They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Chapter 333 He Might Fall in Love with You

Chu Qiu was still puzzled. She meant to praise him, but why did she tell him not to stick needles again next time?

Wu Ziyan saw Chu Qiu in the bronze mirror. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Knowing that he was about to ask why, she quickly turned around and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shh, don't talk."

Then, lifting her skirt with both hands, she walked out of the room and knocked on the door of Fang Yuerong's room.

Yue'er was indeed up. She wondered who was knocking on the door. When she opened it, she saw Wu Ziyan with her hair tied up like that. Her lips twitched. She couldn't figure out whose handiwork this was.

"Miss."

"Is your young master up yet? Never mind, let me in first. Yue'er will help me comb my hair."

Finally, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and ask with a smile, "Miss, who did your hair? It's so tight, it's pulled your scalp bald."

"Don't ask, just tell me quickly. You still need to help your young master wash up later."

Fang Yuerong, wearing his undergarments and with his hair loose, sat up in bed. He had already woken up when he heard the door open and saw what Wu Ziyan was doing. It was probably Chu Qiu who had done it to her.

"Moon, you go ahead with your work, I'll comb the master's hair."

"what?"

Fang Yuerong combed her hair without her worry, after all, she was a trendsetter in the capital, and she wouldn't tie her hair up so tightly that it would look like a bald head.

She naturally took the comb and combed Wu Ziyan's hair thoroughly. Then she arranged the hair in a row and styled it into a simple bun, tying it with a hairpin. It looked smooth and beautiful. Wow, what skillful hands she had!

"It looks really good. Thank you, Yue Rong. I'm sorry to bother you. I'm going to the palace with Chu Qiu and the others later. You and Bo You can stroll around the streets. Remember to wear Xiao Rong's clothes. Xiao Rong has just passed through, and there might be criminals among them, so you should be careful."

"Yes, I'll go to the East and West rooms again today to take a closer look, at least to scout out the location in advance."

"Yes, you and Boyou have always gotten along well. You are very knowledgeable in business, but he is also an expert when it comes to selecting materials. Wow... I am so lucky."

"How lucky we are! Was your hair styled by Chu Qiu just now? You came here to me, aren't you afraid he'll get angry?"

"His hands are better suited to holding a sword; they're not suited to holding a comb or anything like that."

He lowered his head and said nothing, but simply put the last hairpin in her hair and leaned against her head to look in the bronze mirror together: "Master, why don't I draw your eyebrows for you?"

"okay."

She suddenly felt pretty good. All the issues of food, clothing, housing, transportation, and security had been resolved. All she had to do was coordinate. In short, it was awesome!

Wu Ziyan used to draw eyebrows that were more masculine, but today her friends drew crescent-shaped eyebrows for her, making her face look softer and more feminine. For people of this era, however, it would be considered more masculine.

"I've lost all my femininity. I may look good, but I still look good, so who cares what they say!"

Fang Yuerong casually applied lip rouge to her lips and made her cheeks rosy. She felt that this was the most beautiful she had ever been in this world. Perhaps the people who had drawn her eyebrows and made her face rosy in the past were afraid that she would mind her appearance, so they tried to make her look more heroic. Only Fang Yuerong made her eyebrows and eyes delicate and her face as rosy as a peach.

"How beautiful it is, even to myself."

"If the master were a man, he would surely be a beauty that could topple kingdoms."

"If you put it that way, I'm a little curious. What does my father look like? He must be handsome, otherwise the Prime Minister and my mother would both like him."

"I dare not comment on that."

"What's there to be afraid of? After all, I don't even remember it. Are you alright? If you're alright, go wash up. I'll go to the palace with them once their court session is over."

"Ah."

She admired her own beauty in the bronze mirror, then winked at Fang Yuerong before happily heading out.

She walked out and disappeared. He stared at the empty doorway, thinking that their own men each had their own strengths, which was actually quite good.

She went out with makeup that was different from her usual look. Standing in the hall, Chu Qiu almost didn't recognize her from a distance. Only when she got closer could she see that it was indeed her. Although she had no heroic spirit, she had an indescribable gentleness that suited her very well.

Why are you dressed like that?

"Does it look good?"

He was silent for a while, perhaps still bothered by his hairstyle, but he wouldn't lie; it really did look good.

"nice"

Chu Yu was also neatly dressed and came downstairs. Although you could still see the dark circles under his eyes, this was her best condition.

