Su Xiaoqi thought to herself, secretly increasing the threat to Yijiang.
In fact, it was easy to guess.
As a princess of a kingdom, she had traveled thousands of miles through mountains and rivers, making the arduous journey to the capital of Daliang.
If she had no skills at all, wouldn't her trip be in vain?
The four were talking animatedly when a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted towards them.
"Ah, it smells so good," Princess Huian inhaled and said softly.
Du Yiyi and Shen Mingzhu smelled it and looked at Su Xiaoqi in surprise.
In their minds, these strange occurrences had always been related to Su Xiaoqi.
But Su Xiaoqi raised her hand, swearing on her honor that she had no habit of using incense when she went out.
Moreover, the hair cream and hair oil she made herself did not have this scent.
This was too strong, at first sniff it was like the sandalwood from Nanyang.
Her nose was sensitive, and she mixed her own with the faint, elegant fragrance of orchids.
Following the scent, she saw a woman in a bright red dress slowly walking towards them.
Her crimson skirt was embroidered with phoenixes in golden thread. She had a graceful figure, and looking at her face, she was very beautiful, with a pair of large, bright eyes, a high nose, and cherry lips. Her beauty was so striking that it exerted an irresistible pressure on anyone who looked at her.
Su Xiaoqi recognized her identity at a glance.
So ostentatious, so unique, and her face was completely unfamiliar. Who else could it be but Princess Yijiang from Nanyue?
She stopped when she reached the four and looked down at Su Xiaoqi, then opened her lips slightly and said,
"Are you his wife?"
When Yijiang stopped, Su Xiaoqi had already looked away, as if she hadn't seen her.
She pretended not to hear her speak.
They didn't know each other, and Yijiang hadn't greeted her, so in principle, she had no idea who was speaking to her.
Su Xiaoqi's attitude provoked Yijiang. She frowned unhappily, extending her slender fingers from her crimson sleeves to point at Su Xiaoqi's nose.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, why aren't you answering me?
Are all you Daliang people this impolite?"
Su Xiaoqi could now not only smell the fragrance on Yijiang but was also thoroughly doused by it.
The scent was too fragrant, too strong, and she disliked it immensely, unable to help but wrinkle her nose.
She wondered why the Nanyue princess had made herself so fragrant.
This fragrance seemed to exceed the limits of what a normal person could bear.
However, out of politeness, she forced herself to endure it.
But Du Yiyi was not so polite.
She directly covered her nose and made a sound of disgust, "Ugh... this smell..."
Yijiang's expression changed drastically. She was accustomed to the scent on her person.
The people of Nanyue also used this kind of incense, and she didn't know that this fragrance was a bit too heavy for the people of Daliang.
She only saw the young girl in the goose-yellow skirt in front of her showing her disdain.
She clenched her fists tightly, gritted her teeth, and glared at Du Yiyi with displeasure.
"Yiyi," Su Xiaoqi tugged at Du Yiyi, signaling her to sit back down.
At this moment, she recalled a Daliang national chronicle she had read before.
It said that in the area bordering Nanyue to the south of Daliang, the people there also used very strong fragrances.
They themselves could not smell it.
Du Yiyi raised her eyebrows indifferently.
She was not afraid of this so-called Nanyue princess.
Who told her to come here and make such a fuss for no reason.
And acting as if Daliang was their Nanyue.
Yijiang looked at Du Yiyi and asked impolitely, "Who are you? I don't know you."
Du Yiyi turned her head away, giving the impression of "Who I am is none of your business, and I don't want to tell you."
"You... Hmph, the young ladies of the Liang Dynasty are nothing special. It's no wonder my mother misses the capital every day."
Yijiang was clearly not one to be trifled with.
She was arrogant and imperious.
Her words were like hidden needles, piercing and causing pain.
"What the young ladies of our Daliang capital are like depends on who is standing opposite us."
Du Yiyi had already heard from Princess Huian that the Nanyue princess had a crush on Shen Yun and had even boasted in front of numerous civil and military officials that she wanted to marry him.
She disliked such a person even without seeing her.
Moreover, after seeing her, she turned out to be like this, making her dislike her even more.
She met Yijiang's beautiful and aggressive face, her voice turning cold as she expressed her displeasure.
Su Xiaoqi watched the whole scene from the side, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Originally, Yijiang's opponent should have been her. But as soon as she arrived, she got into a fierce confrontation with Du Yiyi.
The cockfighting stance she had just adopted had to be retracted before she could unleash it.
Because from the upper section, the voice of an inner attendant announced, "The Emperor arrives!"
Accompanied by a host of imperial concubines, princes, princesses, and a throng of eunuchs and palace maids, Emperor Yongxing arrived.
Su Xiaoqi nudged Du Yiyi, signaling her to sit properly.
Princess Huian quickly apologized and returned to her seat opposite them.
However, Yijiang did not leave. She glanced at Su Xiaoqi, then at Du Yiyi who had moved to the front.
Finally, her gaze settled on Shen Yun, who was talking with Wang Enze.
Su Xiaoqi watched her the entire time, reading astonishment, joy, admiration, and a resolute determination to have him from her eyes.
Her heart suddenly sank.
Before meeting her, hearing Princess Huian talk about the Nanyue princess, she had already felt that she would be difficult to deal with.
Now, seeing her in person, she felt she would be even more difficult to handle.
However, she was not one to be outdone.
If Yijiang had quietly stayed as a Nanyue envoy and Nanyue princess, Su Xiaoqi would have had no opinion.
But if she was unwilling to be well-behaved.
And instead, only focused on Shen Yun, then Su Xiaoqi would not let her have her way.
Su Xiaoqi's determination was written all over her face.
Princess Yijiang happened to turn her head and look at her.
Their eyes met, and it was like sparks flying.
They both understood each other's intentions!
From the upper section, Emperor Yongxing spoke some flattering words, expressing his gratitude to the envoys from various countries for attending his enthronement ceremony.
He stated that the Ministry of Rites would arrange for them to visit and tour the capital later.
The foreign envoys rose in unison to thank Emperor Yongxing for his hospitality.
With a command, the Daliang court musicians began to play, and the sounds of silk and bamboo filled the air.
The skill was naturally top-notch.
Everyone listened with rapt attention.
After the customary reception process, there were also entertainment activities.
In any case, it was a good day, and everyone was as happy as they could be.
After Emperor Yongxing had completed his customary reserved segments, he was about to announce the banquet.
Just then, the envoy from Northern Chu, Chu Lege, stood up.
He had recently been accused of plotting to murder the second prince of Northern Chu.
Shen Yun had sent people to arrest him and imprison him in the Shuntian Prefecture jail for a considerable period.
He had only been released the day before yesterday.
His heart was filled with rage.
He knew that in Northern Chu, as royalty, with his father's support, no one would dare to do anything to him even if he had broken the heavens.
But upon arriving here, he had not only been arrested but also imprisoned.
This had caused him to lose face tremendously.
Now, people from Xifan would mock him whenever they saw him.
He hated, hated Shen Yun to the core.
It was all his fault!
If he hadn't given the order, who would have dared to arrest him.
He also hated Su Xiaoqi.
It was all because of her exceptional medical skills that Chu Yunlang, who was on the verge of death, was saved.
Now, he was determined to get back what he had lost, with interest!