Star Odyssey

ire’s sole minister of defense.
This sort of background was far out of reach of those common girls.
That, coupled with his handsome looks and eloquent words, made many girls in the empire desire him.
Yue ’er could be considered to be quite tactful, as she had made her advances when he was lonely.
As long as she performed well, he could still accept her.

Right, he could even use this girl to improve his relationship with the princess, which was the more important matter.
“Can somebody send one of the curated wines from my collection to Miss Yue ’er’s cabin?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Lu Yin smiled in the distance.
Yue Xianzi had caused him no small amount of trouble before, so he was just returning the favor now.
That scented sachet was indeed hers, and now, he just had to patiently wait for a good show to play out.

The next day, the sky remained overcast.
In fact, it had grown even darker off in the distance, as if foreshadowing troubled days ahead.
The lake had also cooled down substantially.

Ming Yan was talking to Yue Xianzi when Bei Qing suddenly arrived at their door.
“Princess, this Bei Qing has come to specially invite the princess to have lunch together.
I hope that the Princess will not decline.”

Ming Yan frowned.
“Very well.
Thank you, Senior.
Yan’er will be there shortly.”

Bei Qing was delighted.
“I’ll be waiting patiently.”

“Yue ’er, that man’s detestable,” Ming Yan complained quietly.

Yue Xianzi smiled.
“If you despise him so much, then why did you agree to dine with him?”

Ming Yan helplessly replied, “My father and his elder brother, the Crown Prince, have a bad relationship.
Although this Bei Qing is detestable, his father’s authority permeates all levels of the government, and he has a certain level of influence.
Even if I don’t like him, I can’t create trouble for my father.
Furthermore, we’ve already rejected quite a few of his invitations, and it would be offensive if we continued to decline.”

Yue Xianzi looked at Ming Yan with pity in her eyes.
She seemed like a noble princess, but she did not even have a say in her own future.
Her words had forced Yue Xianzi to view her in a different light.
She had originally assumed that this princess was not well-versed in worldly affairs and that was only a pretty face and destined to be used as a tool in marriage.
However, these self-aware words proved that Ming Yan had her own thoughts and understanding of the situation.
Although her thoughts were rather simple, that was only because of her limited interaction with the outside word.
Still, there was a strong perseverance within her heart.

“Princess, don’t worry about it.
We’ll just treat the lunch as dealing with him,” Yue Xianzi reassured the held Ming Yan as she held the princess’ hand.

Ming Yan nodded and stood up, causing even Yue Xianzi to marvel at her figure.
Perhaps only these undeveloped, archaic civilizations could produce such a wonderful specimen of a girl.
Yue Xianzi was envious of the person who would eventually end up with this princess; he would definitely be the world’s luckiest man.

A cold gust of wind blew across the deck.
Bei Qing had rearranged the area for dining.
As he waited for the two girls to arrive, he recounted the various histories of the Ming River and verbally described the future, as if he were determined to fix the world.
When the girls were just about to arrive, he had even waved his hand and started boldly reciting some of his poetry.

“My Lord’s poetry is amazing and will definitely impress the residents of the capital in the future,” a servant marvelled.

Bei Qing smiled and then saw Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi arrive.
He immediately approached and gestured at the chairs.
“Princess, Miss Yue ’er, please be seated.”

Yue Xianzi immediately declined the invitation.
“My Lord is too courteous.
I’m merely a maid and will stand aside to wait upon you two.”

Ming Yan hurriedly pulled Yue Xianzi towards the table.
“Yue ’er, you’re no maid.” She then escorted Yue Xianzi to a seat.

Lu Yin was one of the servants who had been called upon to wait upon the diners.
Bei Qing had mistakenly taken Lu Yin to be Yue Xianzi’s confidant, and based on his experiences in courting girls, he naturally knew how to quietly demonstrate that he was attentive to what they held important.

He had even arranged for someone to change Lu Yin’s attire so as to make him seem more spirited.

To Bei Qing, this was an important meal that would decide if he could gain these two girls’ favor or not.
During the meal, he constantly racked his brain on how he could show his best scholarly side, and the servants beside him would praise him from time to time as well.
Lu Yin was internally rolling his eyes the entire time.
What an idiot this person is, performing a play all by himself.

Ming Yan and Yue Xianzi were truly only eating and could not bother to respond to Bei Qing’s acts.
At best, they would give him a slight smile to save him some face so that he would not feel too awkward.

Bei Qing felt that something was amiss, and even though the meal was about to finish, he felt like he had not made any progress yet.
Thus, he clapped his hands and had a servant retrieve an exquisite wooden box that was handed to him.
He then placed it on the table and slid it towards Ming Yan.
He fervently said, “Princess, this is a treasure of the highest quality from the endless Eastern Sea—the purple rose love pearl.
They are very rare and I wanted to give this one to you.”

Ming Yan was stunned, as she had indeed heard of these purple rose love pearls before.
According to the legends, it could be used to pray for one’s loved ones when worn, and it was a treasure prized by many girls.
She slowly opened the box, and a ray of purple light shone out.
She saw a small, brightly-colored pearl that seemed transparent with even fog mysteriously drifting around it.

“This gift is too extravagant.
Please take it back.
Yan’er cannot accept this.” Ming Yan resisted the temptation and immediately closed the box before pushing it back towards Bei Qing.

Bei Qing smiled.
“There are only a few of these pearls in the world.
Aside from you, I cannot think of anyone else who would deserve to wear this treasure.”

“This was found only after our lord combed through the endless seas.
It’s rumored that even His Majesty back then could not find one to give to his beloved,” a servant behind Bei Qing praised.
But almost immediately afterwards, everyone’s faces changed, as this was using Ming Zhaotian as a foil for Bei Qing; this servant was being too audacious!

Lu Yin looked at that servant in admiration.

Bei Qing was just about to scold the servant, but another servant was a beat quicker.
“Shut up! Are you suggesting that His Majesty is inferior to our lord?! Or that His Majesty’s sincerity was lacking? Scram!”

Lu Yin was left speechless, as this person was even more ruthless than the first, although their sharp retorts did define the situation.
These two were geniuses with their words, and they pushed Bei Qing closer to death with each successive sentence that they uttered.

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