Chapter 1

The Grand Wedding

Yue Dynasty, Emperor Qi Rui’s 7th year, Early spring.

The noisy drums and percussion finally stops at night time, but the celebratory airs remains at every corner of the palace.

Today is her wedding day to Bai Yu Chen.  One that was not willingly accepted by both him and her, but that does not make the slightest difference. Red characters of ‘happiness’ are plastered all over the palace, accompanied with numerous red lanterns.

She, Xia Hou Shang Yue, the precious princess of Mu Dynasty became the empress of Yue Dynasty today.

The ten li long worth of wedding dowry, the hundreds of people as entourage and the 16-people wedding palanquin used to send her all shows just how much the Mu Dynasty’s emperor loves her.

The somber palace because of today’s wedding became a lot livelier.  However, this particular Feng Qi Palace has no traces of joyous air at all.

Silence, an unusual silence, there isn’t a single sound inside the resting palace, even one’s own sound appears to float and disappear into air.

Xia Hou Shang Yue is wearing a wedding dress embroidered with golden phoenix, sitting very still on the edge of the bed.  The festive air in the room seem to have nothing to do with her at all, a red veil covers her beautiful face and at the same time, also covering the disdain in her eyes.

This wedding shouldn’t have started on the first place, but it surprisingly ended smoothly.

Maids and eunuchs have already retreated, inside the resting palace, there is only the flicker of the candlelight and the sound of Xia Hou Shang Yue’s light breathing.

Time slowly passes.  The night is getting deeper.  Cold winds gather and suddenly blows from the window, extinguishing the fire on the candle.  Xia Hou Shang Yue hugs herself through the flimsy material of her wedding attire.

Creak.

The resting palace’s door is push open.  Her hands stilled.  In flickering candlelight, the silhouette of a person gradually gets clearer.  The light sound of a footsteps slowly head towards her, she stopped breathing and drop her eyes to the ground where she can see a pair of golden boots right in front of her.

There is a moment of silence, Xia Hou Sheng Yue’s heart suddenly feels uneasy, not knowing what the person in front of her intends to do.  Just as she was about to suffocate, the sound of footsteps reaches her side.

She can’t see, but based from what the palace mama told her before, he should be taking off her head veil by now.

Sure enough, the red veil on her head is lifted off.

A very beautiful face greets Bai Yu Chen’s eyes, his heart thumps a little as a flash of surprise ran through him.

That woman, wearing a phoenix coronet is sitting on the bed with a head of ink-black hair, tied in a bun, decorated with a phoenix hairpin and tassels.  The tassels moves when blown by winds, giving an even more delicate air.

White powder was applied on her face, that appeared slightly crimson under the candle light.  Her pair of eyes are like water in autumn, her nose are high in loftiness while her lips are pursed.

She is charming in an elegant way, alluring in her indifference.  Bai Yu Chen did not think that Mu Dynasty’s Princess Yue Feng would be so beautiful, although he was startled by her beauty, remembering the purpose of this marriage and her identity, the astonished part of him disintegrates.

Xia Hou Shang Yue noticed Bai Yu Chen’s gaze and returns it shamelessly.

He is wearing a golden robe with a red belt.  Bai Yu Chen, an extremely refined man has a cold looking face, his pair of ink-like eyes twinkles like stars while lips is pursed thin.  He has that kingly aura that one can only be born with.

There is a lazy air in his eyebrows.  Looking at Xia Hou Shang Yue, his eyebrows are raised, his eyes look at her as though she is of little significance.  Despite that, he still radiates an imposing aura.

“Such a rare beauty!”

Bai Yu Chen’s handsome face has a smile, but one cannot tell if he is sincere.

Looking back at him before sweeping her eyes down, she stand up and curtsies in front of him, “Greeting the emperor.”

Salute appropriately and retreat appropriately, as a princess of another kingdom, she must not do less.

The resting palace resumed into suffocating silence, the candles continue flickering all the while.

Seeing such a collected woman in front, Bai Yu Chen is a little intrigued but only momentarily.

“You can get up.  Princess today definitely arrives in a flair, so many people came to send you, it was eye-opening even to me.”  There was a hint of ridicule when he said that.  If Yue Dynasty did not suffer from natural disasters these past few years, he would not have to marry an enemy’s princess.

Xia Hou Shang Yue who heard his mocking words did not reply.  But the expression on her face turns even colder.  For the peace and prosperity of the people of the Mu Dynasty, she can only swallow her grievance in her stomach.

She knows the relationship forged between their two countries this time is not well-accepted by him, but so is it to her!

That year, her imperial father killed his imperial father in war, and after that, the two countries’ relations became worse.

Right now, she had became his empress, let’s not talk about Bai Yu Chen’s unwillingness, if she Xia Hou Shang Yue could choose, she too would not be willing.

But both of them are royalties, there are too many things they don’t have a say on.

“Is Princess Yue Feng not willing to talk to me?”

Bai Yu Chen’s words contains heavy provocation.  Even if this woman came to stop the war between Yue Dynasty and Mu Dynasty, to help Yue Dynasty maintain it’s place in the continent, he still couldn’t find it in him to appreciate her.  In fact, the hatred in his heart only intensifies.

“I didn’t dare!”

Xia Hou Shang Yue replies, knowing what he wants is for her to submit.

“Didn’t dare?  Did I hear wrong?  Princess Yue Feng has things she didn’t dare to do?  Your Imperial Father could conspires rain and clouds from his hand and there are still things you didn’t dare to do?”

Bai Yu Chen smiles, but within that smile is something deeper that is incomprehensible.  Xia Hou Shang Yue did not know what exactly is it that he want.  If he really wants Yue Kingdom to remain as one of the nine kingdoms, he needs Mu Kingdom’s help.

If not, did he take her here for revenge for the thing that happened years ago?

If the two countries has a confrontation, casualties are unavoidable.  That year during that war, he wasn’t the only one who lost his loved one.  She also lost her imperial brothers.

If Bai Yu Chen really intends to use her as a revenge tool against her father, then she will really despise this man.

“Xia Hou Shang Yue, you keep this in mind, I only marry you to comply with Empress Dowager’s wish.  If you ever use your position as the empress to create havoc in Yue Kingdom’s harem, I will not let you off.  It does not matter how much love you received in Mu Kingdom, once you marries to Yue Kingdom, you must follow all the rules.”

Bai Yu Chen’s words are cold, even the previous smile is no longer there, replaced by cold frosty expression.  His pair of eyes contains murderous urge.

“I will remember Your Majesty’s teaching.”