The birthday party carried on. Ning Chen had just returned to his seat when he heard Zhang Sun speaking up.

"Xinyu, go serve Marquis Zhiming a cup of wine."

Those present shuddered. Extreme astonishment could be seen in their eyes. What did the empress mean when she said that?

Not only were the officials stunned, even Ning Chen had a reaction to it as well.

While he could ignore the suggestions from others, he could not do the same for Zhang Sun.

In the first place, there was nothing wrong with pouring wine. It was just the fact that Zhang Sun had just brought up the matter of his marriage not too long ago and here she was, asking the Ninth Princess to pour him a cup of wine. Even a blind man could tell what she was planning.

Xia Xinyu was taken aback as well, so taken aback, in fact, that she completely forgot about Zhang Sun's command.

Xia Ziyi stood up as well. But just as he was about to speak up, he was halted by a stern glare from Zhang Sun.

It was then that Qing Ning whispered something into both of their ears. A moment later, their expressions changed.

Ning Chen was actually a fake eunuch!

"Do not spread that around. Her Majesty is in the midst of handling this matter." Qing Ning added.

The crown prince hesitated for a bit then looked at his younger sister. This matter was no longer something that he could decide for Xinyu on his own accord.

"Yes. Imperial Mother." Xia Xinyu finally returned to her senses and bowed respectfully before carrying out Zhang Sun's order. She walked over to Ning Chen, leaned over and flawlessly poured him a cup of wine.

"Marquis Zhiming, please."

"Thank you Princess."

Their eyes met, a light breeze blew past, carrying along three pieces of pear blossom, hindering their line of sight and causing their vision to turn fuzzy for that split second.

Ning Chen lifted up the wine cup and drained it in a single gulp. Xia Xinyu poured him another cup and said:

"Marquis Zhiming, Xinyu offers you a toast."

Lifting up her cup, Grand Xia's prettiest lady for the first time laid her eyes on Ning Chen in a serious fas.h.i.+on. As she did so, a complicated look flashed past her pupils.

"Please."

Ning Chen wore a serene expression, his heart unreadable to the crowd gathered there. Their cups b.u.mped into each other, triggering a sharp and crisp resonation between the silverware. Soon, the contents were emptied as the two youngsters downed their respective cups, each harboring their own thoughts on the matter.

After the toast, Xia Xinyu returned back to her seat and spoke no more.

"Marquis Zhiming's age has already exceeded seventeen but he has yet to marry. This Empress shall bequeath the Ninth Princess to the marquis. What does the marquis have to say?" As Zhang Sun said that, her gaze fell onto the both of them. It had a fierceness hidden within it that brooked no refusal and caused the hearts of the two in question to sink.

Once more, the astonishment glued on all the officials' faces was hard to disguise.. Even the Three Grand Dukes had on an unusual expression as they struggled their best to understand the Empress's decision.

Ning Chen was at a loss for words himself. He simply couldn't not understand why would Zhang Sun bring this up so suddenly. What was she planning?

Xia Ziyi looked his sister right in her eyes. There he saw a questioning princess reflected within. She hesitated for a short moment but in the end, she couldn't suppress her true thoughts and shook her head gently.

She and Ning Chen had only met a few times. The both of them couldn't even be counted as friends, let alone marriage partners.

It was at that moment that the Tenth Prince walked over and said:"Imperial mother, your humble son has something to say but isn't sure if it's appropriate."

"Speak." Zhang Sun said nonchalantly.

Xia Mingri took a quick look at Ning Chen before respectfully speaking, "Imperial Mother, please reconsider, although Marquis Zhiming possesses an excellent war record, and was even conferred the position of Marquis at such a young age, his promotion was simply too fast."

"Humans get jealous easily. If he is to be bestowed a marriage so soon, I'm afraid the ma.s.ses will be unconvinced. After all, the mouth of the ma.s.ses aren't easy to block."

"Imperial Mother, this humble son also do not approve of this marriage, I beseech you reconsider this decision." Below the empress seat, Xia Ziyi sighed lightly. In the end, he decided make his views known. Since Xinyu wasn't willing to marry Ning Chen, he shouldn't force her.

"Imperial Mother, this humble son also finds this marriage inappropriate." Inexplicably, the Third Prince, Xia Yanwu also voiced out his disapproval of the marriage.

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere quietened down. It was very rare for the three princes to share a similar view, one where all of them did not agree to the marriage of Ning Chen and the Ninth Princess.

The gazes of the crowd fell on Ning Chen once more. As of this moment, the deciding power laid in the hands of this marquis. With the blessing of the Empress already given, should he nod his head any disapproval would be rendered useless in an instant.

