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In the Five Spirit Realm, Yan Kingdom, Prince Ding Yunze Xiao Qi took a secondary consort, and the banquet lasted for three days.
As it was a marriage bestowed by the Yan Emperor, the occasion was even grander than when he married his primary consort. Not only officials from the court but also representatives from local areas sent congratulatory gifts. The bridal procession stretched across seven long streets of the imperial city, with common people eagerly watching.
The Yan Kingdom traditionally valued double surnames, and Yunze was a prominent one, originally an ancient noble family of Yan. Yunze Xiao Qi was enfeoffed as a prince a hundred years ago for assisting the Yan Emperor in ascending the throne, making him the only prince with a different surname in the Yan Kingdom. He was deeply trusted by the Yan Emperor and held military power. The secondary consort he was now marrying was Qin Chuan Liuyu, the younger sister of General Qin Chuan.
Brightly colored brocade quilts and red carpets filled the room, and the wedding candles were about to burn out after a night of celebration.
A warm aura permeated the air. Under the crimson candlelight, Yunze Xiao Qi stood tall before a table, dressed only in a snow-white inner garment. The light outlined his stern, handsome facial features. He held the fiery phoenix coronet in his hands, his expression inscrutable.
He had experienced this same scene twice before, and faintly, another woman seemed to stand before him.
“I know you couldn’t help it; I won’t force you. I can wait,” the woman in his memory, wearing a flower coronet, had said, her smile brimming with confidence, beautiful as a sky full of colorful clouds, “Since we are already a family, we will share both fortune and misfortune from now on. I will help you manage the household affairs well.”
Because of her, Liuyu had waited for an entire century.
The exquisitely beautiful fiery phoenix coronet, symbolizing noble status and used only for marrying a primary wife in the Yan Kingdom, appeared at a place it shouldn’t have been. This was his compensation to Liuyu, despite the considerable repercussions and even severe consequences it might bring.
He slowly placed the fiery phoenix coronet back down, his starry eyes slightly closed.
“Xiao Qi, what are you thinking about?” From behind him, the bed curtain was lifted, and Liuyu half-propped herself up, one jade arm exposed from beneath the brocade quilt. Bathed in the room’s warmth, her cheeks were still flushed, showing a hint of weariness and languor after the wedding night.
“You’re awake,” his gaze unconsciously softened with tenderness and indulgence. He walked to the bedside and helped her sit up. “It’s still early, why not sleep a bit longer?”
Liuyu leaned into his embrace and said, “Today we still need to go to the palace to express gratitude. Later, the royal consorts and ladies attending the banquet are all distinguished guests. When she was here, she arranged these matters very thoroughly for you. I’m afraid I won’t handle them well and will become a laughingstock, bringing shame upon you.”
He held her close: “I won’t blame you.”
“Making a mistake the first time I manage the household, won’t the servants look down on me?” Liuyu changed the subject. “The Emperor’s bestowal of this marriage was intentional; it must be Consort Ying instigating it from behind.”
He merely curved the corner of his mouth slightly.
When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. A ruler is always a ruler. Sharing hardships is possible, but as power grows, discord between ruler and minister is bound to arise sooner or later.
Liuyu lowered her eyelids: “You know this, yet you still made such a grand display for me. Will the former Yue army not...”
“General Wu and General Zhaoheng have both sent gifts,” he stopped her from speaking further. “I should have married you sooner; you’ve been wronged all these years.”
“I don’t care about these things; being by your side is enough,” Liuyu docilely nestled in his arms and said, “You’ve commanded the Yue army for so many years, yet they still remember their old master. It’s not a good thing in the long run.”
He frowned slightly: “Don’t be hasty. I have my own way of handling external matters; you needn’t worry.”
Knowing he disliked her interfering in external affairs, Liuyu cleverly changed the subject. After a moment more of tender intimacy, Liuyu got up and called for maidservants to attend to her washing and dressing. Looking at the beauty in the mirror, Xiao Qi casually picked up a golden hairpin and put it in her hair. They exchanged a smile.
Liuyu stood up and said, “I should go and offer tea to her.”
Xiao Qi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Let’s forget it.”
“She is, after all, your nominal primary wife,” Liuyu insisted. “According to Yan Kingdom’s etiquette, only after paying respects to her can I be considered a member of the Yunze family. I don’t want to give others reason to gossip. It’s fine.”
Xiao Qi remained silent for a moment, then said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll go with you.”
