Inside the main hall of the princess's bedroom.
Ling Xueyao sat in front of the bronze mirror, her long, moon-white dress draped behind her.
Her long, black hair was carefully tied up by a maid.
She has washed her face several times.
Applying ice water to the skin can clear your mind for a moment.
But once I stop, those images from last night will uncontrollably flood back.
Scalding hot breath.
Domineering actions.
And those soft moans that even she herself wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground to hide in...
Ling Xueyao closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A princess of the Great Qian Dynasty, a powerful expert at the Divine Sea Realm.
He was so exhausted from being tormented by a mere Heavenly Origin Realm bastard that he was too weak to even get out of bed.
What's even more infuriating is...
Later, she actually started to cooperate with him.
"Hmph, I'll chop you in half with my sword sooner or later..."
She gritted her teeth and muttered a curse under her breath.
The maid behind him trembled, nearly dropping her hairpin, and knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, please forgive me!"
Ling Xueyao snapped out of her daze, her voice regaining its coldness. "This is none of your business. Get up."
The maidservant rose carefully, not daring to ask any further questions.
But she could tell that His Highness was acting very strangely today.
In the past, the princess never wasted time on dressing up; a jade hairpin and a long dress were enough to outshine all the noble ladies in the palace.
But today, she has already changed into three different outfits.
In the end, this moon-white long dress was chosen.
High collar, wide sleeves, covering everything completely.
But Ling Xueyao herself knew the truth.
Beneath the collar, there were still several red marks that couldn't be concealed.
She raised her hand to press her neck, and her ears began to burn again.
"That bastard..."
The sound was very soft.
The maid lowered her head, pretending not to hear anything.
Just then, someone came to report from outside.
"Your Highness, we have received a reply from the side courtyard. Young Master Chu says he will attend the midday banquet on time."
Ling Xueyao remained silent for a moment.
She had already decided that if Chu Yunfei was unwilling to go, she would directly send someone to refuse her eldest brother.
The reason is quite simple.
Last night, the palace was attacked, and her father's secluded retreat was damaged. As a princess, she needed to stay in the palace, which was a perfectly legitimate reason, and her eldest brother couldn't find much fault with it.
But Chu Yunfei still insisted on going.
Ling Xueyao lowered her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.
She knew why Chu Yunfei went.
The eldest prince clearly intended to use the three holy sons of the sects to test him. If he backed down, his title as the prince consort would be trampled on, and not only would Chu Yunfei lose face, but she would too.
That bastard has a sharp tongue, but when it comes to standing up when it's really time to step up, he never backs down.
Ling Xueyao stood up.
The maidservant quickly stepped forward to help her.
As soon as I took a step, a wave of soreness and weakness surged up in my waist and legs.
Ling Xueyao frowned slightly, but quickly suppressed it.
"Your Highness, you are not feeling well, perhaps you should..."
"It's alright."
Ling Xueyao interrupted the maid, put her veil back on, and said coldly, "As a princess of the royal family, it is my duty to attend the banquet hosted by the three sects' prodigies."
She paused, then added, "So that some people don't die in the palace without anyone to collect their bodies."
The maid bowed her head and agreed.
But she knew in her heart that although His Highness spoke coldly, his eyes were clearly not.
It was almost noon, at the entrance of the side courtyard.
Chu Yunfei changed into a black outfit, his posture upright, with the Swallowing Abyss-Devouring Sword at his waist.
He was preparing to go to the Jingyuan Hall alone when he caught a glimpse of a moon-white figure walking from the direction of the main hall.
Ling Xueyao wore a veil, revealing only her clear phoenix eyes.
Her long dress covered everything that shouldn't be exposed, and she tried her best to maintain a dignified and steady gait. If Chu Yunfei hadn't been so familiar with the breathtaking softness and madness of last night, he would hardly have noticed anything unusual about her.
Chu Yunfei stopped in his tracks, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "Your Highness, weren't you in seclusion recuperating? You've already come out of seclusion so soon?"
Ling Xueyao paused, giving him a cold glance.
"As a princess of the Great Qian Dynasty, I should attend the banquet hosted by my imperial brother for the seven prodigies, lest I fail to observe the proper etiquette of the royal family."
"Oh?"
Chu Yunfei looked at her with a half-smile, lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Your Highness, are you perhaps afraid that I will not return, leaving you a widow at such a young age?"
Ling Xueyao's ears turned bright red instantly.
She gripped the slender golden sword at her waist, gritting her teeth, "Shut up! If you dare to spout any more nonsense, I'll throw you out of the palace right now!"
Chu Yunfei smiled and didn't continue teasing.
He understands the principle of knowing when to stop while he's ahead.
"Let's go, Your Highness, lest we keep some people waiting."
Ling Xueyao snorted coldly and turned to walk out.
She deliberately kept a half-step distance from Chu Yunfei.
After walking a dozen or so steps, their steps unconsciously synchronized.
This detail was noticed by the maids in the distance, but no one dared to speak of it.
Jingyuan Hall.
Shen Qianyue had already arrived ahead of time. He used his divine sense to scan the inside and outside of the hall to ensure that the princess's arrival would be without any mishaps.
The banquet has been arranged.
The eldest prince, Ling Chengyuan, sat in the main seat, wearing a dark gold robe and a gentle smile on his face.
His smile was steady.
Generous, dignified, and flawless.
The Second Prince, Ling Chenglie, kept a cold face and didn't touch a drop of wine.
