Chapter 1: Intimidation

  The great merchant dynasty, prosperous and auspicious.

  Today, the sky is clear and vast, with warm sunshine bursting forth. The sunlight pours down from the distant blue expanse above, spilling onto the golden glazed tiles of the palace buildings, momentarily reflecting a dazzling radiance.

  A slender figure hastily passes through the white jade corridor and heads towards the ear temple reflected in the dazzling sunlight.

  Inside the palace, a woman sat upright in a sandalwood chair, her jade-like hands gently wiping her sword, its blade gleaming with a cold light that reflected off her sharp phoenix eyes, exuding an air of proud arrogance.

  The door was knocked on time, and after a faint response, the long sword was sheathed with a "clang".

  Gong E's crimson-colored dress slowly approached, placing the tray in her hand on the table, and bowed respectfully: "Sir, the official uniform is ready, please try it on!"

  Geshu Wu Luan's long fingers lightly stroked the fabric, feeling its smooth texture. It was indeed a high-quality material, and the Imperial Weaving Bureau had put in great effort.

  It's also that they are now busy flattering and cannot keep up, how dare they not be careful, after all she is the first woman to be crowned as a marquis, it can be said that she is unprecedented.

  This great honor, even she herself was pressed to be a bit dizzy, three days ago, the imperial edict of the queen's coronation had just been issued, immediately followed by an edict of ascension, she knew that this was what the queen had asked for her, and also knew that the queen doted on her extremely, but she had always not cared about these empty names, however, she could not help but accept it, with this heavy identity, in the future, she would be able to serve the queen better!

  In her heart, the Grand Empress Dowager was not only her master but also like a family member to her. She felt gratitude towards her besides respect. Eleven years ago, if it wasn't for her saving herself from the Dark Hunter's hands, she would have probably become an executioner who lived by killing people!

  At that time, she didn't know much about the identity of the imperial concubine, only knowing that she was a Turkic noblewoman. She had just entered the Eastern Capital and happened to save herself. Later, she asked her teacher to teach her to recognize characters and practice martial arts, and arranged for her to live in a residence. From then on, it wasn't until eight years later that she saw her again, only occasionally sending someone to send her gifts during holidays. It wasn't until three years ago, when the selection of female palace attendants took place, that she sent someone to convey a message ordering her to participate, and only then did she thoroughly understand the identity of her benefactor - she was a descendant of the Turkic royal family, Geshu Sheng, also known as the favored consort of the emperor, Lady Hua Yue.

  After entering the palace, she was a capable female attendant in front of people, and privately helped her investigate and sweep away enemies from the previous dynasty and the inner palace.

  As for the connection between them, outsiders are not aware of it.

  It's been a long time since I've seen a woman move, the crimson color is shy and raises her eyes to look at her, realizing that her face is calm and peaceful, unable to see joy or anger, only her eyes are fixed on the embroidery pattern of the official uniform, the embroidered flower pattern is a crane flying in the clouds, a silver crane on a dark background, luxurious and illusory.

  "Excuse me! Is everything all right?"

  It has been a year since she entered the Guangxu Palace, and for more than half a year under Geshu Wu's command, she had always been cautious and careful, afraid of making any mistakes, because facing this woman who was like a goddess in her heart, besides respect, there was also fear.

  It's fear, the harem is not just a place where women live, but also a place where people are devoured without spitting out bones. How many innocent white bones are buried in the dark wells of every corner of the palace, never to see the light of day? And how many people live in constant fear, holding their heads in their hands, trembling with anxiety from dawn till dusk?

  However, she, Ge Shu Wu Luan, was only eighteen years old and had been in the palace for just three short years, repeatedly promoted from a lowly female palace attendant to the first female official and then to the Jin Yi Hou who was granted an imperial edict, it wasn't just luck! The Empress's favoritism was one aspect, but her own survival skills were truly astonishing!

  At this thought, Akane's eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement.

  Ge Shu Wu Luan seemed to come back to his senses, his elegant face wore a faint smile, "Very well! Let's put it aside for now, there are still several hours before the dinner party, we can try again later."

  Actually, Hongse wanted to say that she should try it on now. If it doesn't fit, she can still take it back to the Shanggong Bureau for alterations. Of course, these words could only be whispered in her heart, because she deeply knew that no one dared to question Brother Geshu's words.

  The last crimson color just pursed her lips and quietly retreated.

  In an instant, the room was quiet and peaceful, with only a trace of inappropriate coldness floating on the woman's pale face.

  Bao Yi Temple

  This is the Go house built by Taikun for his young son, Shokyu. Since he was born, Shokyu has been fascinated with Go and nothing else. Therefore, Taikun spent a large sum of money to hire Katsuragi, the best Go player in the country, to teach Shokyu.

  Speaking of this chess master Bai Hua, he is young in years but has a deep understanding of the game.

  At this time, the man in light clothing sat cross-legged on a rattan chair, with a chessboard in front of him, where black and white pieces were densely packed, fighting each other. He held a white jade piece between his fingers, deep in thought, hesitant to make a move.

  Good-looking long eyebrows slightly tangled, handsome face with a hint of fatigue.

  "Mr. Bai, you're really enthusiastic, able to play chess with such intensity all by yourself!" A cold and clear voice cut through the silence, startling the man, whose elbow involuntarily trembled, accidentally knocking over the chessboard and ruining a good game.

