All beasts submit, and the peerless imperial princess is about to defy the heavens!

Upon hearing this news, Feng Ning could only laugh; his true intentions lay elsewhere.

They must be trying to get something from her.

These people came for her from the very beginning, so they certainly won't let her off the hook at this palace banquet. It all depends on where they pull their tricks.

In the end, it was just a trap.

However, to Feng Ning's relief, apart from Liu Yuanxiu being somewhat worried, the other two seemed quite composed.

This made her realize something unusual.

Take, for example, the identities of these two people.

This is, after all, the royal palace of the Holy Feather Kingdom, and the people we will be meeting later are the emperor of the Holy Feather Kingdom and members of various powerful families.

Normally, one would react like Liu Yuanxiu, feeling somewhat uneasy and fearful of the unknown.

But the two of them reacted too calmly, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

That means these two people likely face this situation frequently and are already used to such large-scale events.

Therefore, the identities of these two people are worth investigating.

It doesn't matter. Since they are partners, there's no need to pry. They'll find out when the time is right.

Everyone has the right to keep their own secrets. She found it somewhat unbelievable that Duan Menghua could recognize her appearance at a glance.

But I didn't ask any further questions, perhaps there are some unspeakable secrets behind this.

She didn't immediately point out the problem with her appearance; instead, she asked about it only after her appearance had been restored.

Looking back now, she must have known what I was all about from the first moment she saw me; otherwise, why would she have called me "pretty sister" from the very beginning?

She gave a wry smile, realizing that she was still a bit slow-witted and hadn't even noticed the flaw in her words.

But since there was no malicious intent, it doesn't matter.

……

the next night.

Palace banquet.

This banquet was indeed meticulously prepared, as it was not only to welcome them but also to arrange the engagement of His Highness the Crown Prince.

However, they were all focused on how to escape and paid no attention to what was happening outside.

Until the palace banquet...

Emperor Gu Ling had a somewhat dignified appearance, but he wore a smile on his face.

He started by saying some polite words, basically wishing everyone a good meal and drinks and a pleasant time.

He then turned his gaze toward the group from the Tianxuan Sect.

"You are all inner disciples of the Tianxuan Sect, geniuses among geniuses. On behalf of the people of the Holy Feather Kingdom, I welcome you to the Holy Feather Kingdom as guests."

There were five people brought by Gu Wenlang. After Emperor Shengyu spoke, they immediately came out and respectfully bowed to him.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. Senior Brother Gu has always been a role model for us disciples. It is our honor to be invited by him to visit the Holy Feather Kingdom."

Emperor Shengyu smiled and nodded, "Please sit down. You are honored guests of the Shengyu Kingdom tonight."

One of them smiled so much that several wrinkles appeared on his face, and replied even more respectfully, "Senior Brother Gu is His Highness the Third Prince of the Holy Feather Kingdom, so we are just juniors."

Everyone uses the same old tricks, and the Holy Feather Emperor has heard them so many times that they're nothing new to him.

Instead, they turned their attention to the four people sitting on the other side, namely Feng Ning and his group.

"Are those junior disciples also disciples of the Tianxuan Sect?"

The four of them had agreed that Yao Feibai would handle this kind of situation.

Yao Feibai has always been aloof and doesn't like dealing with them.

However, compared to the other troublemakers, he preferred to speak up himself.

So he stood up and bowed slightly to the person in the head seat, his attitude humble but not subservient.

Compared to the previous five people, they seemed even more noble.

He began, "We are the newly initiated disciples this year, and we greet Your Majesty, Holy Feather."

The other three also bowed in that direction, without any obsequiousness.

Emperor Shengyu simply nodded and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Then he looked at the Crown Prince.

"Prince."

Crown Prince Gu Yuxuan stood up from his seat, walked into the main hall, and knelt down.

"Father."

Emperor Shengyu nodded in satisfaction. "I suppose you all know the purpose of this palace banquet: to bestow a marriage upon the Crown Prince?"

Everyone nodded symbolically.

He continued, "The candidates for the Crown Princess were selected a few days ago. Where are they?"

Then, an imperial guard stepped forward and read aloud,

"Hai Lingruo, eldest daughter of the Hai family; Kou Chenwei, eldest daughter of the Kou family; Liu He, second daughter of the Liu family; Hou Le'er, eldest daughter of the Hou family; and Li Changqing, eldest daughter of the Li family."

Then, five women walked into the main hall and knelt down. Some were happy, some were sad, and some were expressionless.

Feng Ning never expected to see the Hai family again so soon.

But upon closer reflection, the Hai family was one of the three major families, so it was normal for them to attend the palace banquet, and so he stopped paying attention.

The Emperor continued, "The selection of the Crown Princess is a major matter. This decision must be made by the Crown Prince himself. Your Highness, these five women are all before you. Choose one yourself."

Arranged marriages were one of the important means of maintaining peaceful coexistence among the major families.

As members of the royal family, maintaining a balance of power among various factions is an essential skill.

There were even ancient regulations that stipulated that the crown prince could not choose a wife, and other princes could not marry into other clans.

Therefore, all the other princes were waiting for Crown Prince Gu Yuxuan to choose a Crown Princess.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Gu Yuxuan turned his head and gave the five people behind him a smile.

"I will choose a Crown Princess from among you, but I hope you will do so voluntarily. I will now give you a chance. If any of you are unwilling, you may return to your seats."

Then a woman was seen returning to her seat.

A cold glint flashed in the prince's eyes. There really was such an ungrateful woman.

It is his right not to choose.

But if someone dares to refuse him before he makes a choice, then that person is ungrateful!

He remembered the Li family, Li Changqing.

Then, he turned his gaze to the remaining four people.

He turned to Emperor Shengyu and said, "Your Majesty, I wish to marry Kou Chenwei, the eldest daughter of the Kou family, as my Crown Princess."

The Kou family has been the head of the three major families for several years, and their strength should not be underestimated. If he can get the support of the Kou family, then his throne will be secure.

Therefore, he had to marry a woman from the Kou family, which was something he had discussed with his father, the emperor, long ago.

As for bringing out the other women to go through, it's just a way to give the other families a warning in the name of fairness.

So that they won't be unaware of their own identity and start dreaming of other things.

Emperor Shengyu nodded in satisfaction, "Then so be it."