Chapter 5: Preparing for the Wedding

Chapter 5: Preparing for the Wedding

Upon hearing the tyrant's malicious plan for provocation, Lu Changping's beautiful peach blossom eyes widened in shock and anger.

Had it not been for a shred of rationality remaining, he might have indeed engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the tyrant, as suggested.

The rumors had not deceived him; Xie Xuan Yuan was not only a tyrant but an outright scoundrel!

It seemed his previous three fiancées, who never made it to the wedding, were used as pawns in political schemes and removed through similar means.

"What do you think? Are you satisfied with my arrangement?"

After laying out his plan, Xie Xuan Yuan looked at the beautiful "woman" before him with a hint of pride, as if expecting approval.

Struggling to maintain his composure, Lu Changping managed to squeeze out a few perfunctory words after a long pause: "Your Majesty is indeed wise and invincible, unparalleled in this world."

Wise and invincible was nonexistent. As for being unparalleled, Xie Xuan Yuan truly was unparalleled in his scumminess.

Of course, the tyrant did not anticipate that these words were Lu Changping's way of contemptuously mocking him while suppressing his disgust.

Flattered, he found Lu Changping even more pleasing to the eye, thinking this woman not only had a beautiful and moving appearance but also a sensible and understanding personality.

Not at all like those women from various families desperately pushed into the harem, who either acted coquettishly or trembled in fear around him, like quails shrinking their necks.

Thinking this, Xie Xuan Yuan couldn't help but reach out again to touch the beauty's fair and delicate cheek, softening his voice unusually: "A'Ping, I wasn't wrong about you; you truly are different from the others."

Lu Changping never expected the tyrant to be so handsy and nauseatingly sweet in speech, with that "A'Ping" sounding eerily similar to his name, sending shivers down his spine.

He subtly dodged the tyrant's pale, cold hand, reminiscent of a corpse, and flipped a sheet of paper as a gentle reminder for the tyrant to be mindful of their audience: "Your Majesty, there are many watching."

"What does it matter?" Xie Xuan Yuan frowned slightly, disappointed, then casually threatened, "Whoever dares to gossip, I'll have their tongue cut out."

With those words, Lu Changping found himself at a loss for rebuttal, blaming the tyrant's unorthodox approach to emperorship.

He decided to turn the tables; if tolerating a few liberties taken by the tyrant and feigning compliance in marriage could eliminate a major threat to Southern Chu, it was hardly a loss.

Since the tyrant was shamelessly debauched, he would make him pay with his life for his debauchery.

Whether as a princess sent for a marriage alliance or as the ordinary woman he now was, as long as he could get close to the tyrant, he could use serving in his bedchamber as a pretext to stealthily take his life.

Just as Lu Changping had figured out this plan and was bracing himself to continue playing along with the tyrant, Xie Xuan Yuan seemed to suddenly remember something, his expression turning somewhat troubled:

"By the way, have you heard of Princess Zhao Yun of Southern Chu? I've heard from others that she is the foremost beauty of Southern Chu. She will surely make an appearance on the day of our grand wedding.

While you are not lacking, you must dress and adorn yourself carefully on that day to outshine Princess Zhao Yun, lest others mock my choice."

Not only have I heard of her, but she's also my sister.

Lu Changping glanced at the wishful tyrant and sneered inwardly, a sense of pride welling up. It turned out this despicable man wanted not only to take advantage of him but also to have him bolster his own prestige.

His sister, Zhao Ping, was the undisputed beauty of Southern Chu, not someone who could be outshined by just anyone.

If Zhao Ping were indeed to appear on the wedding day, Lu Changping would never shamelessly agree to it.

But now, with only him from their siblings in Beiwei, he didn't mind flattering the tyrant a bit.

After all, this man wouldn't last long before becoming a ghost under his blade.

Seeing him readily agree, the tyrant's worry turned to joy: "Prepare well, tell me whatever cosmetics, dresses, or jewelry you need. Don't disappoint me on our wedding day."

While looking at Lu Changping with a smile, his words were no less malicious: "I want the Emperor of Southern Chu to see how his dear sister is outdone by a country girl I happened to pick up."

That tyrant actually called him a country girl.

Lu Changping was so angered that his face turned red and white by turns, struggling to regain his composure.

Has the tyrant gone blind? Which village girl can read and write like him? Which village girl is as knowledgeable and considerate as him?

After some interactions, Lu Changping could affirm that Xie Xuan Yuan, the tyrant of Beiwei, was not foolish.

Calling him a village girl was clearly a deliberate belittlement, aimed to further disgust the Emperor of Southern Chu, who he thought was far away but was actually close at hand.

Xie Xuan Yuan was unaware that his words had offended the person across from him twice over, and he continued to make small talk.

Lu Changping, with the last bit of his patience, humored the tyrant for a few more rounds, finally enduring until the latter left.

