You said it was a useless body, yet you punched a saint to pieces?

Chapter 34 A Date with a Beauty

Inside Tingfeng Pavilion, a gentle evening breeze stirs the bamboo shadows, and moonlight spills like silver flakes onto the cobblestone path.

Ji Mingyue wore a moonlit white dress, the gold-embroidered black bird totem shimmering in the moonlight, the trailing skirt swaying gently in the wind, like a blooming snow lotus, elegant and noble.

She strolled slowly, her movements light and graceful, as if she could ride the wind away at any moment.

Beside her, Wang Ming, dressed in a dark blue sword robe, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, wore a perfectly gentle smile on his handsome face. He walked at a leisurely pace, keeping half a step away from Ji Mingyue, his gaze occasionally falling on her, with a hint of probing and deep thought.

"The Princess's arrival at Zhenbei Prince City was arranged without prior notice, which is quite impolite of Wang Ming."

Wang Ming's voice was gentle, with a hint of reproach, yet also conveying a sense of closeness.

"If I had known Your Highness's itinerary beforehand, I would have certainly prepared a warm welcome and served the finest wines and rarest treasures to fulfill my duty as a host."

"This situation is truly hasty, and I hope Your Highness will forgive us."

Ji Mingyue's eyes sparkled, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. The smile was like a gentle breeze on the surface of a lake, creating ripples but never going deep.

Her fair, jade-like skin appeared even more flawless under the moonlight. Her black hair was loosely tied up with a white jade hairpin with nine phoenixes facing the sun, and the flowing strands were as smooth as a waterfall, which made her eyebrows look like crescent moons and her eyes like cold stars, giving her an air of majesty that looked down on all living beings.

"Young Master, there's no need for that." Ji Mingyue's melodious voice rang out, clear and pleasant like pearls falling onto a plate. "I am on my way here on the Emperor's orders, and I have important matters to attend to, so it is not convenient for me to make a fuss."

"After we finish our business, it won't be too late to have a drink and chat with the eldest son."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed deep in Wang Ming's eyes. It was the Emperor's decree.

His smile became even more sincere: "I see, Wang Ming didn't think it through."

"Speaking of which, I heard that Her Highness the Eldest Princess visited Seventh Brother today?"

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of disdain.

"That kid... is unruly and has disliked being restrained since he was a child."

"His cultivation has recently made some breakthroughs, which inevitably makes him arrogant. If his words offend Your Highness, I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous and not take it to heart."

His words, seemingly to exonerate Wang Dao, actually implied Wang Dao's incompetence and arrogance, and were intended to sow discord between Ji Mingyue and Wang Dao.

A ripple of emotion stirred within Ji Mingyue, who glanced at Wang Ming out of the corner of her eye.

Wang Ming is a man of keen intellect, but he also possesses the arrogance and scheming typical of scions of powerful families.

She thought to herself, "Wang Dao is really having a hard time in this palace. No wonder he needs to get some cultivation resources from me."

She recalled Wang Dao's cheeky face and his eyes that never backed down in verbal exchanges, and the smile on her lips deepened.

"Young Master is overthinking it." Ji Mingyue's voice was clear and melodious, carrying an undeniable certainty. "I had a very pleasant chat with the Seventh Young Master."

"The main reason for my visit is to comply with the Emperor's decree and to visit the Seventh Prince."

She turned slightly to face an ancient pine tree in the courtyard, her gaze distant, as if piercing through the night and seeing the distant past.

"Back then, when Father heard that the Seventh Prince was born with a weak body, he sighed and said that Heaven was unfair and had killed a prodigy."

"Now that the Seventh Prince has risen from the ashes and defied fate, Father Emperor values ​​this highly."

"He often said that the Great Zhou Dynasty needs a genius like the Seventh Prince who is indomitable and courageous, in order to prosper for a long time."

Ji Mingyue's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Wang Ming's ears.

The smile on his face froze instantly, replaced by a grim expression.

He never expected that Wang Dao, that peasant he had always looked down on, that good-for-nothing who was neglected in the palace, would receive such attention and importance from the Emperor.

"The Emperor is paying attention!"

These four words weighed heavily on his heart, giving him an unprecedented sense of crisis.