"Your Highness, I...I..."

"The Chu Yu I know isn't such a coy person."

The three of them boarded the carriage together. They could now enter the palace without any hindrance. All they needed to do was present the token given to them by Qi Zeyun and Qi Zexuan, and they would be treated as honored guests.

When they entered the palace, it was just after the court assembly had ended. Everyone else was leaving, but they were the only ones going in. People passing by avoided looking at each other, not daring to look too closely, as it was still a sensitive period.

The eunuch informed Qi Zeyun that Wu Ziyan and his group were requesting an audience. Qi Zeyun thought about it and realized that most of them were there because of Qi Zexuan.

"Take them to the back hall to wait, then bring Qi Zexuan to me and say this to him..."

The palace servant nodded and first went to bring Qi Zexuan, since it was closer, and then invited Wu Ziyan and the others to the back hall.

They arrived without even having breakfast, and Wu Ziyan was already starving. He didn't offer them any pastries or anything, but simply left a few teapots for them.

"Why aren't they here yet?"

“You knew we were coming.”

"Your Highness, please don't trouble yourself with my affairs. At worst..."

At this moment, Qi Zeyun's voice came from outside the hall. Her voice was loud and cold: "General Chu Yu, I wonder what the worst that can happen? Will you return to your country in a fit of anger, or will you marry into the family in a fit of anger?"

"At worst, I'll just elope with Qi Zexuan in a fit of anger!"

These were words she never would have said, yet they came out of her mouth. Even Wu Ziyan wanted to give her a thumbs up; she hadn't expected it at all.

Qi Zexuan, who was hiding in the shadows, almost burst out laughing when he heard this. It was indeed a method she could come up with.

Qi Zeyun had thought it was a multiple-choice question, but it turned out to be a fill-in-the-blank question. He snorted and sat down in the seat of honor. The oppressive aura of a superior was so strong that just one glance from them was enough to make one feel pressured.

"Fourth Prince, what brings you to this world today?"

"Of course, it's about strengthening the friendship between the two countries."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You should know the strength of my Wu Dynasty, while your Xiao Rong is backed by the Northern Desert and flanked by the Northern Rong. You are sandwiched in the middle like a piece of fat meat, while our Wu Dynasty has the largest territory. Overthrowing Xiao Rong will be a piece of cake! I believe you also know that we have made peace with the Northern Desert. When we discuss sending troops together, Xiao Rong will not be able to withstand it."

"You're threatening me with those words. Don't forget, you're still in Xiao Rong territory."

"Of course I haven't forgotten. I was just talking about things that might happen in the future. Of course, the most likely scenario is that it's Beirong, which is closest to you. Knowing that you just quelled the internal strife, they might be up to something on the border."

Her words struck a chord with her, which was exactly what she was worried about. After all, Wu Ziyan's words were not actually threatening; they were just pointing out the risks involved.

"If Prince Xuan, no, the future husband of Chu Yu, is your Prince Xuan, Xiao Rong's master and mistress of Situ Chu Yu, just think about how important his status will be. You know how powerful the Situ family is without me having to tell you, right?"

"Marrying Prince Xuan to Chu Yu is absolutely beneficial, as the Situ family guards the borders and the gates of the Wu Dynasty!"

"But that's not enough."

"I know whether this is Prince Xuan's intention or His Majesty's intention?"

"What I mean is what he means."

"Then let me say it again. If Prince Xuan marries into our country, I am willing to raise the tariff to twelve percent. Your Majesty, you should think carefully before refusing or raising the price. Our Wu Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, and we also have trade with the Northern Desert. We can form a triangular ring road. Don't you need money to expand your territory?"

This is far more tempting than the Situ family's offer. If they could really lower the price by three percent, how much money could they make?

As expected, it still came down to bribery. After all, she had already gone all out for power and influence. Qi Zexuan no longer wanted to lurk in the shadows and stepped out from behind: "Your Majesty, is it alright now?"

"Okay, but I have one more request."

"Your Majesty, please."

“You must come back once a year.”

This request didn't even seem like a request. Coming back to visit relatives was necessary. Then, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she looked at Qi Zexuan with affection, after all, he was her only younger brother.

"Guards, I need to draft an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon Prince Xuan. Of course, I cannot allow my brother to be wronged; we must invite the Situ family members to witness this."