  "What a pity!" Ge Shu Wu Luan sighed, walking slowly forward.

  Bo Ya's soul was still unsettled as he looked at the woman, his gaze falling on her elegant and beautiful face, a faint smile playing on his lips, before he hastily stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Geshu!"

  Ge Shu Wu Luan waved his hand and said lightly: "Mr. Bai, you have always been meticulous about etiquette, but I dare not flatter your courage."

  This sentence really made Bai Hua embarrassed, he was timid, but if she didn't have a good foundation in lightness kung fu, walking quietly without making a sound, he wouldn't be so humiliated. But what's more important is that the woman he had a crush on pinched his weakness and ridiculed him, which truly made him lose face.

  "That official was surprised, with Mr. Gong's courage, it doesn't seem like he could do something like granting a marriage decree? And the object of the grant is... me!" Geshu Wuji emphasized the word 'me' heavily, as if reminding him of his own insignificance.

  It was half a month ago that the marriage scandal occurred. When the Grand Duke mentioned the marriage with a smile, she almost lost her composure in front of him. Later, when she learned that this marriage was actually requested by Bo Hua, her anger was about to erupt. Fortunately, Mrs. Hao Yue, now the Empress, intervened and temporarily put it off for further discussion. However, this could not completely extinguish her anger. After all, it was only a temporary postponement, and who knows when he would bring it up again? Given the Grand Duke's favor towards him, granting a marriage would be no big deal. At that time, even if the Empress tried to stop it, she couldn't save face for the monarch. So, it's better to let him know his limits now rather than making things difficult later on.

  The phoenix's gaze swept lightly over the disordered chessboard, her line of sight slowly rising until it finally came to rest on the man's eyes, meeting his gaze.

  The cold and sharp gaze made Bai Hua dare not stare, he swallowed his saliva, hastily avoiding eye contact, "This kind of thing, can't be measured by the size of one's guts!"

  "Oh? Really?" The woman raised an eyebrow in response.

  Bai Hua didn't say a word, merely nodding her head slightly in response.

  "So, why do you want to marry me? In my opinion, we've only met a few times, and it's not an exaggeration to call us strangers. Before this, we hadn't even spoken before, so how can we talk about marriage?" Geshu Wuji narrowed her beautiful eyes, staring unblinkingly at the man's face, not letting any expression escape, as if she wanted to find some weakness in him.

  She knew that in the imperial court and the harem, there were many people who opposed the Empress's ascension to power. Since the Emperor was determined to do so, they could only secretly plot to overthrow her!

  She was the confidante of the Grand Empress Dowager, and if one wanted to sever the Grand Empress Dowager's arm, they would have to start with her. First, they would ask for her hand in marriage, gradually driving a wedge between her and the Grand Empress Dowager, and then defeat them one by one. This move was a combination of elimination and attack, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Grand Empress Dowager's power.

  The man in front of him, on the surface, is Gongzi Xu's chess teacher, but secretly, he has a private relationship with Da Sima Pei An. Pei An and the Empress Dowager have never gotten along, and he was also the first to lead the opposition against the Empress Dowager's enthronement. As such, the sinister plot is self-evident.

  These details, she had already investigated clearly when the Grand Duke announced that he would hire Bo Hua into the palace. She always went all out as long as it was related to the Grand Princess and Gongzi Su.

  However, she had already made it clear to the Empress Dowager about the pros and cons, but couldn't understand why the Empress Dowager would agree to let this person teach the young master Suo. If she had prevented him earlier, there wouldn't be the current request for a royal marriage!

  In the end, she still couldn't see through Empress's mind.

  However, their abacus is likely to be wrong. From her move, it's not a wise move. Bai Hua is good at chess, but he's not good at controlling the pieces. If the piece is chosen correctly, it's a good game. If chosen incorrectly, it will be a complete defeat!

  The man never dared to look back at the woman's eyes, but slowly replied, his tone seeming to carry a hint of deep emotion, "For me, some people are deeply etched in my heart, impossible to forget, even if I only catch a glimpse of them from afar!"

  Geshu Wu Luan coldly smiled, "Some people? Hmph!" Not only did she fail to detect any hint of conspiracy from his expression, but his words and tone also stirred up her anger. Was it that she was too impatient or was he too good at hiding his true intentions?

  "Yes, there are some people! Once in a lifetime, once and for all!" Bai Hua replied softly, her voice ringing out clearly. The words hung in the air for a long time before she slowly raised her eyes to look at the woman in front of her, meeting her mocking gaze, and a hint of disappointment flickered across her elegant face.

  This house is so suffocating that I'm about to go crazy, and I don't have the heart to waste my breath on you. With a glance from the corner of my eye, I look at the man with disdain. "Not only are you not etched in my mind, but you can't even enter my eyes. It seems you're destined to 'regret for life'! Mr., it's better to focus your thoughts on teaching Gongzi Xiu's chess skills, and stop thinking about unrealistic dreams. Be careful that one day your beautiful dream turns into a nightmare!"

  "I won't give up until I marry someone older than me!"

  A male voice full of excitement came from behind, forcing Ge Shu Wu to slow down his pace as he walked to the door, but he didn't turn around, only giving him a cold back and a cool sentence.

  "Very well! I'll let you 'laugh' your way out of this!"