Chapter 405

Chapter 405: So… Have You Really Made Up Your Mind?

Ao Jin was dying to ask what kind of love potion Xu Ming had slipped his little sister. Was it really just a promise to take Yiner out to play? Could her desire for fun be that immense? Just for some playtime, she seemed ready to sell herself down the river.

Ao Jin wanted to argue with his sister about this. But when he saw everyone looking at him, he gave up and sat behind his sister instead. Arguing with her now would be too embarrassing, and the more people watched, the higher the chance rumors might spread, tarnishing his sister’s reputation.

Later, he’d have a proper talk with Yiner about proper conduct! How could a girl so lacking in decorum ever get married?! After sitting next to Xu Ming, Ao Yiner’s presence made Zhu Cici clench her lips tightly.

Zhu Cici was puzzled—when exactly did Ao Yiner and Xu Ming become such good friends? “Xu Ming, were you originally the chief official of Wu Kingdom?” Ao Yiner asked curiously.

Xu Ming nodded. “Yes.”

“You’re so young to already be a chief official?” Ao Yiner blinked her eyes.

Xu Ming chuckled. “It’s all thanks to His Majesty’s favor.”

“Ah yes, I heard your emperor wanted to marry off the princess to you. Why did you refuse? Is she not pretty enough?” Ao Yiner blurted out random thoughts.

Xu Ming remained patient. “The princess ranks in the top ten on the Red Beauty List; her beauty is undeniable. However, I have certain matters to attend to and haven’t considered marriage yet, so I had to politely decline His Majesty’s kindness. Thankfully, His Majesty is magnanimous and didn’t hold it against me.”

“Ooooh.” Ao Yiner nodded again before continuing, “Is our princess prettier than me?”

Xu Ming: “…”

To be honest, Xu Ming thought that aside from not being able to go on land, Ao Yiner probably lived a very happy life every day. At least she didn’t overthink things and was always confident.

Xu Ming couldn’t crush her confidence either, and Ao Yiner seemed to rank fifteenth on the Red Beauty List? He diplomatically replied, “I can’t compare. Both you, Ao lady, and our princess have their own merits. And in my opinion, inner qualities far outweigh appearance.”

“Hmmph-hmph-hmph~” Ao Yiner sat up straighter, chest puffing out confidently. “Then what do you think of my inner qualities?”

Xu Ming smiled. “I think they’re excellent, keep them up, Ao lady.”

Behind his sister, Ao Jin rolled his eyes. Typical scholars—smooth talkers who deceive young girls!

While Xu Ming and Ao Yiner chatted, Zhu Cici tried to interject but couldn’t find an opening. Yu Wen Xi and Miao Feng were getting anxious for Xu Ming—didn’t he notice something was off with Zhu Cici beside him? Stop chatting and attend to Cici already!

Ling Bisheng, who harbored feelings for Zhu Cici, seeing her dejected expression, felt even more heartbroken. He wondered when Cici would finally let go of Xu Ming and allow him into her heart.

As for Ao Jin, all he wanted was to chop Xu Ming into pieces.

Fortunately, such a scene didn’t last long.

After an incense stick’s worth of time, almost all envoys from the sects and kingdoms had arrived.

“Dong dong… dong.”

Another incense stick later, as a bell resonated through the Imperial Palace, everyone stopped chatting and stood up one by one.

Even Ao Yiner, the seemingly dimwitted girl, looked serious now.

But among everyone’s expressions, excitement and anticipation predominated.

Everyone knew that the legendary Dragon Empress, whose name echoed across the entire world, was about to arrive.

For most people, this was likely the only time in their lives they’d see the Dragon Empress.

Even though the top position on the Red Beauty List had been taken by the female monk from Leiming Temple, in many people’s hearts, the Dragon Empress, who had held the top spot for ten thousand years, was still the number one beauty under heaven.

As palace maids gradually appeared, the Dragon Empress walked in through the Dragon Sea Gate.

A black-golden gown caught everyone’s eye. The golden embroidery on the gown was elegant, the dragon patterns exuding imperial majesty, while the golden silk belt accentuated her figure perfectly.

Her black hair was tied up, with the rest flowing down her shoulders, reaching just below her waist. The golden hairpin adorned in her tresses swayed gently with each step she took.

With her hands resting in front of her, her legs moved gracefully beneath her skirt in dignified strides.

All heads turned upwards, and upon seeing the Dragon Empress for the first time, no one could tear their gaze away.

People who hadn’t seen the Dragon Empress before inevitably carried some fantasies about what she might look like. They exhausted their imaginations trying to picture the woman who had occupied the top spot on the Red Beauty List for ten thousand years.

They imagined her to be as beautiful as possible.

Yet, in the end, they found their imagination fell short.

No matter how they imagined, they couldn’t envision a woman who combined beauty, figure, elegance, and power to such an extraordinary degree.

Her skin was flawless, her features without a single blemish, and her blue vertical pupils radiated authority alongside a profound depth that seemed to pierce through time and space.

Just one glance was enough to confirm in everyone’s mind that she truly deserved the title of Red Beauty List’s number one. Even those who hadn’t seen the female monk from Leiming Temple felt the heavens must have made a mistake!

This eternal Dragon Empress rightfully belonged at the top of the Red Beauty List, with no other contender.

In Xu Ming’s heart, there was an unusual feeling.

The much-anticipated Dragon Empress, admired by all, her entire wardrobe, even her undergarments, were chosen from a wine shop’s backyard in Longdu.

A woman wearing a halter neck dress sat atop a wine jar, gazing into the distance, listening to the distant, lingering sound of bells: “The Four Seas Ceremony has begun.”

“Uh huh.”

The wine shop owner adjusted her sleeves, picked up clothes from the bamboo basket, shook them vigorously, then hung them on the drying rack.

Turning around, the wine shop owner looked at Zhou Wanfeng: “So… have you really decided?”

…

…

[Realized something—if you want stable daily updates, you need to prepare the outline for the next day ahead of time. Otherwise, you’ll run into writer’s block. When writing reaches 8000 words, it gets stuck again, which feels terrible.

Let’s send out these 7000 words. Without hitting 10k, it feels like missing out on some accomplishment. If I don’t send it out, there will only be 4000 words, which feels even worse.]