Although the kick to the chest had long since healed, the humiliation he suffered at the palace gates was like a fishbone stuck in his throat, difficult to shake off.
Although the news was suppressed, with so many imperial guards, it would spread sooner or later.
Today's banquet.
He wanted to see if Chu Yunfei was still as arrogant as he had been that day.
In the corner.
The Third Prince Ling Chengxuan, sat quietly.
He looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features and a gentle demeanor.
He was holding a yellowed book in his hands, and was looking down as he flipped through it.
People come and go in the hall, and almost everyone subconsciously ignores him.
Its presence is extremely low.
Seated in the front seat on the left is Qin Hao, the Holy Son of the Cangyun Sect.
He was dressed in a white robe with cloud patterns today, and his face appeared calm, but he was holding back a lot of anger.
He hadn't forgotten the humiliation he suffered in front of the Pill Pavilion last night.
That guy named Chu Yunfei made him lose face in front of everyone on the street.
What he found even more unbearable was that Ling Xueyao actually admitted that the man was the prince consort.
A cold glint appeared in Qin Hao's eyes.
"Today, I'll see what makes you capable of being a prince consort."
Beside him was Yue Chenzhou, the Holy Son of the Puppet Sect.
"Brother Qin, you have too much temper; it can easily ruin things."
Qin Hao gave him a cold look.
" Yue Chenzhou, if you want to watch the show, you'd better shut up."
Yue Chenzhou's face was pale, and his tone was chilling.
"I'm just reminding you that the Crown Prince is hosting a banquet today, but the main characters aren't you or me."
"Main character?"
Qin Hao stared at the direction of the palace gate and chuckled.
"A traitor, does he even deserve it?"
Sitting opposite the two was Wu Changge, the Holy Son of the Divine Martial Sect.
He was tall and muscular, with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes. He didn't look like a sect's holy son, but rather like a fierce general who had just fought his way out of the battlefield.
He sat casually, glancing at Qin Hao, then at Yue Chenzhou, before looking at the woman beside him.
" Mingyue, what do you think of Chu Yunfei's appearance?"
"Is anyone as strong as me, brother?"
Wu Mingyue wore a blue dress; she had a bright and beautiful face and a cheerful demeanor.
Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but rub her forehead.
"Brother, could you please stop comparing strength to everyone you meet?"
Wu Changge said earnestly, "How can a man protect his woman if he's not strong?"
Wu Mingyue glanced at him.
"Her Highness is choosing a consort, not a puppet ruler."
"Besides, if you really care that much, why didn't you say a word when the sect sent you to propose marriage to the royal family in person?"
Wu Changge picked up his wine cup and said matter-of-factly, "I was in a duel at the time, how could I be there?"
Wu Mingyue choked for a moment.
She couldn't be bothered to deal with her stubborn older brother anymore.
She didn't originally intend to come.
Before he even entered the palace, the news had already spread throughout the capital.
Princess Great Qian has found a husband.
That prince consort came from the Azure Mystic Sect, but he was a disgraced disciple.
It was precisely this traitor who publicly humiliated the Holy Son of the Cangyun Sect last night.
Wu Mingyue was curious and naturally wanted to see it for herself.
She gently swirled her wine glass and chuckled, "I'd like to know what kind of ability someone has that can make a woman like Ling Xueyao admit it to someone."
Wu Changge's thick eyebrows stood on end.
"If he's capable, I'll fight him."
Wu Mingyue rolled her eyes.
Can't you try something new?
"Cannot."
Wu Changge answered confidently and assertively.
From his seat at the head of the table, Ling Chengyuan took in the expressions of everyone present.
His face still wore a gentle smile, but deep down he was increasingly satisfied.
very good.
Qin Hao was angry.
Yue Chenzhou had an intention.
Wu Changge is determined to fight.
The show will begin as soon as Chu Yunfei steps into this hall.
Just then, a palace attendant outside the hall announced the news loudly.
"Her Highness the Eldest Princess has arrived."
In an instant, all eyes fell on the palace gate.
The next moment, the palace doors swung open.
Chu Yunfei and Ling Xueyao stepped into the Jingyuan Hall side by side.
One was dressed in black, the other in moon white.
Ling Xueyao was as cold and aloof as frost, her face veiled, yet she still overshadowed the noble aura throughout the hall.
Chu Yunfei stood tall and straight, a long sword hanging at his waist, his eyebrows and eyes sharp, his expression calm to the point of arrogance.
The two stood beneath the palace gate.
One cold, one sharp.
It was as if the atmosphere in the entire hall had been lowered by a fraction.
Wu Changge's wine glass, which he had brought to his lips, paused in mid-air, his thick eyebrows slightly raised.
"Looks like he's not very good at fighting."
Wu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and the corners of her lips curled up.
He is indeed handsome.
Qin Hao's knuckles tightened suddenly, causing the wine in the glass to tremble slightly.
His gaze first fell on Ling Xueyao, then on the distance between Chu Yunfei and her.
That's too close.
The coldness in Qin Hao's eyes could no longer be suppressed.
Yue Chenzhou raised his head, a faint, sinister look appearing on his pale face.
Ling Chenglie's expression instantly darkened.
When he saw Chu Yunfei's face, it felt as if he had been kicked in the chest again.
In the corner.
Ling Chengxuan slowly raised his eyes and looked towards the palace gate, a faint glint of light flashing in his eyes.
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"The fire is coming..."