The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

At the gates of the imperial city, the carriages of various powerful families began to slowly move into the palace.

The eunuchs' high-pitched voices rose and fell as they called out names in order of rank and entered the house.

Although the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion had declined, Luo Hanyi's deceased husband had made great military achievements and held a noble title, so she was ranked in the third batch to enter the palace.

The carriage passed through the tall vermilion palace gates, its wheels rolling over the white marble imperial road with a dull thud.

Wang Long followed beside the sedan chair, looking up at the towering palace walls on both sides, their tops covered with golden glazed tiles that shimmered brilliantly in the morning light.

On the palace walls, every ten feet there was a golden-armored warrior standing guard, holding a long halberd, with a cold expression and a fierce aura emanating from him.

These warriors all possessed cultivation levels of at least the fourth rank.

Wang Long withdrew his gaze, secretly marveling at his performance.

The foundation of the Great Qian imperial family is indeed far beyond what a mere marquis's mansion can compare to.

The carriage stopped at a wide square.

"Gentlemen, please disembark and walk!"

The eunuch's voice rang out.

Luo Hanyi lifted the sedan curtain and slowly stepped out.

Qin Minglan followed behind her, while Wang Long stood to the side with his hands at his sides, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

The square was already filled with carriages from various families. The nobles got out of their carriages and walked forward in twos and threes.

Wang Long looked up and saw a magnificent palace at the end of the square. There were ninety-nine white marble steps in front of the palace, and on each side of the steps was a bronze unicorn, lifelike and imposing.

That is the Central Palace.

The power center of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Let's go."

Luo Hanyi took the lead, followed closely by Qin Minglan.

Wang Long and the guards of the Marquis's residence followed behind, walking forward along the wide imperial road.

Along the way, nobles frequently cast their gazes at Luo Hanyi, some scrutinizing, some coveting, and some disdainful.

Luo Hanyi's expression remained unchanged, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and her steps steady.

Upon reaching the central palace, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before us.

In front of the hall was a huge square, a hundred feet in circumference, with neat bluestones paving the ground and white glutinous rice paste filling the gaps, making it as smooth as a mirror.

On either side of the square stood two rows of golden-armored warriors, holding long halberds, their faces stern.

In the very center of the square, there was a stone platform about ten feet high, ten feet long and wide, with a large flag at each of the four corners. The flags were embroidered with golden dragons and fluttered in the wind.

That was the arena for the grand competition.

Directly opposite the arena was a row of tall stands, with a dragon throne in the center and numerous seats arranged on both sides.

The dragon throne was empty.

The emperor has not yet arrived.

To the right of the dragon throne stood a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a bright yellow python robe. He had a handsome face, a tall and slender figure, and exuded a faint aura of power.

Wang Long's gaze fell on the young man, and a thought struck him.

That's Crown Prince Murong Hao.

Rumor has it that the Crown Prince is exceptionally talented, having already reached the sixth rank at the age of twenty, making him one of the most outstanding young members of the royal family.

Standing beside the crown prince were several high-ranking officials of the court, dressed in official robes of various colors, exuding an extraordinary air.

On the open ground on both sides of the stands, servants from various households had gathered together, forming a large, dark mass, roughly no less than three hundred people.

Wang Long's gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Tie Xiong for a moment.

Tie Xiong also saw him, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and raised his hand to his neck as if to slit his throat.

Wang Long ignored him, looked away, and stood quietly behind Luo Hanyi.

The nobles began to enter in an orderly manner, and took their seats in order of rank, guided by eunuchs.

Luo Hanyi's position was slightly to the left of the center, neither good nor bad, which perfectly matched the current awkward position of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

Qin Minglan stood behind Luo Hanyi, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her almond-shaped eyes scanning the surroundings.

Wang Long, like the other servants, was placed on an open space at the edge of the square, some distance away from Xun Gui's grandstand.

That's the rule.

Household servants were not allowed to approach the stands or sit with the nobles.

Wang Long didn't care. He just stood in the crowd, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his back slightly hunched, his cloudy old eyes half-open and half-closed.

His appearance stood out conspicuously among a group of strong and capable servants.

People around them cast strange glances from time to time, and whispers rose and fell.

"Is this old bastard a servant of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion?"

"Tsk tsk, the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion really has no one left, they dare to send out this kind of trash."

"I heard he was also a horse breeder and stayed in the Marquis's mansion for sixty years."

"Sixty years? That's since the time when the Marquis of Zhenbei was still alive... Could this old man even last a single move in the arena?"

"One move? I bet he can't even withstand half a move, he'll be begging for mercy on his knees."

Wang Long ignored him, his face remaining calm and composed.

Having raised horses for sixty years, what nasty things haven't I heard?

These rumors were nothing to him, not even a tickle.

Just then, a shrill voice suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire square—

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Everyone in the square fell silent at the same time, and the nobles stood up and stood with their hands at their sides.

The servants knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed to the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Wang Long also knelt down, glancing at the stands out of the corner of his eye.

A group of eunuchs and palace maids escorted a middle-aged man as he slowly walked out of the central palace.

The man looked to be in his early forties, with a dignified face and a powerful stride. He wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a twelve-tassel crown, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

That sense of oppression wasn't deliberately released, but rather flowed out naturally, like a majestic mountain standing there, making people want to look up at it.

Emperor Daqian, Murong Yuan.

Wang Long lowered his head, not daring to look directly at him.

He could feel that the oppressive feeling was stronger than anyone he had ever met.

Luo Hanyi was a sixth-rank official, and Zhao Pojun was a peak seventh-rank official, but compared to this emperor, they were like fireflies vying for the moon's brilliance.

The emperor walked to the center of the stands and sat down on the dragon throne.

Crown Prince Murong Hao stood respectfully beside the emperor, with his hands at his sides.

The emperor's gaze swept across the entire hall, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

"All of you, rise."

The nobles took their seats, and only then did the servants dare to get up from the ground.

Wang Long stood up, raised his head slightly, and looked over the crowd, landing on the emperor.

Behind the emperor, a huge golden phantom could be seen appearing and disappearing.

The phantom was a giant dragon, its head held high, its eyes like torches, its body winding and coiling, its claws outstretched, blotting out the sky and the sun.

The phantom of a giant dragon hovered behind the emperor, radiating an overwhelming pressure that made everyone present feel breathless.

Wang Long's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart skipped a beat.

Peak of the Ninth Rank!

The emperor's strength is at the peak of the ninth rank!

He's just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster!

Although the Great Qian Dynasty had no sacred body.

However, the True Dragon Body passed down through generations of the royal family, combined with the royal family's cultivation techniques, actually enabled the emperor to reach the peak of the ninth rank in middle age!

As expected of royalty, their heritage is truly terrifying!