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Unrestrained Love for Freedom
墨書 Inktalez
The Princess Qing Luo of Yan kingdom has been kidnapped.
As the National Master, Ling Xiaoxiao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, even more so than the Emperor of Yan kingdom.
She paced back and forth in her room, her brows furrowed, muttering to herself, "What should I do? What should I do..."
This meant she was faced with another dilemma; every time a major incident occurred, the Emperor would drag her into making such difficult choices.
It seemed her life was destined to be entangled with choices. Just like when she had just died and was asked whether she wanted to be reborn or transported to another world—what a tough decision that had been.
At that time, she had been torn, battling within herself as she weighed the two options repeatedly before finally making a choice.
Sigh, why does life always present such painful dilemmas?
The Emperor walked in with a worried expression, hands clasped behind his back. He stood before her and said, "National Master, I give you two choices. One, no matter what, save the princess; two, risk everything to save the princess."
Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao's face immediately fell into a frown. With a helpless sigh, she replied, "I will save the princess no matter what."
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Ling Xiaoxiao clutched the imperial edict painfully, her face filled with endless melancholy.
She stood there, gazing vacantly out the window, filled with regret: she should never have chosen to come to this tangled place.
If she hadn’t crossed over, she wouldn’t have encountered the National Master who hadn’t yet assumed office; if the National Master hadn’t fallen off a cliff and died, she wouldn’t have taken her place and ended up in this sorrowful predicament; if the Emperor had seen through her disguise back then, she would still be the Ling Xiaoxiao from before her journey.
If she were still the Ling Xiaoxiao of the twenty-first century, she wouldn’t have to face these dilemmas.
But now, what could be done?
To gain prominence in front of others, one must endure hardships behind the scenes!
It is said that there are people who, unable to reach the grapes, claim they are sour. They envy and resent those who surpass them, using their talents to maliciously slander others, finding lifelong glory in deceiving the discerning eyes of the masses.
The painters from Yan kingdom are a vivid and dark example of this.
Ling Xiaoxiao stood in the palace of Shu Kingdom, her eyes widening as she gazed at the figure before her.
Before her stood a man with sharp brows and bright eyes, his tall stature exuding an air of cold elegance and nobility. His presence seemed to make the very air around him tremble, nearly blinding her beautiful golden eyes.
She silently marveled, “No matter how you look at it, he doesn’t match the short, fat, ugly the Shu Emperor Zhao Han depicted by their painters!”
This clearly illustrated the pathetic and shameful mindset of the Yan kingdom painters.
Ling Xiaoxiao had three types of people she never wanted to deceive: first, the fair-skinned handsome men—commonly known as pretty boys; second, the tall handsome men—elegantly described as jade trees swaying in the wind; and third, the fair-skinned tall handsome men—like the one before her.
Don’t ask her why; she was simply drawn to this type. It was love at first sight, second sight sealed her heart, and by the third sight, she could have offered herself—though so far she hadn’t done so.
But as a national advisor, it was her duty to use every means possible—trickery included—to assist the emperor in strategizing and solving problems. This time, going against her own wishes was inevitable.
After silently lamenting three times in her heart, Ling Xiaoxiao straightened up, accompanied by two Scholar’s Page attendants. Lifting her skirt respectfully, she knelt and said, “We humbly pay our respects to Your Majesty.”
Shu Zhao Han glanced down at those below him and asked, as per custom, “Are you the ones who revealed the Imperial Edict?”
In truth, he had been repeating this question since the first person revealed it. By now he was numb to it, his tone filled with impatience.
"It is indeed the common folk," Ling Xiaoxiao replied, rolling her eyes internally at the lack of substance in the conversation, though her face remained respectful.
Shu Zhao Han, as was his habit, asked, "What is your name?"
"Ling Xiao..." She paused, glancing down at the mustache stuck to her lips and the feather fan in her hand. Quickly thinking, she changed the last character, "Yao!"
"Xiao Yao?" Shu Zhao Han repeated, somewhat taken aback.
Ling Xiaoxiao eagerly affirmed, and Shu Zhao Han coldly smirked, "Truly..."
Is it too rustic? Does it not seem ethereal?
"Don't you think so?" he huffed, his tone rising slightly at the end.
From Ling Xiaoxiao's years of experience serving a ruler as unpredictable as a tiger, she recognized this tone as a signal that dissent was not welcome.
She smiled flatteringly and replied, "What Your Majesty says is true. If my name can bring a smile to Your Majesty's face, then even if it is rustic, it holds value, does it not?"
Upon hearing this, Shu Zhao Han shot a quick glance at her and suddenly burst into laughter. "Not bad, well said."
Seeing him reveal a hint of genuine emotion in his laughter, Ling Xiaoxiao couldn't help but twitch her mouth slightly. She thought to herself: If this remark were to reach Drifting Ronin, rumored to be the world's foremost poison master, would he sneak into the Shu Kingdom's palace to poison her?
Though the palace was heavily guarded, wasn't Princess Qing Luo still abducted?
Just as she thought of Princess Qing Luo, she remembered she had business to attend to. Deliberately dropping the Imperial Edict from her sleeve, she pretended to be cautious as she bent down to pick it up.
Shu Zhao Han happened to catch sight of this and his smile faded. "Since you have the courage to reveal the Imperial Edict, tell me what you gleaned from it. Speak correctly and you shall be richly rewarded; speak incorrectly and you shall face severe punishment."
Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Anything you offer will do?"
"As long as it is something I can provide," he replied.
In terms of treasures from across the realm, what could possibly compare to those of the Shu Kingdom?
Yet in his eyes, what was most valuable in this era? Talent!
Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao smiled brighter than spring flowers. She waved the Imperial Edict and said proudly, "The Imperial Edict is blank, which means the Emperor... has unspoken difficulties."
Shu Zhao Han's proud expression froze, and his gaze shot towards her like a dagger, causing Ling Xiaoxiao to instantly wilt like a withered flower.
It couldn't be! She couldn't have guessed wrong—she must not have truly guessed wrong!
To her surprise, Shu Zhao Han stepped down with purpose, grabbing her by the arm and declaring with shining eyes, "What I want is you!"
What? Huh? What?
Could it be that he was also one of those who would offer themselves after three encounters?
Her artist hadn’t even captured this trait of his; perhaps he should be taken out and dealt with!
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