Consort of a Thousand Faces

"You don't want to be a servant, but a master instead?" Pei Qianhao raised his voice, his eyes fixated on her, as if he wanted to look into the depths of her soul.

 

"Prince Hao, this servant has heard that a soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is a bad soldier." Su Xi-er replied calmly. The saying was very common, and many children had heard of it.

 

"So, a servant that doesn't want to become a master is a bad servant?" Pei Qianhao chuckled, a smile reaching the depths of his eyes. "This Prince will have to see your performance if you want to be a master."

 

That being said, Pei Qianhao continued to smile. How does a maidservant become a master? With how she brought up the matters between men and women, could she be thinking of trying to curry favour with me and climb the ladder?

 

If it had been any other woman, Pei Qianhao would have turned his nose up at such a notion. However, this wasn’t the case with Su Xi-er. He found it interesting at how she dared to so blatantly admit that she didn’t plan on waiting on him forever, even intending to become a master.

 

Whether she rose to such a position or not, it was up to him. It would only take a single word from him to make her a master; and in the same vein, to keep her a servant forever.

 

The carriage procession slowly approached the Water Caltrop River, the mother river in Nanzhao that flowed from north to south. Many merchant ships would find themselves on it, travelling through one of the three distributaries that it was divided into. Today, however, the ten miles of the river that flowed past the capital were completely cordoned off. Only the spacious and exquisite royal boats were allowed, while everyone else could only take a detour.

 

The liveliest time in Nanzhao was during the state banquet, which generated more buzz than the year-end celebrations. The citizens, regardless if they were rich or poor, woke up early in the morning to stand on both sides of the road and show their welcome.

 

The citizens were extremely excited as they watched the carriage procession approach, with some shorter people standing on their toes to catch a better view.

 

This year's state banquet is indeed incredible. Other than the usual guests, Prince Hao of Beimin is here too! Not to mention the current Eldest Imperial Princess, who usually remains secluded in her repose palace, will make an appearance! Nobody has ever seen her before, but just based on the Ning Imperial Household’s record of beautiful daughters, she must surely have some good looks!

 

Since the knowledge they had was composed of nothing but rumours, the people wanted to know for sure: was Ning Anlian prettier or uglier than Ning Rulan?

 

Nobody knew that Ning Anlian was currently in her repose palace, held captive by the guards from the Prince Yun Residence and Imperial Guard Army. 

 

"Look, the carriage procession has stopped! The one seated in the golden horse carriage must be His Majesty. Prince Yun is seated in the one at the side! Where is Prince Hao's carriage?" The people raised their heads and discussed continuously, their faces filled with elation.

 

The palace imperial guards in front of the crowds to form a path, holding the halberds horizontally to block the people from rushing forward in their excitement.

 

Ning Lianchen was dressed in his golden imperial robes. Though he was only fifteen, his height had peaked, and his childish features had faded away. He emanated a faint aura of maturity.

 

In the crowd, some of the women's eyes brightened up, their ears turning red. His Majesty is so handsome!

 

Prince Yun was the next to appear, dressed in his usual white cloud-embroidered robes. A pure black waistband circled his waist, leaving no other accessories on him.

 

The dignitaries from other countries had also alighted their carriages, causing the eyes of the crowd to gleam with recognition upon seeing them.