Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

A grand palace banquet began, with dazzling palace lanterns illuminating the magnificent golden walls.

Hundreds of palace maids moved about, meticulously carrying out every detail.

It gives people a sense of the majesty and solemnity of the ancient palace.

Envoys from various countries took their seats, and palace maids served fine wines and delicacies, the aroma of which filled the air and made mouths water.

The first part of the palace banquet was for envoys from various countries to come forward to pay their respects and present their gifts.

Envoys from the five kingdoms of Purple Moon, Elegant Rhyme, Jade Dragon, Azure Wolf, and Golden Stone presented their respective treasures, jade artifacts, and special products.

It is worth mentioning that these five countries all presented beautiful women as tribute, each consisting of two princesses from their respective countries, for a total of ten princesses.

What's most special is that the Kingdom of Ya Yun and the Kingdom of Jin Shi really came up with a unique idea: they sent a princess along with a prince.

Lin Ruoshui poked Baili Heng's arm with her finger and whispered, "It seems that the intelligence systems of Ya Yun Kingdom and Jin Shi Kingdom are very powerful. They must have thought that I am gay, so they sent a prince."

When Baili Heng saw the ten beautiful women, he felt a little nauseous.

When he saw the two princes, his face seemed to droop down to the table.

Suppressing his anger, Baili Heng said, "This is outrageous! What kind of behavior is this? Are they provoking the State of Chu?"

Lin Ruoshui said, "They're all spies, not really being sent to me as male concubines. Don't get so agitated."

Upon hearing the words "male concubine," Baili Heng's eyes turned so deep they seemed to want to suck the person in and crush them.

Baili Heng thought to himself, "How long has he been waiting to be favored? What's so special about this male concubine? Does he even want to get close to Yingying? Dream on!"

Baili Heng announced loudly, "Emperor Dewu and I have no plans to expand the harem for the time being. We will accept the treasures and jade artifacts. The princesses and princes may visit Wuling for a while before leaving."

The princesses and princes present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Mo Qing, the regent of the Purple Moon Kingdom, said, "The new emperor and the new monarch have just ascended the throne. Filling the harem is a good thing for the country. Please accept this offer, Your Majesty."

Lin Ruoshui asked, "I heard that the Regent is 28 years old this year and still has no wife or children. Why is that?"

Mo Qing thought to himself, "He actually investigated me. Is he interested in me?"

Mo Qing said, "I have not yet found someone I like, so I am not yet married."

Lin Ruoshui said, "Why not choose a suitable spouse from among these princesses and princes?"

Lin Ruoshui deliberately included the prince, just to humiliate Mo Qing.

Mo Qing coldly said, "Aside from having a slight liking for Emperor Dewu, I have no liking for anyone else."

Upon hearing Mo Qing's words, Baili Heng's gaze shot towards him like a knife, while Zhou Shen exuded a chilling aura and gathered internal energy in his palm.

The envoys from various countries were astonished that Mo Qing was so bold. He was openly flirting with Emperor Dewu. Wasn't he afraid that the two countries would go to war?

Seeing the awkward situation, Mo Qing laughed and said, "I am good friends with the new emperor. I was just joking. I didn't expect everyone to take it so seriously."

The envoys from various countries were all shrewd and quick-witted, laughing it off.

Chu Prime Minister Wei Yuchen changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty, marriage alliances with other countries are of great importance. Today is a welcoming banquet for our envoys, so let's discuss the marriage alliances another day."

Seeing the fluctuations in the airflow in Baili Heng's palm, Lin Ruoshui knew that Baili Heng was truly angry.

She said, "The Prime Minister is absolutely right!"

Wei Yuchen turned a trivial matter of offering a beautiful woman into a major event of marriage alliances between various countries.

The envoys from various countries had different expressions, and since it was not convenient to bring up the matter again today, they returned to their seats.

Wang Kai, the Grand Herald of the Ya Yun Kingdom, said: "Greetings to the new Emperor. Our Ya Yun Kingdom is extremely skilled in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Prince Yunmo, the twenty-fourth prince of our country, is a master of the zither. Today, he wishes to play a piece on the zither to dedicate to the new emperor.

Lin Ruoshui said, "Oh? A master of the zither? Very well, then I'll have to trouble the Twenty-Fourth Prince."

Baili Heng thought to himself, "Why does no one mention my superb qin skills? Yingying, if you like listening to the qin, just tell me, and I can play for you every day."

A guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) was placed in the center of the hall.

Lin Ruoshui took a sip of her drink and noticed a man walking up to the center of the hall. She shook her head, trying to confirm if she was drunk.

What she saw in her eyes was not the twenty-fourth prince, but a handsome man with an ethereal air.

Yunmo stepped forward, her jade-like face as beautiful as a dream, like an immortal.

He wore a long blue robe, giving off a sense of tranquility and profundity.

Upon closer inspection, the robe is embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread, resembling wisps of mist, appearing and disappearing indistinctly.

He wore a shiny black leather belt around his waist, inlaid with exquisite jade, revealing his extraordinary status.

His long hair was gently tied up and secured with a jade hairpin, with a few strands of hair fluttering at his temples, adding to his dashing appearance.

On his handsome face, a pair of bright eyes shone like cold stars, making him unforgettable at first sight.

He walks with a steady and elegant gait, as if each step is performing a beautiful melody.

As he plucked the strings, they produced a melodious sound.

The sound of the zither flowed gently like waves, resembling a mountain stream or a light drizzle.

It drifted melodiously through the air, seeping into Lin Ruoshui's heart, making her feel as if she were in a dream world.

