In the end, the old man had just opened his mouth when Meng Fuyao suddenly placed a finger on his lips .

The old man felt his mouth turn cold as if something had entered his stomach as he suddenly opened his mouth, only to hear a whisper beside his ear, “Read faster, you only have fifteen minutes to finish reading! If not, the Sky Mountain Ice Poison silkworm will eat your heart all the way to your liver, so start reading fast!”

After receiving Meng Fuyao's “blessing”, the entourage witnessed the fastest chanting speed for the first time in all of Xuanyuan's history .

“The Changning Yuwen Clan… the t.i.tle of Lord of the Six Palaces!”

Apart from these few phrases, the hundreds of officials couldn't catch anything else that rolled off the old man's tongue .

Meng Fuyao couldn't help but cast an expression of praise . 'If this old man was brought to the modern world, he could probably secure a career as a HIP-HOP singer,' she thought .

After the chant was finished, she ordered again, “Quickly offer up the gifts!”

In front of the palace gates, Zhan Beiye had been stopped by the guards .

“The palace is currently holding a huge ceremony, may Your Majesty return . ”

“I'm here precisely for that!” Zhan Beiye raised his eyebrows . “I was invited here!”

The leader of the guards looked slightly awkward as he wiped the sweat off his head and said, “The nation just changed the plans… The viewing ceremony has been canceled, may Your Majesty alight from your horse and head to the palace stables, after that the Regent King will personally come to apologize…”

“Since I'm already here, why are you stopping me, is this how Xuanyuan treats their neighboring emperor?” Zhan Beiye frowned and glared at the guard . “Do you think I'll let off bullying my new nation?”

The leader of the guards retreated three steps in fright and bowed frantically, stuttering, “I wouldn't dare… Wouldn't dare…”

A war between two nations was not what a mere guard leader like himself could afford to start…

“Then get out of the way!” Zhan Beiye shoved him aside and declared, “Once I've pulled my bow, it won't turn back!”

Bringing only two Black Wind Calvary warriors, he galloped through the Qinsheng gate as a hundred guards frantically tried to stop him . However, Zhan Beiye used all his might and shook all of them off .

“Emperor of Dahan, you've gone overboard!”

A piercing, hostile voice shouted at him, and Zhan Beiye paused for a moment before moving on, pretending he hadn't heard anything .

“Please stop!”

The person had already arrived and was standing right in front of Zhan Beiye .

Zhan Beiye slowly raised his head and stared at Xuanyuan Cheng .

“Emperor of Dahan, this is the first ceremony the nation has had in almost a decade . Thus, it has to be carried out with utmost respect, so please watch your actions!”

Zhan Beiye stared at him and suddenly started laughing .

“Is the name of the honored Empress Yuwen Zi?” Zhan Beiye's voice was light, but the entire palace could hear him . “If I remember correctly, seven years ago when I was at Geya fighting against the Mo Luo troops, I was betrayed and put in a disadvantageous situation, and I had to retreat, injured, into the northern region of the country . At Changning's Mt . Changluo, I encountered a lady who was visiting the mountain who saved me . Because of her care and protection, I am grateful even today . She had not left her name then, but after I searched and enquired around, I finally confirmed the ident.i.ty of my savior,” he pointed towards the top of the palace steps and announced, “It was precisely Empress Yuwen!”

Xuanyuan Cheng was stunned momentarily as Zhan Beiye eyed him and continued, “Even if Xuanyuan has changed the procession and disallowed guests from viewing, can't you compromise and let me see the empress, my savior, during her most glorious moment? I've even traveled thousands of miles to get here . ”

He added, “Since Xuanyuan values tradition so much, as a gentleman of the nation, is it right to treat other nations' emperors in this manner?”

Zhan Beiye's words reverberated throughout the palace grounds as everyone remained silent . He had made a great point, and in the heat of the moment, Xuanyuan Cheng was unable to give him an answer .

In the meantime, Meng Fuyao was listening from within the palace, her face darkening as she thought, 'd.a.m.n it, this madman Zhan's really good at faking it!'

She raised her head and glared at the Minister of Rites, who had already been shocked dumb earlier, and growled, “Go and retrieve the treasures from the dragon pavilion, quickly!”

The official had already been tormented by this vicious person the entire morning and dumbly agreed to get the treasures . However, his movements were slow, and Meng Fuyao's anxiety only rose even more, and she wanted nothing more than to kick the official on the a.r.s.e and send him flying directly to the dragon pavilion .

On the jade pedestal, Xuanyuan Cheng had already been thoroughly stumped by Zhan Beiye and couldn't stall him any further .

If he really wanted to remove this “grateful” Emperor of Dahan away, he not only had to disrespect Dahan in front of everyone, Zhan Beiye's actions had always been fearsome and destructive; earlier on, he had already stationed troops along the borders, clearly sending a message: “if you offend me, I'll trample on you” . This new emperor was also world-famous and spent merely half a year restoring Tiansha to its former glory . Given the circ.u.mstances, Xuanyuan couldn't afford to offend such a dangerous enemy .