________________________________________
As a prominent family in the Yan Kingdom, and Xiao Qi’s branch being the direct lineage, the Yunze family ancestral hall was perpetually filled with incense. Upon entering, numerous ancestral tablets were set up, dedicated to the successive ancestors of the Yunze family. Portraits hung on the walls, recording the faces of the ancestors during their lives, along with clan praises and evaluations.
Xiao Qi paused his steps, then helped Liuyu walk towards the last offering table.
The offering table was empty, with only a solitary ancestral tablet placed upon it, covered in dust, the censer’s ashes cold and still.
A flicker of anger and shock crossed Xiao Qi’s eyes. He immediately released Liuyu’s hand and coldly spoke to the steward at the door: “Is the Yunze ancestral hall a place for you to idle?”
The steward and servants were already terrified. Hearing his words, they all knelt and begged for mercy. It was also because he hadn’t seriously looked at this place for over a hundred years that they dared to be so negligent. Everyone had already assumed he wouldn’t follow the rules today.
Liuyu’s lips curved slightly as she advised, “Let it be. On such a joyous day, let’s forgo punishment. They surely won’t dare next time.”
With her intercession, Xiao Qi suppressed his anger, motioning for the servants to withdraw: “In the eyes of our ancestors, no matter who it is, once they enter the ancestral hall, they shall not be treated with any disrespect.”
Liuyu said, “I understand.”
The two turned back towards the offering table.
Beneath the dust on the ancestral tablet, the characters “Yunze Yue Clan Xiluo” were still discernible. On the wall behind the offering table, covered in cobwebs, hung a portrait of a woman. Due to lack of maintenance, it was old and damaged, yellowed and faded, so blurred that her face was indistinguishable. Only from her posture could one sense her exceedingly beautiful demeanor.
Liuyu turned her face away: “You said you never had a true marital relationship with her.”
“The matter of General Yue and his son was always my fault. Now that the Yue family has no one left, the Yunze family should take them in,” Xiao Qi said softly. “Moreover, her death was caused by me; I owe her too much.”
“I spoke out of turn; you needn’t feel guilty,” Liuyu held his arm, her eyes fixed on the ancestral tablet. “You saved me. If she holds a grudge, she should only blame me.”
Xiao Qi grasped her hand: “Yu’er, thank you.”
Liuyu lowered her gaze and said, “Next to her... is where you will be, eventually.”
Xiao Qi shook his head and said, “You will also accompany me in the future.”
Liuyu pursed her lips.
Maidservants had already brought a brocade cushion to lay on the ground and presented a tea tray. Liuyu bowed to the ancestral tablet, personally took the tea, and offered it. Then, supported by the maidservant, she stood up and winked at him: “From now on, I am Yunze Liuyu; you won’t be able to chase me away.”
The deceased were gone, and Xiao Qi felt an even stronger desire to cherish the person before him. He raised a hand and flicked her nose. In his starry eyes, all the usual sharpness faded, replaced by tenderness: “We’ll go to the palace to express gratitude in half an hour. I’ll go prepare first; you can go back to your room and rest a bit more.”
Liuyu assented, watching him leave through the door. After a long while, she slowly turned back, the smile on her lips gradually fading.
All the maidservants bowed their heads.
Suddenly, with a “clatter,” like the sound of shattered jade, the ancestral tablet of “Yunze Yue Clan Xiluo” on the offering table was swept to the ground by a long sleeve. Fortunately, the ancestral tablet was carved from ten-thousand-year-old wood, and it showed no damage whatsoever.
Her personal maid, Yi Ru, quickly came over to support her, spitting at the ancestral tablet: “She caused trouble for the King while alive, and even after death, she remains in the Yunze family ancestral hall. But she was merely a nominal Princess Consort, never having enjoyed the dignity of one. Now, the Ding Wang’s residence only has the Madam. Why should the Madam bother with a dead person?”
Liuyu slightly turned her face away, her tone harboring hidden resentment: “For over a hundred years, I worried every single moment, fearing I wouldn’t be able to enter the Yunze family’s gates, becoming a laughingstock. To think that because of her, I still had to offer her tea, I...”
Yi Ru winked: “The King only has the Madam in his heart. The Madam has already won against her, so why get needlessly angry? It would be bad if the King found out.”
Liuyu let out a long breath, nodding: “I lost control.”
A maidservant quickly came forward to pick up the ancestral tablet and placed it back in its original position. The other maidservants dared not utter a sound.
