Half City Of Love - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The Nine-Headed Lion was led away to the mount enclosure.
The large and mighty group of attendants the little princess had brought with her had also dispersed.
They positioned themselves closely along the borders of the immortal island, silently and efficiently surrounding the Flower Emperor’s Immortal Island like an iron bucket.
This act provoked much displeasure among the heavenly deities, who grumbled quietly yet were reluctant to leave.
After all, everyone was very interested in whether Lord Fucang and Princess Zhongshan would fancy each other or not.
When they saw the god leading the little princess into the Flower Emperor’s inner garden, which could not be entered without the Flower Emperor’s invitation, they had no choice but to crane their necks and try to peer in, each one stretching like a goose trying to see.
Inside the Flower Emperor’s inner garden, there was a sea of blooming colors.
Every plant there was a flower species beloved by the Flower Emperor.
As the breeze passed, light and rich fragrances mingled and drifted through the air, calming and refreshing the soul.
The little princess walked very slowly, as if she were unable to move without the assistance of a female immortal.
Lord Fucang had to keep stopping and waiting for her.
No one spoke.
The god didn’t even seem interested in making small talk and remained silent the whole way, like a mute.
After a short while, they suddenly heard Xuan Yi gently complain from behind,“This path is littered with gravel; so rough. I really can’t walk comfortably on it. I hope the Lord will be considerate and allow me to rest for a moment.”
Without a word, Fucang stopped on the hanging corridor beside the Cloud Pool. When he turned around, he glanced at the path beneath his feet, it was paved with perfectly polished celestial river stones. Rough?
Xuan Yi wiped the railing more than a dozen times with her handkerchief before leaning softly against it.
She then casually tossed the handkerchief into the Cloud Pool.
Fucang stood beside her and said quietly,“The Cloud Pool in the Flower Emperor’s inner garden is home to many rare immortal fish. What the princess just did is rather inappropriate.”
Xuan Yi lifted her head and looked at him calmly.
“The Lord speaks wisely. I am the descendant of the Zhongshan Zhuyin lineage, how could a mere Cloud Pool be fit to hold my handkerchief? It was a lapse in judgment. Let’s just say the immortal fish in the pool have received a blessing today.”
Fucang said nothing in return.
But Xuan Yi slowly began again,“I’ve been raised deep within the inner chambers, and know very little about the outside world. What little I know of the Lord comes from what my father has passed on to me. He said the Lord was elegant and dashing in youth, once performing a sword dance at the imperial princess’s wedding feast. Sadly, I did not witness your heroic grace in person.
However, since my father and Emperor Qing both have this intention, I do not dare to hold back. Today, I have something I wish to say to the Lord.”
She spoke slowly and softly, carefully enunciating every word, and it took quite some time.
Fucang bore with it patiently, but his voice grew a few degrees colder when he finally replied,“If the princess has something to say, please feel free.”
Xuan Yi said lightly,“The Lord is the son of the Eastern Emperor Qing and will inherit the throne in the future. Wielding weapons and practicing martial arts is the way of boorish warriors. Once the Lord becomes Emperor, such behavior would not be appropriate.”
Her expression remained exceedingly calm, completely ignoring the growing irritation in his eyes.
Instead, she added,“Today, after seeing the Lord in person, I feel deep admiration. To be joined in marriage with the Lord is truly what I desire. Thus, I hope the Lord will give it careful thought, I wish for my future husband to be a refined and noble emperor, not a brute who waves weapons around.”
Fucang’s brow creased slightly, then relaxed.
His tone turned indifferent.
“The princess speaks too early of such matters. Please be at ease for now. The Flower Emperor’s prized Posuo Peony has recently bloomed, would the princess care to view it?”
Xuan Yi agreed with reluctance and continued trailing slowly behind him.
It took them half an hour to cross the hanging corridor, and another half-hour to finally arrive at the Peony Garden.
When the flower attendants saw it was the two of them, they immediately bowed respectfully and opened the gate.
Inside, countless peonies bloomed gorgeously in the spring breeze.
Clumps of purple, piles of pink, like embroidered brocade laid with rosy clouds.
At the center, on a glazed platform, there stood a single peony.
The blossom was only the size of a palm, yet it had thousands of overlapping petals.
Its color was translucent like frost, and the icy petals were lined with countless delicate veins that shimmered like green jade.
It was the legendary Posuo Peony that bloomed only once every thirty thousand years.
“So beautiful,” she murmured.
Xuan Yi offered a compliment, then suddenly raised her arm.
