Meanwhile, delightful music began to fill the great hall.
All eyes were on the Ashi Liren, men enthralled and women envious.
As Zhi Li invited her to dance, he said, "Count Suo Lun, your zither skills are unmatched; may I ask you to play a tune to accompany Miss Liren and my dance?"
Before Suo Lun could speak, Ashi Liren responded, "I’m sorry, Zhi Li His Highness, I cannot accept your invitation!"
These words caused Zhi Li’s face to change in an instant.
Ashi Liren continued, "It’s getting late, and I should rest."
Zhi Li managed a forced smile and said, "Well, then, I have prepared the best room in the mansion for you."
Ashi Liren replied, "No need, I will stay at the Princess Mansion tonight. Not only that, in the years to come, Rouran City will firmly stand with Zhen Yan Princess!"
Upon these words, the atmosphere changed as if struck by thunder.
Prince Zili’s face turned ashen as if he had been struck by real thunder.
Even Suo Lun was taken aback, realizing that allegiance was a subtle thing, to be shown but not spoken aloud.
Currently, most nobles and princes were siding with Prince Zili, spending money and deploying troops for his claim to the throne.
Yet, not a single person had declared in public their unwavering support for Zili.
Because, no matter how intense the rivalry between Zili and Zhi Yan, it was never to be publicized.
Unexpectedly, this Ashi Liren, with her stunning beauty and peerless grace, made such a decisive announcement, declaring in front of everyone her absolute support for Zhi Yan.
The impact on everyone was indescribable.
This was the largest principality in the land; even after losing fifty to sixty thousand troops in the war with the Night Orchid Duchy, the Ashi Clan still had a province-sized territory and millions of subjects, and could rapidly regain an army of a hundred thousand.
And most importantly, Ashi Liren’s stance had completely broken the current situation.
For Zhi Yan, this was a breakthrough from zero.
It was the first time a significant prince had declared loyalty.
Zhi Li had gone to such great lengths, involving all the nobility and princes to greet Ashi Liren, all to secure her neutrality.
Unexpectedly, Ashi Liren openly defied him before everyone.
Zhi Li was suddenly at a loss for how to react.
"Hahaha..." Fang Qingshu suddenly burst into laughter.
But his laughter abruptly ceased.
That was because from Ashi Liren’s body emanated a powerful and endless surge of ice-cold energy, as if mountains of ice were pressing down on them.
To resist this dreadful power, he had to summon all of his dragon strength.
After those by Zhi Li’s side came to their senses, they too wanted to reprimand her.
"Boom..." A powerful force burst forth from Liren, instantly turning the ground within a dozen feet around her into frost, as if everyone’s mouth had been frozen shut.
Only then did everyone understand that the number one prince in the world was not just Rage Wave Kingdom’s foremost beauty but also a supreme warrior.
"Princess, Suo Lun, will you stay? I am leaving," announced Ashi Liren.
And with that, she departed directly, her departure silently authoritative.
Suo Lun and Zhi Yan followed her, leaving the banquet hall to return to the Princess Mansion.
Suo Lun realized then that although he surpassed Liren in cunning, her assertiveness was indeed sharp.
After Suo Lun, Ashi Liren, and Zhen Yan Princess had left,
The entire banquet hall fell into silence.
After a good while, without uttering a word, Prince Zili left directly.
Then, the other guests in the banquet hall, without saying a word or daring to speculate, left the scene in silence.
Soon, all the guests had completely departed.
Prince Zili walked into his study, where he didn’t light a candle, leaving it shrouded in darkness.
After a prolonged silence, his chilling voice broke through.
"There’s no time to waste; I must act now, or it will be too late!"
"Yes!" a shadow answered, then disappeared without a trace.
Inside the Princess Mansion!
Ashi Liren stayed in a courtyard that formerly belonged to Suo Ningbing.
Ashi Liren gently removed her brocade gown along with all her clothing, unveiling a figure as breathtaking and sculptural as the mountains themselves, her skin as white as jade, crafted as if by the divine, exuding an almost magical allure.
She gracefully stepped into the bathtub.
The bath was filled with blue enchantress blossoms!
As her flawless body immersed in the aromatic bath, she emitted an enchanting moan.
Instantly, the entire room grew even more sweetly fragrant.
Another figure entered, Zhi Yan Princess.
She too removed her long dress, revealing her pristine and stunning form, and stepped into another bathtub.
Her bath was just clear water, nothing else.
"Thank you, sister Liren," Zhi Yan said.
"It’s nothing," Ashi Liren replied. "I did it for Suo Lun, not for you."
Zhi Yan Princess said, "He’s my fiancé, so doing it for him is doing it for me. I still remember the fragrance of your skin from years ago when I represented Dragon Temple to discuss martial arts with His Majesty Jiang Shang of Dongli Kingdom, and we often bathed together."
Ashi Liren didn’t speak but looked at Zhi Yan Princess and suddenly asked, "During that visit to Dongli, I remember Huai Bingyi was always by your side."
"Mhm," Zhi Yan acknowledged.
"Do you like Huai Bingyi?" asked Ashi Liren. "Do you like Suo Lun? Which one do you like more?"
Note: The second update of over 5000 words is here, begging for support!