Outside the gates of the inner palace, King Qinggu paced before the palace guards in full battle dress, his hands clasped behind his back. Impatience gradually crept across his face.
"You lot simply don't know what's good for you. If I weren't showing Meiniang some respect, I would have forced my way in long ago. Do you really think the likes of you could stop me?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is absolutely right. But if Her Highness weren't here, you wouldn't need to trouble yourself over anything in this place, would you? Please be magnanimous and bear with us..." The guard captain was a clever man who knew how to read a situation, and he spoke with ingratiating deference.
His words made so much sense that King Qinggu found himself at a loss for a reply.
"That's true. If it weren't for Meiniang, why would I have come all this way?"
Without Meiniang, there would have been no reason to come at all. Since he was already here, he might as well observe the rules and spare himself her constant complaints that he was too uncouth and knew nothing of romance.
Having finally managed to placate this Demon King, the guard captain secretly wiped away his cold sweat and wondered, What on earth happened inside the palace? Why are they searching everywhere?
Just then, Hu Meiniang's Imperial Decree finally arrived. "By Her Highness's command, King Qinggu is summoned to an audience."
Relieved of a great burden, the guard captain immediately ordered, "Open the palace gates!"
The soldiers beneath the gate tower obeyed, and the heavy gates of dense copper slowly swung open.
It was already late at night, and admitting anyone into the palace still violated the rules. But with their superiors taking responsibility, lowly soldiers like them would not