Her words struck me like thunder. Xia Zhiyuan was a parricide who had fled Qi Kingdom, and An Jin was also a traitor long wanted by Qi Kingdom. If the people of Nan Rui learned of this, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Are you threatening me?” I murmured.
“You threatened me first,” she said, calming down and releasing her grip. “A Yao, if you can unconditionally protect An Jin, why can’t I protect him?”
She turned, walking slowly. “I met him when I was fourteen, but we missed our chance. At the time, I didn’t know his identity. When I first officially visited Qi Kingdom at eighteen, I discovered the person I’d been thinking about was the Crown Prince of Qi. If I hadn’t already been married with a child, I would have begged my father to let me marry him as a royal consort. Alas, fate had other plans, and I lost my chance to marry him.”
“Over the years, whenever I had the opportunity, I would visit Qi Kingdom. Not for any other reason, 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.”
If power can make him happy, I’m willing to fight for it.”
I stared at her, my heart complex. Weren’t we actually very similar? For An Jin, I would also fight for power.
“So 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, I couldn’t help but feel angry and frustrated. Just for Afu and the Marquis of Cen, I must stop her from making another mistake.
She said she would stop me from passing the second trial, which is the Bird’s Choice, at all costs. Que’er and An Jin had already learned the news that this so-called divine bird was a white peacock with a unique golden crest, worshipped for generations in the temple.
Therefore, raising peacocks not only shows devotion to the Phoenix God Bird but also symbolizes hopes for good fortune. Although many people raise peacocks, 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, together with several senior officials, petitioned that since it was a selection, all direct royal family members in Fengzhu should have the right to compete. Besides me, Jiang Yunqiao should also have a fair chance to compete. This reasoning was so lofty that even Emperor Hong could not refuse and had to agree.
Could this be Yunqiao’s design? Impossible, it couldn’t be that simple. What tricks could she possibly play? Although we couldn’t figure it out, we had to remain vigilant.
Since Jiang Yunqiao could bribe the high priest, she naturally would have a way to approach the place where the divine bird was raised. The people arranged by An Jin had been carefully watching the divine bird’s living area, and up until the eve of the trial, they had not discovered any suspicious people entering or leaving. Everything seemed very calm. But the more peaceful it seemed, the more uneasy I felt.
As the day of increasing anxiety finally arrived, the trial day was here.
For the citizens of Fengzhu City, this was a day of great attention. The future emperor of Nanrui would likely be officially determined on this day.
In the central area of Fengzhu Imperial City, there was a stone sacrificial platform raised several zhang high, with a sacrificial pillar as thick as four people could embrace, carved with a lifelike phoenix spreading its wings.
Jiang Yunqiao and I stood on opposite sides of the platform, exchanging a glance. She didn’t smile; her entire being was like flying snow. The people of Fengzhu gathered below the platform, full of anticipation and discussion. The high priest stood beside the sacrificial pillar, hands crossed over his chest, eyes closed as if silently praying.
Xiao Huang spread its wings and flew directly towards me, landing on my shoulder. “Princess, Princess!” The High Priest and Jiang Yunqiao probably didn’t expect this situation and stood in a daze. I caught Xiao Huang from my shoulder, about to make it leave, when I noticed that the white peacock Xue Yu was looking in my direction, apparently also seeing Xiao Huang.
Xue Yu had always been eager to avoid Xiao Huang’s crazy pursuit, and now that Xiao Huang had landed on me, it would certainly not come over. I stroked Xiao Huang’s wing, saying, “What, thinking you’re some divine bird?”
It turned its green bean-like eyes to look at me for a moment, then turned towards Xue Yu and flapped its wings, as if greeting it.
The most incredible thing happened. The white peacock thought for a moment and actually changed its previous route, confidently walking towards me. Soon it was at my feet, obediently lying down and looking up at Xiao Huang in my hand, motionless.
My mind went blank. I looked at Xiao Huang, then at Xue Yu, and murmured, “Xiao Huang, what have you been doing to it these past few months…”
Xiao Huang seemed quite proud. I was at a loss, Jiang Yunqiao’s expression changed dramatically, looking utterly unexpected and regretful. The High Priest could barely stand. They presumably never thought the situation would turn out like this, let alone that this unremarkable Xiao Huang would become the key to reversing the entire situation.
A deafening cheer erupted from below, the people united in a single voice, calling out my title. The Emperor was nearby, nodding and smiling at me.
Heaven’s will was set, and the people’s hearts were aligned. Not long after, the Emperor issued a decree, establishing me as the heir apparent and announcing 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 the 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 rumors circulated for a while, but the Emperor paid no attention and didn’t change his attitude towards me. I and An Jin continued to appear at various events and hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival, frequently appearing before the people. Without evidence or further discussion, these rumors gradually died down.
Soon after Mid-Autumn, Fengzhu experienced several major events that made people gradually forget these rumors.
First was my younger sister’s marriage to General Shen. The wedding was grand and lively, with every household hanging red wedding banners, almost rivaling a royal wedding. This marriage indirectly connected the Shen family to me, subtly shifting their stance and inadvertently raising my status in the people’s eyes.
On the wedding day, my sister wore the wedding dress sewn by our mother, looking more beautiful than a lotus about to bloom in early summer.
Mother and I were deeply moved, and we ended up crying together. My sister, with swollen eyes, got into the wedding sedan and was taken to the Shen family by General Shen. Mother cried inconsolably and was barely comforted by Miao Yin and my elder brother.
Just after the joyous event, another shocking incident occurred. The High Priest, considered closest to the divine, was discovered having a private meeting with a man in the temple. This blasphemous act sparked widespread condemnation in Nanrui. The furious Emperor imprisoned the High Priest, stripping her of her position and awaiting investigation by the Imperial Historian’s Office, seemingly facing certain death.
