Firmament Sword

「The Imperial Capital.」

Before the Seventh Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Shaking Light Star flared, and an auspicious omen descended from the heavens, sending nearly everyone in the Cangqiong Kingdom, from the highest to the lowest, into a state of wild excitement.

The failure of the Star Festival had dealt a considerable blow to the morale of the Cangqiong Kingdom’s people.

Coupled with the restless stirring of neighboring kingdoms, the people had been under immense pressure recently.

But just then, the Shaking Light Star, one of the seven stars of the Big Dipper, suddenly shot out a brilliant beam of light that lasted for more than two hours!

For the people of the Cangqiong Kingdom, who believed the Big Dipper safeguarded their nation’s fate, this was naturally a cause for great excitement. All the pressure they had been under recently finally lifted.

From high-ranking officials to common street vendors, almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They believed the Big Dipper had not abandoned the Cangqiong Kingdom!

As this coincided with the Seventh Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, a rumor began to spread that she was a true bearer of fortune. Despite her disability, she had brought good fortune to the Cangqiong Kingdom.

This rumor grew more and more intense until, for a time, the Seventh Princess’s name echoed throughout the entire Cangqiong Kingdom.

As for that young man, Xu Luo, who had been saddled with immense shame for the failure of the Star Festival—who would even remember him now?

「In the afternoon, inside the Prime Minister’s Mansion.」

Wei Feng sat in his chair, a happy expression on his face. He looked at his son, Wei Ziting, who stood before him, and said earnestly, ”Ziting, you’re eighteen this year, aren’t you?”

”Father, I am indeed eighteen this year. My birthday was not long ago,” Wei Ziting answered honestly, uncertain of the reason for his father’s summons.

”Mm, then it’s about time... we discussed a marriage for you,” Prime Minister Wei Feng said, gently stroking his beard with a smile. ”What do you think of... the Seventh Princess?”

”The Seventh Princess?” Wei Ziting was taken aback for a moment, then said, ”The Seventh Princess is a heavenly beauty of unmatched grace, and she is incredibly intelligent, but...”

”But she’s disabled, is that right?” Wei Feng wasn’t angry. Instead, he looked at his son with a placid smile.

”Yes.” Wei Ziting steeled himself and nodded. ’So what if he scolds me?’ he thought. ’If the Seventh Princess weren’t disabled, every young noble in the Imperial Capital would be dreaming of marrying her.’

’But she can’t even stand. Marrying a woman like that, even if she is a princess... I wouldn’t be happy about it!’

”If this were before, I would never force you to marry a disabled woman as your primary wife, even if she is a Royal Princess. But things are different now!”

Wei Feng’s gaze was profound as he spoke softly, ”Before the Seventh Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, an auspicious omen descended from the heavens, and the Shaking Light Star shone for more than two hours! While it’s possible someone was working behind the scenes to boost her reputation, the fact remains that the Seventh Princess’s fame has now surpassed that of all the other royal princesses!”

”She’s even... outshining the Crown Prince himself!” Wei Feng said. ”If you can marry the Seventh Princess, it will undoubtedly take our Wei Family’s prestige to the next level!”

”Father...”

”Listen to me, Ziting. I have always thought highly of you. I know you’ve had to swallow your pride and endure humiliation these past few years, bowing your head before that punk from the Leng Family. You’ve been wronged.” Wei Feng said faintly, ”But as long as you can become engaged to the Seventh Princess this time... it won’t be long before that Leng boy will be bowing his head to you!”

”Really?” Thinking of Young Master Leng’s arrogant posture and grand airs, Wei Ziting couldn’t help but feel a fire ignite in his heart.

”Of course, it’s true. The Leng Family... they may have a deeper foundation, but what right do they have to ride roughshod over our Wei Family?” Wei Feng said lightly. ”You’re a grown man now. In the past, I would never have said this to you. Weigh the pros and cons yourself.”

With that, Wei Feng stood up, preparing to leave.

Wei Ziting gritted his teeth. The image of the Seventh Princess’s devastatingly beautiful face flashed in his mind. He then said, ”Father, I agree. I will do my absolute best tonight to win the Seventh Princess’s favor. When the time comes, I ask that you please request her hand in marriage for me!”

”Haha, now that’s my good son! Rest assured, I will definitely help you bring this beautiful, jade-like princess home!” Greatly relieved, Wei Feng laughed happily and said, ”In a little while, go to the treasury and select the most exquisite and expensive item to give the Seventh Princess as her coming-of-age gift!”

...

At almost the exact same time, a similar scene was playing out in all the great families of the Imperial Capital who were qualified to even think of the Seventh Princess.

The Leng Family, the Wang Family, the Zhao Family, the Sun Family... all the top families of the Civil Servant factions in the Cangqiong Kingdom issued the same directive to their most outstanding young men.

”Win the Seventh Princess’s heart at any cost! Whoever marries the Seventh Princess... will be the next Patriarch of the family!”

Meanwhile, some of the Military Merit Clans in the Imperial Capital had their own ideas.

The Military Merit Clans, led by Xu Ji, had always been staunch members of the Royalist Faction. They normally wouldn’t have cared much about the status of a single Royal Princess.

However, the recent, widespread rumors that the auspicious omen from the heavens was because of the Seventh Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony were impossible to ignore.

Although the men of these Military Merit Clans were at the front lines, the matriarchs running the households were all ladies from prominent families and naturally understood the hidden implications.

At the very least, they all knew that the Prime Minister Wei Group, led by Prime Minister Wei and Lord Leng, would be scrambling madly to have one of their own marry the Seventh Princess!

By doing so, they could greatly increase the power of the entire Civil Servant Group!

”So, Xu Jie, you listen to me. I don’t care about anything else, but you must take this matter seriously. Even if you can’t marry the Seventh Princess yourself, you absolutely cannot let those brats from the Leng and Wei Families succeed!”