In the Chancellor’s Residence of An Chu.
“Your Highness, someone from the Ceremonial Directorate has arrived.”
“Hmm.”
Jiang Wan had been adjusting her face in the mirror for a while. The moment she stood up, her dark golden eyes swiftly faded into ordinary black.
The one delivering the palace’s message was a young eunuch with delicate skin and tender flesh, bringing items needed for the upcoming coronation ceremony two days later.
Watching large boxes being carried into the residence one after another, filled with who-knows-what, Jiang Wan couldn’t muster any excitement. Instead, she felt a headache coming on.
Having only been in the mortal realm for a few days, she couldn’t even leave her home in order to become this so-called empress. Stuck in the residence day after day learning palace etiquette, whether she remembered it or not, she certainly didn’t avoid being disciplined.
Considering she had lived for over a thousand years and wasn’t even a true ‘human’ in the literal sense, having spent most of her life freely, she now found herself stumped by these mortal rules and regulations.
What was the point of all these rigid constraints?
That wasn’t all. Her so-called mother, the Chancellor’s wife, would occasionally come crying by her ear, her eyes swollen from weeping, muttering that entering the palace was a sin.
Every time Jiang Wan heard this, she weakly and helplessly shook the hairpins and ornaments on her head, not daring to refute.
Entering the palace wasn’t scary; what was sinful was learning the rules.
After enduring for several days, the day of the coronation ceremony finally arrived.
Auspicious clouds appeared in the sky, and all of An Chu was unusually lively, presenting a false image of prosperity.
“Wan’er, you returned in such a hurry, and your father has been too busy lately. There are many things we haven’t had time to tell you. Just know that our whole family loves you dearly, but we have no choice…”
“Be well, you must be well…”
The sorrowful mood of the Chancellor’s family affected Jiang Wan, allowing her to experience the pain of parting with tears and sniffles.
“Wuwuwu, Mother, dear brothers, Wanwan will definitely protect herself and strive to secure a place in the palace to ensure the family’s safety.”
Upon hearing this, the Chancellor’s wife threw herself into her eldest son’s arms and cried even louder. “This foolish sister hasn’t even learned the rules properly. Who knows how many days she’ll survive in there? It’s my fault for spoiling her too much before…”
Jiang Wan: “…”
Once outside, sitting on the tall and extravagant Phoenix Carriage, Jiang Wan became carefree again. Surrounded by the grand procession, she curiously observed the commoners watching below.
Those people wore coarse cloth and hemp clothes, most with indifferent expressions. Even the children showed no smiles on their faces. Faint curses could be heard, saying the world was doomed and such.
Naturally, the most talked about was the treacherous eunuch in the palace whom everyone wanted dead. They said he killed innocents indiscriminately, treated human life as worthless, disregarded the law, and held absolute power…
Unfortunately, Jiang Wan hadn’t yet experienced their mortal sufferings and couldn’t join in their lamentations.
When the Phoenix Carriage entered the imperial palace, she felt as if injected with adrenaline, her entire body’s blood boiling with excitement.
Of course, this adrenaline was quickly worn down by a series of complex and solemn rituals. In the latter half, she only knew to follow the lead of the ceremonial female official with physical coordination. Under the gaze of thousands, she wore a fake smile, resembling an emotionless puppet.
And… she didn’t care what the young emperor beside her looked like, nor did matters like amnesty for the world concern her.
Her dark eyes discreetly searched among the civil and military officials.
Not this one, not that one either.
Her small face gradually grew anxious.
Prime Minister Jiang Wenshan stood at the forefront of the civil officials, noticing his daughter’s mood.
As soon as his gaze met Jiang Wan’s, worried she might be frightened, he calmly sent a few reassuring glances her way.
In this era that should have been one of peace and prosperity, the young emperor’s reign had allowed treacherous eunuchs to seize power, plunging the court into chaos.
Eight years ago, he had publicly declared his daughter dead, hiding her in Jiangnan for a full eight years just to keep her safe. Yet, in the end, he had failed to conceal the truth from that damned eunuch, who had dug up the matter.
It had been so long since he had last seen his little girl, and now, in the blink of an eye, she had to enter the palace to live among tigers.
It was truly infuriating.
Jiang Wan blinked at this, suddenly realizing this was her father, the Prime Minister, whom she had only met once or twice. She quickly curved her lips into a smile in response, nearly causing the old man to lose his composure and shed tears.
At that moment, the emperor seemed to have admired his newly wedded empress enough and finally shifted his gaze away from her.
“Why hasn’t the Seal Keeper arrived yet?”
Huan Cheng’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, though he dared not show too much.
His face, that of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old, still bore traces of youthful innocence, lacking any semblance of imperial majesty.