Yi Ru said, “We still need to go to the palace to express gratitude later. Shall the Madam return to her room to prepare first?”
Liuyu regained her composure and, supported by Yi Ru’s hand, walked out of the ancestral hall.
________________________________________
Neither touching the sky nor the earth, several peaks stood in the void, towering amidst white clouds. The peaks were covered with white stones, ancient trees, and exotic flowers and plants. Interspersed among them were countless pavilions and towers, with the sound of gurgling water and birds flying. Yet, there was no sign of human habitation, exuding an endless cold loneliness.
The wind filled her sleeves, her plain white sash fluttering, making her figure appear even more slender. Only her deep, phoenix-like eyes remained still, without a ripple.
Outside the cave dwelling, Yan Chu stood alone on a small bridge, gazing into the distance.
In the sky, a line of geese passed, returning from their winter migration.
A maidservant approached and called out, “Miss Yan Chu, the Chess Master wants to see you.”
A three-foot-wide stone path led to a thousand-foot cliff. On the cliff edge stood a large white boulder, several zhang tall, from which one could clearly see the huge black ancient seal characters: “弈崖” (Yi Ya), powerful and unyielding in their brushstrokes.
The maidservant led her there, then quietly retreated.
Yan Chu slowed her steps.
The ethereal sound of a zither drifted in her ears. In front of the giant boulder was a small platform that jutted out from the cliff. On either side of the platform grew several peculiar flowering trees, their white petals scattered across the ground, half-concealing the stone chessboard and three stone stools in the middle.
Having been in the Eternal Realm for many years, this was only the second time Yan Chu had visited this place. She had only met its special master once, and that was when she was severely injured and disoriented, so she didn’t remember his appearance. Only the four characters “Eternal Realm” clearly marked his identity.
Walking past the stone chessboard, close to the edge of the cliff, Yan Chu stopped.
A long, light-blue robe, smooth and lustrous in texture, shimmered like the vast clear sky or a shimmering pure stream. Its sleeves flowed long onto the ground, and the back hem spread out a full zhang, occasionally lifted by the mountain wind, rippling.
Five narrow silk ribbons tied his hair, and long black hair interspersed with plain colored ribbons cascaded down to his waist.
The person sat gracefully on an exquisite bamboo mat, facing the cliff, only his back visible. Clouds and mist drifted around him, accompanied by the sound of the zither.
Yan Chu didn’t speak, standing quietly behind him, listening to the music.
The familiar melody, yet the zither player seemed ever more distant.
When the music ended, flower petals like snow drifted down from above, and even the short maple tree beside him seemed to have sprouted a few tender new leaves, as if a great dream of spring and autumn had just passed.
“Do you recognize this tune?” A cool, clear voice came from that back.
Yan Chu abruptly regained her senses. From the moment she knew his identity, she held him in awe, so she didn’t dare to answer immediately. After pondering for a moment, she cautiously replied, “Yan Chu remembers it.”
The hand resting on the zither strings didn’t move. The person still didn’t turn around.
Yan Chu explained, “Ever since I came to the Eternal Realm, I’ve heard it several times every night each year. It’s very familiar, and I’ve often wondered who the zither player was, but I never imagined it would be Lord Xiling.”
Lord Xiling didn’t respond to her words: “Have you decided?”
Yan Chu lowered her head, answering firmly, “Yes.”
Lord Xiling withdrew his hand from the zither strings and said, “The Eternal Realm does not interfere with external affairs. Although you have cultivated here diligently for years, what you have learned are merely the lost arts of the Yan Kingdom, not originally of my lineage. Since you insist on choosing this path, your future actions will have nothing to do with the Eternal Realm, and the Eternal Realm will no longer shelter you.”
Years of arduous cultivation had made her almost forget the passage of time, yet she never forgot the outside world. Yan Chu respectfully bowed and replied, “Yan Chu will always remember Lord Xiling’s grace in taking me in.”
Lord Xiling said, “You needn’t thank me yet. I have something I need you to do.”
A white jade basin floated up from in front of him and moved horizontally to rest before Yan Chu. Throughout the entire process, he didn’t even move a finger. Such magical power was truly extraordinary. Yan Chu secretly gasped, then lowered her head for a closer look.
The basin contained no soil, but was entirely filled with white snow. On the glistening snow-mud grew a narrow, dark-green pointed leaf, about a foot high, without a stem. In the center of the leaf, surprisingly, grew a small, exquisite, and very charming flower bud. However, it seemed to have lost its nourishment and was on the verge of withering.
