“Over the years, whenever I had the opportunity, I would visit Qi Kingdom just to see him. Year after year, I suppressed my longing and infatuation, letting no one discover it, including him.” She looked melancholic. “This internal strife in Qi Kingdom made him lose much, but inadvertently fulfilled me. Now—I just want him to be happy.”
I stared at her, my heart heavy. Weren’t we actually very similar? For An Jin, I would also fight for power. Was this truly a fate inherited through blood?
“A Yao,” she said seriously, “I will do everything I can. This time, I truly didn’t arrange anything. But next time will be different. I’ll do everything to prevent the divine bird from choosing you.”
Thinking about this filled me with anger and frustration. Just for Afu and the Marquis of Cen, I must stop her from making another mistake.
She vowed to stop me from passing the second trial, the Bird’s Choice. Que’er and An Jin already learned that this divine bird was a white peacock with a unique golden crest, worshipped for generations in the temple.
The people of Nanrui believe in the Phoenix God Bird, and peacocks are respected as its messengers. Raising peacocks shows devotion to the Phoenix God Bird and symbolizes hopes for good fortune. The golden-crested white peacock in the temple is said to be particularly spiritual, able to choose the destined monarch from among the people.
Originally, only I was to participate in this selection.
However, the Grand Minister Cen and several senior officials argued that all direct royal family members in Fengzhu should have the right to compete. They insisted that Jiang Yunqiao should have a fair chance as well. Even Emperor Hong could not refuse this reasoning and had to agree.
Could this be Yunqiao’s design? It seemed unlikely that it was that simple. While she would try to make the divine bird choose her, a bird cannot be bribed or threatened. Although we couldn’t figure out her tactics, we had to remain vigilant.
Since Jiang Yunqiao managed to influence the high priest, she likely had a way to approach the divine bird’s location. The people arranged by An Jin had been monitoring the divine bird’s living area, and up until the eve of the trial, no suspicious individuals were observed entering or leaving, and nothing unusual occurred. Everything seemed calm, but the more peaceful it appeared, the more uneasy I felt.
As the day of anxiety arrived, the trial day had come. For the citizens of Fengzhu City, this was a day of significant importance, likely determining the future emperor of Nanrui.
In the central area of Fengzhu Imperial City, a stone sacrificial platform stood several zhang high, crowned with a sacrificial pillar as thick as four people could embrace, carved with a lifelike phoenix.
Jiang Yunqiao and I stood on opposite sides of the platform, exchanging a glance. She didn’t smile; her presence was like flying snow, chilling my heart. The people of Fengzhu gathered below, filled with anticipation and discussion. The high priest stood beside the sacrificial pillar, hands crossed over his chest, eyes closed as if silently praying.
Xiao Huang, seeing that I was ignoring it, surprisingly spread its wings and flew directly toward me, landing on my shoulder. “Princess, Princess!” The high priest and Jiang Yunqiao were taken aback, standing in a daze. I helplessly caught Xiao Huang, about to make it leave, when I noticed the white peacock Xue Yu tilting its head and looking in my direction, apparently noticing Xiao Huang.
This was worse. Xue Yu had always avoided Xiao Huang’s relentless pursuit, and now that Xiao Huang had landed on me, it would certainly stay away. I stroked Xiao Huang’s wing, saying, “What, thinking you’re some divine bird?”
It turned its green bean-like eyes toward me for a moment, then flapped its wings toward Xue Yu, as if greeting it.
The white peacock changed its route and approached me, lying down at my feet and looking up at Xiao Huang.
My mind went blank as I wondered, “Xiao Huang, what have you been doing to it these past few months?” How did the unremarkable Xiao Huang manage to make the white peacock so obedient?
Xiao Huang seemed quite proud, while Jiang Yunqiao looked utterly shocked and regretful. The High Priest could barely stand, likely surprised that Xiao Huang became the key to reversing the situation.
A deafening cheer erupted from below, uniting the people in calling out my title. The nearby Emperor nodded and smiled at me.
I felt an urge to laugh, realizing there is such a thing as divine will and that everything has its cause and effect. Yunqiao’s scheme had spectacularly backfired.
With heaven’s will guiding us, the Emperor soon issued a decree appointing me as the heir apparent and announced that next spring, he would choose a fief for Second Princess Jiang Yunqiao and have her relocate.
However, rumors began to spread, claiming I had cheated in the trial, with a parrot as evidence, suggesting something was wrong. Some even claimed I had a chronic illness and couldn’t bear children.
Chapter Seventy-Two: Love and Killing
The Emperor paid no attention to these rumors, and my relationship with An Jin remained unchanged. We continued to attend various events and hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival, making regular public appearances. Without evidence or further discussion, the rumors gradually died down.
After Mid-Autumn, several significant events occurred in Fengzhu that helped people forget the rumors.
First was my younger sister’s marriage to General Shen, a respected figure from the prestigious Shen family. The wedding was grand, with every household hanging red banners, rivaling a royal wedding. This marriage indirectly connected the Shen family to me, subtly elevating my status in the eyes of the people.
Song Shitian from Qi Kingdom intended to attend the wedding but, having just been diagnosed with pregnancy, could not travel far. Instead, the Tang family sent congratulatory gifts.
On the wedding day, my sister wore the wedding dress sewn by our mother, looking more beautiful than a lotus in early summer.
Mother and I were deeply moved, crying together as my sister, with swollen eyes, got into the wedding sedan to join the Shen family with General Shen. Mother, inconsolable, was barely comforted by Miao Yin and my elder brother.
After the joyous event, a shocking incident occurred. The High Priest, deemed closest to the divine, was discovered in a private meeting with a man in the temple, sparking outrage in Nanrui. The furious Emperor imprisoned the High Priest, stripping her of her position and awaiting investigation by the Imperial Historian’s Office.
Before that controversy could settle, another major corruption case emerged from the Ministry of Personnel, led by Prince Ning Jiang Yunqiao. This case involved high-ranking officials, making it the most significant court scandal in Nanrui in nearly a decade. Prince Ning was stripped of her position and confined to her residence, severely damaging Yunqiao’s faction.
Yunqiao was trapped in her residence, and Xia Zhiyuan had disappeared. I wanted to visit her but ultimately refrained, as we were no longer close, and my visit would only be seen as a provocation. Additionally, her entanglement with Xia Zhiyuan, the white peacock exchange, and the rumors no longer mattered.
I wanted to know if she had truly tried to harm me by tampering with the golden cup. Although I believed An Jin wouldn’t lie to me, I wondered if there was a misunderstanding. Was the person An Jin sent reliable?
I consulted An Jin, but he suggested using this opportunity to deliver a final blow to Jiang Yunqiao, ensuring she could never rise again. I hesitated, feeling that she had already lost, and making her defeat even more humiliating seemed unnecessary.
