Chapter 2: The Emperor's Sister

The Emperor mentioned his Imperial Sister, who was seated beside his imperial desk.

She wore a dark, crimson-bordered formal robe, its surface embroidered with dark gold threads depicting mountain and river patterns. Under the flickering candlelight, these patterns seemed to shift and fade, like dormant dragon veins. Her black hair was styled into a towering, cloud-piercing bun, adorned with a gem-encrusted gold hairpin. The simple yet dignified arrangement seemed to overshadow the hall's resplendent decorations.

Faced with this absurd and scandalous proposal, Xiao Yuan kept her eyes lowered, remaining motionless, not even the tip of her finger twitching.

The ministers were momentarily stunned, unable to grasp the Emperor's meaning. They stood frozen in place.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, slowly licking his lips, moistening the crimson line. "What?" his voice dripped with playful malice. "Don't my esteemed ministers even know how to please their bedmates? Shall I demonstrate for you?"

His words were like cold water thrown onto boiling oil. The hall fell into deathly silence, followed by a silent, surging wave of shock.

What is this?! What does he mean?!

Is he suggesting we engage in such lewd acts in public?!

Some ministers turned ashen-faced, frozen in place. Others, fearing the Emperor's unpredictable wrath, began to tremble and obey, their hands shaking as they complied.

As they complied, their inhibitions gradually faded. Soon, they found their rhythm, then began to lose themselves in the moment, forgetting their surroundings.

Before long, lewd moans and groans filled the hall—a spectacle too vulgar to bear, too indecent to witness.

"Hurry! Minister Zhang, Minister Song, Minister Li, what are you waiting for?" The Emperor glared at the defiant ministers, threatening, "Do you intend to defy my decree?"

As soon as he spoke, the Golden Armored Guards standing in the hall immediately drew their swords and stepped forward. If the ministers lingered any longer, their heads would roll.

Which was more important: life or dignity?

Those who chose life had survived to this day. How much backbone could those surviving officials truly possess?

Pale and defeated, they finally relented.

The ladies had never imagined that attending a banquet would turn into such a hellish ordeal.

Low sobs and whimpers were forcibly suppressed in their throats, yet they were forced to feign compliance and ingratiate themselves.

From his high perch, the Emperor seemed to find the scene immensely amusing. He drained his wine cup, pointed at the absurd spectacle below, and erupted in raucous laughter.

Jiang Lingzhi gripped her jade cup tightly, her knuckles whitening as she pressed down, nearly crushing the translucent vessel.

This was the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom, Xiao Yang.

So absurd, so tyrannical, so decadent.

Heaven had inexplicably bestowed a raptor upon a man who should never have been blessed with such fortune.

The ministers feared not Xiao Yang himself.

What they truly feared was Xiao Yuan!

Amidst the swirling chaos of the banquet hall, Xiao Yuan sat serenely, like the tranquil abyss at the heart of a storm. She indulged the Emperor's wild, depraved, and unjust behavior, as if indulging a mischievous child who had caused a great disaster.

She could cover for everything.

"And you!" The Emperor suddenly turned to the silent, trembling concubines at the table. "You shall go too, to entertain my esteemed ministers!"

Jiang Lingzhi's head snapped up, her eyes meeting Xiao Yang's. Those dark, bright pupils bloomed with a mad flower.

This madman! Does he even realize what he's doing?!

Facing the timid, silent concubines, Xiao Yang grinned and added, "Those who disobey... will be executed."

The single word, light as a feather, seeped into everyone's hearts like a curse.

Jiang Lingzhi knew she had no choice but to obey. The Golden Armored Guards were already watching, and if she didn't move soon, she'd lose her head.

Fine. For the Jiang Clan, for my own life, I'll take a gamble!

Gritting her teeth, she rose gracefully, her lips curving into a soft, alluring smile. She walked directly toward the imperial steps.

Between submitting to a minister and meeting death with dignity, she chose to confront the tyrant.

