The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"you--"

Feng Zhuo was so angry that his hair was about to stand on end.

"Your Highness, this is far too presumptuous. It is not your place to look after our young prince's things."

A faint, cold voice suddenly interrupted.

Yan Ci gently waved his folding fan and stepped forward unhurriedly, standing precisely between Feng Zhuo and Si Xingxuan.

He wore a polite smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

"There is one thing I don't understand: His Highness Prince Xuan keeps referring to himself as the prince consort, but does he have a marriage certificate? Does he have betrothal gifts? Has His Highness given his consent?"

The three questions were each more subdued than the last, yet each more pointed than the last.

"If there is nothing at all, then His Highness Prince Xuan's title of consort is probably self-proclaimed."

He closed the folding fan and gently placed it in his palm.

"Oh."

A crack finally appeared on Si Xingxuan's smile.

Qi Zhu silently covered her face from behind.

Here it comes, the words of the Grand Strategist Yan are truly sharp; he can kill without a knife.

"Let's go."

A soft, clear voice broke the tense atmosphere.

Tang Xixue held the small fish lantern in her hand and stood up.

She seemed completely oblivious to the thick, almost solidified smell of gunpowder around her, speaking as calmly as if it were just a few old friends chatting casually.

"You've traveled a long and arduous journey, chasing the stars and the moon, you must have been traveling day and night. The nights in Xuanxing City are cold and the dew is heavy, let's find a place to rest first."

"Why should Zhizhi need to find another place to stay?"

Si Xingxuan immediately dropped the cold look she had given Yan Ci and turned to Tang Xixue with eyes full of tenderness.

Her moon-white robe fluttered gently in the night breeze, her hem like clouds and mist. He stood very close, so close that his arm was almost touching the corner of her sleeve.

"The Palace of Eternal Life has always belonged to you."

He smiled slightly, his smile gentle and refined, truly embodying the image of a humble gentleman.

But when those eyes, clear as the sky after the rain, swept over Yan Ci and Feng Zhuo, a faint, cold light flashed across them.

"Our two guests have come from afar. How could we, Xuanxing City, neglect our distinguished guests? The Hall of Longevity has no shortage of guest rooms and side halls. Please stay here."

He spoke in a grand and dignified manner.

He had gone to great lengths to invite Zhizhi to the Hall of Longevity, how could he let this little wind dog and that smiling fox steal her away?

Don't even think about it.

"Weaving."

He looked at Tang Xixue, his tone gentle and considerate, with a hint of grievance.

"Besides, it's my duty to properly entertain Zhizhi's friends. I am Zhizhi's husband, so your friends are my friends. If I don't treat them well, wouldn't I be embarrassing Zhizhi?"

His smile grew warmer and his voice more considerate.

"If Zhizhi doesn't want them to stay at the Palace of Longevity, I can arrange other accommodations for them. There are many vacant courtyards in Xuanxing City, such as the one in the west of the city, which is quiet and secluded, and will never be disturbed."

To the west of the city lies the most heavily guarded prison in the city.

It was cold, damp, and dark.

Lock those two rivals up in jail for three days and three nights, and see if they still dare to fawn over his Zhizhi.

"Your Highness, Prince Xuan."

Yan Ci's cold voice rang out, interrupting Si Xingxuan before he could finish speaking.

He paused with the folding fan in his palm, his calm eyes meeting his superior Xingxuan's gaze directly, like a thin blade slowly being drawn from its sheath.

"Are you possessed by an evil spirit? Have you gone mad?"

"If it were just a minor evil spirit, a handful of glutinous rice would suffice. But judging from His Highness's symptoms—talking nonsense, making false claims, and talking to himself—we'll probably have to ask the Taoist priests from Holy Spirit Mountain to perform a ritual and, while we're at it, have His Highness's brain checked."

He stepped forward, gently waving his folding fan, unhurriedly.

"Although Ce's memory isn't great, he doesn't even remember that our little prince has a consort."

"If Your Highness is ill, I am well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine and can prescribe a medicine for you. The prescription is simple: three qian of Coptis chinensis and five qian of Sophora flavescens. It is specifically for curing wishful thinking."

