"My beloved minister, rise at once! I have long awaited your arrival at court! When the Late Emperor was alive, he told me that the King of Pingqiu could serve as a model for all the Demon Kings under heaven!"
Emperor Kangping had formerly been Prince Fu and was close in age to Prince Yong of Bamboo Province in the Southeast. Yet he was short and stout, with a corpulent figure and small, lifeless eyes. Even in his dragon robes and imperial crown, he lacked regal bearing and looked faintly ridiculous.
As Great Qian's Rebel Kings put it in their private, scornful remarks, he did not look like a ruler of men.
Back when he was an imperial prince, few of his brothers had thought much of him. Who could have expected that, because his fief lay near the Capital Region and he had the support of the court officials, he would actually be made emperor?
Upon seeing Hu Ze, Emperor Kangping grew as excited as if he had met a close relative. Hu Ze's swordlike brows, star-bright eyes, and handsome face made him precisely the sort of man the emperor wished he could be, and respect rose unbidden at the sight. In truth, the court officials had nearly driven him mad lately. With unrest surging across the realm and the princes declaring themselves independent, he knew how precarious the throne was and regarded the King of Pingqiu, who had answered his summons, as a great savior.
Hu Meiniang naturally deserved some credit for this. No wind in the world blew more powerfully than pillow talk, and the rear palace was full of hidden pawns controlled by Fairy Zhang Hua and Hu Meiniang. He could hear only good things about the King of Pingqiu, never so much as a single