As a newly appointed concubine, perhaps the Emperor would be intrigued by her novelty, and pay her some attention?

Jiang Lingzhi maintained a gentle smile as she ascended the jade steps. The more astute among the other palace consorts, noticing her move, also began to draw closer to the Emperor.

The air filled with the mingled scents of various beauties as they thronged around the throne. Lost in the crowd, Jiang Lingzhi was accidentally pulled back by a woman behind her, losing her balance and stumbling forward to fall before the imperial desk.

In that moment of delay, the swarm of beauties surged to claim every available space around the Emperor, leaving her no chance to squeeze back in.

Rubbing her reddened wrist, Jiang Lingzhi sat up and met the gaze of a general with flushed, wine-red eyes.

The burly, long-bearded man's eyes lit up instantly, his face contorting with lecherous desire. He eagerly strode toward her.

Startled, Jiang Lingzhi scrambled backward, her spine striking the hard corner of the desk with a stifled yelp of pain.

She instinctively turned her head and found herself face-to-face with Xiao Yuan, whose eyes were like dark jade, cold as a crow's.

At such close range, Jiang Lingzhi saw Xiao Yuan's features clearly for the first time.

She shared the Emperor's general outline but lacked any trace of feminine softness. Her brows were sharply angled, carrying a stern, piercing quality.

Her long eyebrows swept toward her temples, and a thin, old scar slashed across the tip of her right eyebrow, like a blade's mark.

Her nose was straight and prominent, and her lips were thin and pale, curving slightly upward in a faint, mocking smile.

Oh no!

A alarm bell rang in Jiang Lingzhi's heart. In her panic, she had stumbled right into the path of the last person she should have provoked.

Yet the heavy footsteps of the military officer behind her were closing in. In that fleeting moment, Jiang Lingzhi made a swift decision.

She rounded the imperial desk and knelt, then, without hesitation, leaned her head against Xiao Yuan's shoulder.

A few strands of her hair, carrying the faint scent of cold plum blossoms, slipped down and brushed against the back of Xiao Yuan's hand, sending a cool, tingling sensation.

The military officer, who had nearly grabbed Jiang Lingzhi's hem, froze. Xiao Yuan, and the handsome young man beside her, were equally startled.

Xiao Yuan hadn't expected to be part of that little play.

She vaguely remembered having seen this Zhaorong before.

At the night banquet, amidst the sea of shimmering jewels and vibrant silks, Jiang Lingzhi stood out in her plain robes. From afar, she resembled a delicate, fragile magnolia blossom.

When the Emperor issued his command, a mischievous anticipation had stirred within Xiao Yuan. She had wondered whether this magnolia would fall into the mud or shatter into pieces.

But she hadn't anticipated this third option—collapsing into her embrace.

How dare she!

After the military officer tactfully withdrew, Jiang Lingzhi immediately lifted her head, resuming her proper kneeling posture to the side, leaving only a demure profile with her head bowed.

The faint tickle of hair on her hand lingered as the sudden, cold plum blossom fragrance that had invaded her nostrils vanished just as quickly.

Xiao Yuan shifted her gaze from her hand to glance sideways at Jiang Lingzhi, the corners of her eyes lifting in understanding.

Was she using me as a shield?

Setting down her wine cup, Xiao Yuan spoke with icy detachment, "Her Ladyship might not know, but this Prince is not fond of women."

As the Emperor's personally appointed Prince of Ping'an, with an estate of 200,000 households, her use of "this Prince" was entirely appropriate.

Her voice was low and steady, her tone calm yet carrying an effortless authority that brooked no argument.

Sitting beside her, Jiang Lingzhi could smell the mingled scent of cold pine and ink on Xiao Yuan's robes, a stark contrast to the bloody stench of battle she had imagined.

Though Xiao Yuan wore a standard deep-dyed robe that softened her usual sharp presence, Jiang Lingzhi still cautioned herself inwardly:

Be careful!

