After the court meeting, Kou Lingxu did not leave. Instead, he sought an audience with Qing Zhu and accompanied him for a stroll around the Sunset Garden.
After a while, Kou Lingxu finally brought up the purpose of his visit. "I have an adopted daughter …"
Qing Zhu's eyebrows twitched. He had been waiting for him to say this for a long time. He did not expect this old fellow to be so patient and only speak today. Qing Zhu chuckled and interrupted, "Heavenly King, you are here for Niu Youde, right?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Kou Lingxu flattered him, then sighed: "There is really no other way. My daughter's innocence has already been ruined by Niu Youde's hands. We can only make the best of the mistake, otherwise her life will be ruined. I will shamelessly ask His Majesty to transfer Niu Youde to the Northern Army, so that we can choose a day for their wedding."
Qing Zhu chuckled and said, "We understand the Heavenly King's intentions, but there is no such thing as not being punished after committing a crime. If we release him before the hundred-year punishment period is over, it is really inexcusable. We cannot be biased. The Heavenly King should set an example on this matter. How about this, since Heavenly King has spoken, I will grant your request. Don't you have a courtyard in the Imperial Garden? Let's hold the wedding there. As for Niu Youde's transfer, I will let him leave the guards after his hundred-year punishment is up. "
Kou Lingxu hesitated for a moment. He sensed that Qing Zhu did not want to release Niu Youde so easily, but he still cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Qing Zhu suddenly tilted his head. "Oh, right! I heard that your adopted daughter sells pretty good jewelry. The women in the harem like it. She was brought to the Imperial Garden last time but was taken away by Heavenly King. Heavenly King, when are you free to let your adopted daughter bring something to the Imperial Garden so that the women in the harem can see something new. "
Kou Lingxu replied, "Since the ladies like it, I will make the arrangements immediately."
"En!" Qing Zhu nodded.
Since he had personally asked, Kou Lingxu naturally made the arrangements immediately. The next day, he sent Tang Henian and his two daughters to accompany Yun Zhiqiu to the courtyard in the Imperial Garden.
When they reached the courtyard, Yun Zhiqiu stopped and turned to look at the surrounding mountains. She asked Tang Henian, "Uncle Tang, may I know where Yutian is?"
Kou Qian and Kou Yu looked at each other and smiled. They were the fifth and sixth of Kou Lingxu's six children. Kou Lingxu had three sons first, then three daughters. Their birth order was very smooth. The fourth son, Kou Ying, did not come. In fact, Yun Zhiqiu was even older than the three daughters of the Kou family. But in order to hide his identity, Old Seven it was.
Kou Qian teased with a smile, "Seventh Younger Sister is missing her husband and is distracted. Later, I want to see what that Niu Youde looks like to be able to charm Seventh Sister to this extent."
Kou Yu covered her mouth and giggled.
Tang Henian knew what Yun Zhiqiu was thinking. The news of Niu Youde's punishment had already spread far and wide. She also knew that she probably wanted to see Niu Youde. She comforted her softly, "Seventh Miss, don't worry. He'll be fine here. It's not good for you to meet in private before the wedding. Just bear with it for now. You'll be able to meet him openly soon."
As soon as the Heavenly Palace made its move, the Black Dragon Division had already received word of their arrival. Miao Yi, who was in the midst of his cultivation, hurriedly ran out to the Yu Tian Jiao. Clad in silver armor and wielding a silver spear, he stood ramrod straight.
Not long after, Miao Yi could see the Dragon and Phoenix Treasured Carriage soaring through the sky. His harem of beauties was as numerous as the clouds, guarded by heavenly generals and celestial maids. They floated towards the Celestial Emperor's Li Palace. Miao Yi wondered if the Desolate Ancient Wastelands had anything to do with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans here.
The Li Palace was heavily guarded. Dragons roared and phoenixes cried.
Lord Qing and Empress Xiahou Chengyu disembarked from the carriage. Together, they walked towards the majestic Li Palace. Zhan Ruyi disembarked from the carriage and followed behind the Empress. Tens of thousands of imperial concubines were sent out, all of them rare beauties, all of them dazzling with radiance. They were all dazzling beauties, following behind Zhan Ruyi.
In an instant, the vast Li Palace was practically filled with the most beautiful women in the world. The guards on duty had their fill of the beauties, and they all sighed inwardly. After seeing such a scene, all the beauties in the world would probably become commonplace.
Yun Zhiqiu, who was in King Kou's residence, was quickly summoned and rushed to the Li Palace. Tang Henian was stopped outside the Li Palace, while Kou Qian and Kou Yu accompanied Yun Zhiqiu into the palace.
In the bustling imperial garden, countless beauties were gathered in groups of twos and threes, whispering to each other. On the thrones in the main pavilion in the corridor, Lord Qing and Xiahou Chengyu sat side by side. Zhan Ruyi stood quietly to the side, while the other concubines stood outside the main pavilion.
Most of the concubines in the palace had seen Kou Qian and Kou Yu before, so there was no need to guess the identity of the other woman. In an instant, countless gazes fell on Yun Zhiqiu, many of them filled with curiosity or envy.
To these concubines, Yun Zhiqiu was the envy of countless women in the world!
There weren't many people in the world who knew the names of these concubines. They were merely beautiful decorations in the harem. However, Niu Youde's outburst of anger for a beauty had made Yun Zhiqiu famous across the world. She would definitely become a legend in the world. If a man could do this for her, then she wouldn't have lived her life as a woman in vain.
