The Main Hall of the Imperial Palace.
Vermilion Li Fire rose in shimmering radiance, like smoke and mist, washing over the robes of the palace maids kneeling with bowed heads on either side. At last, it condensed into red sparrows and scarlet chicks, which fluttered down beneath the Vermilion Steps.
"A marriage alliance."
Xu Xuan lowered his eyes, his thoughts already turning several times as he weighed the intricacies behind it.
His encounter with Princess Qingci when he first entered the capital had probably been no coincidence. His Majesty had likely arranged it deliberately; perhaps he had already entertained this idea back then.
Princess Qingci was three or four years older than Ming'er, a difference that meant little to cultivators. But should he really bind himself so closely to Tianchi?
After this battle, he had begun to suspect that the true direct lineage of the Song Clan was not entirely aligned with His Majesty. At the very least, Tianchi's position must differ subtly from that of the Grotto-Heaven's direct lineage.
When True Person Guan Quan had previously mentioned the great clans of the realm, he had not included the Song Clan. Yet this lineage's foundations certainly far surpassed those of Xiao-Liao.
The Southern Li and Black Baleful lineages alone could muster who knew how many True Persons of profound cultivation. Had they sent a few more out into the world, why would the fighting have been so difficult?
Even the previously mentioned confrontation between the two emperors now seemed somewhat suspicious.
What sort of figure was True Lord Nanxian, the founding emperor of Great Li? He had established his nation through martial might and swept the world flat. In slaughter and conquest, he was surely among the foremost figures under heaven. How could a "Lingsa" compare with "Li Fire"?
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