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墨書 Inktalez
Nan Gong Yao did not meet Ouyang Zixin in the Main Hall, but instead had her taken to a side hall. When she entered, there were already several people inside, among whom she recognized the Third Prince, Nangong Tuo, along with a few ministers, though she had never seen any of them before.
After respectfully bowing and expressing her gratitude, Ouyang Zixin stood with her head lowered, not daring to look up, pondering why the Sovereign insisted on having her come to the palace to express thanks.
Nan Gong Yao was still dressed in bright red robes, seated at the top. He casually moved the lid of a teacup back and forth as if he were about to let Ouyang Zixin leave without saying anything. Finally, he spoke: “Miss Ouyang is truly fortunate.”
Before Ouyang Zixin could respond, Nangong Tuo smiled and said, “Father, Miss Ouyang is someone with a Fortune Day.”
His tone was filled with pride, as if Nan Gong Yao were praising himself. This made Ouyang Zixin frown slightly; he really was persistent.
“Haha, you are quite enthusiastic,” Nan Gong Yao said as he set down his teacup and gestured for Ouyang Zixin to relax. He had someone bring her a stool to sit down and talk.
Nangong Tuo stood up and walked in front of several ministers, turning to introduce them to Ouyang Zixin: “This is Lord Situ, this is Zhao, and this is Lord Lin.”
Although she had never met them before, Ouyang Zixin immediately understood that the people present were all managers of the Royal Trading Company and hurriedly greeted each one.
“Miss Ouyang Xuan is quite fortunate; please take a seat,” said Zhao Qing. Among these individuals, he seemed to be the most suitable to speak as they implicitly regarded him as their leader.
Nan Gong Yao noticed that Ouyang Zixin carried herself with grace, embodying the demeanor of a noble lady from the imperial capital. Comparing her to that person from the Sidu Family made it clear who was superior. If what had happened on the street earlier reached the palace, Lord Situ would surely be unable to sit still, and Nan Gong Yao would definitely not compare Ouyang Zixin to a madwoman.
“The Millennium Ruins were discovered by you; this is a significant achievement,” Nan Gong Yao said. The main reason for summoning Ouyang Zixin to the palace today was to inquire about the Millennium Ruins.
At home, Ouyang Hao had already instructed Ouyang Zixin to answer carefully. Following their prior plan, Ouyang Zixin cautiously recounted how she ended up in Luoping Village and how she “accidentally” discovered the Millennium Ruins.
“Did you kill the people who harmed the villagers?” Nan Gong Yao's eyes gleamed with interest. He found it hard to believe that such a young girl could have killed someone on-site. However, lacking other evidence, he had no choice but to temporarily accept it.
“Your Majesty, I did engage in combat with them. However, I did not kill anyone; I do not possess such ability,” Ouyang Zixin replied. Given that Nan Gong Yao was aware of her serious injuries upon returning to the imperial capital, this was merely a test of her honesty. Therefore, the best approach was to mix truth with falsehood.
The person who fought with Ouyang Zixin was Yun Tianmo's pawn, while others were killed by Yun Tianmo's men; thus, in this sense, Ouyang Zixin was not lying.
“Truly a case of a tiger father having no dog daughter. Your Majesty, if Exiled Nation could have more women like Miss Ouyang among its ranks in the future, there would be nothing to worry about,” Lord Lin said as he stood up and cupped his hands toward Nan Gong Yao with a beaming smile.
Nan Gong Yao glanced at him, the brilliance in her eyes fading as she smiled and acknowledged. She then casually asked about her recovery from injuries, which allowed her to leave.
"What do you all think?"
After Ouyang Zixin left, Nan Gong Yao's gaze swept over the group, finally resting on Si Tu Rong Bao.
Si Tu Rong Bao felt a cold sweat break out under Nan Gong Yao's scrutiny. The woman was reluctantly forced into marriage by him, and he wanted to clarify his position to the Sovereign, so at that moment, he truly didn't know how to respond.
"Father, why don't I go out too? You can have a good chat," Nangong Tuo said as he saw Ouyang Zixin leave, unable to sit still any longer and preparing to take his leave.
"Look at your lack of ambition!" Nan Gong Yao chided with a laugh. Now that Ouyang Zixin had also made contributions, it would make sense to betroth her to Nangong Tuo. After some thought, he waved his hand to let him go.
"Sovereign, Third Prince..." Zhao Qing spoke thoughtfully while casting a glance at Si Tu Rong Bao.
Receiving his gaze, Si Tu Rong Bao shook his head with a bitter smile; this person really wouldn't let him off the hook.
Nan Gong Yao laughed heartily and said, "Tuoer is not young anymore; it's time for him to marry. I was thinking of finding him a princess. What do you all think?"
The two questions were essentially one. Today, Nan Gong Yao summoned them to the palace partly for the Millennium Ruins and partly to see how much Ouyang Zixin had grown, allowing everyone to weigh their options carefully and not meddle behind the scenes.
"Sovereign has good taste; just now I observed Miss Ouyang's demeanor and behavior—she truly possesses the grace of a noblewoman and is indeed a good candidate for a princess," Lin Yiquan immediately agreed. After all, among those who had gone to Lingchi Peak, only his family had no ties with Ouyang Zixin.
"And you two?" Nan Gong Yao looked at the other two, pressing them for their opinions. This was someone favored by the royal family, and he hoped they wouldn't be foolish enough to make things difficult for her because of their family's younger generation. More importantly, he didn't want them clashing with Ouyang Hao.
Zhao Qing and Si Tu Rong Bao both stood up and cupped their hands in agreement that she was indeed a suitable choice.
If Nangong Tuo had been present at that moment, he would have likely jumped for joy. He also didn't realize that his early departure caused the princess he could have secured to slip away.
"Li Feng, have they responded yet?"
Li Feng stepped forward respectfully and said, "I just received a reply; the envoys from both countries are already on their way and should arrive in the imperial capital shortly."
"Next, you all know what to do, right?"
The three giants of the Royal Trading Company eagerly responded that they understood, only to be waved away by Nan Gong Yao.
Once outside the side hall, Lin Yiquan cupped his hands toward the two and said, "Gentlemen, I will go prepare for the reception now."
Zhao Qing nodded and instructed Lin Yiquan to make sure everything was well-prepared. He then turned to Si Tu Rong Bao and said, "This time, there better not be any mistakes."
Si Tu Rong Bao slightly lowered his head, pondering for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by a guard. "Lord Situ, someone from your residence has come. They say there’s been an incident and request you return home as soon as possible."
Today is the day of his daughter's wedding; how could there be an incident?
A sense of foreboding filled his heart as he quickly cupped his hands in farewell to the other two.
"What happened?" Lin Yiquan watched Si Tu Rong Bao leave in a hurry, sensing that his entire demeanor had changed.
Zhao Qing, however, paid no attention to this change and coldly snorted, "I fear this matter will still fall on our shoulders."
Lin Yiquan looked at Zhao Qing in confusion, unsure why he would say such a thing. It wasn't until he returned home and heard reports about what had happened on the streets today that he sighed and hurried off. (To be continued.)
P.S.: It's not the thief you fear; it's the thief who has their eye on you...
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