As she pondered, An Jing couldn’t help but glance at her husband, and, finding him already looking at her, their eyes met and she immediately raised one eyebrow at him.
The meaning was quite clear: when others go so far as to offer such kindness, how could one not indulge in a bit of cruelty?
Xiao Changyi looked at her, said nothing, but his indifferent eyes were full of indulgence.
No sooner had the Prince of Pingjun finished speaking than the red coral was brought in. The coral was about a foot tall, with many branches and a pleasing color. Its texture was lustrous, and it was extremely valuable—beyond estimation.
This was the first time the Emperor of Xiyun had seen such a large and beautiful piece of red coral, and he was particularly pleased, repeatedly praising, "What a rarity, what a rarity! The Prince of Pingjun is indeed thoughtful."
Indeed, it was a rarity, as it had almost cost the entire Pingjun Prince’s Mansion its fortune to find this single piece of red coral in the Xiyun Kingdom.
However, this was not something the Prince of Pingjun would declare publicly. If he did, wouldn’t he be telling everyone that his mansion was now an empty shell?
This move by the Prince of Pingjun was a desperate gamble, all just to win the Emperor’s favor and his consent for Linghe to marry Xiao Changyi as a consort, thinking once he had Xiao Changyi as a son-in-law to rely on, who wouldn’t want to curry favor with him?
So long as people sought his favor, would he worry about not having a fortune? By then, he reckoned he could collect enough rare treasures offered by those currying favor to make his hands weak.
The Prince of Pingjun, with a respectful posture, smiled and said, "If the Emperor likes it, it is a great honor for me, my daughter, and the entire Pingjun Prince’s Mansion."
As for the third mention of Linghe by the Prince of Pingjun, everyone understood the implication clearly.
An Jing just smiled and said nothing.
Xiao Changyi showed no expression.
The Emperor of Xiyun’s old brows knitted slightly, and his smile faded a tad as he asked slowly, "Where is Linghe now? How come I haven’t seen her?"
Seeing that the Emperor had finally mentioned Linghe, the Prince of Pingjun sighed a huge sigh of relief and respectfully replied, "Linghe is ill, fearing that she would offend Your Majesty, she did not come to personally wish you longevity."
"Oh?" feigned a slight surprise from the Emperor of Xiyun, "What illness does she have? Is it serious?"
"It’s not serious, it’s just... just..." The Prince of Pingjun feigned hesitance.
An Jing simply watched the Prince of Pingjun and the Emperor of Xiyun put on a grand act. It would come around to her turn eventually—she wasn’t in a hurry.
The Emperor of Xiyun said, "Speak freely, it’s all right."
Only then did the Prince of Pingjun say, "Linghe is suffering from lovesickness for King Eternal Victory."
An Jing just smiled. Good, this way I won’t feel a hint of guilt when I deal with you all.
Subsequently, the Prince of Pingjun gave Changyi a complicated look on the dais before he knelt down towards the Emperor of Xiyun once more, choking up as he said, "I know Linghe’s behavior may seem shameless, but she truly loves King Eternal Victory deeply. I hope the Emperor will grant her this wish, cure her of this sickness, so she no longer pines sickly for King Eternal Victory. Linghe has been sick several times because of her longing for him; if it continues, I fear losing my daughter, Your Majesty..."
As he spoke, the Prince of Pingjun was in tears.
The Princess of Pingjun also implored through tears, "Please grant Linghe’s wish, Your Majesty, and save her life!"
An Jingxin thought to herself: Cry now, cry as much as you can while you’re still able to, so later when you are beyond tears, it won’t suffocate you.
The Emperor of Xiyun remained silent, without a trace of expression on his face.
No one else dared to speak either.
The only one was Xiao Changyi, who picked up the jug of sour plum drink and leisurely poured it into An Jing’s cup, a sound that everyone could faintly hear, signifying the dreadful silence in the hall.