A Stirring of the Heart

Eunuch Feng said, "The scoundrels of the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom must have plotted this for a long time. Right now, their kingdom is locked in a bitter struggle with the Naiman. They're offering up beauties at this moment because they want Your Highness to send troops to help them. Fearing unrest in the realm, Imperial Consort Ciyi came up with this plan to nip the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom's wolfish ambitions in the bud."

Ji Lie said carelessly, "Why send her to me? Let Mother keep her. Just say I gave her to Mother."

He was shrewd enough to know his own mother's intentions. She wanted to secure the Emperor's favor, and was using his hand to snuff out a future enemy before she could take root.

In the entire Great Yue royal family, the Son of Heaven of Great Yue was inviolable. Everyone living in the Imperial City surrounded him like stars around the sun.

Ji Lie alone stood apart. As a once-in-a-generation genius of the Great Yue royal family, he had no need to curry favor with anyone to secure his position.

What Imperial Consort Ciyi considered a grave matter that had to be handled with the utmost care weighed no more than a feather to Ji Lie.

Eunuch Feng let out a breath of relief. He had come to get Ji Lie's approval; once Ji Lie agreed, even the greatest difficulty would vanish like smoke.

By rights, given the bond between Imperial Consort Ciyi and Ji Lie as mother and son, she needn't have been so cautious or sent someone to inform him. She could simply have sent for the woman herself.

The trouble was that Ji Lie was too cold and aloof. He was consumed by Martial Arts and never spared a glance for anything else. Even