But if they let him in, who knew what outrageous things this boisterous emperor would do? Xuanyuan Cheng frowned and wondered if he picked the wrong day . This ceremony was destined to turn into the joke of the nation .

After a long silence, he finally sighed lightly and moved away, but did not leave . “Since that's the case, Your Majesty may remain to view the ceremony . ”

Zhan Beiye smiled brightly, refusing to let him pa.s.s as he moved ahead first with a swish of his robes . Xuanyuan Cheng had never met such an overbearing person and could only grit his teeth and follow behind .

The minister finally brought the treasures before Meng Fuyao . Once she received the treasures, the ceremony was complete .

Meng Fuyao reached out and said, “Give it to me!”

“Hold it!”

A thunderous bellow resounded through the hall, leaving a buzzing noise in everyone's ears . Only Meng Fuyao remained indifferent as she reached out to grab the treasures .

“Do you still remember back then, the sword that I once gave to you?”

Zhan Beiye's voice suddenly quietened, his question halting Meng Fuyao in her footsteps .

“I've waited for you to return it for a long time . ”

The entire palace broke out in chaos .

He was really here to steal the Empress…

With a dull thud, the old Minister of Rites, unable to withstand blow after blow from the day's happenings, finally fainted…

Xuanyuan Cheng's expression changed as he shouted, “Emperor of Dahan, this is too much!”

Zhan Beiye laughed coldly and crossed his arms around his chest, ignoring the glares and outrage around him as he fixed his gaze on Meng Fuyao .

Everyone turned to look at Zhan Beiye in shock, then at Xuanyuan Min who was sitting on the throne smiling away, then at the heart of the matter, the empress that the two emperors were fighting over, Meng Fuyao .

Countless curious and suspicious gazes were upon her slim silhouette as she stood motionless, the hand reaching out to grab the treasure hanging in mid-air .

It was as if that exquisite and narrow hand was holding an invisible string and pulling everyone's gaze towards it, taut with tension .

After a moment, the hand finally lowered and did not continue to receive the treasure, but instead rested itself against the armrest .

Zhan Beiye's eyes glinted as the entire palace froze . However, Xuanyuan Min suddenly covered his face and coughed slightly .

A suspicious expression appeared on Meng Fuyao's face as she slowly turned around .

Looking back at him, she smiled slightly and said, “Oh, it's Your Majesty… But, I really don't like learning martial arts…”

Uh…

Everyone present remained motionless, trying to comprehend what her reply meant . Zhan Beiye's eyes shone again as he heard a certain someone's voice whisper into his ear, viciously, “Are you done playing? If you don't cooperate, I'll never forgive you this entire lifetime!”

Zhan Beiye raised his eyes and stared at Meng Fuyao's hate-filled expression as if it were nothing and whispered back, “Since when have I never?”

Daggers shot out of Meng Fuyao's eyes as she shot back, “Always!”

Zhan Beiye's gaze turned, and he suddenly broke into a smile .

His smile was extremely joyous as he said, “Ah, empress, you're still the same as you were all those years back . ”

Then, he retreated and sat comfortably onto the chair behind him, appearing oblivious to everything that was happening around him as he said, “After I saw you, I suddenly remembered that I haven't repaid you from the time at Mt . Changluo . I also see that you're rather skilled in martial arts, and I remember that I promised to teach you a set of sword techniques for defense, but you've rejected my sword and left me, unable to repay my debt . Today, now that I've seen you in the palace as a glorious empress, I remembered the past and couldn't help but…”

His next words were frank and casual without a single sliver of guilt as he said, “… crack a joke . ”

The poor Minister of Rites had just been awoken when he heard the last sentence and fainted again .

Meng Fuyao discreetly wrung her wrists—when madman Zhan was saying those kinds of disgusting things, it really wasn't a normal kind of repulsiveness…

'd.a.m.ned manipulative b.a.s.t.a.r.d!'

He wasn't here to disrupt her “wedding” to begin with, he was merely concerned about the time when she was forced a kiss and couldn't let things go, so he deliberately tried to create trouble and force her into a corner and express her forgiveness .

For a simple “I forgive you,” Zhan Beiye had played around with the royal wedding ceremony of a nation and the relations between two nations!

Meng Fuyao deeply believed that if she did not let Zhan Beiye hear what he wanted, this Emperor Zhan would really ignore everything and confess to her right here, right now .

With a weak smile, Meng Fuyao glanced at Xuanyuan Min . In the entire palace, he was the only one who was able to see everyone the most perceptively . He was the calmest, most composed, without saying anything throughout it all, not even giving an outraged or shocked expression—had he already seen through Zhan Beiye's act of madness?

Speaking of herself, she was facing away from the man . Being forced to “marry” him, she had originally wanted to settle scores with him after that, but now she didn't even have the heart to do so… How detestable!

Meng Fuyao glanced at Xuanyuan Cheng . He was breathing heavily, and his expression was unreadable as he stood there, his sleeve covering his face . She momentarily felt extremely happy . 'Haha, I'm not the only one being played, you guys are suffering too . '

Smiling brightly, she thought, 'Actually, Emperor Zhan is still good, he's just a little rough around the edges . If a certain prince were to be here instead, I wouldn't even know what would happen . '