Yan Chu was surprised. She carefully examined the strange flower for a long time, then mused, “I’ve heard there’s a unique flower in the world called the One-Leaf Flower. When its flower withers, it yields a fruit of karma. If a person consumes this fruit, they can pass through the Gate of Reincarnation, leave the Five Spirit Realm, and be reborn elsewhere. However, this flower is extremely rare; it withers after each fruiting and only regenerates after a hundred thousand years. Ordinary people are fated never to obtain it.”
Lord Xiling said, “The Eternal Realm also has only this one basin.”
Yan Chu said, “Lord Xiling means...”
Lord Xiling said, “This flower needs to be nourished by vital essence. That day, your blood accidentally spilled on it, and it chose you. Over the years, its nourishment ceased, and it stopped growing.”
Yan Chu understood: “Yan Chu will certainly care for it with all my heart, to repay Lord Xiling’s kindness.”
She decisively raised her hand and, with two fingers of her right hand, slashed across her left wrist. Blood flowed down, accurately dripping into the jade basin. The white snow and red blood formed a stark color contrast. The wilting thin leaf sensed the vital essence and faintly showed signs of life.
The bleeding on her wrist stopped, and the wound healed quickly.
Lord Xiling did not turn around, yet it was as if he had taken everything in: “What you have cultivated these past years, is it only fire healing?”
“Yes,” Yan Chu answered cautiously. “There are many powerful experts in the Five Spirit Realm. What good would it do if Yan Chu cultivated for another few hundred years? Time waits for no one, and Yan Chu is even less willing to wait. I was fortunate to be saved by Lord Xiling back then, allowing me to live. Now, by practicing fire healing, I might be able to save myself in times of crisis.”
Lord Xiling said, “Harm to heal injuries; this is not a benevolent art.”
Yan Chu said, “Thank you, Lord Xiling, for the reminder.”
“Chess Master, Princess Fulian requests your presence.” The maidservant’s voice came from afar.
“You may go now,” seeing her stubbornness, Lord Xiling did not press further. Still with his back to her, he raised his hand from beneath his wide sleeve, signaling. “You must return every fifteen days to feed this flower a cup of blood. Do not forget your promise.”
Yan Chu bowed in gratitude.
When she looked up again, the cliff and the person in front of her were gone. She was now in a mountain valley.
________________________________________
After the wedding, Ding Wang Yunze Xiao Qi and his wife Liuyu entered the palace to express their gratitude, and then hosted a three-day banquet to thank their guests. The first day’s banquet was for distant guests who had come to offer congratulations; the second day was for clan relatives, and the Yan Emperor’s unexpected presence further added to the honor; the third day was for important officials of the court.
Carriages and horses thronged outside the Ding Wang’s residence. Among the arriving guests were royal consorts, ladies, and other female guests, all escorted by servants into the back garden. The scene was exceptionally grand. Outside the front hall, an open-air banquet was set up. The main seats were temporarily empty, while many people already sat at the guest tables on either side, chatting and laughing. In the dance area in the middle, dozens of beautiful dancers performed enchanting routines to the music.
Ding Wang Yunze Xiao Qi, in purple robes and a jade belt, stood on the steps speaking with several officials, his vibrant attire making him appear even more imposing and handsome.
A household servant led two burly guests over: “General Wu and General Zhaoheng have arrived!”
Xiao Qi descended a stone step to greet them, smiling faintly: “Only two of you came. Xiao Qi is quite disappointed.”
The general with black hair and a short beard bowed first, sighing, “Your Highness, rest assured. The matter is in the past. Your Highness has been alone for a hundred years; we understand and are not unreasonable people. The others couldn’t come due to pressing military affairs. They asked the two of us to offer congratulations on their behalf.”
Xiao Qi nodded: “As for the Yue army, I trouble General Wu to appease them.”
The two generals bowed to him again and took their seats.
Seeing that all the guests on the list had arrived, Xiao Qi was about to give the order to begin the banquet when suddenly, a household servant ran over hastily to report: “Prince Nan and Princess Nan have arrived!”
The music stopped, and the dancers also ceased their performance in unison. The lively scene instantly became silent.
Many of the officials present were those who usually had good relations with the Ding Wang’s residence, and more than half were even Xiao Qi’s confidants. Hearing this, they were all startled and looked at Xiao Qi in unison.
Xiao Qi’s expression did not change. He personally led everyone out to greet them.
Sunlight slanted into the long corridor. Along the spacious corridor, several people approached.
