Chapter 14: Beating

Her beauty is not the enchanting beauty of a national treasure, nor is it the gentle and beautiful beauty of a maiden from a humble family. Her beauty is like a kite soaring in the sky, visible but with a sensation of unattainability.

Everyone just stared at her dumbfounded, forgetting to even bow.

The azure kite looked around, then coldly walked towards the deep city gate. The crowd automatically made way for her as if she were not a princess of a fallen kingdom, but the mistress of the country.

"Princess..." a gentle voice came from ahead.

The azure kite stopped, only to see a group of people hastily coming out of the city gate. The one in the lead was dressed in white and wore a jade crown, with a tall and handsome figure.

The young man walked out of the city gate and, upon seeing the azure kite, couldn't help but stare in a daze. His eyes seemed to be fixed, as if he were just staring at her.

The azure kite glanced at the man, her cool gaze unmoved. She asked indifferently, "Who might you be?"

The young man hesitated, at a loss for words.

"Hahaha, the prince is honored by the personal welcome of the crown prince. It is truly fortunate!" a hearty laugh came from behind.

The azure kite didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She stiffened slightly and then stood even more proudly.

The sound of galloping hooves could be heard, and Su Yutian, in armor, accompanied by several generals, swiftly rode out. When they arrived ten paces from the city gate, the onlookers saw glimmering gold before Su Yutian had neatly dismounted and approached the young man.

He smiled and knelt down, "Your Highness, the prince, pays his respects to the crown prince!"

Clad in armor, it was inconvenient for Su Yutian to bow, so the young man hastily helped him up, "Elder Brother, you're too polite! Please, get up!"

Su Yutian rose, with a genuine touch to his gesture of respect, but no one knew.

The azure kite stood by, her phoenix eyes slightly in motion.

"Your Highness, this is your future queen," Su Yutian added with a hint of emphasis on the words "future queen". As he spoke, the prince's face displayed embarrassment. The azure kite cast a cold glance at Su Yutian.

The young man coughed and said, "Yes, Elder Brother is right. However, the national rites have not yet been carried out... Princess, you've had a long journey and must be weary."

The azure kite sneered and coldly walked into the capital, leaving the prince rooted to the spot, dumbfounded by her disappearing figure.

Suddenly, a hand was placed heavily on his shoulder. The prince turned around to meet Su Yutian's smiling face.

"Your Highness, your future queen has quite a temper."

The prince blushed and hastily said, "Elder Brother, don't speak lightly. I think Princess Qingyuan looks gentle and charming... she will surely be exemplary as the queen in the future."

Su Yutian stared at him for a moment and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" the prince was perplexed by his laughter.

Su Yutian looked at him meaningfully, "Crown Prince, it's getting late, let's enter the city. The emperor is still waiting."

That night, Qingyuan stayed in the Ziguilou Palace of the Liang Palace. She was exhausted from the journey and fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep as soon as she arrived.

It was a profound slumber, and when she awoke, it was already bright and the fragrance of peach blossoms filled the air. Tao Xiang led a group of palace maids in orderly service.

Qingyuan glanced around the palace. Ziguilou was neither large nor small, not luxurious, but certainly not shabby. It exuded a bold and powerful air from the north, lacking the delicacy and refinement of the south.

Tao Xiang, noticing her expression, quickly reassured her, "Princess, rest assured, after the completion of the formal rites, you will be able to move into the Chaohuagong Palace."

Qingyuan smiled faintly, coldly silent. As the princess of a fallen country, she was already without autonomy. She did not care about what kind of person she would become or where she would live.

At that moment, a shrill voice of the court eunuch came from outside the hall: "The emperor arrives!"

Qingyuan remained seated, indifferent, while Tao Xiang anxiously paled, "Princess, the emperor is here."

Qingyuan calmly sipped her tea and retorted, "What does it have to do with me?"

Seeing her unfriendly expression, Tao Xiang, not daring to persuade her further, hurriedly went to greet the emperor. After a while, Qingyuan indeed saw a group of people escorting an old man in imperial robes into the hall.

The old man had a sallow complexion and his brows were tightly knit. Qingyuan averted her eyes in disgust. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise, she simply could not bring herself to cater to such a decrepit old man. Let alone the fact that he had destroyed her country and killed her relatives.

The Liang Emperor carefully scrutinized her, suddenly bursting into a hearty laugh, "A beauty! Indeed, a beauty!"

Qingyuan's face darkened. What a vulgar statement to come from the ruler of a nation.

The emperor approached and, with a covetous look in his old eyes, said, "Beauty, you've endured a long journey."

He reached out and grasped Qingyuan's hand. She shuddered.

One hand was as withered as dry wood, while the other was as smooth and lustrous as jade. The contrast between the white hair and the youthful face made the whole situation feel even more eerie.

Qingyuan coldly withdrew her hand, "Your Majesty, have some self-respect."

The emperor paused, then burst into boisterous laughter, "Self-respect? The beautiful woman wants me to respect myself!"

He laughed wildly and arrogantly, and it sounded very unpleasant. Qingyuan frowned, about to say something, when she suddenly caught sight of the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall becoming even more timid, some even trembling slightly out of fear.

A sense of alarm rose in her heart.

Sure enough, as the Emperor Liang continued his maniacal laughter, his voice turned cold: "Guards! Tie up this wretch and beat her harshly!"

Qingyuan suddenly looked up and met the gloomy eyes of Emperor Liang. There was no trace of mercy in those eyes, only cold cruelty.

Soon, the eunuchs rushed forward and viciously dragged Qingyuan away. Someone stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth, and then several eunuchs appeared out of nowhere with paddles, relentlessly beating her.

A sharp, intense pain struck, and Qingyuan stifled a groan. The relentless beating felt like raindrops falling on her. Her limbs were pressed tightly, rendering her unable to speak, only able to grit her teeth and endure the pain.

"Keep beating! Beat her hard for me!" The Emperor Liang, sitting in the main seat, kept shouting with a maniacal and violent tone.

Before long, her clothes were soaked with blood, dripping onto the ground bit by bit. The air was filled with clamorous shouts. Her vision blurred repeatedly.

After what felt like an eternity, Liang's hoarse voice came from above her: "Alright. Stop."