Chu Li sighed inwardly.
Her Eldest Brother’s birth mother did not hold a high rank, merely the position of a Noble Lady. Yet as the Emperor’s eldest son born to a concubine, he was sincere and kind, treated others with generosity, and always took every consideration into account. He had looked after her countless times over the years.
“I understand your intentions, Eldest Brother. But Imperial Uncle has just won another great victory, and his reputation is at its peak. Please, Eldest Brother, be more cautious and keep a low profile. Don’t offend him because of me.”
“My injuries are nothing.”
Chu Yuanchi patted the back of her hand, reassuring her not to worry. He would handle everything.
After asking a few more questions about her injuries, he went off to speak with the other officials.
Looking around, she saw Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother…… all of them moving with ease among the court officials, discussing affairs of state.
Only Chu Li stood there awkwardly.
Oh, and the Eighth Prince, Chu Aotian.
The two of them stood together, completely idle and utterly ignored.
Seeing this, Chu Aotian even tried to comfort her.
“Ninth Brother, you’re still young. In another couple of years, once Father assigns you some responsibilities, you’ll be able to help shoulder his burdens just like Eldest Brother and the others.”
Chu Li glanced at him.
Wasn’t he in exactly the same boat as her?
And he was actually comforting her?
Idiot.
Chu Li waddled away, her sore butt sticking out behind her.
“Ninth Brother, your butt is so perky…… Mmph!”
Shut up!
About half an hour later, all the officials had arrived, and the princes had taken their seats. The Emperor arrived with the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort.
Chu Li was just about to rise and salute when she suddenly saw the Prince Regent enter the hall, walk straight toward her, and sit down beside her.
Their seats were right next to each other!
Why?!
The Prince Regent was second only to the Emperor and above everyone else. Naturally, his seat was the closest to the Emperor.
Even if the princes were seated according to rank, shouldn’t all eight of her elder brothers have been seated before her?
“Father, I’m ninth among the princes. Why is my seat so far forward?”
The current Emperor of Chu was a middle-aged man nearing 50. He wore a bright yellow brocade robe, and although his face had grown slightly fuller with age, it still retained the handsome bearing of his youth.
He looked over at her and said gently.
“Little Ninth is short. If I seat you any farther away, I won’t be able to see you.”
Chu Li was speechless.
Well, thanks for that.
“Everyone, take your seats. Tonight’s banquet is held to celebrate the Prince Regent’s great victory and the 30-year peace treaty he secured for Great Chu. This is a blessing for Great Chu and a blessing for its people.”
The Emperor settled into his seat and raised his wine cup.
“What a truly undefeated Prince Regent!”
“What a pillar of the imperial court—Chu Dichi!”
His voice rang out with pride, and the assembled officials raised their cups.
“To His Highness the Prince Regent!”
Chu Dichi’s dark eyes remained tranquil, like a deep pool without so much as a ripple. His powerful fingers curled around the white jade wine cup, and he drained it in one gulp.
Chu Li sat beside him, looking positively tiny.
He stood nearly 1.9 meters, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. Years of warfare had given him an aura of cold, blood-forged severity. He didn’t even have to do anything; simply sitting there was enough to radiate an overwhelming presence.
At 15, Chu Li was still growing and had only just reached 1.6 meters tall.
Beside him, she looked like a skinny little chick.
But that alone wouldn’t have been so bad.
The problem was that once they were seated, their heads were exactly the same height.
Why?
Because of the injury to Chu Li’s buttocks, her seat had been padded with a cushion a full 20 centimeters thick.
The sight was downright ridiculous.
Chu Li kept her head bowed as she listened to the clinking of wine cups and the lively conversations around her.
Simply sitting beside the Prince Regent made her feel an immense sense of pressure. Even when she reached for food, she felt as though a pair of razor-sharp eyes were fixed on her.
It was torture.
Like sitting on a bed of needles.
She could only pray for the victory banquet to end as soon as possible.
Just as her attention drifted, a chorus of exclamations suddenly reached her ears.
“Can there really be jade this hard in this world?”
“Jade is brittle and easily broken. Can it truly be as hard and unyielding as a sword?”
What jade?
Chu Li looked up and saw a eunuch carrying a long brocade box.
Inside, resting on a layer of black velvet, was a long sword of dazzling azure blue.
Its color was crystalline and flawless. Under the candlelight, it gleamed with a subtle radiance, as beautiful as a cloudless sky stretching endlessly into the distance—deep blue and utterly pure.
It was actually made of jade!
Could jade be made into a sword?
Wouldn’t it shatter the moment it was dropped or struck?
Chu Dichi leaned lazily against his seat, both hands resting loosely on the armrests.
