Hu Xiaotian asked in astonishment, "Why would she cross out my name?"
Prince Fu, Yang Longyue, said, "I don't know the real reason either. The Empress Dowager only said that you were a rebel against Great Kang and had previously been betrothed to Princess Yongyang. Great Kang is her native country, and she doesn't want to make an enemy of it because of you."
Hu Xiaotian had to admit that the reason was plausible enough. But he had come all this way expecting to take Princess Anping home openly and legitimately. Now, with this sudden turn of events, he had effectively been disqualified. There was no longer any possibility of taking Long Xiyue away in an honorable, aboveboard manner. He asked quietly, "What about Li Honghan? He's already declared independence. His father is Great Kang's number-one rebel."
"Li Honghan is already on the palace examination list," Yang Longyue said. He, too, seemed rather helpless about the matter. No one could have anticipated that the Empress Dowager would pull such a move at the last moment. The palace examination was tomorrow, when the final hundred candidates would be chosen, yet she had crossed Hu Xiaotian's name off at precisely this juncture. This also ran counter to Yang Longyue's original expectations. He had thought Hu Xiaotian stood an excellent chance. After all, Long Xuanjiao's purpose in publicly seeking a prince consort from across the world was to choose the most advantageous ally, and Hu Xiaotian fit that requirement perfectly. Women really did think differently from men. Yang Longyue did not believe Long Xuanjiao's stated reason in the slightest. Since marrying into the Fragrant Kingdom, she had never returned to her homeland. When Great Kang had appealed to the Fragrant Kingdom for aid during the worst of its famine, Long Xuanjiao had refused