"Your Highness, please don't tarnish our young prince's reputation."

"That's right!"

Feng Zhuo finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and stood beside Yan Ci, like a little fiery lion with its fur standing on end.

"Don't talk nonsense! Our Ah Xue doesn't have any other consort!"

He was speaking for a while when his momentum suddenly weakened and his voice lowered.

"I...I'm not married to her yet. Even if someone were to become the prince consort, it would be me. We were betrothed since we were children..."

He realized what he had said as soon as he finished speaking, and his whole face turned red instantly, even his neck turned crimson.

When they were little, they played marriage games together. How can that not be considered an arranged marriage?

"A marriage arranged since childhood?"

Si Xingxuan raised an eyebrow, her tone almost overflowing with sourness.

"Young General Feng, at what age was this arranged marriage? Three? Four? Or just a joke when he was seven or eight? Is that even considered a marriage? What a joke!"

Before he could finish speaking, a hand slowly and deliberately landed on his shoulder.

Si Xingxuan turned around.

Si Xingzhou had already descended from the observatory at some point, his imperial robes adorned with stars fluttering in the night wind.

He stood behind Si Xingxuan, his posture as sturdy as a pine tree and as imposing as a mountain. The imperial aura emanating from him, though not angry, instantly silenced the tense scene.

"Ah Zhe".

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was as firm as iron.

"Be more magnanimous. How have I taught you to be?"

Si Xingxuan: "..."

Brother, this isn't how you taught me.

When you taught me, you said, "Whoever dares to covet your things, make him disappear from this world."

"Your Majesty Xingze."

Yan Ci closed his folding fan, bowed respectfully to Si Xingzhou from afar, his posture neither humble nor arrogant.

Feng Zhuo also toned down his previous arrogance, but his bright eyes still glared defiantly at Si Xingxuan, like a little hunting dog whose food had been stolen.

"Yan Ci of the Tianji Pavilion greets Your Majesty."

Si Xingzhou nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Yan Ci for a moment.

"Military Advisor Yan, I have long admired your work. Tonight, I have personally witnessed the magnificence of the Tianji Pavilion. The magnificent sight of ten thousand lanterns flying together is truly breathtaking."

His tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was praise or criticism.

"Your Majesty flatters me."

Yan Ci bowed slightly, his voice neither humble nor arrogant.

"The strategy was merely taken advantage of the popular sentiment; I dare not claim credit for it."

"yes."

Si Xingzhou shifted his gaze from him to Feng Zhuo.

The young general was holding his head high, looking like he was determined not to give in.

A cryptic glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, and a slight smile played on his lips.

"General Feng, it's nice to see you again. How have you been since we parted ways in the Northern Frontier?"

Feng Zhuo was taken aback.

"Does His Majesty Xingze know me?"

"General Lieyan of Beichen, with three thousand cavalry, defeated twenty thousand wolf cavalry from the northern frontier, burning down eight hundred miles of enemy camps. How could I not recognize such a young hero?"

Si Xingzhou's voice remained in that indifferent tone, but the content of his words sent a chill down Feng Zhuo's spine.

This Emperor Xingze knew him inside and out.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Feng Zhuo straightened his back, neither humble nor arrogant.

"That's all in the past."

"yes."

Si Xingzhou's gaze fell on the sword at his waist, lingered for a moment, and then moved away.

"Let bygones be bygones. Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and all who come are guests. Although Xuanxing City cannot compare to Chenyao in its prosperity, it will not neglect our distinguished guests who have come from afar."

He looked at Tangxi Xue.

The coldness in his eyes melted away like ice and snow, leaving only a faint trace of tenderness.

"Jingzhi, your friend is also my friend. The Palace of Longevity has already prepared guest rooms; please, distinguished guests, take your lodgings."

His words were perfectly tactful, giving Tang Xixue face while subtly taking over the reins of entertaining the distinguished guest from Si Xingxuan.

Si Xingxuan glanced at his brother from the side.

His brother wasn't there to help him out of a predicament; he was clearly there to steal her away from him!

Damn it!