45 (End of Volume I)

The main entrance of the City Lord's House was different from its other entrances. There was a wide square right after you crossed it with polished flat stones as the floor and greenery around it.

The square had many people at the moment. There was a big light green carriage with pale yellow peonies as decorations pulled by four mighty White Cloud Horses blocking the main entrance; it was the model of carriage used by a Head Imperial Eunuch when they were sent to pass the words of the Emperor. The lateral sides of the carriage where the ones facing the main entrance and the square, so the twenty silver armoured Imperial Guards sent to protect the Imperial Decree where standing at the front and back sides of the carriage while facing the square with stern semblances.

The lateral side of the carriage that was facing the square had a closed door in the middle and before it, there was a small staircase with three steps and at each side of it, there were two rows of three palace maids each. But by the maid robes they were using, it was easy to tell that they belonged to two different palaces; the six maids to the left side were clad in a set of white and light green silk robes trimmed with silver thread and had serious faces while the ones to the right side were clad in a set of white and light blue silk robes lightly trimmed with pale yellow thread and had an out-of-place expressions on their pretty faces.

Opposite the palace people and at ten metres from them, there were standing about thirty people of the City Lord's House.

"The Elders, My Lord, I have brought her," Si Xuli said with a bow to the City Lord and three Elders, interrupting their solemn conversation.

As they were waiting for Huan Meirong, none of them got displeased by Si Xuli's interjection. The City Lord nodded and turned his eyes to see his disappointment of a daughter who was five steps behind Si Xuli. He froze when he saw her and Si Xuli took notice of it.

Huan Meirong didn't notice whatever look it was being thrown at her from the City Lord's House people way as she had her hands full already. When she had gone down the carriage, she had felt the five pair of gazes she had been feeling the past week along with a new pair that was as scrutinizing as the other five had been at the start. Nevertheless, their presence wasn't strange for her at this point but the fact that they were along the high standing people sent to read the Imperial Decree it was. Things weren't quite right.

And before she could conjecture something of it and as the City Lord was about to open his mouth to talk, a thunderous drumming was heard, making all of them arrange themselves by the position they held in the household with the exception of Huan Meirong who was in the middle and at the foremost part.

The carriage door was opened and she heard a pair of solid footsteps coming down, walking towards her and then, stopping at five metres from her. The steps belonged to one of the Nine Head Imperial Eunuchs of the Emperor, Qing Tao, who was the one sent this time to announce this Imperial Decree; he was of old age and clad a light green eunuch robe with light yellow patterns.

*Flap* He waved his hand and a golden scroll appeared in his hand. When the City Lord's House people saw it, all kowtowed. Huan Meirong couldn't see but by the movement she heard and energy fluctuation she felt, she could decipher; moreover, the City Lord had also whispered her to do so. Therefore, she followed suit with a slow and unbalanced motion.

'So it is true she is blind,' the Head Eunuch Qing Tao didn't read the decree right away but first assessed the kowtowing Huan Meirong and by her looks and poise, he confirmed what he had heard.

He nodded to himself and opened the golden scroll to read aloud, "General Huan, a man whose meritorious… Therefore, by the power conferred to Us by the heavens, We hereby bestow to the eldest daughter of his bloodline, Lady Meirong of General Huan Household, a marriage with Our Fifth Prince, Cui Wang…"

'Hold on…' Huan Meirong opened her blind eyes involuntary as she had her head down, thinking without hearing the rest of the decree, 'It was really… this must be a bad joke, right?' Though she had expected it to be some sort of arranged marriage despite she being blind, she didn't think it was going to be with a Prince, was she for real going to be part of the Imperial Family yet again?!

"… Accept the Decree," the Head Imperial Eunuch raised his voice as he finished.

Even so, Huan Meirong didn't react instantly; it was until she heard the worried voice of the City Lord whispering at her that she raised both of her arms, saying while hiding her reluctance, "Lady Meirong of General Huan Household humbly accepts the Son of Heavens' Decree."

As the Imperial Decree was placed on her hands, she thought inwardly, 'Oh, well. Accepting the decree doesn't mean I will follow it.' She did have that intention but… things never go the way one wants…