Qi Bei's carriage and ceremonial escort arrived at the Sleeping Moon Palace in grand fashion, but a squad of palace guards outside stopped them. Aside from Qi Bei, the master of ceremonies, and the dozen or so maidservants, no one else was allowed inside.
This was not Qi Bei's first time visiting the Sleeping Moon Palace. Of course, that had been in the past, when he had run to the palace every day and pestered Princess Mingyue relentlessly.
"Young Master Nord, the princess has summoned you. You alone." A pretty palace maid approached Qi Bei, curtsied gracefully, and spoke in a crisp voice.
"Now, this isn't proper etiquette... But since Mingyue is so impatient, I suppose I'll satisfy her." Qi Bei coughed twice and put on an affected air. When he saw the maid turn to leave, he followed after her with a cheeky grin.
Etiquette? Did this little rascal even know what etiquette was? The master of ceremonies shouted inwardly, though he dared not show the slightest trace of it on his face.
The young maid led Qi Bei toward Princess Mingyue's bedchamber. This was the place Qi Bei had once dreamed of entering, yet he had never imagined that Princess Mingyue would now invite him in openly and aboveboard.
As soon as he entered Princess Mingyue's bedchamber, Qi Bei caught a faint, delicate fragrance that refreshed the heart and mind.
Princess Mingyue's bedchamber was divided into a front room and a rear room by a layer of semitransparent white gauze.
Tables, chairs, and tea ware were arranged in the front room, with stacks of books placed beside them. It was presumably where Princess Mingyue read in her leisure time. As for the rear room, there was no need to ask—it was naturally where she rested and slept.
"Princess, Young Master Nord has arrived." The young maid spoke through the gauze curtain.
"You may leave." Princess Mingyue's cool voice came from inside.
The young maid turned and left, and the bedchamber instantly fell silent.
If it had been another man, he would have sat down in the front room. Qi Bei, however, lifted the gauze curtain without the slightest hesitation and entered the rear room.
Princess Mingyue sat before the dressing mirror in a spotless ceremonial gown. Her fine hair was swept into a high coiffure, adorned only with a jade phoenix hairpin. Though simple, it accentuated her noble and elegant bearing.
A hint of amazement flashed through Qi Bei's eyes. He had to admit that Princess Mingyue's beauty needed no deliberate embellishment to move the heart. Yet compared with her beauty, the air about her was what attracted people most.
"We're alone together, man and woman. You called me in here—aren't you afraid I might do something to you?" Qi Bei said with a grin as he plopped himself down on Princess Mingyue's soft couch.
"You won't." Princess Mingyue calmly patted the somewhat frightened Unicorn Cub on her lap.
"Heh heh, you're so certain of my character that even if I wanted to do something, I'd feel too embarrassed." Qi Bei laughed. He sniffed, and the delicate fragrance lingering on the couch truly was pleasant, like a woman's natural scent.
Princess Mingyue turned around to face Qi Bei. Her beautiful eyes studied him with a hint of scrutiny, as though she wanted to see through his eyes and uncover his heart.
"Mingyue, if you keep looking at me like that, I won't be able to hold myself back. You know my self-control has never been all that strong, especially when I'm facing a beauty." Qi Bei's gaze took on a predatory edge as it swept over her tender red lips and the increasingly full curves beneath her close-fitting ceremonial gown.
Princess Mingyue felt somewhat uncomfortable. She withdrew her gaze and stroked the Unicorn Cub as she said calmly, "Qi Bei, I called you in only because I wanted to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead." Qi Bei answered carelessly, though his gaze grew even more brazen.
"Our engagement, regardless of whether political motives are driving it, means that there is still a bond between us. I heard that after your engagement, you will be heading to your own fief. Perhaps after today, we will never meet again..."
Qi Bei was stunned as he listened. He did not quite understand what Princess Mingyue meant. There was something off about the way she was saying this.
"You know that I will be going to Tongtian Mountain soon and can no longer interfere in the power struggles of the mortal world. The Lineage and imperial authority will have to decide a victor sooner or later. Either your Nord Family will emerge victorious, or imperial authority will." Princess Mingyue paused in thought before continuing, "If the Golden Leaf Dynasty undergoes a change of power during our generation, and if your Nord Family loses, I will ask Father Emperor to spare your Nord Family. But if... the Nord Family wins, I hope you will promise me that you can spare the members of our imperial clan."
Qi Bei gazed at Princess Mingyue thoughtfully. Her words had taken him by surprise. She had laid bare the conflict between them so bluntly, mentioning defeat before victory and reserving a way out for the imperial clan in advance.
"What makes you so certain I'll agree? Besides, even if I promise you, my word won't carry any weight within the Nord Family. This useless man's opinion won't matter then." Qi Bei spoke calmly.
"This benefits both sides. As for whether your words will carry weight by then, we can leave that for the future. For now, you only need to answer whether you agree." Princess Mingyue said.
Qi Bei burst out laughing. He stood and walked over to Princess Mingyue, then suddenly wiped the smile from his face and said each word distinctly, "I disagree."
Princess Mingyue froze. She had considered the matter for a long time and had been utterly confident that Qi Bei would agree. After all, it was the Golden Leaf Family, not the Nord Family, that currently controlled the Golden Leaf Dynasty. She had never expected him to reject her outright.
"When two tigers fight, one must die. You're being too naïve." Qi Bei said.
"It may well be your Nord Family that dies." Princess Mingyue's voice was cold.
"But it might also be the Golden Leaf Family. Otherwise, why would you make this request?" Qi Bei sneered.
Princess Mingyue was rendered speechless. Although Emperor Hanmos was laying out a grand scheme, she believed that old fox from the Nord Family was no pushover either.
In truth, Princess Mingyue had never considered this issue before. But after her sharp confrontation with Qi Bei in the western outskirts, she had faintly sensed that he would be a tremendous variable. There was an unsettling, terrifying aura about him. Even now, her magical pet, the Unicorn Cub, still felt afraid when it saw him.
"The time is about up, my princess. Come with me. Everyone in our Nord Family is still waiting." Qi Bei extended his hand in an inviting gesture.
"Qi Bei, you're too arrogant. Do you know that if your Nord Family is the one that loses, tens of thousands of people across the main and collateral branches of the entire Nord Family will die because of your hotheadedness?" Princess Mingyue's pretty face held a trace of anger. She ignored Qi Bei's outstretched hand.
"No family can remain immortal forever, and no dynasty can last for all eternity. If we can't win, then let us perish." Qi Bei smiled faintly, withdrew his hand, and walked out of the bedchamber.
If we can't win, then let us perish! Princess Mingyue stared blankly at Qi Bei's departing back. Could it be that, to this man, everything in the world was either victory or defeat, life or death?
Little girl, though you're exceptionally clever, how could you know that some things simply cannot be won by both sides? That's why you're only a princess, not an empress. Qi Bei sighed inwardly. Within the Golden Leaf Dynasty, the relationships between the imperial faction and the Lineage faction were far too tangled and complex. When one prospered, all prospered; when one suffered, all suffered. The Five Great Holy Lands had established a customary rule forbidding them from interfering in worldly power struggles. Emperor Hanmos absolutely would not heed what she said—and even if he did, would the people under him listen? The Nord Family was the same. It would only be different if, one day, Qi Bei possessed power that he could control absolutely.
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