Chapter 35

Queen Laku listened to her daughter Yanduo’s words without saying much more. Her lips simply curled into a determined smile.

Recently, the Rakshasa Kingdom has been encroaching on the northeastern border of the North, engaging in burning and looting, and a great war seems imminent.

The Laku tribe is the strongest and most extensive tribe in the North.

Although they are vassals of the Li Dynasty in the Zhongyuan and bow to them, they pride themselves on their powerful military and are a significant tribe that the Zhongyuan needs to court.

A simple marriage request from them would not be refused by the young emperor of the Zhongyuan, who is under thirty.

The Emperor of the Zhongyuan is 27 years old. Since there are no suitable princesses in the royal family of the right age for marriage, it seems that Yanduo might be the one marrying into the Zhongyuan.

The Queen of Laku looked at her daughter Yanduo’s increasingly striking features with confidence, believing that Yanduo would win the favor of the Emperor of the Zhongyuan.

At that moment, the Emperor and Kang Yu Yi met in front of the door of the Tanya Jing Cheng Hall.

Given the public setting, Kang Yu Yi planned to perform a respectful bow.

The Emperor, noticing her intention, told her she should not bow.

The Emperor glanced at her bright yellow phoenix-printed dress, which matched his own bright yellow dragon robe.

Reflecting on his recent unusual behavior, the Emperor felt a surge of complex emotions.

Following this, the Emperor and Kang Yu Yi went to their respective banquet tables.

At the women’s banquet, when a woman in a bright yellow phoenix gown entered and took the main seat, everyone stood and greeted her according to their customs.

Kang Yu Yi was nervous about seeing so many foreigners for the first time but felt a bit relieved since they were all women.

Observing that all the women wore heavy crochets, and that the two women at the front had particularly large crochets, Kang Yu Yi inferred that these two must have the highest status.

The people at the lower end of the table were surprised, recalling that they had been received by this noble lady a few years earlier.

Although the Concubine they met before was also dressed up, she did not wear the bright yellow phoenix gown so prominently.

Could it be that this Concubine is about to be promoted to Empress, following the rise in status of her mother and son?

Rumor had it that this noble lady gave birth to her only son in January this year, so this might indeed be the case.

Queen Laku and her daughter Yanduo, who had been boasting, were also taken aback.

“Your Highness, why are you wearing the bright yellow color that is reserved for the Empress of the Zhongyuan?” Princess Yanduo asked pointedly.

Unexpectedly, she spoke fluent Zhongyuan Chinese.

Kang Yu Yi was momentarily stunned, not expecting this foreign woman to know that bright yellow was exclusive to the empress.

After a brief pause, she forced a smile and said, “This is a gift from His Majesty, and I am simply following His will.”

“I have heard that His Majesty always adheres to etiquette and is not an unreasonable or unethical person, so he would certainly not act in such an absurd manner!” Yanduo insisted.

About two years ago, during the Emperor’s last visit to the Jehol Palace, Yanduo began considering a marriage into the Zhongyuan.

As the most esteemed princess of the Laku tribe, she believed she should marry the supreme ruler of the Zhongyuan.

Moreover, the current Zhongyuan Emperor is tall, sturdy, and well-matched to the standards of Northern women seeking husbands.

On the other side of the Tanya Jing Cheng Hall, the leader of the Laku tribe, Yanduo’s father, was very fond of wine.

He particularly enjoyed the wines and delicacies unique to the Zhongyuan.

In the midst of toasting, he nearly forgot the instructions given by his wife and daughter.

Drunkenly, he raised his glass to honor the emperor on the highest throne.

The Emperor, recognizing that the leader had no ill intentions and was simply a wine enthusiast, did not refuse and raised his glass in return.

The leader of the Laku tribe, delighted, continued to drink as if he were pouring water.

His eldest son, anxious, tugged at his father’s sleeve and said, “Father, don’t forget the main issue!”

Suddenly remembering, the leader of the Laku tribe said in imperfect Zhongyuan Chinese, “Your Majesty, I request a marriage alliance with the royal family of the Zhongyuan so that we can work together to repel the Rakshasa Kingdom!”

The Emperor however did not grant him further favor and replied, “I have already made plans for dealing with the Rakshasa Kingdom, and there is no suitable princess in our dynasty. Therefore, the matter of marriage is not feasible.”

The leader of the Laku tribe, with a drunken slur, said, “Even if there are no princesses, it doesn’t matter! I have a princess! My daughter Yanduo is now over sixteen! How about marrying her to His Majesty?”

The Emperor frowned slightly and did not respond to his drunken rambling, only signaling the palace guards to help the Laku chief sober up.

The eldest son of the Laku tribe wanted to add something but fell silent when he met the Emperor’s cold, unfeeling gaze.

It was not until late at night that Kang Yu Yi finally waited for the slightly intoxicated Emperor to return to the bedchamber of the Yao Tai Hall.

“Why did Your Majesty send someone with the Empress’s standardized clothing for me to use today?” Kang Yu Yi hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking.

She was wearing only a plain soft satin lingerie, with her thick green silk hair loosely draped. Her face was slightly pale, looking very delicate and pitiful.

“Your Highness thought so,” the Emperor replied, his gaze shifting slightly as he removed his outer robe, which carried the scent of wine.

Kang Yu Yi pondered and said tentatively, “I’m not sure, but it seems like I may have overstepped, and it’s not very appropriate…”

Many of her treatments had surpassed those of the Empress according to palace regulations, but she hadn’t noticed due to her lack of understanding.

Today’s bright yellow robe, which was only supposed to be worn by the Empress, made her feel particularly anxious.

Although she had been mocked by Princess Yanduo of the Laku tribe today, it was indeed her own fault for overstepping first.

She was even more worried that the future Empress of the Zhongyuan would learn about her audacity in wearing the Empress’s bright yellow phoenix gown and would not treat her kindly.

The Emperor possibly still a bit drunk stared deeply at her as if he wanted to absorb her.

After a long pause, he suddenly said, “It’s not exactly an offense.”

Kang Yu Yi was puzzled by this statement and, after a moment of thought, her eyes widened in surprise.

Is the Emperor saying what she thinks he’s saying?

Seeing her dazed expression, the Emperor felt an impulse to kiss her but decided to first go to the bathroom to wash off the smell of alcohol.

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