“Wu Jihai, the Mang Liu affair must be investigated quietly and thoroughly, but without making a scene! This group has been trading military and political secrets from various nations, infiltrating everywhere, yet their whereabouts remain a mystery. If we're not careful, they could cause no small amount of trouble for Yunpei!”
“Yes!” Wu Jihai bowed in response.
“Alright, you may leave!”
Wu Jihai stood up and was about to exit when he bumped into someone coming in.
“Well, General Wu, still here with His Majesty? You should hurry home and spend time with your two wives!” The person who had bumped into him was none other than the marriage ambassador, Zhu Jun. He wore a sly grin as he joked, “Your wives haven’t seen you in days, they’re lonely and bored, spending every day at my embassy chatting with the marriage candidates and trying to make connections! Today is the last day, once those girls enter the palace tomorrow, your wives will be sulking again!”
“Hmph! Worry about yourself!”
Wu Jihai clearly disliked Zhu Jun. With a flick of his sleeve, he strode out without further attention.
“Your Majesty, may you live long!” Zhu Jun knelt as he approached.
“Rise.”
There was no need for further introductions; this was obviously Na Zhan, the king of Yunpei’s Guanghan Palace.
Zhu Jun stood up respectfully, presenting a thick scroll with both hands.
Na Zhan accepted it, casually flipping through the pages. It seemed there was nothing particularly interesting to him.
“Speak.” He waved his hand.
“A total of 130 nations, both large and small, have sent marriage proposals. Your Majesty personally approved 32 of them, and as of today, 21 have actually arrived. The ones missing are mostly from weaker slave nations, likely killed by bandits or refugees along the way. The summons list includes the names, ages, appearances, and backgrounds of these 21 marriage envoys. There’s also a record of their time spent staying at the embassy, with the earliest arriving a month ago and the latest just today during roll call. I’ve also compiled a ranking based on the gifts they’ve brought to present to Your Majesty,” Zhu Jun reported efficiently.
“Hm. And what do you think?” Na Zhan asked lazily, nibbling on a pastry.
“Your Majesty,” Zhu Jun had clearly been eager for this question and answered with barely concealed enthusiasm, “The girls this time are all stunning! After looking at them for the past few days, my eyes are practically dazzled...”
“Alright, just pick a few and tell me about them!” Na Zhan interrupted impatiently.
“Yes!” Zhu Jun quickly composed himself. “First, we have the three noble representatives from the great powers: Princess Yu Qiang of Masui, Lady Zheng Fang of Guhe, and Madam Hanyu of Mizang. Each of them is an absolute beauty, each with her own charm.”
“Still no show from Tiandu?” Na Zhan’s voice turned cold, clearly unimpressed by Zhu Jun’s flattery.
“Ah, no, Tiandu has not sent anyone this time...” Sensing Na Zhan’s displeasure, Zhu Jun nervously looked at him.
Na Zhan, however, didn’t press the matter further.
“Continue.”
"The next group consists of the marriage envoys from the slave nations. Generally speaking, their demeanor and appearance are somewhat lacking, as they come from impoverished places. However..." Zhu Jun paused, seemingly a bit excited.
"Among them, two stand out—You Jia from Zhen Qu and Huang Bei Shuang from Ernaqi. From my perspective, not only do they surpass the princesses from noble families, but even the imperial concubines in Your Majesty’s harem might have a hard time competing with them!"
"Oh?" Na Zhan's interest was piqued. He casually flipped to You Jia's file, which described her as a strong-willed woman who fiercely fought back against any hostility without a hint of fear. She had been staying in the embassy for four days and had already subdued many of the more vicious and sharp-tongued princesses. The quantity of gifts she brought ranked tenth.
"Not bad! Quite interesting!" Na Zhan smiled, shedding some of his royal solemnity and revealing a wicked charm. He waved his hand and turned to Huang Bei Shuang’s page.
"She’s been in the embassy for less than three hours, got slapped by Princess Yu Qiang of Masui, and fled with her face covered in tears. She wasn’t seen for three days and only reappeared for the final roll call on the third night. She has only eight guards and three maids, and the quantity of her gifts ranks last. She claims to have encountered bandits but managed to escape."
As Na Zhan read, his expression grew more thoughtful, making it hard for anyone to discern what he was thinking.
"Three days outside the embassy—what was she doing?" he asked slowly.
"City patrols reported that she was sightseeing all over Ningdu," Zhu Jun answered truthfully.
"Sightseeing?" Na Zhan raised an eyebrow and then let out a sudden, dry laugh. "Haha!" It was hard to tell what he truly meant by it.
"Zhu Jun, what’s your impression of her?" Na Zhan asked, his eyes still fixed on Huang Bei Shuang’s page.
"Your Majesty," Zhu Jun hesitated for a moment, then carefully responded, "It’s hard to say. When I first saw her, she seemed elegant, composed, and like someone important. But in reality, it doesn’t seem to be the case. She let Princess Yu Qiang publicly humiliate and slap her but fled without making a sound, probably knowing that her looks made her a target for envy. She didn’t dare return to the embassy for three days. It was quite a disappointment—I had initially thought she was on par with You Jia from Zhen Qu! But in the end, she turned out to be all show and no substance."
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