of me! I'm not going back! I finally managed to escape, I am definitely not going back!" Princess Baiyue pouted angrily when she saw the direction they were heading.
Seeing the beauty he had set his heart on conversing with the handsome youth who had completely eclipsed him—and with that youth treating him with the utmost, disdainful indifference—the black-clad young master blew his top.
"You dog, open your damn dog eyes and look at who this young master is! Is this someone you can afford to cross?"
"Noisome!"
Jia Ersan raised his sleeve and delivered a fierce slap across the black-clad young master's face. The fellow immediately went flying sideways, smashing through stall after stall and startling the surrounding pedestrians into gasping and scrambling out of the way.
Howls of pain rang out. The four servants managed to clamber to their feet and staggered over, crying out, "Young master! Are you alright, young master?"
"Just you wait! You wait! I'm going to have my father kill the both of you! Commoners! Despicable commoners!"
The black-clad young master was hauled up, covered from head to foot in blood, and roared hoarsely as his servants half-carried, half-dragged him away.
"Let go of me! I'm not going back!" Princess Baiyue's pretty face was filled with vexation as she tried to shake off Zhao Wujiang's hand.
Zhao Wujiang smiled warmly. "Why wouldn't you go back? This is Daxia's Jingdu, a place where dragons and snakes mingle. It's very dangerous for a woman to be out here alone."
"You all just want me to stay cooped up in that guesthouse and then accept your arrangements, to marry someone I don't want to marry, someone I don't like at all!"
Princess Baiyue pressed her red lips into a tight line, her peerless visage blooming with a pitiful expression. "I'm nothing more than a tool for a political marriage between two nations, yet not a single one of you has ever considered my feelings! I am not going back!"
She struggled with all her might. Ripples stirred in Zhao Wujiang's gaze as he swept over her face and finally released her wrist.
"Then where do you want to go?"
His eyes gazed deep into hers, asking with the utmost gentleness.
"I... I don't know..."
Princess Baiyue bit her red lip. In her lovely eyes, Zhao Wujiang's silhouette was smiling. For the first time in her life, someone was asking for her opinion in such a soft, gentle voice.
...
"Then you must know that you have nowhere to run." Zhao Wujiang's tone was tactful. "Or rather, what your escape means for the Baiyue Kingdom."
"I don't know..." Princess Baiyue mumbled, her voice muffled. "But I don't want to become a tool. I want to meet a man who makes my heart flutter, and then marry him—not just... end up like this."
Zhao Wujiang rubbed the bridge of his nose.
*This stubborn girl might actually spark a new conflict between Daxia and the Baiyue Kingdom.*
If anything went wrong for Daxia, the comfortable life he had just started enjoying would be gone in an instant.
He had to find a way to coax her back.
She wanted to find a man, did she?
"Well then, what kind of man would make your heart flutter?" Zhao Wujiang's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze.
Princess Baiyue pondered for a moment, then answered with complete sincerity, "I don't know."
"How can you not know anything?"
"I just don't know!" Princess Baiyue grumbled, a blush flushing across her cheeks.
She hummed under her breath for a long moment before adding, "Someone as handsome as you, does that count?"
"It does not," Zhao Wujiang answered with a serious shake of his head.
"Why not?" Princess Baiyue's vibrant, expressive eyes widened.
"Because there are far too few men as handsome as me." Zhao Wujiang and Princess Baiyue merged with the stream of people pouring into the bustling streets of Jingdu.
"So narcissistic..." Princess Baiyue shot Zhao Wujiang a sidelong glance, then hopped along behind him. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Zhao Wujiang. And you?"
"&#%#...@" Princess Baiyue said in the language of the Western Baiyue Kingdom.
???
Zhao Wujiang didn't understand a word. "Ah, that's a good name."
"Of course it is! My mother queen gave it to me. In your Daxia language, it's Yuxian." Princess Baiyue—Yuxian—akimboed her slender waist and puffed out her chest, looking exceptionally proud as she stated her name. "Does it sound nice?"
