Chapter 32

32 HALL OR HELL?

Just like the architecture in his palace, the beams and pillars in Rongyao Imperial Palace were also made of wood. Not only were the beams and columns made of wood, but the walls were also made of the same material.

Apart from that similarity, Bai Chen also noticed that the Rongyao Imperial Palace was also dominated by the color red just like his palace. Most of the columns in the palace were painted red, and just like what he knew in his previous life, red was also the most auspicious color in the empire.

Red meant vitality, longevity, happiness, and success. Some people also believed that red would bring good luck, recognition, and fame.

In addition to red, there were also several colors such as yellow and green in the Imperial Palace. The yellow color could be seen in the glass tiles used for roofing and many decorations. Even many bricks on the ground were made in yellow using a special process. Meanwhile, green was also a pretty important color because it signified growth, and the color could be found on building tiles.

Bai Chen focused on the beautiful design when he was outside the Zuigao Hall, but as soon as he stepped into the grand hall, his mind immediately went blank as he could no longer think about the interior.

The Zuiguo Hall was not only large on the outside but also spacious on the inside. There were many interesting ornaments within the hall, but Bai Chen couldn’t pay attention to them because he was more focused on the people there.

There were indeed a lot of people in the hall. Most of them were in a standing position, and only one person was sitting on the golden throne ahead of him.

‘I think I was the last one to come to this meeting,’ he was cursing his luck when he realized those people might be in the middle of an important discussion, but then he suddenly appeared in the room and stole their attention in a bad way.

He did come late to the hall, and it was because of the incident related to Zhu Ge. Finding a scapegoat, he secretly blamed his servant, but how could he blame the servant when the old man didn’t even follow him to enter the hall?

.....

Ma Qiao said that only those invited by the Emperor could enter the great hall, and that was why the servant only raised a fist in front of his own face as if to say ‘jiayou[1]’ as the Prince carried his heavy legs to enter the hall.

Bai Chen’s legs did feel heavy because he felt like he had just entered Hell, not a hall in the Imperial Palace.

The brunette Prince really wanted to curse right now, but he tried to act elegantly as he started walking toward the people gathered within the Hall.

The mighty Emperor was sitting on a throne on a platform, and the others, probably imperial officials, were standing on the left and right sides as if they were making way for Bai Chen to walk in the middle.

Bai Chen remembered he had seen a similar scene in the ancient drama he watched in his previous life, and he could only rely on those memories as he tried to act like a true noble in the empire.

The people in the hall were also wearing white clothes, but instead of looking boring, their clothes looked so classy with some accessories that looked stunning.

In addition, just from the way they sat and stood, Bai Chen assumed that they were truly the royalty in the empire, and he knew that he could not embarrass himself in front of them when he held the title of Imperial Prince.

All eyes were on him as he walked the path that resembled a bridge with officials to the right and left, but he ignored them all as he continued to stare at the person on the throne, who also had a pair of blue eyes.

Right after he stopped his steps when he was a few feet from the stairs leading to the Emperor’s throne, a blue translucent screen flashed before his eyes.

{DING!

A NEW CHARACTER WAS DETECTED!

GIVEN NAME: BAI JIAYI, COURTESY NAME: BAI GUOWEI

AGE: 52

ROLE: THE EMPEROR OF DONG LANG EMPIRE}

Even without the information from the system, Bai Chen could guess that the man sitting on the throne was indeed the Emperor. His aura was too strong compared to the auras of other people in the hall. His long white hair was draped over his back and right shoulder, and his pair of blue eyes glittered with full charm.

The Emperor wore the same white clothes as his own, but instead of having some parts in blue, the parts were in golden color. The golden color looked so powerful, and Bai Chen could guess that the man was the Emperor even before receiving the information from the system.

But he still had to thank the system because now he even knew the Emperor’s name as well as his age. The information might come in handy for him in the future.

Raising his hands and clasping them in front of his face, he greeted the Emperor, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Bai Chen wasn’t even sure that what he had just done was the proper way to greet these people of higher status in the empire. Even Ma Qiao didn’t greet him like that, but he remembered how the characters in the ancient drama he watched in his previous life made such gestures, and that was why he innocently copied them.

And luckily, he didn’t get any warning from the system, and the people around him didn’t criticize him either. He assumed he had done something right in front of the people in the hall.

“I appreciate your attendance at today’s meeting, Prince Bai Chen. Now you can stand beside the Crown Prince,” the Emperor returned his greeting, and his voice was almost as deep as Zhu Ge’s.

There was no hostility in the Emperor’s voice, but for some reason, Bai Chen could feel a hint of intimidation on the man’s face. ‘Maybe it’s because he’s the Emperor of this empire,’ he thought as he tried to comfort himself.

The mighty Emperor had given him an order, but Bai Chen did not immediately move from his spot. Instead, he looked confused because he didn’t even know the face of the Crown Prince in the empire.

It was a shame because the system did not have the initiative to show a picture of the Crown Prince to help him in this situation. The system would only give him information when his eyes made contact with some important characters in this world, so he had no other choice but to find the Crown Prince himself.

Silently moving his eyes to scan every face in the hall in hopes that he would find someone whose face resembled his, the journey of his blue eyes stopped when he saw a figure standing at the farthest end of the officials, right next to the stairs to the Emperor’s throne.

{DING!

A NEW CHARACTER WAS DETECTED:

GIVEN NAME: BAI ZHONG, COURTESY NAME: BAI RENSHU

AGE: 27

ROLE: THE CROWN PRINCE OF DONG LANG EMPIRE}

Bai Chen was astonished after getting the information from the system. The man standing not so far from him had a face similar to his, but his aura resembled that of an Emperor.

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With long white hair and a pair of blue eyes, the man looked like a copy of the Emperor. ‘No wonder he is the Crown Prince of this empire,’ thought Bai Chen before he started bringing his feet to approach his ‘older brother.’

That man was the older brother of the real Bai Chen in the world, and that was why Bai Chen tried to see that man as his brother as well, assuming that the real Bai Chen might have a good relationship with the older man.

There was an empty spot on the man’s left side, and Bai Chen positioned himself in that spot. However, the Crown Prince did not even turn his gaze towards him even after he was standing right next to the taller man.

Bai Chen frowned as he thought that siblings should greet each other when they had the chance to meet, just like how his relationship with his sister was in his previous life.

At that moment, he could sense that the relationship between the real Bai Chen and the Crown Prince wasn’t very good.

He originally wanted to maintain his relationship with the Crown Prince, but if the real Bai Chen didn’t even have a good relationship with the older man, then what was he supposed to hold on to?

‘Is there a grudge between the real Bai Chen and the Crown Prince?’ He wondered as he looked at the older man who didn’t even want to glimpse at him. ‘But wait. Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince have white hair, so why do I have brown hair?’

—

Footnote:

[1] Jiayou: is a ubiquitous Chinese expression of encouragement and support.