2. Inside courtroom

Inside courtroom:

Upon seeing the arrival of Princess Ming Liao, accompanied by her entourage of maidservants and bodyguards, each individual inside the palace room bore their own apprehensions and thoughts.

There were already many whispers and gossips spreading like wildfire, tarnishing the reputation of the princess before she had even set foot in the foreign kingdom.

The rumors painted a grim picture of the princess. It was said that she had been raised in the cold palace with less care than the lowest peasant, her life marked by neglect and hardship.

Some even claimed that she had never left the palace, leaving her ignorant of the world beyond its walls, and utterly devoid of proper etiquette.

Furthermore, the most damning rumor of all was that she was older than the ninth prince who was to be her betrothed. Her age had become a subject of ridicule, and many malicious tongues spoke of her as being uglier than a pig.

Each day, the ninth prince would pay visits to the King and Queen, ardently pleading for the annulment of the engagement. He was relentless in his efforts to break free from the impending marriage, driven by the unkind tales that had reached his ears. The weight of these rumors bore heavily upon him, and he found himself in a desperate struggle to avoid the perceived fate of being wed to a princess who was purported to be so unappealing.

As the princess and her retinue stood before King and Queen Jing, they curtsied in deep respect.

"Long live the King. I, the eldest princess of the Kingdom of Ming, pay respect to the King," the princess offered to the monarch. "Long live the Queen. I, the eldest princess of the Kingdom of Ming, pay respect to the Queen," she continued with grace and poise.

Princess Ming Liao was attired in the traditional Ming costume, which featured light blue clothing and a slightly see-through mask, giving her an alluring and enigmatic appearance. Her fair and radiant skin was in part due to her seclusion in the cold palace and the natural fairness of those from the Himalayan region, where her kingdom was nestled.

In the grand courtroom, the King, Queen, all the princes, and the ministers scrutinized the princess, assessing her carefully. Her fair complexion stood out, but her slender figure made her appear even taller than she truly was.

Despite being masked and fully clothed, the princess exuded charm due to her modesty, posture, and impeccable etiquette.

"Rise up," commanded the King, his gaze lingering on the princess. "Indeed, the daughter of Jiang Lian Hua. As beautiful as her mother."

The princess acknowledged the king's compliment with a gracious nod, displaying her appreciation.

The King, turning to a eunuch, instructed, "Go and fetch the ninth prince." The eunuch curtsied and promptly exited the room to carry out the King's command.

The King, meanwhile, engaged the princess in conversation. "How was your journey? You didn't encounter any difficulties, did you?" he inquired, his attention still fixed on her.

"The journey was smooth and pleasant. Thank you for asking, the King," the princess replied respectfully. She turned slightly, and one of her maidservants, positioned nearby, hastened to hand her a medium-sized, elegantly adorned box.

The princess faced the King and Queen once more, saying, "This is a small gift this princess prepared for the King and the Queen. I heard there is a tradition where a junior should offer a gift to their in-laws on their first visit. I prepared this present in haste, and I hope you do not find it displeasing."

The King, his curiosity piqued, cast a glance at his eunuch, instructing him to bring the box closer. The eunuch approached the princess, accepted the box, and then proceeded to present it to the King. All present were eager to see what the princess had prepared as her gift, wondering what kind of offering a princess from a distant kingdom would present on her arrival.

Right now, all eyes were fixed on Princess Ming Liao. Her every move was scrutinized, her every word analyzed. The courtiers and onlookers were eager to see if the rumors had any basis in truth or if they were merely a fabrication of malicious intent.

To the surprise of many, the princess's demeanor and etiquette stood in stark contrast to the rumors that had swirled around her. The Queen, in particular, was taken aback by the grace and poise with which the princess conducted herself.

Even her own maidservants, including Liu Min, who had been with her for years and knew the extent of her upbringing, were astonished by her perfect execution of Jing Kingdom etiquette. They had seen her struggle to grasp the customs and manners of her own kingdom, and it was as if an entirely different person stood before them. The transformation was so striking that they questioned in hearts whether an imposter had replaced the princess.

The ministers and generals in the room, too, were perplexed by the stark disparity between the rumors and the reality before them. Princess Ming Liao, with her beauty, grace, and flawless comportment, did not resemble a woman abandoned in a cold palace since birth. Her body language and demeanor suggested a background of privilege and upbringing, and the rumors of her being uglier than a pig appeared to be nothing more than baseless slander.