"It sounds nice." Zhao Wujiang grabbed Yuxian's wrist. "Let's go. Even though I can't let you run away, I can take you out to have some fun."
"Then I want to eat the absolute, absolute, absolute most delicious food in your Jingdu. The meals sent over by your Court of State Ceremonies are always cold." Yuxian gestured with her hand.
"Alright," Zhao Wujiang replied softly.
...
Crossing from the East District to the West District, Zhao Wujiang and Princess Baiyue—Yuxian—arrived at the Western Market and plunged into the bustling crowd.
Passing by shop after shop, Yuxian stopped and went as she pleased. A bright, lovely smile adorned the young maiden's face, and her laughter sounded clear and crisp, like tinkling bells.
Holding various snacks, she darted around Zhao Wujiang, listening to him tell fairy tales.
"Did Snow White and Pinocchio end up together?"
"Did the seven dwarfs get eaten by the big bad wolf?"
"Was that pair of glass shoes really that magical? Why did the Ugly Duckling turn into a white swan just by putting them on?"
"Why did the little mermaid have to sleep forever?"
"And, and why did Rumpelstiltskin always have to stay by the Tree of Longevity?"
"What kind of tiger is a saber-toothed tiger, and where did its jewels and red shoes come from?"
"..."
Listening to Zhao Wujiang's fairy tales, Yuxian felt a deep sense of longing, chattering away and asking questions with tireless enthusiasm.
Zhao Wujiang laughed and dodged her questions, refusing to give an answer.
The sunlight shone down on the two figures chasing one another, stretching their shadows longer and longer.
As the setting sun slanted westward toward the end of the *Shen* hour, the two of them walked along the official road in the Southern District, where the figures of passersby gradually grew sparse.
"Zhao Wujiang, we... are friends now, right?" Bathed in the evening glow, Yuxian looked as beautiful as an elf from a fairy tale. Feeling the passage of time and knowing that parting was drawing near, a sense of reluctance gradually coiled around her heart.
"Of course." Zhao Wujiang nodded earnestly. Not far away, galloping horses kicked up dust and sand as a troop hurried toward them.
"You'd better not lie to me!"
Yuxian's large eyes stared fixedly at Zhao Wujiang. She unclasped a small bell crafted from gold and jade from her right wrist and shoved it into Zhao Wujiang's hand.
"Your Highness the Princess! This old servant has finally found you!" The sound of hooves grew nearer and nearer, accompanied by a relieved shout from an official of the Court of State Ceremonies.
Tonight during the *You* hour, the peace and marriage banquet between Daxia and Baiyue was scheduled to be held. With the princess having fled, the Court of State Ceremonies had sent people searching for her all afternoon.
"Zhao Wujiang, you have to come find me to play in the future..." Princess Baiyue Yuxian pressed her red lips together, filled with a growing reluctance to part.
"Go on," Zhao Wujiang offered a gentle smile.
"Zhao Wujiang..." Yuxian's expression turned anxious. Zhao Wujiang shook his head with a smile and waved his hand.
...
Dragging the sunset's afterglow behind him, Zhao Wujiang returned to the deep confines of the imperial palace. The moment he reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yuer, the personal maid of Imperial Consort Xiao whom he had met that morning, hurried up to greet him.
"Manager Zhao, Her Ladyship requests your presence."
"Lead the way," Zhao Wujiang sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, in the East District of Jingdu—inside the Pinkang Tower of the Court of State Ceremonies guesthouse—the peace and marriage banquet between Daxia and Western Baiyue officially commenced.
Civil and military officials gathered in the main hall of the tower, with Xuanyuan Jing seated on the elevated throne, her expression stern and majestic.
"The Baiyue diplomatic delegation has arrived!" a eunuch's shrill voice rang out.
Clad in nomadic attire, the delegation from the Baiyue Kingdom escorted Princess Yuxian into the grand hall.
The gathered ministers stirred, and the young talents standing behind them grew restless as well.
