Early the next morning, Dugu Luanyue got up unusually early because this was the day when Emperor Wenhui's step - queen was to officially meet the concubines in the harem as well as the imperial princes and princesses.
She had been delaying this matter for a month since she got married.
Last night, Murong Min mentioned it again, and she obediently complied.
Dugu Luanyue sat upright in front of the bronze mirror. She stroked the extremely exquisite gold phoenix crown with the pattern of all birds paying homage to the phoenix on her coiled hair. On both sides of her coiled hair were inserted bright red peonies, the symbol of the mother of the country, making her look charming yet graceful.
She glanced at the purple - clad maid beside her. "You worked hard last night, Yu Zan."
Yu Zan was the daughter of a convicted official whom Dugu Luanyue had brought from Southern Chu. Her figure was very similar to Dugu Luanyue's.
Dugu Luanyue was the eldest legitimate princess of Southern Chu and also the crown princess. After disrupting Northern Yan's plan to march south, she had to return to Southern Chu to inherit the throne.
As an emperor herself, she was not willing to get involved with someone she disliked.
Yu Zan had a delicate appearance and a gentle personality, not as strikingly beautiful and dangerous as Dugu Luanyue.
The red marks on her neck were obvious. She had spent a lot of effort serving Murong Min last night.
Yu Zan said in a low voice, "It's Yu Zan's fortune to share the princess's worries."
Dugu Luanyue looked back at herself in the bronze mirror. Thinking of the absurd things that happened in the side hall last night, the corners of her red lips curved.
Last night, she insisted that Huo Wei kiss her to see if this man would take the bait. She had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, this man was quite wild.
At that time, Huo Wei stood behind her. The hand that was pinching her neck involuntarily tightened a bit. "Dugu Luanyue, you'd better think twice before you speak!"
She said then, "If the Prince of Yuzhang isn't afraid, neither am I."
In the end, due to his fear of the emperor, Huo Wei leaned over and pecked her lightly, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water, extremely perfunctory.
Just as he was about to pull back, Dugu Luanyue wrapped her arms around his neck. Her clothes were in disarray, her cheeks were blushing, and there were a few drops of water on her distinct phoenix - like eyelashes. She said aggrievedly,
"Huo Wei, am I not beautiful?"
Huo Wei replied, "Your Majesty the Queen, please behave yourself."
Dugu Luanyue's amorous eyes were filled with a charming smile. Her jade - like finger gently stroked Huo Wei's earlobe, sending a shiver down his spine.
She pressed her soft body against his and grabbed his hand, pressing it on her full and rounded chest.
"Feel my heart. It's beating so fast. I'm also scared, but I just can't help falling in love with you. Huo Wei, really not willing to give it a try with me?"
The moment Huo Wei's palm touched her softness, his palm instantly burned hot. He squinted his black eyes. "You're crazy, Dugu Luanyue!"
Dugu Luanyue licked her lips. Her red lips glistened with alluring moisture.
"I'm crazy. I've been crazy since the moment I saw you."
Her hands became restless. She slowly moved them down from his collarbone to his waist. Her eyes glanced at the door of the hall. "If you don't agree to me, I'll drag you to hell with me today."
Huo Wei's fierce and angry eyes became even darker. He bent down and kissed her plump lips.
The kiss was so rough and intense that the beauty frowned. As expected of a fierce general just back from the battlefield, his hand even involuntarily rested on the softness of her chest and didn't move away.
After a moment, he let go of the person in his arms and growled, "Is that enough?"
This kiss from Huo Wei made her mind go blank for a moment. She was breathing a bit rapidly. She pointed under the soft couch, and Huo Wei rolled over and hid there.
She opened the door of the hall, blindfolded Murong Min, and then blew out the candles.
She lay on the couch with him, pretending to be acting recklessly after getting drunk. She stopped after a moment and returned to the Zhaoyang Hall. Otherwise, last night would have been a play with three people on and off the stage.
So, she came up with another plan. Anyway, Huo Wei would come to officially meet her today.
After Yu Zan left, Mei Jiang looked at Dugu Luanyue worriedly. "Princess, you should use that Gu powder less. You'll go blind in the future."
In the south - west of Southern Chu, there was a place called Baiyue Prefecture, which was good at making Gu.
Dugu Luanyue put the mind - confusing Gu powder in her eyes. As long as she activated the Gu powder when in contact with Murong Min, Murong Min would see everyone as her.
Dugu Luanyue walked back to the bronze mirror and carefully examined her own eyes. "Then I'll take a few more looks. I won't be able to see in the future when I go blind."
