Chapter 8: The Good-for-Nothing Arrives Late

“Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, on the day Luo Xia was born, Luo Yi was cultivating in her courtyard. Just as she was about to advance, she suddenly fainted, and then a phoenix flew into the courtyard. Next, beams of divine light enveloped her, and after a while, the phoenix departed!” Madam Luo knelt, trembling as she spoke.

The crowd sighed in disbelief.

Madam Luo was clearly lying! Everyone in the Luo household had witnessed the phoenix alight in Luo Xia’s own courtyard, and the divine light had shone down upon her small dwelling.

The emperor frowned, his gaze sharp as a blade directed at Madam Luo. “Is this truly what happened?”

Madam Luo paled under his piercing stare, but having resolved to pave the way for her daughter to become empress, she could only persist. She bowed her head deeply. “Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. Luo Yi’s courtyard is adjacent to Luo Xia’s, so everyone believed the phoenix appeared for Luo Xia. I was so distraught over my daughter’s sudden fainting that I could not think straight. By the time Luo Yi awoke, rumors had already spread that Luo Xia was the phoenix reborn and destined to be empress. To protect her, I dared not reveal the truth these many years.”

The crowd was speechless.

Madam Luo’s blatant fabrication was nothing less than audacious—a dangerous defiance of propriety!

But at this point, there was no turning back; risks must be taken, for Luo Yi was, after all, a prodigy.

“Who is Luo Yi?” The emperor’s keen eyes swept the assembly.

Even the crown prince looked on expectantly.

If that useless girl wasn’t the phoenix reborn, he could finally breathe easy!

Amidst the crowd’s envious gazes, Luo Yi stepped forward.

She wore a pale yellow gauze dress and a butterfly hairpin of jade upon her head. The butterfly seemed almost alive, ready to take flight. She smiled sweetly, and twin dimples appeared on her cheeks.

The crown prince was dumbstruck.

Such pure, crystalline beauty—he had never seen its equal. Those dimples could enchant anyone at a glance.

Moreover, at her young age, she had already reached the fourth cultivation level! Fourth level! In all of Tianyou, who could boast such talent?

Such a prodigy was worthy of his noble status!

In that moment, the crown prince’s heart was set; his future princess consort would be Luo Yi. Luo Yi! He could not contain his joy.

The emperor was secretly pleased as well. Clearly, this girl was the true phoenix reborn.

“Your Majesty, Crown Prince, your humble daughter is Luo Yi.” Luo Yi summoned her courage, glanced at the emperor, and then fixed her gaze on the crown prince.

That single glance made the crown prince feel as if he were bewitched. Her watery eyes made him long to gather her into his arms and cherish her.

The emperor, who had seen countless beauties, was also struck by Luo Yi’s radiance. Her beauty could rival the empress herself.

He was exceedingly satisfied with Luo Yi.

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However, imperial authority can never be challenged. The emperor’s gaze turned cold as he looked to Madam Luo. “Madam Luo, you have deceived the court for years. What was your purpose?”

Such words carried grave accusation—it was tantamount to accusing the Luo household of rebellion.

The crowd was terrified, dropping to their knees in panic. Even Luo Yi, who had been entranced by the crown prince, quickly came to her senses and knelt.

Luo Anrong hurried to clarify, “Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, as Heaven and Earth bear witness. My wife acted out of motherly concern. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of Luo Yi being the phoenix reborn, to forgive her mother.”

Luo Anrong had no choice but to invoke the prophecy. True or not, he wagered the emperor would not risk defying it.

It was a threat.

The emperor was momentarily tempted to execute the entire Luo household.

But the crown prince interceded. “Father, look at Madam Luo—such a compassionate heart! Only someone of her character could inspire the phoenix to willingly be reborn as her daughter.”

Luo Xia, who had been eavesdropping at the door, nearly burst out laughing.

Compassionate? If this continent’s deities were so peculiar, what hope was there?

The emperor considered for a moment, then decided to give himself a way out.

If the prophecy was true, then Luo Yi was the future empress. To make an enemy of her would be to hand over the throne.

“Haha, Prime Minister Luo, I was only jesting with you all. Look at how frightened you are! I value you highly, as everyone knows—surely you do as well?”

At last, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor’s jest was a dangerous game.

They say companionship with the emperor is like living with a tiger—how true!

The crown prince laughed, urging, “Father said it was only a joke. Why not rise and thank him?”

With the crown prince’s prompting, everyone gave thanks and stood with the emperor’s permission.

Luo Yi and the crown prince exchanged glances, both seeing passion in the other’s eyes.

Luo Yi’s cheeks flushed red.

At that moment, Luo Xia entered the hall with delicate steps.

She wore white gauze and a simple wooden hairpin, her modest attire exuding freshness. Though her face could not rival Luo Yi’s, her clear, bright eyes seemed to illuminate hidden secrets in the heart.

The emperor and crown prince both watched her, captivated by this fresh presence.

After seeing countless beauties, this freshness was like an appetizing prelude.

Luo Anrong frowned. “Luo Xia, how dare you fail to kneel and pay respects to the emperor and crown prince?”

Only then did the emperor and crown prince realize this fresh-faced girl was the “useless” Luo Xia.

Upon closer inspection, she truly possessed no spiritual power.

Any goodwill they had felt evaporated.

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Uselessness aside, she had monopolized the title “future empress” for years—and made them wait so long!

Luo Xia sneered inwardly. She had been listening for some time; she understood their thoughts well enough. Was it fate, or divine mischief, that the crown prince before her was her lover from a previous life—Tian Yushuo?

Tian Yushuo and Luo Yi.

In her past life, they had flaunted their intimacy before her; now, they paraded their arrogance.

Very well—she would settle the score, but not yet.

Vengeance could wait a year.

Give her a year, and these people would pay.

“Your humble daughter greets the emperor and crown prince.” Luo Xia’s voice was soft and frail. After speaking, she coughed twice and nearly collapsed.

Useless!

Luo Yi’s siblings wished they could stomp her out of existence.

The emperor and crown prince were furious, impatiently waving her away as if afraid her sickly state might infect them.

Perfect—that was precisely the effect Luo Xia desired.

To provoke one’s enemies to fury without lifting a finger—that was skill.

The angrier they became, the happier she was.

She was adept at playing the fool to mask her strength.

After all, anger killed many cells; people had been known to die from rage.

“Such disgrace! Leave at once!” Luo Jingfeng could no longer contain his fury.

The humiliation he suffered before the emperor and crown prince was now all directed at Luo Xia.

Everyone watched Luo Xia with schadenfreude—her embarrassment was their favorite spectacle.

If Luo Xia simply left, Luo Yi would feel regret; she had hoped the crown prince would punish Luo Xia.

But Luo Xia had no desire to linger; she still had to check on the man in black.

“Wait!”

Just as Luo Xia turned to leave, the crown prince’s languid voice sounded.

Everyone was shocked.

Even Luo Yi clenched her sleeves in secret.

What did this mean? Had the crown prince taken a liking to her?

Back turned, Luo Xia’s pupils tightened. What trick was the crown prince about to play? She knew this man harbored no good intentions.