"Such a bright girl you are! Your parents are blessed to have you," the Noble consort laughed. Before Yue could even respond, a eunuch approached them and whispered something to the noble consort.
Her facial expression changed.
"The Emperor and Empress would like to talk with you in private," the Noble Consort said. "Follow the Eunuch."
Yue stood up and bowed to the consort.
"Then, I shall take my leave, your Grace," she said before leaving.
The Noble Consort then stood up to rest in her palace as she didn't want to be in the same place as Lady Feng.
"Let me escort you to your room, your Grace," Feng said.
"No, I have my maid. I will send someone to send you some snacks," the Consort said as she left. She was only trying to control her temper as Feng was Yue's sister. She didn't want Yue to be mad at her as she wanted Yue to marry her son.
When Yue arrived at the Empress's palace, she bowed and greeted them, including his father and mother who were already there.
"Greetings to Imperial Father Emperor and Imperial Mother Empress. Greetings to father and mother," she said as she bowed.
"Now, now. There is no need to do that. Stand up," the Emperor said.
"My, my. Yue has grown up a lot," the Empress smiled as she scooted over to let Yue sit beside her.
Yue stood up and sat beside the Empress. All her life, Lady Ping had always reminded her the Empress was her 2nd mother as her biological mother was a heavenly deity. The same with her father.
"She has developed her power incredibly, your Majesty," the General boasted.
Yue only smiled in response.
"Are you prepared for tonight? You will be proclaimed as the Heavenly Princess tonight," the Empress said.
"Yes, Mother Empress," she replied.
"When you turn 18, you know that you will choose your husband among the princes," the Emperor said. "Tonight, a big feast will be held to announce your proclamation and the announcement of the competition of the princes for your hand."
"When we return to the capital, I'm afraid you will have to leave your dear Mother and Father and come with us," the Empress said as she gently stroked Yue's hair.
Yue smiled brightly as she turned towards the Empress.
"Don't worry, Mother Empress. I'm not worried at all. My brother and Nanny Lan will be with me, right?" she smiled.
"That is right," the Empress laughed.
Wen Xiufeng, General Wen's eldest son was a master in both sword and pen which was beneficial if he stays beside the young deity.
"Time is short. The General and I still have a morning meeting to attend. And Yue should be resting 'til tonight," the Emperor said as he stood up. "My dear wife, I assume you will take care of the banquet tonight personally, together with Lady Ping."
"Yes, my dear Emperor. Right, Lady Ping? Let our Yue rest for tonight," the Empress said as she stood up also to leave.
"Court Lady Lan will continue to take care of you. Don't worry about anything, my dearest," Lady Ping said as she kissed Yue's forehead.
After the adults left, Lady Lan and Yue were the only ones left inside the Empress's room.
"The Empress prepared a palace for you to stay," Lady Lan said.
Yue quietly stood up and followed her nanny to her new room. A beautiful dress was prepared inside and a lot more beautiful accessories were displayed inside.
"Are you okay?" Lady Lan asked as she noticed the weary look on Yue's face.
"I am not ready to leave Father and Mother yet," she said sadly.
Lady Lan took a deep sigh as she sat beside Yue.
"Your Mother and Father will be very proud of you if you return to the capital with the Emperor and Empress," she explained.
"But, I will miss them," Yue cried.
"Have you forgotten who you are?" Lady Lan asked.
"No. Heavenly Father has always reminded me of who I am every night in my dreams. And soon, I will return to the Great Heavens and stood by him and Heavenly Mother," she said.
Hearing this, it made Lady Lan weep.
"Well, while you are still here, bring honor to your mortal Father and Mother," Lady Lan said as she gently stroked Yue's back. "I will bring you your favorite snacks and your favorite tea."Yue nodded as she wiped her tears away.
After Lady Lan left, she felt she couldn't breathe and decided to take a walk along the Summer Palace's garden. She spotted a beautiful pavilion by the lake. The breeze gently swept across her face as she stood by the Peachtree.
She got her flute from her sleeve and played the Lotus Blossoms. A piece of music that tells her yearning for her unknown past. The breeze that swept across the garden which was warm, went cold as the music field the air. The leaves of the trees gently shook as the breeze blew gently across them.
After the music ended, a man woke up from his nap. It was the young 8th Prince, Li Jiahao, Imperial Noble Consort Yahui's son. He looked around the pavilion, searching for that gloomy music. He looked outside and saw a young girl by the peach tree, holding her golden flute to her chest.
"Hey! That was a piece of sad music," he commented.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you, my Lord. I didn't notice someone was sleeping inside the pavilion," she bowed.
He sneered and jumped over and pointed a sword to her neck.
"Who are you and how did you get in? This is off-limits for commoners," he said. "Are you asking for death?" he yelled.
Scared, she quickly bowed and begged for mercy from the young prince.
"Forgive me, your highness! I did not know," she cried.
As the young prince swung his sword, she closed her eyes waiting for the sword to strike her. But a knife clashed through his sword and he quickly retreated. It was his brother's knife after all.
"Brother!"
"Now, now, is that a way to welcome Father Emperor's precious guest?" the older prince asked.
Seconds later, Xie Bai, Xuefeng and the other princes came rushing in.
"My lady, are you hurt?" Xie Bai asked, making sure that Yue wasn't hurt anywhere.
Yue smiled and shook her head.
"The prince was only shocked to see me here as it is our first time meeting," she said. The other princes couldn't take their eyes off of the red-head lady.
"My lady, you have unusual hair? Were you born like that?" a prince in a golden robe asked.
Yue assumed he was the crown prince as he was the only one dressed in gold.
Lady Lan came rushing as soon as she heard that her lady has been attacked.
"Lady Yue, are you hurt? Is there any part in your body that hurts?" she asked as she looked for wounds on her body. Yue giggled as she saw her nanny's reaction.
"You don't have to worry, His Highness saved my precious sister," Xiufeng smiled.
"I'm alright," she smiled.
"Lady Yue is an important guest of the Emperor and Empress," another prince who had a bronze hair accessory.
Yue turned to Li Jiahao and bowed to him.
"I ask for your highness' forgiveness for trespassing. I did not know this is off-limits for people like me," she said.
"My brother doesn't mean to scare you. He is quite hostile with women," the crown prince said as he patted Jiahao's head.
The Emperor's eunuch approached them.
"The Emperor has summoned all the princes to the East Palace right away. And for Lady Yue, the Emperor asks for you to rest until tonight," the Eunuch said then left.
"We will heed the Emperor's command," Yue bowed and left together with her nanny. Meanwhile, the princes were in awe of her beauty.
"Let's go. Father Emperor will surely punish us again if we came in late," Li Xiuying, the crown prince said.
It was already dusk when Yue was already finished dressing up. She was about to be proclaimed the Heavenly Princess. Her trail of maids was already waiting for her to come out, including her brother.
"Shall we go out now?" Lady Lan asked.
Yue looked at her broken golden flute. It broke earlier when the prince attacked her as she dropped it and accidentally stepped on it.
"Yes," she smiled as she stood up.
The palace was filled with murmurs as everyone was curious as to why the Emperor would hold such a huge feast. Even the princes who were sitting calmly in their seats couldn't help but listen to the ministers who were discussing the event that was going to happen that night. Even the crown prince's mother, 2nd Imperial Noble Consort Ruan was present. It was truly a special event as the crown prince's mother seldom goes out because of her fragile health. Trumpets sounded from outside the palace doors, making everyone inside shut their mouth.
'it's about to start' said everyone's thought.