She looked at herself in the bronze mirror with a big smile. The gold and red phoenix - feather flower ornaments glistened with golden and red light under the palace lanterns, making her look like a squinting red fox.
Mei Jiang was her wet - nurse and had brought her up since childhood. Aunt Mei Jiang frowned. Her heart ached at this moment. "You're so heartless. You're risking your life!"
Dugu Luanyue said, "As long as Southern Chu can be prosperous, it's just a pair of eyes. I'm not afraid."
She was originally the child who should have died. If it weren't for the emperor and queen of Southern Chu insisting on keeping her, she might have been just a wandering soul.
Protecting the Southern Chu's territory was her lifelong responsibility, and she was willing to pay any price for it.
On this day, the Zhaoyang Hall should have been extremely lively, but not a single person came even when it was late in the morning.
The eunuch reported, "Your Majesty the Queen, just now a few noble people came to take a look, but they were quickly pulled away."
Then a maid reported, "The princes and princesses all said they had to study and couldn't come."
Aunt Mei Jiang stood on tiptoe in front of the hall door. Anger welled up in her heart.
"Are the people of Northern Yan so disrespectful? Today is a big day for the concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards to meet the legitimate queen. Not a single person comes. They're really going too far!"
The gold hairpin on Dugu Luanyue's coiled hair swayed slightly. She stood still. Her bright red phoenix - like eyes were filled with a cold smile.
"I already knew it would be like this. Otherwise, why would I have delayed it for a month?"
Emperor Wenhui, Murong Min, was thirty - six years old. He had many concubines in his harem. Some of them had the seniority of a noble concubine.
They were much older than herself and had princes and princesses to rely on. Their positions were very stable. How could they be managed by her, a princess from Southern Chu?
None of the concubines above the rank of noble concubine in the three palaces and six courtyards, nor the princes and princesses, took the step - queen of Emperor Wenhui seriously.
Who asked Southern Chu to be a small country while Northern Yan was a big one? Naturally, she was not respected.
As a result, Dugu Luanyue would surely become a laughingstock in the harem and even in Northern Yan.
Murong Min would also think that she couldn't manage these concubines and was a useless queen. He would gradually look down on her in his heart.
Just as Dugu Luanyue was thinking about taking off her heavy phoenix robe and hairpins, a black - robed man at the bottom of the Zhaoyang Hall steps slowly walked up, lifting the hem of his robe.
The dark - blue gemstone gold crown on his head shone with dazzling golden light under the sun. The young general was tall, heroic, and full of charm.
Aunt Mei Jiang said excitedly, "Someone's coming! Someone's coming!"
Dugu Luanyue straightened her body on the phoenix chair. Could it be someone coming to pledge allegiance?
When Huo Wei's figure appeared in the Zhaoyang Hall, she raised her arm, signaling the palace people to go out.
Then she smiled sweetly and said in a charming voice, "Huo Wei, I'm so happy to see you."
Huo Wei's tall and slender figure stood in the main hall. His cold face was covered with a fierce look. "You deliberately lured me here. What do you want to do again?"
Dugu Luanyue still smiled and said in a soft voice, "Isn't it because I miss you?"
Huo Wei squinted his black eyes. His tone suddenly changed. "You took the thing, didn't you?"
She lifted her phoenix robe and walked down the steps. Looking up at Huo Wei, who was much taller than herself, she said,
"Obviously, it's the Prince of Yuzhang who wants to see me. Why do you still come up with such an excuse?"
Huo Wei stretched out his palm. "A dagger inlaid with eight - treasure glass. I almost used it to slit your throat yesterday. Have you forgotten so soon?"
Last night, when Dugu Luanyue was lying on the soft couch, she felt a hard object pressing against her back. When Murong Min picked her up in his arms, she casually picked up the object.
When she examined it carefully early this morning, she found it was a very exquisitely made and sharp dagger. There was a surname on the scabbard: Liu.
She pretended to think hard. "I was looking at you all day yesterday. How could I notice any dagger?"
Huo Wei stretched out his palm and grabbed her chin. His sharp eyebrows got closer to her pupils. "You're lying. Hurry up and take it out!"
Dugu Luanyue caught a glimpse of panic in his eyes. The mighty Prince of Yuzhang was actually panicking because of a dagger. It was quite interesting.
She opened her innocent eyes and asked, "You kissed me yesterday, and today you want me to help you find the dagger. Huo Wei, how are you going to repay me?"