However, what slightly surprised him was that Xie Xuan Yuan left to deal with the memorials that had piled up in the palace for days.

Assuming the tyrant's reckless behavior indicated a neglect of state affairs in favor of indulgence, it was unexpected that Xie Xuan Yuan, though a tyrant who easily executed entire families, was not negligent of his duties.

This might also explain why Beiwei's national strength did not decline but rather increased after Xie Xuan Yuan's ascension, becoming a significant threat to the northern border.

According to Lu Changping, the former Emperor of Beiwei had nine sons, each with considerable capability. However, the old emperor delayed appointing a crown prince, fearing his position would be usurped.

When he became old, the consequences of not having appointed a crown prince became apparent. His sons fought openly and in secret for the position, even igniting wars within Beiwei.

However, as the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits; the princes who fought bitterly for the throne all met dismal ends, ultimately benefiting the youngest prince, Xie Xuan Yuan, who was too young to have been involved in the struggle for power.

When Xie Xuan Yuan was first supported by the Empress Dowager to ascend to the throne at fifteen, it was said he was not as ruthless in killing as he is now.

It's unknown what later provoked him to stage a palace coup to sideline the Empress Dowager, then start a massacre in the court against those who disagreed with him, becoming a true tyrant.

Lu Changping does not fail to understand the tyrant's ambition to unify the land. Who, upon becoming emperor, would not wish to be unrivaled under the heavens?

But he was always clear that this tyrant, dark of heart and heavy of hand, was so not only towards political enemies but also towards the common people.

Such an enemy tyrant, unscrupulous in achieving his goals, is now the greatest threat to Southern Chu.

Therefore, it's not just for Zhao Ping, but also to ensure the people of Southern Chu can live far from war and enjoy peace, that Xie Xuan Yuan must be eliminated...

……

Lu Changping initially worried about further entanglements with the tyrant.

Fortunately, Xie Xuan Yuan insisted on handling state affairs personally. In the days that followed, not only did he have to manage governmental duties, but he also had to prepare for the grand wedding.

Palace servants said that the lights in the tyrant's sleeping quarters, the Zichen Hall, stayed lit all night.

Lu Changping couldn't help but feel delighted thinking about the tyrant working through the night while he slept comfortably. Even the anger from being flirted with by the tyrant dissipated significantly.

Unfortunately, this good mood only lasted until the next day at noon. Just past noon, a large group from the Imperial Wardrobe Department arrived at his temporary residence in Yixiao Palace with hundreds of bolts of brocade.

The leading female official respectfully greeted Lu Changping and informed him that the Emperor had ordered them to prepare the wedding attire.

Glancing over the numbers, there were over a hundred people! The maids stood in several rows downstairs, each holding a piece of bright red brocade of various designs.

This hardly seemed like preparations for marrying someone intended to humiliate a foreign monarch. To the uninformed, it looked as if the tyrant was gearing up to welcome a queen in a grand ceremony.

While internally criticizing the tyrant's extravagant waste, Lu Changping pondered how to quickly dismiss the group. He had no intention of spending half the day selecting clothes.

Even he had not yet married or taken a consort and was unaware of the complex procedures women underwent before officially entering the imperial palace.

Lu Changping descended the palace steps, feigning interest in the first row of fabrics held by the maids, dazzled by the festive red.

He had no expertise in fabrics, always randomly choosing a few pieces that caught his eye from those made in the palace.

Gradually, the palace staff discerned his preferences, and he no longer saw any garments that displeased him.

Accustomed to delegating, Lu Changping couldn't distinguish between the heaps of red brocade.

Without looking further, he casually selected two bolts of brocade with less ostentatious patterns and indicated it was time for them to leave.

After all, this was just the tyrant's pretense of marriage; why should he invest real emotion?

Ji Yue, a young maid serving closely with Lu Changping, couldn't help advising upon seeing his indifferent attitude:

"Why not take another look? Marriage is a paramount event for a woman, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, especially marrying His Majesty.

Even we servants can see that His Majesty truly treats you differently."

Lu Changping paused, casting a curious glance at her. Seeing his interest, Ji Yue, the clever maid, boldly continued:

"I've been in the palace for nearly ten years and have never heard of His Majesty offering a seat to anyone, let alone ordering so many palace servants to make clothes for someone."

That's because the tyrant plans to use him to publicly embarrass "Princess Zhao Yun" and the Emperor of Southern Chu. Lu Changping silently added, pitying the naivety of the young girl.

How could Emperor Xie Xuan Yuan, a schemer filled with malice, genuinely be kind to someone without ulterior motives?

As he was internally criticizing, he was informed that the Emperor, having heard of the Tailoring Department's arrival, had specially come to accompany him in trying on the clothes...

Author's note:

Tyrant: Buy, buy, buy! As long as it outshines Princess Zhao Yun, I'll cover all the clothes you like.

Lu Changping: Feels like I'm being kept by the tyrant?