Xuanyuan Yu's image lingered in that world. She couldn't resist and gradually became intoxicated by it.

In the world created by the sound of the zither, Lin Ruoshui and Xuanyuan Yu watched the flowers bloom and fade, the clouds roll and unroll. They embraced tightly, whispering sweet nothings.

She tearfully told Xuanyuan Yu about the pain of separation and her longing for him.

Xuanyuan Yu did not blame her; he still loved her deeply.

She happily accepted Xuan Yuan Yu's unique punishment, a sweet moment that belonged only to the two of them.

Lin Ruoshui was mesmerized by the music and slowly stood up.

Xiu Yi appeared and pulled Lin Ruoshui back, but she was already in a state from which she could not extricate herself. She only wanted to drift along with the melody of the zither and be with the man she loved.

Lin Ruoshui shook off Xiu Yi's hand and slowly walked towards the center of the hall.

She looked at Yun Mo with the same eyes she used when she looked at Xuan Yuan Yu.

Yunmo raised his hand, and the song ended.

Yunmo stood up and looked at Lin Ruoshui.

Lin Ruoshui approached Yunmo and said, "Returning from the journey, my heart is as clear as a spring."

"Will you stay and play the zither for me from now on?"

Yunmo's lips curled up slightly, her smile natural and sincere, as if it could heal the wounds in people's hearts.

"Thank you for your kindness, Yunmo is willing." His voice was as pleasant as a clear spring, flowing into people's hearts.

Having achieved his goal, Yunmo gracefully turned and sat down.

After the welcoming banquet, Yunmo stayed in the palace for three days.

Lin Ruoshui listened to Yunmo playing the zither without eating or drinking, and Yunmo also played the zither for her without eating or drinking.

When she heard something sad, Lin Ruoshui would shed tears, and as she cried, her clear tears would turn red.

It's blood and tears!

Yunmo was shocked. He wanted to know how heartbroken a person would be to shed tears of blood.

Xiu Yi, Baili Heng, and Ouyang Xuri remained outside the palace.

Ouyang Xuri said urgently, "Xiuyi, think of something. It's been three days. If she doesn't eat, drink, or sleep like this, she'll die."

Xiu Yi said, "Don't stop her. If she can't get through this, she'll die sooner or later anyway."

Baili Heng said dejectedly, "I knew they had no good intentions. Sending someone like this over here is to ruin Yingying."

Although Yunmo did not know Lin Ruoshui's story, he deeply felt her grief.

Looking at Lin Ruoshui, who had cried for three days and three nights without eating or drinking and was becoming increasingly haggard.

He was moved with compassion and wanted to heal the androgynous, extremely beautiful woman before him.

His music was no longer a mournful and sorrowful tune, but a cheerful and inspiring one.

Lin Ruoshui seemed to be brought back to reality by Yunmo's zither music. The passionate and vibrant sound gave her the strength to live.

Lin Ruoshui regained consciousness and stood up. She took Yun Mo's hand, looked at it, and found that his fingers were already swollen and bleeding profusely.

Lin Ruoshui said, "Yunmo, let's go eat together."

Yunmo smiled, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, warm and bright, bringing endless hope and vitality.

Yunmo said, "Let's go, I'm hungry too."

The two walked out hand in hand, and the three people waiting outside were immediately impressed. Xiu Yi took a deep breath and thought, "She has finally come to terms with things and moved on."

During the meal, Yunmo was constantly being stared at by three deathly gazes.

Because he couldn't use chopsticks due to a hand injury, Lin Ruoshui was feeding him.

He ate while being watched by three powerful men, but his expression remained unchanged, and he continued to chew with an elegant and otherworldly air.

Lin Ruoshui would wipe his mouth from time to time.

Xiu Yi placed his bowl in front of Lin Ruoshui, and Lin Ruoshui also put some food on his plate.

Ouyang Xuri placed his favorite dishes and his own bowl in front of Lin Ruoshui.

The person moved closer and started to speak.

Lin Ruoshui said with a dark face, "Can't you pick what you want to eat yourself?"

Ouyang Xuri said, "What am I inferior to those two in? Why don't you feed me?"

Lin Ruoshui said, "Because you owe me ten iron whips."

With that, she drew an iron whip from her waist. It was specially made for her and had never been used on anyone. She was itching to try it out.

Ouyang Xuri said, "I just wanted to kiss you, is it really necessary to beat me to death?"

As soon as Ouyang Xuri finished speaking, four death stares were directed at him.

Lin Ruoshui said, "I'll whip you to death." She cracked the whip and lashed it at Ouyang Xuri.

Xiu Yi took the iron whip from her hand, a smirk playing on her lips, and said, "He dared to force a kiss on you. You don't need to lift a finger, I will."

Ouyang Xuri thought to himself, "It's over, my death is near."

Thinking of this, he turned and ran away, not daring to return to the palace for three days.

Seeing Ouyang Xuri flee in panic, Lin Ruoshui laughed heartily, her smile captivating the hearts of the remaining three men.

The moon rises, casting a silvery glow across the night sky.

Lin Ruoshui lay on Xiu Yi's stomach, and Xiu Yi patted her back and said, "Sleep well, you must get a good night's sleep tonight."

Lin Ruoshui said, "You will sleep with me."

Xiuyi said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Lin Ruoshui turned over and said, "Why can't I fall asleep even though I feel sleepy?"

Xiu Yi said, "There might be one step missing."

Lin Ruoshui asked, "What part?"

After saying this, all the palace lanterns were extinguished, and two figures were vaguely intertwined.

Yunmo stood alone under the moonlight, thinking of the beauty who had cried before him for three days and three nights.