Empress Fu Yao [Volume 1] (COMPLETED)✔

On the streets, chasing after a man

"Wow, this contemptible person, embroidered skin with a rotted grass heart[1]. Why did I even like him back then?"

Meng Fuyao muttered while she walked back, a little depressed that her past taste in men seemed to have been not very good.

She thought back to the Yan Jingchen when she first met him. Gentle and dignified, even though he was too focused on excelling and honor, because he was the successor of his clan and was raised like so from when he was little, it couldn't be blamed on him.

But now he actually thought of this kind of stupid idea, that truly humiliated both Meng Fuyao and Pei Yuan. The more Fuyao thought about it the more she choked back the tears in her eyes, speechlessly pitying him.

That night Meng Fuyao cultivated her arts, the "Breaking Nine Heavens" technique circulating around her in the air. The green jade glow surrounded her, soaking her features warmly and smoothly like water, while in the jade light Meng Fuyao pondered. Recalling those so-called hardships Yan Jingchen talked about during the day, she couldn't help but coldly chuckle.

The next day, Qi Xunyi's carriages also returned, showing off the whole way. Filled with song and dance, occasionally the voices of woman that sounded like swallows or nightingales could be heard. Stringed and bamboo instruments as well as pipa[2] music drifted through the whole street. It was a surreal and romantic scene, and the pedestrians all took sidelong glances.

Standing at the side of the streets while eating some noodles, Meng Fuyao was squeezed in the crowd watching that absurd prince's liveliness. Her eyes slowly slid past those carriages laden with entertainers and dancers, silently smiling.

When she saw that royal sedan chair in the middle of the procession, however, her smile lessened by a couple degrees. That was Pei Yuan's sedan chair.[3]

On the right side of the royal sedan, a white handsome steed was accompanying by the chair's side. Initially Fuyao didn't notice, but after a glance her eyes immediately revealed a trace of derision.

On top of the horse, who else could it be but Yan Jingchen?

How eagerly hospitable. Who knew how many li he had to travel in order to receive his future bride, the Grand Princess Pei?

These few days she had already become clear on Pei Yuan's true status – Imperial Princess Yi Anchang and the great general Pei Shixun's pampered daughter. Pei Shixun's younger sister had long ago entered the palace as an imperial concubine, who was now Qi Xunyi's mother Concubine Lin. Thus, Pei Yuan was conferred upon the title of princess, the imperial family calling her Princess Pei. Since Imperial Princess Yi An only had this one daughter, she was very favored and spoiled.[4]

Fuyao silently watched that heavily veiled and draped sedan chair.

Then she looked to the side, at the Yan Jingchen who looked quite absent-minded.

Yan Jingchen, will your luxury doggy still be able to be brought out anymore?

Without interest in further watching those two, Meng Fuyao returned to her inn without turning her head. This inn was connected together with its restaurant, and while passing by the restaurant, she heard a table of diners currently engaged in a loud conversation.

"Did you hear? The Pei family has recently started to wantonly attack the Yun family, completely breaking off any pretenses both at the royal court and outside it. Just in the past few days, they had already dispatched people to crush three banks, five pawnshops and seven silk factories belonging to the Yun family, and even Yunchuan city's farm estate had tenants breaking off rent agreements! Rumors say that it was Pei family who provided the silvers to buy them off, even gathering a bunch of people to complain in front of the Emperor! Tut tut, they sure are stirring up a huge racket!"