With the Emperor's attention, who would dare to easily challenge the Kingly Way? Doesn't that mean all his subsequent schemes against the Kingly Way will come to naught?

Even when he openly suppresses the kingly way, he has to consider the emperor's attitude.

Inside Tingfeng Pavilion, the evening breeze remained unchanged, and the bamboo shadows swayed gently.

The composure and smile that had been on Wang Mingjun's face were gone, replaced by a gloomy expression.

Looking at Ji Mingyue's stunningly beautiful profile, he felt a sense of dread regarding the kingly path for the first time.

Wang Ming struggled to suppress the surging anger in his heart and put on a smile again, but the smile was a bit stiffer than before, and there was a shadow in his eyes.

"Your Highness is very busy, so I dare not delay you any longer." His tone changed, becoming more gentle. "However, there will be a grand auction in the capital in a few days, an unprecedented event, where several rare treasures are said to be on display."

"If Your Highness has the time, Wang Ming is willing to be your guide and accompany you to the grand event, which would be a way of fulfilling my duty as host."

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingyue's eyes darted around, and a smile bloomed on her lips, like a spring flower in full bloom, instantly brightening the entire courtyard.

Her stunningly beautiful face appeared even more alluring under the moonlight.

"Oh? An auction?" Her voice held a hint of curiosity. "I am indeed quite interested in this."

Wang Ming was overjoyed and was about to speak when Ji Mingyue changed the subject, smiling sweetly, and said, "It's just a pity that I'm afraid I can't travel with the eldest young master."

Wang Ming's heart sank, his smile froze on his face, and he asked calmly, "Oh? Does Your Highness already have other plans?"

Ji Mingyue smiled sweetly, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked around. She parted her lips slightly and said, "Indeed."

"The Seventh Young Master just invited me to the auction, and I have already accepted."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

Ever since he returned to the Prince's mansion, nothing has gone smoothly for him. Wang Dao's shadow is everywhere, as if that kid is omnipresent, deliberately trying to annoy him.

First came Wang Qingyue's warning, then the Emperor's attention, and now even Ji Mingyue has sided with him. How could the proud and arrogant Wang Ming tolerate this?

His fists clenched slightly at his sides, his facial muscles stiffened, and he managed a weak smile.

"I see. Since Your Highness has made a promise with Seventh Brother, then Wang Ming will not insist. We cannot ask Your Highness to break your promise for Wang Ming's sake."

His words carried a hint of gritted teeth.

Ji Mingyue's smile grew even brighter, like a blooming peony, breathtakingly beautiful.

"It's good that the young master understands." She said softly, then stretched, her graceful figure curvaceous under the moonlight, as beautiful as a fairy. "I've had a long day, and I'm tired too, so I'll go and rest now. Please make yourself at home, young master."

After speaking, she moved gracefully, her skirt trailing on the ground, disappearing into the distance like flowing moonlight.

Wang Ming stood there, watching Ji Mingyue's departing figure, his handsome face turning completely gloomy.

Under the moonlight, his face was ashen, and his eyes blazed with barely suppressed anger and jealousy.

He clenched his fists, veins bulging, and an aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding air to freeze.

"The royal way!"

He forced out those two words through clenched teeth, his voice low and guttural, like the howl of a wild beast.

After a long while, he suddenly turned around, his feet barely touching the ground, and strode away from Tingfeng Pavilion, heading straight towards Qianlong Pavilion, each step carrying the fury of thunder.

Ji Mingyue's maid, a pretty woman in a green silk dress, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle as she watched Wang Ming's departing figure.

She walked up to Ji Mingyue and teased, "Your Highness, when did you make an appointment with the Seventh Young Master to go to the auction together? How come I didn't know? If this gets out, the Seventh Young Master will probably become the rival of many noble young men."

Ji Mingyue rolled her eyes at the maid, a look that was both alluring and tinged with helplessness.

"You talk too much," she scolded playfully, then scoffed, "That Wang Dao, he just wants to extort a couple of treasures from me, can't I just give him something to do?"

She recalled Wang Dao's playful smile and his shrewd, calculating eyes, and a playful smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

"However..." Ji Mingyue gazed at the night sky, her voice barely audible, "that guy is indeed quite interesting."