Chapter 400: The Emperor

Heng Xian could avoid anyone else, but he could not avoid the Emperor.

It wasn't entirely because of the other party's status as Emperor, but rather... a father-in-law meeting his son-in-law!

Finally, it was time to meet the parents!

He felt inexplicably nervous.

He immediately summoned Mulan and the female officials of the Princess's Mansion to ask them what etiquette was required for entering the palace.

In truth, he didn't even need to ask; the female officials of the Princess's Mansion had already prepared everything.

The court tablet, the aristocratic court robes, the ceremonial crown—and then they gave him instructions on various protocols.

Heng Xian noted them down one by one, then dressed himself neatly and followed the palace eunuch outside.

The crowd of people seeking an audience in the outer courtyard was buzzing with discussion; seeing him emerge, their eyes all lit up at once.

As the saying goes, people rely on clothes, and horses rely on saddles.

Heng Xian took after his mother in appearance, delicate and handsome, yet not lacking in a heroic spirit. His eyes held a profundity born of living two lifetimes, and his temperament was uniquely distinct. At this moment, dressed up with care, even the most critical person could not find a single fault.

This completely satisfied everyone's longing for the "Poetry Saint."

For a time, there was a wave of cheers, and the young girls even shrieked incessantly.

Heng Xian, however, had no heart to pay attention; no matter who it was, their mood could hardly be calm the first time they met their father-in-law.

Leaving the Princess's Mansion, heading west and then north, one could see the towering and magnificent Imperial City!

Upon reaching the foot of the Imperial City, one felt incredibly small. Whether it was the gates of the Imperial City, the palace gardens, or the roads, every detail was extreme; everything was filled with the aura of royalty, fastidious to the point of being infuriating!

Likewise, it also stirred a sense of awe.

When he stood at the Chengwu Gate of the Imperial City, a thought suddenly arose in Heng Xian's heart—

After the Heng Family developed for hundreds or thousands of years, with experts like clouds and a flourishing lineage, would they also truly establish such an empire?

If he could live until then, getting a taste of being a founding emperor would be quite thrilling!

The lead eunuch turned his head to look at him, unaware of the thoughts in his heart, and instead smiled faintly, comforting him: "Young Master, there is no need to be afraid. Since you have a marriage contract with Her Highness the Princess, you are a relative of the Emperor; there is no need to be constrained by the heart of a subject!"

I'm afraid?

Heng Xian said: "Lead the way!"

The eunuch was slightly taken aback, then obediently led the way in front.

Entering the "Chengwu Gate," one found the vast and grand inner courtyard of the Imperial City. Aside from a row of guards who looked like stone statues, there were only buildings representing the imperial clan.

The two of them walking inside were like two ants walking in the middle of a road.

As they walked, Heng Xian asked: "Aside from the Emperor, there is no one else who wants to see me, right?"

The eunuch was startled and turned back to remind him: "You cannot address him so directly; you must call him 'Your Majesty' or 'the Emperor'!"

"Understood. Aside from His Majesty, there is no one else who wants to see me, right?" Heng Xian changed his phrasing.

The eunuch thought for a moment and said: "This... is hard to say. For an ordinary official, one would only see His Majesty, but for you, perhaps it is more than just His Majesty!"

"Who else?" Heng Xian asked.

The eunuch gave a bitter smile: "This servant does not know. Young Master will see in a moment!"

"Understood!" Heng Xian nodded.

Passing through the empty palace gardens and entering the straight palace path, they walked for another half-hour, entering layers of pavilions and palaces. Palace maids and eunuchs were densely packed, and upon seeing Heng Xian and the eunuch approach, they all glanced at Heng Xian with curiosity, then bowed to the eunuch with great awe.

It seemed this eunuch held a very high status.

Traveling along this way, they arrived at a place called "Qilai Palace."

Here, there was much less of the imperial aura, and a bit more of the flavor of a private garden.

However, there were even more palace maids and eunuchs here.

Heng Xian surveyed his surroundings and asked: "Where is Princess Taiping? Can I see her?"

"Oh my! Her Highness is at the Xianqing Palace; she shouldn't be coming!"

The eunuch stood outside the palace gate and pointed inside: "Young Master, hurry and go in!"

Heng Xian nodded and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he discovered that the courtyard was filled with piles of women dressed appropriately and of all sorts—young ones, old ones—and judging by their appearance, they were not palace maids.

Seven aunts and eight cousins?

Thinking of this term, Heng Xian couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle slightly.

However, the group of women immediately began to size him up as if they were admiring some rare object.

Subsequently, their eyes all lit up; the level of satisfaction was beyond words.

People are visual creatures, and this prospective husband of Princess Taiping was good-looking!

"He looks good!"

"Indeed good, fair skin, truly a pleasing appearance!"

"His eyelashes are quite long, and his lips are quite rosy."

"His physique looks decent too; the marital rites shouldn't be bad!"

"His temperament is also fine!"

"I heard he is also a Poetry Saint, can write poetry..."

"Perfect. It's just a pity we don't know about his cultivation; our Princess is already at the Yuan Dan Realm, with at least two hundred years of lifespan!"

These people chatted without any avoidance, and they were chattering away right in front of Heng Xian.

Heng Xian's embarrassment was beyond words.

When he finally managed to walk into the main hall, good heavens, there were even more people inside.

There were two rows of noble ladies sitting, with several female relatives standing behind each of them. Seeing him enter, they all looked over in unison.

Heng Xian let out a breath, thinking to himself that rather than being watched like a monkey, he might as well go all out. He looked at the group of women: "So, where should I sit?"

"Uh..." The group of focused women looked blank.

It was a palace female official who reacted first and immediately ordered someone to bring over a chair.

Heng Xian sat down and continued to look at the group of women.

Looking at them, he had to say, whether plump or slender, old or young, each had their own merits.

At this moment, an old lady asked first: "I am Princess Xianyang, Taiping's aunt. May I ask, what is your surname, where are you from, and what is your occupation?"

Right, it was indeed the interrogation from the seven aunts and eight cousins.

Heng Xian waved his sleeves and replied generously: "Heng Xian, from Donglan, a small city in the Chu Kingdom. Currently, I am cultivating at the Tianyuan Sect, with cultivation as my main focus!"

"What kind of place is the Tianyuan Sect? In other words, you have no proper occupation, is that right?" the old lady asked.

Heng Xian: "Hmm..."

They were completely not playing by the rules!

Then I won't play by the rules either. He said: "My cultivation is my proper occupation. After all, constantly learning and enriching oneself is an investment in the future. Although the risk is high, the returns are very generous!

The great Marx once said, time is the territory for the development of ability and so on, everything must look to the future..."

"Who is Marx?" a middle-aged noble lady asked curiously.

Heng Xian replied earnestly: "The revolutionary mentor of the global proletariat and working people, and also our spiritual leader. He is terrifyingly powerful!"

"Global?" The middle-aged noble lady couldn't quite understand this term.

Heng Xian snapped his fingers: "It can also be understood as the entire cultivation world!"

"And what kind of occupation is a 'proletariat' and 'revolutionary mentor'?" another noble lady asked.

"Good question!" Heng Xian said: "The proletariat is... well..."

Right, the topic had been completely derailed.

Heng Xian and the group of women first chatted about Marx and Engels, then moved on to stock trading, the President of the Beautiful Country, and the situation in the Middle East...

Although it was all nonsense, he spoke with wit and humor!

Consequently, all the women in the hall became curious babies.

However, the group of people behind the huge wall nearby were stunned and bewildered!

(End of chapter)