Emperor Comes

She quickly cleaned herself up and Lulu grabbed her arm and carefully brought her out of her room.

Lulu led Qian Meiling down the stairs and into the garden. There, she saw the Emperor sitting there, waiting for her.

The emperor was a man in his late forties, with short hair and a clean shaven face. His eyes were sharp and his face looked cold and indifferent. He wore a golden robe embroidered with dragons, and sat on a chair.

Just looking at him gave one a sense of inferiority.

Qian Meiling's expression didn't change as she approached him.

"Emperor Father." She greeted and bowed slightly.

"It seems that your body has recovered from the shock of the assassination attempt." The emperor said with a smile.

"I'm fine, Emperor Father." Qian Meiling replied softly, a slight smile forming on her face.

The emperor nodded his head and gestured to Qian Meiling to sit next to him.

Qian Meiling nodded her head and sat down. She kept her head down the entire time as she waited for the emperor to speak.

"Do you know why I am here?" The emperor suddenly asked.

"Emperor father, I do not." Qian Meiling replied immediately.

The emperor sighed and shook his head.

"You're smart, so I'll skip the formalities." He said as he stared at his daughter. "You've received the letter I gave you right? I am here for this. One, to make sure you got it and wasn't changed due to the plotting of your other siblings."

Qian Meiling's eyes trembled hearing her fathers words.

'So the act of assassination was from my siblings?'

On second thought, it made sense. Only a select few people would benefit from her dying, even if the assassination wasn't targeted at her.

"And two, I'm here to give you some secret information." The emperor said.

"Thank-k you, Emperor Father." Qian Meiling said, pouring him a cup of tea.

"The Tang Empire is quite powerful." He began, "Their army is well trained, their equipment is top notch, and their cultivation methods are quite powerful as well. With our current army, we will be annihilated in one battle."

Qian Meiling's eyes narrowed slightly hearing his words.

"Though they have one weakness: food. This is an advantage that we have and allowed us to keep the peace over the years. Though their cultivators are powerful, it would be useless if they died of hunger."

Qian Meiling nodded her head. "I understand, Emperor Father."

The emperor smiled slightly and took a sip of tea.

"Good. Then, this is the plan." He said as he put his teacup down. "Every twenty years, the two empires will enter a Marriage Game. The game itself is simple. Men and women compete in their respective fields, and the number you place is the person you marry. So, the man who ranks first will marry the woman who ranks first."

Qian Meiling nodded her head, understanding the basic concept, and her eye's lit up. One thing she has always loved as a kid was playing games with the animals outside. Even games that she could play by herself she'd enjoy for hours.

But there is one thing she can't accept.

"Emperor Father, w-why must I marry the Crown Prince of the T-tang Empire? Why can't I- I choose anyone else?" She asked.

The emperor laughed lightly. "Silly child. Do you think it's that easy to get married? Even if you ranked last, you'd still marry him."

Qian Meiling frowned.

"Remember, you're the eldest princess." The emperor said, "As the eldest princess, you must marry the most powerful man. You don't have to worry about anything else. Just focus on marrying the Crown Prince, and the rest will follow naturally."

Qian Meiling shook her head.

"Emperor Father, what if o-one of my sisters marries him? After all, w-with my weak body, the C-crown Prince will surely d-dislike me."

The emperor laughed.

"You should trust me more, daughter. Your sisters have their own problems to deal with. Even if you are weak, it doesn't matter, as long as you marry the crown prince, our empire will benefit greatly."

Qian Meiling frowned, but didn't say anything. She understood the situation of her other sisters, but she didn't want to marry the crown prince of the Tang Empire.

"Emperor Father, I hope you can listen to t-this one r-request." She said, bowing her head. "I wish to have the rules s-slightly changed."

The emperor's eyes looked directly at her, making her tremble in fear.

"I will allow this one request." He said, staring at her.

He was not a fool. He could see his daughter's dissatisfaction with the arranged marriage. But, he couldn't afford to anger the Tang Empire.

If he had his way, he wouldn't have arranged a marriage between them. But now that the two nations were on the brink of war due to his late sister's death, the marriage was necessary.

He knew this, and he also knew that his daughter was smart enough to understand the situation.

"I thank-k you, Emperor Father." Qian Meiling bowed. "What I wanted-d was, if-f I ranked second, the-n I want the Crown Pr-prince to have the option of not m-marr-ring me."

"What?" The emperor's eyebrows shot up.

He didn't expect his daughter to be this cunning.

"Add a rule. Rank n-number one c-can marry-y whoever they d-desire." Qian Meiling repeated. "The second r-rank gets the same o-option, and so on."

The emperor was silent for a long time, thinking.

"Fine, I will allow this rule to change." He said after a few minutes. "However, the rule still applies. If the Crown Prince doesn't marry you, then you will rank second and marry the second place winner."

Qian Meiling's eyes narrowed and nodded her head.

"I understand, Emperor Father."

The emperor nodded his head and waved his hand, signalling her to leave.

Qian Meiling stood up, bowed, and left with the help of Lulu.

'Huh, I only said that I'd rank second, but what if I was ranked first and had no males that I like?'

Qian Meiling's lips curled into a sinister smile.

'Then, father would have no choice but to send another princess.'

Thinking of the other princesses and princes, she couldn't help but snort. After the temporary shock of the assassination attempt, she knew that being kind to her half siblings would only end up getting her killed.

"L-lulu." She said, pinching her maid.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Lulu responded, holding her hand.

"We'll-l go into town tomorrow, okay?" She said.

Lulu's eyes widened.

"Your Highness, are you sure? You're not allowed out of the palace. If the Emperor finds out, he'll-"

"He won't care." Qian Meiling interrupted. "Don't worry."

Lulu was silent for a moment before nodding her head.

"Very well, Your Highness."

She then walked beside Qian Meiling and escorted her back to her room.