In the beginning, everyone had imagined that Yun Zhiqiu would be a stunning beauty, which was why the harem had turned out in full force to have a look. However, after seeing Yun Zhiqiu's appearance, they realized that she was nothing special, and her clothes were very uncouth. Yet, it was exactly this kind of beauty that was worthy of Niu Youde's 50,000 men fighting an army of a million elite soldiers. Niu Youde was willing to sacrifice his future and kill hundreds of thousands of people for this woman!
For a moment, most of the harem beauties found it hard to believe. Many were even jealous, thinking that Yun Zhiqiu, who was far less beautiful than them, could become King Kou's adopted daughter. It was simply too illogical!
Everyone knew that King Kou had taken Yun Zhiqiu as his adopted daughter because he had taken a fancy to Niu Youde and wanted to recruit him.
Quite a few of them even harbored a grudge against Yun Zhiqiu, thinking that if they hadn't entered the harem and gotten to know Niu Youde, Yun Zhiqiu wouldn't have had a chance at all. They could only sigh at how lucky Yun Zhiqiu was.
At first, Xiahou Chengyu was serious in speech and manner. He also suspected that Yun Zhiqiu was one of those earth-shattering beauties. Otherwise, why would a Domain Chief not hesitate to marry her, and why would Niu Youde kill so many people for her? She knew that she was not beautiful, but she was in such a position, so she subconsciously despised women who were too beautiful. Moreover, the Celestial Emperor had personally come out for this woman, which made her feel even more disgusted.
But after seeing Yun Zhiqiu, Xiahou Chengyu was stunned. She was used to seeing stunning beauties in the harem, and compared to them, Yun Zhiqiu's beauty was nothing. He glanced at the expressions and reactions of the concubines before turning to look at Yun Zhiqiu. A faint smile appeared on his face as he felt a sense of empathy for her. Who said that a woman had to be exceptionally beautiful in order to be envied by others? A woman couldn't be judged by her appearance, but by her inner self!
Just because of Yun Zhiqiu's appearance, Xiahou Chengyu actually had a good impression of her.
Qing Zhu also narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yun Zhiqiu. After seeing her beauty, he was more or less surprised. That monkey was fooling around for a woman like this?
But after a few more glances, he discovered that Yun Zhiqiu was different from the others. She was calm and collected, and did not show the slightest bit of panic or nervousness in such an occasion. Her temperament was a combination of grace, nobility, dignity, charm, and wildness. Indeed, she had a charm that was different from ordinary people.
Zhan Ruyi also looked at Yun Zhiqiu carefully. If it was not for the fact that she wanted to see Yun Zhiqiu, she would not have come out to join in the fun. After seeing her in person, she was also surprised. This was the woman that Niu Youde was willing to sacrifice everything for?
If Yun Zhiqiu was really stunning, she could still be more calm. But now, an indescribable complex feeling welled up in her heart.
"Kou Qian, Kou Yu, Yun Zhiqiu greets Your Majesty and Your Highness."
The three sisters lined up outside the pavilion and bowed.
Qing Zhu smiled and said, "Qian 'er, Yu' er, are these your new sisters?"
Kou Qian replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Qing Zhu tilted his head to look at Xiahou Chengyu. When a group of women gathered, it was the Celestial Empress' home court.
With so many people, there was no need to talk nonsense. Xiahou Chengyu also smiled and said, "I heard that Miss Yun's jewelry business is very exquisite. Show us."
"Yes!" Yun Zhiqiu immediately took out an exquisite box that she had prepared in advance. Kou Qian and Kou Yu helped from the side.
Xiahou Chengyu tilted his head and gestured. Immediately, a group of immortals rushed out from both sides and set up long tables in the garden. They helped the three sisters open the exquisite boxes one by one and neatly arrange the jewelry in the boxes. After that, the immortals quickly left, and the three sisters stood at the side of the pavilion.
As soon as the exquisite jewelry was revealed, it immediately attracted the surrounding pairs of beautiful eyes.
"Your Majesty!" Xiahou Chengyu smiled and extended his hand to gesture.
"Alright, let's take a look." Qing Zhu smiled and stood up, not forgetting to wave at Zhan Ruyi. "Heavenly Consort, let's take a look together and see if there is anything you like."
Xiahou Chengyu immediately glared coldly at Zhan Ruyi, unable to hide the disgust in his eyes, and followed behind Qing Zhu. Zhan Ruyi silently followed behind the two of them.
Among the rows of long tables, only the three of them were walking around admiring the jewelry. A group of concubines surrounded them, pointing at the jewelry in the boxes. For the time being, none of them interfered. They all knew that they had to wait for the Celestial Empress and Heavenly Consort to finish choosing before it could be their turn. If they were to take away what the Celestial Empress and Heavenly Consort liked, it would be asking for trouble.
There was no other way. They could only pick the leftovers, and some of them could only pick the leftovers. A group of captive women usually had nothing to do in the harem. Other than fighting to make themselves look superior to others, what else could they do?
Qing Zhu stopped and took out a butterfly hairpin from the box in front of him. On the green vine branch was a bright red and lifelike butterfly. The combination of the two colors was very eye-catching, and it was very lifelike. If he didn't hold it in his hand, he would have thought it was real. After touching it and confirming that it was just jewelry, he couldn't help but turn back and ask, "What is the purpose of making jewelry like this?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
