Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 085

Chapter 85: The Request

Fan Yuxiu’s description was quite interesting, but it had no effect on the naive Jiang Mi… At this stage, Jiang Mi couldn’t yet grasp the impact of physical beauty on the opposite sex.

Just then, music began to play in the hall, and amidst the eunuchs’ chanting, the envoys began to take their seats one by one.

The nobles of Shu State, however, took a different path from the envoys. Seeing Fan Yuxiu being summoned back by the Elder Brother of the Fan family, and then taking her seat in the procession of Yu Man and the others, for some reason, Jiang Mi hesitated.

In fact, Jiang Mi had so readily agreed to attend the banquet to speak with the Southern Tang leader. Now that she had achieved her goal, and knowing she might never see Elder Brother again, Jiang Mi felt incredibly melancholy and lost all appetite for taking her seat.

Jiang Mi stood outside, stunned, watching the bustling crowd and the lively music and dancing inside the banquet hall, motionless, until the eunuch who had escorted her to the palace rushed in, calling out, “Princess Yihua, why are you still here? His Majesty is calling you.”

His Majesty was calling her?

Jiang Mi looked up abruptly.

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After exchanging a glance with the eunuch, Jiang Mi lowered her head again and followed him into the hall.

Jiang Mi had just arrived at the side hall entrance when a loud echo resounded from the brightly lit, fragrant main hall: “I’ve heard that Lady Huarui’s daughter, once the most beautiful woman in the land, is also here. Would Your Majesty please bring her out so we can meet her?” The speaker was an envoy from Chu State. He had a full beard, and his small, triangular eyes revealed a lecherous nature. As he spoke, he glanced at the Empress sitting next to the Emperor, then added with a grin, “I’ve heard this beauty is from Wu City in Chu State. I’d be even more eager to see her.”

Tonight’s banquet was, in fact, a welcoming feast, adhering to the principle of “no state affairs, only pleasure and entertainment.” Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for the Southern Chu envoy to specifically request to see a beauty who, despite holding the title of Princess, was merely being raised as a plaything. Thus, the hall fell silent. Everyone turned to look at the Emperor, while others searched among the noble ladies, trying to find Jiang Mi.

Hearing the Southern Chu envoy’s words, the Emperor laughed heartily, stroking his long beard, and exclaimed, “Since Lord Zhou has spoken, bring Princess Yihua here!”

This time, without waiting for Jiang Mi’s reaction… The eunuch standing beside her called out in a high-pitched voice, “Your Majesty, Princess Yihua is here—”

The eunuch’s voice was shrill and loud, and the words “Princess Yihua is here” immediately drew all eyes to this side, to Jiang Mi beside him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall, Jiang Mi had no choice but to steel herself and walk towards the Emperor of Shu.

As Jiang Mi drew closer, almost all the envoys focused their attention on her. Among the envoys, the handsome men who had been frequently stared at by the young ladies of the Shu State also began to scrutinize Jiang Mi.

…At this time, Jiang Mi, though only of average to above-average appearance, had seen the effects of the Three Mothers’ relentless guidance day and night. She was tall and slender, her features still somewhat immature, yet every movement exuded an indescribable, refined beauty. She was like a flower nurtured day and night or a wild orchid growing in the wild, possessing a touch of wildness and purity, yet also an air of worldly elegance. Her graceful, youthful appearance held an indescribable, ineffable charm.

A moment later, Jiang Mi arrived before the Emperor of Shu. She gave him a graceful curtsy and softly said, “Jiang Mi greets Your Majesty.”

The Emperor of Shu nodded. He seemed to recognize Jiang Mi only now, scrutinizing her for a moment before turning to the Southern Chu envoy and smiling, “My Lord, this is Princess Yihua, the daughter of Lady Huarui, once the most beautiful woman in the land.”

Without the Emperor of Shu speaking, the Southern Chu envoy had already been sizing up Jiang Mi for some time. Upon meeting Jiang Mi’s youthful face and still-developing figure, a hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the Southern Chu envoy. He sighed softly, “She’s far inferior to the legendary Lady Huarui.”