Jiang Wan glanced at him from the corner of her eye, focusing slightly to listen.
“Your Majesty, he should be arriving soon.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a soft gasp rippled through the crowd.
Jiang Wan would never forget that scene for the rest of her life.
Xie Changlin, the Nine Thousand Years and Seal Keeper of the Ceremonial Directorate, who held sway over the court, walked leisurely forward in a crimson brocade robe. His skin bore a sickly pallor, and his expression was as aloof as a deity, moving with such grace that he resembled the peerlessly elegant young man from storybooks.
That is, if one could ignore the fact that the cranes embroidered on his robe were even more flamboyant than the dragons on the emperor’s attire.
Hmm…
And also the round, severed head he was holding in his hand.
Jiang Wan’s joy at seeing him froze for a moment when she noticed the head.
Was… was he always this intense?
“I arrived a bit late. I hope I haven’t delayed the ceremony?”
He leisurely swept his gaze over the expressions of terror and loathing, his magnetic, deep voice as casual as if asking, “Have you eaten today?”
It’s almost over, what do you think?
Huan Cheng forced a barely satisfactory smile. “You’ve arrived just in time, Seal Keeper. We were waiting for you to present the ceremonial staff and escort the empress out of the palace.”
As if not noticing what he held in his hand, Huan Cheng simply wanted to conclude the ceremony as quickly as possible.
“A small matter. Rong Qing, you go.”
Xie Changlin unhurriedly gestured to the young eunuch beside him, while he stood there, perfectly at ease.
Jiang Wan recognized Rong Qing as the one who had delivered items to her home a few days earlier.
Xie Changlin openly shirking his duties left Huan Cheng feeling weary and resigned. He urged, “Very well. It’s getting late. Let’s finish this quickly.”
Contrary to expectations, Rong Qing did not step forward. Instead, he remained at Xie Changlin’s side, slightly bowing, and made no move.
Jiang Wan stared at Xie Changlin, then at what he held in his hand, momentarily lost in thought. She didn’t even hear what Huan Cheng cursed at Rong Qing beside her.
Oh, yes—”You damned slave! How dare you defy me!”
Xie Changlin suddenly shifted his gaze to Jiang Wan. When his eyes met her bright, dark ones, he paused imperceptibly before lazily curling his lips. “I had someone wash it specially, fearing Your Majesty might find it disgusting.”
It was clear it had indeed been washed—the head was still dripping.
Jiang Wan snapped back to attention and smiled sincerely. “Your Eminence is truly thoughtful.”
Everyone: “…”
Xie Changlin remained expressionless. “Your Highness flatters me.”
He shifted his gaze and casually scolded Rong Qing, “You dog slave, you’ve managed to anger even the Emperor. Quite the talent.”
“Fine then, why don’t we just pack up and disperse?”
Disperse? Such a grand ceremony, just like that?
Civil and military officials, including Huan Cheng, were all fuming with rage.
Arrogant! Shameless! Disregarding the law!
Absurd! It grows more absurd by the day!
A faint, almost imperceptible curve tugged at the corner of Xie Changlin’s lips. “What? Not dispersing?”
“Then let me speak of serious matters.”
Thud—
He casually tossed the head, which rolled down the long staircase, finally coming to a stop at Jiang Wenshan’s feet, its hair disheveled.
The face was a bloody mess, unrecognizable, with only a pair of bulging eyes seemingly glaring fiercely at the person before it.
Jiang Wenshan had weathered many storms, yet his slightly hurried breaths betrayed the anger that had simmered within him from start to finish.
Xie Changlin took the white handkerchief handed to him by Rong Qing, wiping his hands with deliberate slowness, his tone unchanged. “Old man, this is your man. Recognize him?”
Only then did Jiang Wan furrow her brows. Beneath her phoenix robe, her hands instinctively clenched into fists as she looked at Xie Changlin with a mix of emotions.
She hadn’t even had time to rejoice, and now she felt like crying.
Did her father also have a feud with Xie Changlin?
Chancellor Jiang raised his eyes slightly, his voice firm and resonant. “What does the Seal Keeper mean by this?”
Xie Changlin let out a ‘tsk’ and raised his voice slightly. “Let me make myself clear today.”
“Those who wish to impeach me in court, go ahead. I’ll accept a hundred or a thousand memorials.”
“If you want peace, I’m willing to play along with the superficial courtesies. But if any idle hands cause trouble for the Eastern Depot or Western Depot behind the scenes, I’ll only make things more troublesome for you. Understood?”
“There are still dozens of heads piled up in the Ceremonial Directorate. Would you all like to go and identify them? If not, it’s fine. I can always spare some time to deal with each of you, one by one.”