#303 - An offer I can't refuse
“Princess, are you angry with me?”
“No!”
“Uh... after arriving in Fengyuan, I haven't provoked you again, have I?”
“Hmph!”
“How strange. Princess, with your personality, you must have very few friends.”
“You!”
“...”
On the way to the Great Feng Imperial Palace, Wei Changtian tried several times to figure out why Li Wutong was angry, but the latter still maintained her enigmatic persona and never gave him a single friendly look from beginning to end.
Good heavens.
In Great Feng, you are a princess, but here with me, you're nothing!
Wei Changtian was not one to be trifled with either. After a few sarcastic remarks, he stopped asking.
The two of them just stared at each other all the way until the carriage drove into the Imperial Palace. After getting out, they were led by a small eunuch to a garden.
“Your Highness Princess, Young Master Wei, His Majesty and the Grand Scholar are discussing matters over there.”
The small eunuch stopped bowing, and Wei Changtian also turned his gaze to the two people casually walking on the bluestone path not far away.
Without a doubt, the tall, thin one wearing a white dragon-embroidered robe must be the Great Feng Emperor, Li Qi.
“Father!”
Not addressing Li Qi as “Imperial Father” as she usually did, Li Wutong finally showed a hint of a smile on her face at this moment. After shouting, she picked up her skirt and ran towards the two of them.
“Hahaha, Tong'er.”
The tall, thin man turned around upon hearing this, his expression also somewhat happy.
He first responded dotingly, then looked at Wei Changtian, who was following behind, with a cheerful expression.
“Young Master Wei, you've come from afar, you must be tired.”
“Thank you for Your Majesty's concern, I am honored.”
Wei Changtian stacked his hands and bowed respectfully. Only then did he look up and calmly size up the Great Feng Emperor in front of him.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had seen a living emperor.
Although he had already crossed swords with Ning Yongnian several times in secret, the two had not actually met, even at the Spring Dragon Poetry Gathering.
However, Wei Changtian had seen Ning Yongnian's portrait. Even without the “beautification,” it could be seen that the latter was definitely the kind of healthy and dignified superior.
To be honest, Ning Yongnian's appearance met Wei Changtian's standard for an “emperor”.
As for the Li Qi in front of him...
To put it nicely, he was an approachable and refined gentleman.
After all, if he was really a weak ruler, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to start this national war.
“...”
“Young Master Wei, this is Ye Guangyi, a Grand Scholar of our dynasty's cabinet.”
After sizing up Wei Changtian as well, Li Qi smiled and said, “My dear Ye loves the poems you write very much. Upon hearing that you were entering the palace, he immediately pretended to come to me to discuss matters, but in reality, he just wanted to meet you.”
“Your Majesty, you are making fun of this old minister again.”
Without the strict distinction between ruler and subject, the old man with white hair and beard next to him glanced at Li Qi helplessly, then cupped his hands at Wei Changtian and said, “I am Ye Guangyi. I have long heard of Young Master Wei's name. Seeing you today, you truly have the talent of a great scholar.”
His surname is Ye!
This surname is dangerous!
“Lord Ye is too kind.”
Wei Changtian was greatly alarmed in his heart, and at the same time returned the salute respectfully.
He thought that the two of them were just exchanging pleasantries, but he never expected that the old man would seriously shake his head.
“Not so, I never speak falsely.”
“A Spring River Flower Moon Night, a line that says life after life is endless, the river moon is similar year after year.”
“To be able to create such an eternal masterpiece, praising you as a great talent is not an exaggeration.”
“...”
This old man knows how to handle things!
If you can talk, say more!
Wei Changtian was secretly pleased, and couldn't help but say some polite words such as “Lord Ye is too kind to me”.
However, during the process of the two of them exchanging pleasantries, Wei Changtian also noticed that Li Qi was just standing next to him with a happy smile on his face.
Good heavens, is the ruler of a country so easy-going?
For a moment, Wei Changtian couldn't help but imagine a smiling tiger image of "approachable on the surface, but ruthless behind the scenes".
And at this moment, the "smiling tiger" Li Qi finally spoke again.
“Alright, alright.”
“My dear Ye, since Young Master Wei will be staying in Fengyuan for some time, if you truly appreciate Young Master Wei's talent, you can prepare a few pots of good wine another day and invite Young Master Wei to have a private chat.”
“Tong'er, you accompany my dear Ye for a walk. I want to talk to Young Master Wei alone for a while.”
“...”
With a few simple words, he finally ended the endless exchange of pleasantries between Wei Changtian and Ye Guangyi.
The latter quickly walked away with Li Wutong, and Wei Changtian's expression gradually became serious.
Sending others away, Li Qi undoubtedly wanted to talk to him about serious matters.
He just didn't know if he wanted to test the Wei family's attitude towards the "Feng-Ning War", or if he was going to tell him what he was here to do in Fengyuan, or if he was going to invite him to "surrender"...
Looking at Li Qi's slightly opened mouth, Wei Changtian's nerves were highly tense, and at the same time, he quickly recalled all the situations that Chu Xianping had predicted to him.
Then he heard Li Qi slowly say:
“Young Master Wei, what do you think of Tong'er?”
“...”
“???”
On the other side.
A gentle breeze slipped through a few small white petals, carrying the fragrance of jasmine and brushing against Li Wutong's skirt.
She glanced remotely at the two figures, one black and one white, and then softly asked Ye Guangyi beside her.
“Lord Ye, how has that matter been progressing this past month?”
“Alas.”
The relaxed expression on his face instantly disappeared, and Ye Guangyi sighed deeply: “There is still no progress. I have seen that monster several times, but in the end, I still can't do anything about it.”
“Is that so?”
Although Li Wutong had expected this answer, her expression was still somewhat disappointed: “It only seems to be two months left...”
“Yes, but Princess doesn't need to worry too much.”
Ye Guangyi comforted: “Since Young Master Wei can defeat Meng Shi with one move, he should also be able to kill that monster.”
“I hope so.”
Li Wutong murmured softly: “I just don't know if he will be willing to take action.”
“Princess can rest assured about this matter.”
Ye Guangyi smiled slightly: “His Majesty will definitely give him a condition that he cannot refuse.”
A condition that he cannot refuse.
Li Wutong stopped by a small pond, looking at her vague reflection in the water, and a thought suddenly popped up in her heart with a lack of confidence.
Perhaps, he doesn't care about this kind of condition...
Subconsciously looking again at the figure walking side by side with her imperial father, she suddenly remembered something, and Li Wutong suddenly turned her head and asked:
“Lord Ye, have you ever heard the poem, 'Since ancient times, only unrequited love remains, and the best dreams are easily awakened'?”
“Hmm?”
Ye Guangyi was stunned for a moment, then repeatedly murmured the sentence several times, and finally the expression on his face became even more excited, and even his voice was no longer calm.
“Princess, who wrote this poem?!”
“...”
Looking at Ye Guangyi, whose eyes were shining as if he had found a treasure, Li Wutong now knew that this poem was Wei Changtian's "original" creation.
Hmph! He lied to me that he couldn't write poetry!
“Plop~”
She kicked a small stone into the pool fiercely, and muttered to herself in a low voice:
“A bastard made it!”