Without a doubt, this marriage was a ma.s.sive show of generosity on the part of the Empress. Whether it was status or appearance, there were no flaws to be found anywhere on the Ninth Princess. There was simply no reason for Marquis Zhiming to reject the proposal.

And yet Qing Ning couldn't help but worry about the whole marriage. She knew Ning Chen very well; there was no way he would agree to this marriage. At the same time, Her Majesty wasn't one to change her mind either. Both of them were extraordinarily stubborn and should they clash, the aftermath would be unthinkable.

Under the watchful eyes of the officials, Ning Chen got up, and with a serious expression,said: "Your Majesty, please withdraw the decree."

"There's no need for any further discussion. This Empress's mind is set!" Zhang Sun said coldly.

She had watched the Ninth Princess grow up herself and saw the princess as her own daughter. No matter what, she was going to find this precious charge of hers a reliable home before the new emperor ascended to the throne. As for Ning Chen, it was about time for the boy to settle down as well.Marrying Xinyu was definitely a good deal for him.

Ning Chen's mood could only be described as solemn at the moment. He knew of Zhang Suns good intentions. He also knew that in this world, marriage was decided by the parents;the younger generation had no say in the matter at all.

However, he wasn't of this world, and simply couldn't bring himself to accept this way of thinking.

"Your Majesty, this humble servant already has a partner in mind and cannot comply." Ning Chen walked up, knelt down and insisted.

"Impudence!" Zhang Sun slapped the table and stood up furious. This kid truly did not know what's good for him.

"Your Majesty, please stay your anger." Qing Ning hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

"You be silent!" Zhang Sun said sternly.

Just like that, Qing Ning was rendered helpless and could only step back from the mess. Such a situation was exactly what she feared would happen; that was why she tried her best to pre-empt it. In the end, it happened anyway.

"This Empress only has one thing to say, will you marry her or not!" Zhang Sun bellowed in a deep voice as she glared at the kneeling boy.

"I will not!" Ning Chen's expression was very firm as he said that.

"Good, Very good!" Zhang Sun stood up right away and coldly exclaimed ,"Men! Prepare the carriage, we return now!"

The empress stood up and her two palace maids stepped forward and brought out a resplendent canopy for the Empress in a graceful and elegant manner. Golden canopy extended fully, the flying petals found themselves hard pressed in approaching the queen. Thus, under the respectful gaze of all the officials, the Empress left, her golden phoenixes st.i.tched with silver embroidery fluttering gently in the wind as she did so.

The birthday party started off in a tranquil manner but ended with all kinds of emotions stuck onto everyone's heart. As Zhang Sun departed, the gaze she displayed right at the very end caused Ning Chen's heart to turn even gloomier.

Soon after, the court officials took their leave as well and just like the Empress, their final gazes fell on Ning Chen. This military marquis was truly the star of today's banquet. The question however, was whether or not the favor shown on him would be so generous after his refusal to marry.

Before leaving, the Third prince and Tenth prince walked over to express their goodwill and invited Ning Chen to come over to their residence to be their guest. Regardless of what happened today, Marquis Zhiming was still a military marquis. As such, his influence on the future fight for the throne was still an immeasurable one.

Unable to decline any further, Ning Chen nodded his head and directly expressed his desire to pay them a visit in te future.

The two princes left with a satisfied mood. They knew very well that whichever side Zhiming took, that side would gain an immense advantage in this war of succession.

With all the guests gone, there were only four people left in the gardens of the Nine Palaces: Ning Chen, Ming Yue, Xia Ziyi and Xia Xinyu.

Ming Yue had already fallen asleep against the side of the table. The remaining three of them had their own things to worry about so they kept their silence and drank their wine. Outside the pavillion, the breeze blew and the blossoms gently floated downwards. Soon, even the road home was obscured by the flowery curtain.

The sky gradually turned dark as the moon rose to take its radiant seat amongst the heavens. As the brilliant moonlight washed over fallen petals, the entire garden seemed to transform into a moon palace glowing with unusual beauty.

Under the pavilion, the Ninth Princess danced. Her dainty body, perfect facial features and snow white skin, seemed to sparkle under the silvery moonlight. Behind her, her elegant dress flowed in the wind and captured the essence of the moon itself as twirled and spun. Look at that breathtakingly beautiful scene, one couldn't be blamed for mistaking her as a fairy roaming the mortal realm.

"Do you regret it?" Xia Ziyi suddenly threw him a question.

Ning Chen was taken aback but smiled shortly thereafter and said: "In a person's life, choices have to be made regarding what has to be done. Since I was the one who made that decision, I will never regret it!"

"Bold!"