Princess Baiyue's features were picturesque, her bright eyes and white teeth making her so breathtakingly beautiful that it defied description. In particular, her spirited eyes held a pair of azure irises that shimmered like precious jewels.
At this moment, she wore a faint smile, yet an aura of cold aloofness that kept people a thousand miles away radiated from her entire being.
Like an icy mountain goddess, every lift of her brow and every smile tugged at the hearts of these young talents. As long as they could touch the princess's heart today, they would earn the supreme honor of national diplomacy and the chance to take a peerless beauty into their arms.
"Respected Emperor, have you considered the conditions discussed with your esteemed nation: one hundred thousand *shi* of grain, twenty thousand bolts of brocade, and three thousand blood-sweating steed horses?" Princess Baiyue Yuxian stated stiffly, reciting the words the envoys had taught her.
Frost crept over Xuanyuan Jing's brows. Before she could speak, the restless officials had already begun to murmur among themselves.
"Daxia spans vast territories and abounds in natural treasures. Bestowing such supplies upon Baiyue for the sake of a marriage alliance is only right."
"These turbulent times call for peace above all!"
"Lord Ji's words are entirely correct. A moment of patience brings calm seas; forging diplomatic ties between our two nations now is a benevolent act for the people. These conditions ought to be accepted!"
"To be able to marry such a fairy-like princess means these conditions are not excessive at all."
"..."
Listening to these submissive calls for agreement, Xuanyuan Jing's face darkened with fury.
"Silence, all of you!"
In an instant, the ministers in the grand hall of Pinkang Tower fell silent. The Empress's wrath was laid bare without a shred of concealment, filling them with trembling dread.
"I do not agree!" Xuanyuan Jing's icy gaze swept across the crowd. "Ever since the founding of Daxia, nations have come to pay court. Even when marriage alliances were formed, they always paid tribute to Daxia first before Daxia bestowed return gifts. To act like this now—where does it put ancestral precepts and national regulations? Where does it put the majesty of Daxia?"
"Respected Emperor, please calm your wrath." The envoy from the Western Baiyue Kingdom was an elderly man with lean features and a sharp, brilliant glint in his eyes. "Our nation's sovereign and queen cherish the princess dearly, and have therefore put forth an alternative request.
As long as any young talent from your esteemed nation can win a smile of favor from the princess, the previously requested quantities of grain, brocade, and fine horses can be reduced, or even cancelled entirely."
At these words, an uproar broke out among the officials, and the young talents behind them felt their hearts tremor, immediately itching to try their hand.
The chance to shine had arrived!
Filled with high spirits and eager anticipation, they looked toward the icy, saintess-like princess of the Baiyue Kingdom with absolute confidence in their hearts.
The sons of high-ranking officials lined up, preparing to take the stage to display their grace and win a smile from the beauty.
Xuanyuan Jing's handsome brows carried majesty and hidden worry, while Princess Baiyue Yuxian, seated beside her, maintained an aloof expression as she searched the crowd for someone.
Judging by his actions, her friend from earlier should also be a Daxia official.
"My friend... will you come?"
No one knew what Princess Baiyue was thinking. The reason she allowed Daxia's young talents to perform voluntarily was precisely because she wanted to see Zhao Wujiang again.
At that moment, Li Shentong, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, held a name roster in his hand. He glanced over the excited, expectant young talents and their slightly nervous colleagues, then slowly raised his voice to announce:
"First up, the son of the Censor-in-Chief, Cao Shaobao."
The moment the words fell, a youth of peerless good looks leaped onto the raised platform. He was dressed in an indigo-blue robe, holding a landscape-patterned folding fan. He carried himself with refined grace, though his expression remained slightly cold.
Whispers broke out among the ministers below.
"Lord Cao's son is truly extraordinary."
"He's a man of striking talent, showing the very demeanor Lord Cao had back in the day."
"I just wonder if he can win the heart of Princess Baiyue..."
"Only... why isn't Young Master Cao speaking?"