The Goryeo Prince was still effusive in his praise, "Back in Goryeo, I had already heard of the great beauty of your Great Sheng's Fifth Princess. Seeing you today, she truly lives up to her reputation."
The Goryeo Prince was truly shameless when he lied.
With the Fifth Princess's looks, how could her fame possibly reach Goryeo?
Wait—
Wang Qingyao looked at Xiao Yun, who winked at her playfully, a smile of seeking praise on his face.
Wang Qingyao understood.
It was Xiao Yun and Xiao Mo's doing.
However, it was strange that the Goryeo Prince, upon seeing her in person, was not disappointed but instead showered her with compliments.
The Fifth Princess also showed a look of surprise, and a hint of pride.
Having been ignored in the palace for so long, a deep resentment had festered within her.
She had never imagined becoming the center of attention, let alone having her beauty praised far and wide.
Even in the most terrifying situation, a sense of exhilaration welled up in her heart.
The Fifth Princess couldn't help but touch her cheek. Was she unaware of her own beauty?
Everyone in the hall exchanged glances. The Fifth Princess's appearance was evident to all, and they could not bring themselves to agree with the prince's assessment. They could only offer a few awkward laughs.
The Emperor coughed lightly, "Well, hehe… the Prince has a unique eye for beauty!"
The Goryeo Prince remained oblivious to the awkward atmosphere in the hall.
He was tall and handsome, with a pair of charming eyes and thin lips that often curved into a smile.
Even though the Fifth Princess was unwilling to marry him, and the journey to Goryeo was long, if the person she was to marry was the Goryeo Prince, it didn't seem like much of a revenge.
The Fifth Princess had almost caused Wang Qingyao to lose three lives. Wang Qingyao was not so kind as to watch her marry her desired husband.
She shot Xiao Yun a displeased look. Xiao Yun smiled without a word.
The Fifth Princess was also secretly observing the Goryeo Prince.
The Goryeo Prince was handsome and carried himself with nobility. The Fifth Princess was already weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
It seemed that marrying the Goryeo Prince was not the worst possible outcome.
Especially since this man had been thinking of her for so long…
Being at the age of youthful infatuation, the Fifth Princess's initial reluctance had now turned into a shy smile on her face.
The Goryeo Prince, mimicking Great Sheng's etiquette, bowed to the Emperor and said, "Our Goryeo royal family holds the Fifth Princess in high regard. I, on behalf of my father, the King of Goryeo, dare to humbly request your beloved daughter, the Fifth Princess, from Your Majesty!"
An eerie silence fell upon the hall.
Wang Qingyao looked at Xiao Yun in shock. Xiao Yun, as if he had anticipated this, curled his lips into a mischievous smile.
The Fifth Princess thought she had misheard. The shy smile, like a butterfly's wings, had barely unfurled before it was met with a storm, forcing her to retract it.
"What did you say?!" she shrieked, her voice trembling as she questioned the Goryeo Prince.
The Goryeo Prince flashed a brilliant smile, "My beautiful princess, with your celestial beauty, only the most noble King of Goryeo is worthy of you!"
The Goryeo Prince appeared to be only in his early twenties. Marriages were early in ancient times, so his father was likely around forty, perhaps even thirty if he was lucky.
Not too old, then.
Wasn't Wang Da's second wife, Lady Gu, around the same age difference?
Xiao Yun leaned close to Wang Qingyao's ear and whispered, "The King of Goryeo is sixty-five years old. Oh, no, he just had his birthday, so he should be sixty-six. Sixty-six, a prosperous number, how auspicious!"
His eyes were full of schadenfreude.
They were truly wicked.
But it was also incredibly satisfying.
Wang Qingyao smiled and chided him, "You two are truly too bad."
Xiao Yun snorted, "If you have the guts to harm others, you must have the guts to bear the consequences."
"But is the Goryeo Prince blind? He praises the Fifth Princess as if she were a flower. Has he never seen a beautiful woman?"
Xiao Yun lowered his voice further, "The Xiao family's businesses in Goryeo are in partnership with the Goryeo Prince. Xiao Mo promised to give him a thirty percent profit share for the next five years."
The implication was that the Goryeo Prince was, in a way, one of them.
Even if the Fifth Princess were as ugly as Wuyan, the Goryeo Prince would still praise her as stunning and beautiful as a flower.
Her appearance didn't matter; what mattered was that she would be married off to Goryeo, to an old man whose feet were already in the grave.
The Emperor cast a displeased glance at the Fifth Princess, unhappy with her lack of decorum.
"Father Emperor!" the Fifth Princess knelt. She wanted to say she refused, but upon meeting the Emperor's cold, stern gaze, her courage faltered.
"Father Emperor," she stammered a few times, then said timidly yet resolutely, "Your daughter is a princess of Great Sheng. Your daughter cannot be a concubine."
Ha, Wang Qingyao found it amusing. Back then, when she desperately wanted to marry Xiao Yun as a concubine, she hadn't said this.
Now she remembered she was a princess?
The Goryeo Prince chuckled, "Fifth Princess, you misunderstand. With your beauty and nobility, how could my father bear to make you a concubine? My father intends to marry you as the Queen of Goryeo! The most noble woman in Goryeo!"
The Fifth Princess looked as if she had been struck by lightning, her face turning deathly pale.
She looked to Wei Yu for help.
But in such a grand state banquet, it was hardly Wei Yu's place, as a future Crown Princess, to speak.
Wei Yu could only shake her head apologetically at the Fifth Princess.
The Fifth Princess felt a chill run through her. Indeed, she couldn't rely on others; she had to rely on herself.
It's okay, she still had one last trick.
She had tried it so many times, and it would surely succeed this time.
She reassured herself internally.
Immediately after, the Emperor granted the Goryeo Prince's proposal and bestowed upon the Fifth Princess the title of Princess Ruyi.
Princess Ruyi.
Ha, how ironic.
Princess Ruyi was helped by the palace maids to sit beside Consort Wei, a gesture of favor from the Emperor.
How could she eat anything? Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.
Shun Feng stepped forward and quietly said something to the Emperor.
The Emperor nodded, and Shun Feng then withdrew silently.
Wang Qingyao had been closely observing his every move. Seeing him leave, she immediately activated her clairvoyant eyes to follow him.