Just as he finished speaking, the envoy received a pressing gaze from the Empress. He coughed lightly, turned to the Emperor, and said with a grin, “Your Majesty, I, Zhou, am quite fond of your princess. Would Your Majesty be so kind as to bestow her upon me?”

…Unexpectedly, this man had asked the Emperor of Shu for Jiang Mi. For a moment, the hall fell silent!

…Unexpectedly, Jiang Mi had been summoned in such a sudden manner, and was now being asked for in such a way… In an instant, Wang Cheng, King Zhao, and the others, who had been on guard, all changed their expressions!

…Jiang Mi was, after all, a noblewoman with the title of Princess, yet the Southern Chu envoy’s tone when demanding her was far too nonchalant. For a moment, the Shu women fell silent. It seemed that only now did they realize that this was a chaotic world, and they, and their families, were forever frivolous and rootless!

…Fan Yuxiu’s face turned ashen! Yu Man’s eyes showed pity! Zheng Wen gasped in shock!

…At this moment, Wang Hui also clenched his fists. At this moment, every Shu person who looked at Jiang Mi and the Southern Chu envoy wore a rather unfriendly expression!

In the eyes of the Shu people, the envoy from Southern Chu was smug and proud. At the same time, he turned his head to look at Jiang Mi from head to toe as if she were an animal, his gaze too frivolous and contemptuous!

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But all the Shu people present knew that this Southern Chu envoy indeed had the audacity to insult them and the confidence to treat Jiang Mi, a noblewoman bearing the title of Princess, like livestock! This was because Shu State’s primary purpose in inviting the Southern Chu envoy was to sign a non-aggression alliance with Southern Chu! Shu State had already finalized its plan to attack Chengzhou, and at this critical juncture, maintaining good relations with its neighbor, Chu State, was a necessary and crucial policy for Shu State!

Almost no sound was heard around them!

Only the Empress watched Jiang Mi with a half smile. Only Prince Kang’s face, sitting in the corner, was faintly visible; only the look of the Southern Chu envoy at Jiang Mi, as if she were a pig or a dog, remained in the public eye!

In the boundless silence, Fan Yuxiu held her breath, desperately waiting for the Emperor of Shu to speak. Overwhelmed with fear, she choked out a soft whisper, “If only… if only Young Master Cui were still here…”

If only Young Master Cui were still here!

At that moment, at least a dozen people who had feelings for Jiang Mi simultaneously thought the same thing!

Faced with the Southern Chu envoy’s gaze, which carried a hint of threat and coercion, the Emperor of Shu’s expression changed repeatedly. After a moment, he cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

Knowing that once the Emperor of Shu spoke, the matter would be settled, Jiang Mi quickly turned to the Southern Chu envoy and said earnestly, “But, but I don’t want to.”

Perhaps because Jiang Mi spoke so earnestly when she said, “I don’t want to,” everyone felt that this young lady didn’t seem to understand her situation, as if she were still in her home, facing her family and elders… that the Emperor of Shu needed her permission to give her away.

A burst of laughter erupted from among the envoys. Several secretly shook their heads, whispering amongst themselves, “Lady Huarui’s daughter seems clever, but she turns out to be a simpleton.” As they discussed this, the exceptionally handsome Southern Tang, who was comparable to Cui Zi Xuan, seemed intrigued. He looked up and smiled broadly, scrutinizing Jiang Mi from head to toe.

Only a few people, such as Prince Kang and Zheng Wen, suddenly felt inexplicably tense. At that moment, they suddenly remembered that when Jiang Mi brought down the once-arrogant Li Yuan and his clan, she had started with a similar tone. Furthermore, before the downfall of the Zhao mother and daughter and the Empress’s niece Wu Jingxiu, Jiang Mi had the same expression and tone. And at the beginning of the disaster that still leaves the Empress’s maternal family, the Wu clan, reeling, Jiang Mi had the same expression!

Therefore, without realizing it, some people in the hall, led by Prince Kang and Zheng Wen, silently straightened their backs, held their breath, and waited anxiously…