She knew Xiao Yuan had seen through her panicked reaction and understood her thoughts. Yet Xiao Yuan's impassive response left her uncertain of her intentions, forcing her to maintain a submissive posture.

Since the act had begun, it would be awkward to stop now.

Jiang Lingzhi smiled faintly. "Your Highness's heroic bearing is unmatched in the world. This humble consort has long admired you. If I may be allowed to pour wine for you today, and express even a fraction of my devotion, it would be the greatest honor of my life."

As a consort in the harem, addressing Xiao Yuan as "Your Highness" carried a tone of intimacy.

Unbeknownst to her, the Emperor had witnessed the entire, rather dramatic, scene.

His position was so close to Xiao Yuan that he heard every word clearly.

Suddenly, Xiao Yang's interest was piqued. An ignorant beauty had blocked his view of the unfolding drama, and he kicked her beneath the throne.

He pointed at Xiao Yuan, laughing heartily. "Marvelous! Simply marvelous! Imperial Sister, Imperial Sister—who would have thought you'd come to this? A woman and a man vying for favor? A tale for the ages!"

Xiao Yang's loud voice drew many eyes.

The gazes in the hall suddenly felt like needles.

Jiang Lingzhi's fingertips curled slightly, though she forced a calm expression.

As a consort, being publicly mocked by the Emperor for "competing for favor" with a man was a humiliation that surged through her heart like a tide. The scene surpassed all her seventeen years of upbringing and experience.

Xiao Yuan, however, remained unfazed by the Emperor's ridicule.

The "rival" beauty, surprisingly, was the most at ease of the three. He even deliberately leaned closer to Xiao Yuan, meeting the various gazes with an air of nonchalance.

Jiang Lingzhi lowered her head, observing the young man's reaction, and inwardly marveled at his composure. He appeared to be her age, yet he faced the public gaze with such uninhibited confidence.

She recognized the jade pendant at his waist, a symbol of the noble Tian clan of Wuling. She wondered if it belonged to the Jiankang branch, the direct line.

With his handsome features and refined bearing, she hadn't expected he would be willing to become a consort to a princess.

Clearly, my cultivation is insufficient, and I lack experience, she thought.

Jiang Lingzhi hesitated, wondering if she should also try to win Xiao Yuan's favor. The Emperor, his voice dripping with malevolent excitement, was already satisfied with the current situation. "Both are beauties, Imperial Sister. Why not choose one?"

Hearing this, that ominous intuition returned to Jiang Lingzhi.

The last time the Emperor had spoken in this tone, he had ordered his courtiers and their families to indulge in debauchery.

This time... he was making Xiao Yuan choose one.

Which meant the one chosen would live!

Jiang Lingzhi abruptly raised her head to look at Xiao Yuan, but could only see her profile and the faint scar above her eyebrow.

The fine, slanted eyebrows seemed like sharp swords, capable of taking a life with the slightest twitch.

Jiang Lingzhi frantically searched her mind for information about Xiao Yuan. The peerless Eldest Princess was not someone who lived a life of asceticism.

Yet, she seemed to have little interest in men.

The Young Master Tian, leaning against Xiao Yuan's other side, reacted swiftly, realizing this was a matter of life and death.

He took Xiao Yuan's left hand and pressed it to his face, forcing himself to remain composed while gazing at her with deep affection. His voice, though soft, carried clearly: "Your Highness, didn't you want to hear Huizhi play the zither that day?"

He was reminding her of their past connection and demonstrating his value.

The faint hope in Jiang Lingzhi's heart suddenly cooled.

She had no prior relationship with the Eldest Princess. How could she compete?

It seemed her gamble tonight had failed.

Well, a bet is a bet.

She quietly straightened her back, a resolute calm flickering in her eyes.

As a daughter of the Jiang Clan, if she were to die, she would at least do so with dignity.

Just as she prepared to accept her fate, she heard that detached voice, unhurried and steady:

"Wasn't it you who was supposed to pour wine for this prince?"