Xia Ziyi returned him a smile and the pair toasted. As they raised their winecups, they shared a drink, but even more so, they shared a friends.h.i.+p.

"I've long heard of Marquis Zhiming's extraordinary prowess but never heard the chance to experience it myself. Seeing as chances such as today's rarely come by, how about we have a duel?" Xia Ziyi looked at Ning Chen, eyes burning with a desire for battle.

"Whoos.h.!.+" A stream of clear water scattered before Ning Chen and as the cold winds pressed forth, the moon's reflection seemed to bounce off the flying liquid.

"My cultivation technique is a rather special one. Having a sword or not doesn't make much of a difference to me." Ning Chen stood up and leisurely walked out of the pavilion. As he did so, his battle intent exploded in a storm of snowflakes.

"Perfect!"

With a wave of his hand and a swish of clear water, Xia Ziyi made the first move. His body flickered away in a flash, his shadow barely having time to catch up as the Prince dove forward with unimaginable speeds. The sword was of utmost quality; so was the human. Looking at the barely discernible flash, the two seemed to merge together; he became the sword and his hands embodied the skill it contained.

In the time it took to blink an eye, the Prince struck, quick as lightning and just as dangerous as the deadly light.

With no time to lose, Ning Chen raised his sword finger and pointed it at the oncoming clear water. Twisting his body ever so slightly, he swung his finger in a slas.h.i.+ng motion right towards the Prince's heart.

*clang* The sword of the Prince swung back to deflect the sword point. Charging up the Qi in his hands once more, the Prince struck once more. This time, he lunged straight for the death point on Ning Chen's right chest.

Narrowing his eyes, Ning Chen immediately changed his finger strike into a full on palm strike, sending forth a burst of boundless Qi.

*splash*

The palm punched through the clear water stream, shattering it like gla.s.s, and forcefully cleared a path to the Prince's strike zone.

*bang*

The palm smashed into ground. For a second there, it almost looked like Ning Chen had succeeded, but that was merely an afterimage, the real Prince was long gone by then.

*bang*

Another palm strike fell short, mere moments after the first. Outside of the pavilion, a storm of flying petals swirled around the garden. Within, one could see a couple of silhouettes darting about the air, exchanging blows as they collided with each other time after time again.

Flash of snow and flash of lily white, the two battled with each other in a blinding dance of death, their lives hanging by a razor thin line.

It was an evenly matched battle. The more the two of them battled, the greater their surprise. At the same time, they felt a connection grow between the two of them.

Back under the pavilion, the dancing had stopped. Xia Xinyu stood in the middle of the pavilion and watched the two peerless men dance amidst a storm of snow and flowers, their eyes dazzlingly bright.

"Refres.h.i.+ng!"

A sword swept past and palm flew to meet it. All around, the wind blew up a storm of snow and the moon rained down coldness in response. Such heaven-altering moves could only have come from those who stood at the peak of their arts.

"The Seas of Knowledge Knows No Bounds."

Xia Ziyi stomped his feet and the True Qi within him surged. A moment later, a golden scroll unfurled itself into existence and golden words etched themselves onto the illusory fabric one after another. Each radiated a blinding ray of golden light that blew away the flower petals around them. Immediately, the Prince's aura doubled — the ultimate art of Confucianism made its appearance once more!

Facing such a strong move, Ning Chen dare not be careless. He flipped his palm over and focuses his Qi, calling forth vast waves that rose up to the sky and painted a picture of the Milky Way across the nine heavens.

*Bang*

Caught between the terrifying shockwaves, the courtyard floor trembled. The both of them retreated numerous steps, neither gaining a distinct advantage over the other.

"Refres.h.i.+ng!"

With such a satisfying battle, this trip was worth the effort! The two thought to themselves as they exchanged a smile with each other.

However, all good things had to come to an end sometime. With the battle all but over, Xia Ziyi stowed his sword before departing with his Xinyu, leaving behind a garden filled with pear blossoms drifting down.

Ning Chen carried the napping little Ming Yue and left as well, pa.s.sing through the same curtain of flower petals. As he did so, he sighed lightly in his heart. The trip left him with  that much more regret and that much more lamentations.

Of the four princes, the deceased Eighth Prince was famed for his wisdom; the Tenth possessed an outstanding literary talent while the Third possessed an unparalleled martial talent that was on par with the palace masters.

Compared to them, the Eldest Prince never really stood out much and was simply known as the oldest of the princes.

After today's battle however, Ning Chen found out that it was the Eldest Prince who was the most exceptional of the princes. To think he had hidden his talents so well for the last twenty years.

If he were to vie for the throne seriously, this war of succession would have most likely never happened at all as neither of the Princes would even stand a chance before him.