Her luxurious silk sleeve slid down slowly, revealing a slender, fair arm, as if she intended to pluck that rare peony blossom.
The flower attendant immediately turned pale with alarm and cried out, “Princess, you mustn’t!”
Xuan Yi asked in surprise, “Why not?”
From behind, Fucang suddenly spoke.
His voice was as cold as ice:
“The Posuo Peony is a spiritual root of heaven and earth. It only blooms once every thirty thousand years. How could the princess destroy it out of personal desire?”
Xuan Yi’s eyes shimmered as if a little aggrieved.
She spoke softly,“But I like it… That would be this flower’s blessing. A spiritual root of heaven and earth, how could it compare to Zhongshan Zhuyin…”
Fucang finally lost patience and didn’t wait for her to slowly finish.
He took several steps back, cupped his hands in a polite bow, and said,“I still have matters to attend to. I cannot accompany the princess any longer. I take my leave.”
And with that, he swept his sleeve and left without waiting for her response.
Xuan Yi didn’t move.
Her arm was still raised, her slender fingers just inches from the petals.
The flower attendant nearby was both terrified and flustered, pleading repeatedly,“Please, Your Highness, have mercy! This is Lord Flower Emperor’s most treasured peony!”
After a moment, Xuan Yi finally, slowly, withdrew that nerve-wracking hand.
She calmly adjusted her sleeve, then suddenly smiled faintly at the flower attendant who felt like he’d just survived a disaster.
“The Posuo Peony truly lives up to its reputation… what a pity.”
Those three words “what a pity”, caused the flower attendant to break out in a cold sweat again.
But the little princess, composed and unruffled, began leisurely admiring the other peonies in the garden.
Fucang’s dramatic exit didn’t seem to affect her in the slightest.
She was neither embarrassed nor angry.
She walked a full circle around the peony garden, appreciating each variety, before finally making her way out of the inner grounds.
The gods who had been peeking near the entrance scattered like startled birds.
Those in the pear blossom grove resumed their pretense of playing music and dancing, though the cheer felt a little forced.
All eyes continued to secretly linger on the little princess, hoping to glean something from her expression.
But this noble and exalted princess had such excellent self-control, her face so calm that even a needle prick likely wouldn’t cause a ripple.
Her massive entourage reassembled into a long formation once again and, just like when they arrived, left the Flower Emperor’s Immortal Island with a grand and imposing presence, leaving behind a flock of chattering heavenly deities who excitedly discussed everything that had just taken place.
Inside the splendid, golden carriage gliding through the sea of clouds, Xuan Yi selected a perfectly pickled black plum from the jade box held by an immortal maid and popped it into her mouth.
The sour and sweet taste made her let out a pleased little “mm.”
Perhaps seeing she was in a good mood, the immortal maid asked cautiously,“Princess, after meeting Lord Fucang today, what impression did he leave you?”
Xuan Yi focused entirely on savoring the plum, and only after a long pause did she say,“Probably not going to work.”
The immortal was shocked.
“But… this was arranged by the Heavenly Emperor himself…”
Xuan Yi looked at her innocently.
“How old are you this year?”
The immortal was confused but answered honestly,“Twenty-three thousand.”
Xuan Yi elegantly spit out the plum pit and said coolly,“You’re twenty-three thousand and still unmarried. I’m only nine thousand seven hundred, naturally, I’m in no rush.”
The immortal was startled.
“How could I possibly compare myself to Your Highness? Besides… the Emperor certainly wishes for you to find a good match soon.”
Xuan Yi gave no reply.
She simply lifted the curtain and let the wind rush in, blowing her elaborate hairdo into disarray.
“It’s stuffy in the carriage,” she said suddenly.
“Stop the carriage. I want to get out.”
The grand procession of attendants came to an abrupt halt.
The attendant immortal maid tried to dissuade the willful young princess:
“Princess! With your noble status, how could you expose yourself so casually like an ordinary god…”
Before she could finish, Xuan Yi had already opened the carriage door.
Mist instantly enveloped her slender figure, and the fierce wind whipped her luxurious robes into a billowing dance, making her appear ethereal and otherworldly.
“I am a descendant of the Zhuyin Dragon God of Zhongshan,” she said leisurely, gazing at the anxious immortal maid.
The maid hastily replied, “Precisely! Which is why you mustn’t—”
“Have you ever seen a dragon ride in a carriage?”
Xuan Yi blinked, and in the very next instant, she had already ridden the wind and vanished from sight.
