Yuan Yuchuan suddenly stepped forward and said, "Father, please think twice. Although the Northern Underworld Kingdom has come for peace talks this time, their strength should not be underestimated. As the crown prince, I should personally welcome them to show our country's sincerity."
The ones coming this time were the prince and the seventh princess of the Northern Underworld Kingdom. He didn't want to miss such a good opportunity and let Yuan Yuhan take the credit.
As the crown prince and the heir apparent, it was natural for him to have the chance to appear in public!
The emperor's face changed slightly upon hearing this. What Yuan Yuchuan said made sense, but as the lord of the country, he couldn't take back his words.
Yuan Yuhan silently sneered in his heart. "Father, I think the crown prince is wrong. The Northern Underworld is just our defeated foe. They are here for peace talks. What's there to be afraid of? Is the crown prince trying to boost the enemy's morale and dampen our own?"
Yuan Yuchuan's little scheme couldn't fool Yuan Yuhan. But he wouldn't be as silent as before. He wanted to make a stunning appearance.
The emperor smiled upon hearing this and kindly said to Yuan Yuhan, "Han'er is right. No matter how powerful a country is, if it's a defeated foe, there's really nothing to be afraid of. This matter is settled. Is the queen's banquet ready?"
"My lady has prepared everything. Please move to the Qinghua Palace, Your Majesty," the queen said gently.
The crown prince couldn't swallow his anger. His thin lips parted, but he was stopped by the queen's look. The queen knew the emperor's temper. If Yuan Yuchuan still argued for himself at this time, he might anger the emperor.
Fortunately, the envoys from the Northern Underworld Kingdom wouldn't leave immediately after the peace talks. Yuan Yuchuan still had plenty of time to win over the prince of the Northern Underworld.
Yuan Yuhan took Mu Fengqie and Jing Xunce to the city gate of the imperial city. Before long, they saw the grand motorcade of the envoys from the Northern Underworld Kingdom. Even Mu Fengqie was seeing such a spectacular sight for the first time.
Bei Moxue had been searching for that figure. She saw the tall and straight figure standing in the crowd at a glance. He always had a magic that made people notice him at first sight.
Bei Mochen got off the carriage, and Bei Moxue followed. She went straight up to Jing Xunce and said with infatuation on her face, "Long time no see."
Only after she finished speaking did Bei Moxue notice the charming figure beside Jing Xunce. She immediately felt jealous. The woman beside him would soon be hers.
Mu Fengqie saw the infatuated look in Bei Moxue's eyes, which confirmed her guess. No wonder she didn't have much fondness for Bei Moxue when they met. It turned out that she was her love rival. Li Biquan had left, and now there was the seventh princess. Compared with them, Li Biquan and Bei Moxue were like a small witch in the presence of a great one.
However, although the seventh princess was graceful and charming, her eyesight was rather poor. Jing Xunce had a big scar on his face, which made him not handsome at all but even a bit scary. She really didn't know how the seventh princess could take a fancy to Jing Xunce.
Jing Xunce ignored Bei Moxue. He hated noisy people, except Mu Fengqie.
Bei Mochen smiled and calmly said, "The crown prince and the seventh princess of the Northern Underworld Kingdom have come for peace talks."
"I've long admired the great prince. I'm Yuan Yuhan, the fifth prince. The great prince and the seventh princess must be tired from your journey. Please enter the city quickly."
"The fifth prince is too kind. Thank you, fifth prince, for taking care of my younger sister during this period." Bei Mochen leaned forward slightly and nodded.
The grand motorcade entered the imperial city. The common people in the city were all watching Bei Mochen and Bei Moxue who had come from afar. Mu Fengqie and Jing Xunce walked at the back, silently following the procession. No one noticed them at all.
"Does that seventh princess... have feelings for you?" Mu Fengqie asked in a low voice.
Jing Xunce looked down in surprise and only then noticed Mu Fengqie's pouting mouth. "I'm not sure. But since I've promised to be with you for a lifetime, I won't go back on my word."
Hearing this, the knot in Mu Fengqie's heart finally unraveled. His promise was like a reassurance pill to her. If her man couldn't be absolutely loyal, then there would be no point for her to stay by his side.
After entering the palace, Yuan Yuhan took everyone to the Qinghua Palace. Mu Fengqie and Jing Xunce sat together, waiting for the dinner to end.
"Greetings to Your Majesty. To show our sincerity, this prince presents the treasures of the Northern Underworld to Your Majesty. They are the authentic work of Wang Xizhi's world - famous running script, a string of nine - treasure glass beads, and a box of century - old sandalwood," Bei Mochen stood up and politely said to the emperor.
Hearing the words "century - old sandalwood", Mu Fengqie's heart began to race. The century - old sandalwood she had been searching for for so long had actually been in the Northern Underworld Kingdom. Fortunately, it had finally appeared. She must get this century - old sandalwood at all costs.
Her eyes were fixed on the box of century - old sandalwood. Now that this treasure was in the emperor's hands, she had to come up with a foolproof plan.
The emperor liked these three treasures very much, especially Wang Xizhi's world - famous running script. He didn't expect it to end up in his hands after so many twists and turns.
"Very good. Let's not talk about other things today. The great prince must enjoy the drinks!" the emperor said with great interest.
Bei Mochen sat down. "Father intends to arrange a marriage alliance. You should observe these princes carefully. If there's one you like, elder brother will definitely support you," he whispered to Bei Moxue. But Bei Moxue didn't respond as if she hadn't heard. Bei Mochen followed her gaze and his jaw almost dropped in shock.
His beautiful and lovely younger sister was staring at the scar - faced man with infatuation on her face. He hoped that what he was thinking was wrong.
"What are you looking at? Did you hear what elder brother just said?" Bei Mochen asked again.
Only then did Bei Moxue come to her senses. She withdrew her blatant look and said impatiently, "Got it, got it. Elder brother, eat something quickly."
"Seventh sister... The person you said you liked to elder brother before, it can't be him, right?" Bei Mochen sighed and asked tentatively.
He knew his younger sister well. This little girl had been naughty and cute since childhood. As her elder brother, he had never seen the look of admiration for any man on her face.
But just now, his sister's look was so blatant. If his sister really liked that ugly man, he would never agree to their marriage. It would be like a beautiful flower being stuck in cow dung.
Bei Moxue turned her gaze to Jing Xunce again and showed a shy smile. "Yes, the person I like is him. I'm going to marry him this time. No matter what, I'm going to marry him."
Bei Moxue ignored Jing Xunce's engagement and Mu Fengqie's existence. Since childhood, whatever the seventh princess wanted, she had always got it.