Chapter 109 - A Rose Ravished - Part 9 (1/2)
Wulin
To the east of Aurora resided the majestic nation of Wulin. Across the realm, this prosperous, affluent, and powerful country was famous for its art, poetry, and culture. Tourism thrived here, and visitors came in droves annually for the sight, taste, and experience of what this wonderful country had to offer.
Within the center of this vast kingdom was the Imperial City, and in the middle of the hustle and bustle of this metropolitan area was the grand palace, where the royal family resided. Here, in a beautiful private garden in the south wing, was Princess Li Ju, a fae of exquisite beauty, with silky dark hair, dark-brown eyes, milky-fair skin, and rose-red lips.
Today, her hair was styled fashionably into a chignon with gold and gemstone ornaments as decorations. Her qixiong ruqun was very sophisticated, light, and bright, with the dark-purple pleated silk skirt flowing gracefully from above her breasts to the floor and her sheer white blouse wrapped elegantly about her upper body. Over the blouse, she wore a pastel-purple outer robe, with the sheer fabric branded with chrysanthemum flowers.
Sitting on a stool and surrounded by exquisite blossoms in full spring, Princess Ju was going through the agenda for the upcoming international conference, wanting to ensure that she didn't miss anything important, as it wasn't long until the opening date. After all, she was one of the organizers for this important meeting and didn't want to muck things up.
She was just sipping her tea when her older brother, Prince Li Wei, turned up.
As an heir to the throne, Prince Wei exuded an air of regality, grace, and power. The moment he saw his sister, he came down to take a seat in front of her, fluttering his long sleeves about as he poured himself tea.
”Are you still going through the agenda?” he asked.
She nodded. ”I have to make sure things are going according to plan.”
He chuckled. ”You know very well nothing ever goes according to plan.”
She shrugged her slender shoulders. ”Well, we'll just have to do the best we can.”
After looking at him for a moment, she leaned forward and tapped on the stone table. ”By the way, have you found out anything about that pure qi piercing the sky a few weeks back?”
Wei nodded. He leaned forward and whispered, ”Apparently, the wise man told Father it's the return of The Great One.”
Ju raised a brow. ”Really? How fascinating.”
Wei nodded. ”It is, isn't it?”
Ju sighed. ”If only this conference wasn't taking place this month, I would request of Father that I go and investigate such a rare phenomenon.”
”Forget it,” Wei said. ”There's no way he'd let you.”
She pulled a face. ”I just wanted to meet The Great One; that's all. Nothing more.”
Wei picked up his teacup, gracefully brought it up to his lips, and took a sip. When he put it down, he said, ”Have you arranged a suitable accommodation for the Lords of Acaedien yet? They're arriving within the week, you know.”
Ju nodded. ”They're staying at the Waterfall Mansion to the west of the palace. I'm sure they'll like it there, as the estate has waterfalls and a hot spring pool. I heard they're fond of it, just like the Yamato people.” Suddenly, Ju leaned forward and said, ”I heard rumors that three of the seven lords have acquired themselves a mate. Apparently, they're sharing her.”
Wei raised a brow. ”Isn't that normal? Father has many concubines, after all.”