The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 203: The Empress’s Inspection

Chapter 203: The Empress’s Inspection

Marquis Wuyang, seeing Tiancheng’s solemn assurance, eased his mind slightly. He summoned his daughter and explained the importance of the matter.

This young lady’s name was Qiao Yu. She was graceful and charming, with a coquettish gaze and captivating eyes, a rare beauty indeed. However, merely having good looks wasn’t enough to be chosen. That’s why Marquis Wuyang took a gamble and invited Tiancheng to secretly intervene.

"Please stand in the center, Miss," Tiancheng instructed.

Qiao Yu was also competitive. Previously, relying on her beauty, she often drew attention in the capital and was unrivaled. However, since Nanli returned, she had hardly been the subject of any discussion.

People were talking about Nanli’s profound Taoist skills, how formidable she was, and how she had saved lives in times of peril!

Now that she had this opportunity, Qiao Yu naturally wanted to shine.

Following instructions, Qiao Yu stood still as Tiancheng began his ritual.

He chanted incantations that others couldn’t hear clearly, then placed a red dot on Qiao Yu’s forehead and drew a talisman, which he placed in a cup. After the talisman disappeared, Tiancheng instructed Qiao Yu to drink the water in the cup.

However, Qiao Yu, seeing everything clearly, showed disgust and pursed her lips, refusing to drink.

"This is the final step. If the miss doesn’t drink, all our efforts will be in vain," Tiancheng said leisurely, stroking his beard.

Marquis Wuyang’s expression turned cold. "Are you suggesting that I force her to drink?"

With her eyes reddened, Qiao Yu had no choice. She pinched her nose and gulped down the water with the talisman.

The taste was strange, and she almost vomited.

However, Marquis Wuyang noticed that the red dot on her forehead disappeared at this moment.

Excitedly, he asked, "Master Tiancheng, is it done?"

Tiancheng nodded. "It’s done. Please rest assured, Lord Marquis. When Miss enters the palace, she will surely have the best appearance."

"Thank you, Master Tiancheng," Marquis Wuyang said, waving his hand, and a servant promptly presented the silver.

Seeing the shiny silver, Tiancheng couldn’t help but smile and touched it with his hand.

However, Marquis Wuyang left someone in the mansion because he feared Tiancheng might be a charlatan trying to cheat him out of his money.

But Tiancheng was upright and fearless. He settled down openly and confidently in the mansion.

Meanwhile, everyone in the Mansion of Marquis Wuyang spared no effort in preparing for Qiao Yu, from clothing and jewelry to embroidered shoes.

However, what made Qiao Yu angry was that just when the Qiao family thought they had spent a fortune, Chu’s second son waved his hand and bought all the precious items from various shops.

Qiao Yu didn’t need to guess. Although Nanli had married into the Prince Yu Mansion, Chu Shuo still frequently sent gifts to the mansion. The high-born ladies in the capital envied Nanli, including herself, and she couldn’t help but feel jealous and resentful.

Despite this, Qiao Yu didn’t want to lose to Nanli. She put even more effort into her preparations.

On the day of the flower banquet, Qiao Yu dressed gorgeously. Among the high-born ladies, she was indeed eye-catching and remarkable.

In terms of appearance, she was confident.

Not to mention that Master Tiancheng had used his magic on her. Now her appearance and aura were exceptional.

It was said that Nanli had only practiced Taoist cultivation for half a year and definitely couldn’t see through anything.

"The Ninth Princess is here," the eunuch announced.

Nanli entered the palace gates, wearing only a simple green pleated skirt, looking plain yet elegant. She had only a golden hairpin in her hair. Other than that, she wore no additional adornments.

However, amidst the colorful flowers, she exuded a unique charm.

Like a refreshing breeze, Nanli dispersed the extravagance of Fengxi Palace. Although not stunningly beautiful, Nanli still elicited amazed looks from the palace residents. Moreover, as the Ninth Princess, whenever she stood somewhere, all the high-born ladies had to kneel and pay their respects to her.

Nanli simply responded lightly, allowing everyone to rise, and then proceeded directly into the main hall to greet Empress Xie. Seeing her, the high-born ladies couldn’t help but envy her.

Qiao Yu gritted her teeth. Once she was chosen and became the Royal Heir’s consort, she would be close to Empress Xie too.

Inside the hall, Empress Xie was already dressed up. Upon seeing Nanli, she immediately had a flower stool brought over and said, "Lier, you’re here."

"Honored sister-in-law," Nanli greeted with a nod, then took a seat without much ceremony. "There are quite a few high-born ladies outside."

"Yes, it’s quite overwhelming. That’s why I invited you to the palace to help with the selection," Empress Xie sighed. "Actually, I still prefer Dongling’s child, but it’s a pity."

"Sister-in-law, please don’t say that. I’m just here to help assess their appearances and choose who should be the Royal Heir’s consort. Please don’t make me decide," Nanli replied. She didn’t want to incur the resentment of the high-born ladies.

"I understand. I won’t make it difficult for you," Empress Xie reassured her, patting her hand.

In truth, the flower banquet was just a formality. After admiring the flowers, the high-born ladies took their seats. Nanli sat beside Empress Xie, and a steward aunt handed her a booklet listing the high-born ladies’ names.

As each high-born lady came forward to pay respects, Nanli naturally learned who they were. They were all born into wealthy families, so even if their appearances were less than perfect, they couldn’t be too bad.

However, there were one or two who had sharp and mean faces or were destined to have no children. Nanli would mark their names to be excluded.

When Qiao Yu came forward to greet, Empress Xie found her appearance pleasing and smiled, gesturing for her to rise. "So, you’re from the Mansion of Marquis Wuyang. Please stand up."

Qiao Yu stood up respectfully. "Yes, my name is Qiao Yu. It’s a good name," Empress Xie noted.

Qiao Yu felt elated. The magic of Master Tiancheng had indeed worked. She maintained her composure and replied, "Thank you, Empress Xie."

Empress Xie nodded slightly, her smile lingering. Then she turned to Nanli and whispered, "What do you think?"

Obviously, she favored Qiao Yu.

Nanli commented, "Her celestial aura is full, her eyes are clear, and there’s a faint purple aura around her. She truly has the aura of an empress."

"Really?" Empress Xie was even more pleased. She had picked the right person at a glance. She looked at Qiao Yu again and grew fonder the more she looked.

However, Nanli found it strange. If the young lady from the Mansion of Marquis Wuyang was so outstanding, why did they need to find a backdoor through her earlier? Or did they not know that Qiao Yu was a rare beauty?

Nanli’s eyes flickered with thought. She then took out her celestial pen and talisman paper and immediately drew a seal.

"Miss Qiao, we have a connection. Today, I’ll give you a talisman as a gift," she said aloud.

Qiao Yu was stunned, and everyone looked at her. Some envied her, some were curious. After all, sometimes, even with money, it was hard to get a talisman from the Ninth Princess.

But Qiao Yu knew what was going on. She felt guilty and said, "The Ninth Princess’s talismans are worth a fortune. How can I accept it?"

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