Leading them was a young prince, wearing a dark jade crown and a wide vermilion robe embroidered with dark phoenixes along its black border. The black hair at his temples gleamed in the sunlight, surpassing even the feathers of a dark phoenix.
Red and black, the most common and simple color combination, transformed into an extreme luxury on him.
His steps were neither hurried nor slow. The proper vermilion attire represented his noble imperial status. Among the many people in the garden, everyone’s gaze was drawn only to him. With a handsome face renowned throughout the Five Spirit Realm, dragon-like eyebrows hinting at allure, and eyes that seemed to spring with vitality, the settled smile in his eyes clearly radiated warmth. Yet, half the officials present found their palms sweating, and they all lowered their heads, daring not to look directly.
This awe stemmed not only from his status and demeanor but also from fear of his power.
Prince Nan, Prince Nan Wen Zhucheng Jin!
A figure known to every citizen of the Yan Kingdom. Back then, when Qingyun Marquis Yunze Xiao Qi married the daughter of General Yue, he gained the support of the Yue army and achieved victory in the war over territory with Mufeng Kingdom. The late Emperor, under pressure, abandoned the idea of passing the throne to Prince Nan, allowing the current Yan Emperor to ascend. Yunze Xiao Qi was enfeoffed as Ding Wang for this great achievement. However, Prince Nan’s immense power was still widely known throughout the Yan Kingdom; there was even a folk saying that “half the empire belongs to Prince Nan.” Only Yunze Xiao Qi, by commanding the Yue army, was able to contend with him. This was also the main reason he was highly valued by the Yan Emperor.
The relationship between Prince Nan and Ding Wang had always been like fire and water, and Prince Nan had not returned to the capital for many years. His sudden arrival at the Ding Wang’s residence today to offer congratulations caught everyone by surprise.
Upon seeing Xiao Qi, Prince Nan stopped first, smiling as he surveyed the guests, and said, “Congratulations on your great joy, Ding Wang.”
“A minor matter of taking a consort, yet it has troubled Your Highness to grace us with your presence. Xiao Qi is ashamed,” Xiao Qi said, having performed the proper courtesies, and personally led him to the uppermost seat.
“This King returned to the capital to pay respects to my Imperial Brother and heard that your residence was holding a joyous occasion, so I specially came to join in the fun,” Prince Nan said, settling into his seat, sighing, “I remember when you married your primary consort, the scene was not as grand as this.”
He spoke as if inadvertently, but Generals Wu and Zhaoheng beside him frowned simultaneously, looking around.
The extravagance before them had long surpassed the etiquette for a secondary consort.
“Back then, we were at war with Mufeng Kingdom, and the nation’s affairs were dire. How could we focus on household matters?” Xiao Qi said. “Now, His Majesty shows consideration for his humble subjects and graciously bestowed this marriage. Xiao Qi dared not be too frugal, lest I fail to live up to the imperial will.”
With a few light words, the matter was brushed aside. Although Generals Wu and Zhaoheng still felt some dissatisfaction, their expressions had improved.
Prince Nan nodded and said, “It is rumored that the primary consort was a beauty of unparalleled grace. Recently, I heard that this madam is also exceptionally beautiful and an old acquaintance of Ding Wang. This time, Ding Wang has gotten his wish; your fortune with women is indeed not shallow.”
Xiao Qi said, “It’s true we know each other, but the rumors are certainly exaggerated; no need to pay them mind.”
Prince Nan smiled: “I’ve presumptuously come for a cup of celebratory wine. Someone, bring up the congratulatory gifts.”
Several guards responded by carrying two large chests, which were opened for inspection in front of everyone. Inside were precious and rare items, valuable but not excessively so. Xiao Qi rose to express his thanks, ordered the chests to be carried away, then instructed the servants to bring out the food and wine and resume the music and dance to enliven the atmosphere.
As the banquet began and the music played, the atmosphere finally eased. Prince Nan watched the singing and dancing with great interest, occasionally tapping his fingers on the table to the rhythm. Seeing Xiao Qi’s calm demeanor, the other guests gradually settled down.
A servant walked to Xiao Qi’s side, leaning in and whispering into his ear: “Princess Nan is in the back garden. The Madam asks Your Highness not to worry.”
Xiao Qi nodded slightly, and the servant quietly retreated.
In the dance area, as the dancers reached the climax of their performance, three-colored dance costumes parted like auspicious clouds, revealing a light-robed beauty in the center.
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