“This is Jingbi Blue Jade. I excavated it from beneath a mountain thousands of meters high in a kingdom of the Western Regions during my western campaign. They say this jade is as hard as steel and can cut through iron as easily as mud. I had craftsmen work through the night to forge it into a sword, which I now present to you, Imperial Brother.”
Chu Li quickly pulled her hand back.
Their seats were so close that they even shared the same armrest.
Whenever he leaned toward her, she wanted nothing more than to shrink into the corner and hide as far away from him as possible.
The man lifted his eyes and looked directly at the Emperor seated above them in his dragon robes. His sharp brows were filled with an unconcealed arrogance.
“This sword is both beautiful and deadly. When Imperial Brother uses it, please be careful. Take care that its blade doesn’t end up piercing through the throne.”
The moment he said this, everyone’s heart jolted.
The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly.
How could a jade sword possibly pierce through the imperial throne?
The Prince Regent was openly challenging the Emperor!
What audacity!
Was he planning a rebellion?
For years, the Prince Regent had grown more formidable with every battle. He personally commanded the Black Armored Guards, and nothing could stand in their way.
Even if he truly intended to rebel, who would dare stop him?
The court officials gripped their wine cups, their expressions stiff with unease, not daring to make a move.
The palace maids and eunuchs lowered their heads and quietly withdrew, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Chu Li nearly slammed her fist on the table in excitement.
Mother was right! The Prince Regent really does harbor rebellious intentions! That’s why he dares to beat the prince with a rod so recklessly.
Father, punish him!
Quickly, punish him!
The atmosphere grew heavy and tense.
After a long silence, the Emperor’s expression darkened slightly. His fingers tightened around his wine cup before slowly relaxing again. Without revealing the slightest hint of his true thoughts, he smiled.
“I’ve never seen such extraordinarily hard jade before. My princes, why don’t you all have a look and broaden your horizons?”
The eunuch carrying the brocade box wiped away the cold sweat beading across his forehead and went from one seat to the next.
He bowed and presented the sword to each prince.
Eldest Prince Chu Yuanchi glanced at it.
“Indeed, it is a rare and exquisite piece of jade.”
The Second Prince said.
“Fine jade like this is difficult to find. Imperial Uncle has certainly been thoughtful.”
The Third Prince merely said nothing.
“……”
When the brocade box reached Chu Li, she leaned closer for a better look.
The jade sword was breathtakingly beautiful.
Unable to resist, she reached out and lightly brushed it with her fingertip.
A cool sensation seeped into her skin.
It really is a masterpiece!
Crack!
Before she could even pull her hand back, the jade sword suddenly snapped cleanly in two.
Chu Li froze.
“This—!”
“What a fine touch, Ninth Brother!”
The Sixth Prince shot to his feet and exclaimed.
“So the legendary Jingbi Blue Jade of the Western Regions is nothing special after all! And Imperial Uncle actually treated it like some priceless treasure! Hahaha!”
Chu Li’s expression changed drastically.
She instinctively looked at the man beside her.
Sure enough, Chu Dichi’s expression had turned dark and ominous. The icy sharpness in the corner of his eyes looked capable of executing her on the spot.
No!
It wasn’t me!
I only touched it!
I didn’t even use any strength!
The Sixth Prince laughed, quickly easing the tension, while the Chancellor also cupped his hands and smiled.
“The Prince Regent has spent so many years fighting outside the realm. Perhaps the wind and sand of the Western Regions have gotten in his eyes, and he simply mistook ordinary jade for something sturdier. Surely it wasn’t intentional.”
The Fourth Prince joined in teasingly.
“Fine jade has always been fragile. Even Jingbi Blue Jade can’t escape that fate. Perhaps Imperial Uncle was simply deceived by those Western Regions bandits.”
The Second Prince added.
“Imperial Uncle was indeed deceived. Fortunately, Ninth Brother discovered it in time. Otherwise, we’d all still be in the dark and would have made fools of ourselves.”
Chu Li frantically waved her hands.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t—”
The Emperor raised his cup and burst into hearty laughter.
“Little Ninth, you really know how to please your father!”
No!
“Father, I-I……”
It’s over.
The Prince Regent had openly challenged the Emperor, and now she had turned him into the biggest laughingstock of the victory banquet.
It was practically as though she had slapped him across the face several times in front of everyone.
Chu Li closed her eyes.
My life is over.
A eunuch handed her a cup of wine. She took a sip—
And immediately realized something was wrong.
It was sour.
It was vinegar!
“Pfft!”
The entire hall erupted in an uproar.
When Chu Li finally recovered, she realized that she had sprayed vinegar all over the Prince Regent’s face.
The sour vinegar trickled from his brow, down the bridge of his nose, over his chin, and finally dripped onto the front of his robes.
In that instant, Chu Li had already decided exactly where she was going to bury herself.