"That is naturally Situ Chuling, the second daughter of the Situ family. She is in Rongyang. At a fast pace, it will only take a day and a night to get there."

Chu Yu couldn't believe that the matter was resolved so easily. She had mentioned Qi Zexuan to her sister and mother in her letter, and they didn't object too much, but they felt that since it involved crossing social boundaries, they should be more cautious.

With the imperial edict prepared, Qi Zexuan got his wish and, regardless of whether it was in public, went up and grabbed Chu Yu's hand.

Qi Zeyun didn't know what he whispered in Chu Yu's ear, but Chu Yu's face turned red instantly. Qi Zeyun was a little displeased, still preferring her old, cold and ruthless younger brother, the one who always schemed against and competed with her.

Now, with her love-struck mind, she really didn't want to admit that this was her younger brother. But the dowry even mentioned the city on the border. It was truly a case of giving away the land for a dowry. Of course, nominally it still belonged to Xiao Rong, but all the trade in that city belonged to him.

"Having just experienced national mourning, I have only written a marriage certificate with the two of you. The wedding will be held in grand style a year from now."

"That means if we both sign now, we'll be husband and wife."

"Yes, at least in Xiaorong Kingdom, no one denies it. At that time, we will just be the witnesses, and only those of us who know them will be there."

"Well, that's fine."

Now that the terms had been agreed upon, Wu Ziyan stretched and rubbed her empty stomach: "Let's go back for dinner."

"Chu Yu will not be going back with you; she wants to stay in the palace with me."

"Zexuan, this doesn't make sense."

"What's all this talk about manners? I am manners, and who dares to say otherwise?"

Qi Zeyun was getting impatient. Out of sight, out of mind. There was still a huge pile of memorials waiting for her to deal with. This high position wasn't so easy to hold.

Wu Ziyan and the others got up and prepared to leave, but Qi Zexuan chose breakfast for them. Since they were already here, they decided to have a meal together before going back.

The breakfast in the palace was better and had a wider variety than the one at their post station. Since it was such a good thing, she wanted to eat more. She ate as if she were in her own backyard, without any politeness, and even told everyone to "eat, eat, don't be shy."

After the meal, Wu Ziyan and the others were sent back by carriage by Qi Zexuan, while Chu Yu stayed in the palace. Chu Qiu felt something was amiss, but seeing that his third sister didn't say anything, he could only reluctantly follow Wu Ziyan back.

"Chu Qiu, if you don't believe me, you write it yourself. How should I invite Sister Chu Ling over?"

“This is indeed a big deal. It should have been written by Third Sister herself, but she dumped the task on you and went off to enjoy herself.”

"This is the first time I've heard you complain about your sister using so many words. I thought you were just a block of wood."

"Whether I am a block of wood or not, Miss, do you not know?"

"The bottom is wood, and the top is a wooden head; both are quite hard."

Although he didn't say anything, Chu Qiu blushed inexplicably and felt uncomfortable all over, especially when he felt Wu Ziyan's eyes glancing at his lower abdomen from time to time. He even raised a hand to cover himself.

"You can block me now, but you won't be able to later. I can watch whenever I want and touch whenever I want."

"Miss, we're still outside."

"Does that mean we can just stay inside?"

Every time Wu Ziyan talked to Chu Qiu, he could make him very embarrassed. Wu Ziyan knew when to stop and never pushed him too far. If he pushed him too far, Chu Qiu would turn into a stone and end up shooting himself in the foot.

"By the way, if Yue Rong and Bo You haven't left yet when we get back, why don't you go out with them and rest at home while you write your letter? After all, you still need to think about how to write it."

"Are you worried about their safety, Miss?"

"With you here, I feel more at ease."

Chu Qiu nodded and gripped the sword in his hand again. Coincidentally, just as their carriage stopped inside the post station, two people came out. They were dressed in full military attire, even wearing veils, which added to their exotic flair.

"What a coincidence, you're only heading out now? I'll have Chu Qiu go with you."

They certainly wouldn't refuse; they needed an extra layer of force to feel secure. As soon as Wu Ziyan entered, two men stood on either side of Chu Qiu, one with an arm around the other's shoulder, both smiling: "Was Miss in your room last night? Nothing happened between you and Miss, did it?"

Chu Qiu recalled the sneaky things he had done, while Wu Ziyan seemed unaware of them. He looked away, and both of them understood.