In the main hall, the seats on the left were still for men and those on the right were for women. The Empress Dowager was not feeling well and did not attend the banquet. The Empress did not come either. Emperor Zongwen sat high, and beside him were two imperial n.o.ble consorts, Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen and Consort Su. Below Consort Wen sat the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess, and then, You Yue’e and Mo Xuetong, as well as Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue, followed by the n.o.ble ladies of various manors.
Consort Su was beside King Chu, followed by King Yan, King Xuan, King Ning, and Crown Prince Xieyue. The top three scholars sat behind them, followed by the sons of officials and aristocratic families.
The main purpose of this banquet was to congratulate the Number One Scholar, and the scholars in the second and third place. Therefore, although the three of them did not have a position in the court yet, they were very close to the front, which made people think highly of the three, especially the talented and handsome Number One Scholar and the man in the third place, who were not yet married. This made the young ladies on the opposite side blush.
Among the three of them, Qin Yufeng was the most handsome. Furthermore, he came from an extraordinary family and had long been well-known in the capital. He was talented and handsome, so he received the most attention. Besides, it was said that the Emperor was secretly interested in bestowing marriage upon him, which caused many n.o.ble ladies to look at him shyly from time to time.
“Consort Xuan, is that the Number One Scholar?” Mo Xuetong was bored and leaned against her chair watching the singing and dancing in the main hall when Princess Caifeng suddenly smiled at her and asked. There was not a hint of grudge in her words, as if she was not the one who wanted to kill Mo Xuetong in the Empress Dowager’s palace earlier.
Seeing that she was pointing in the direction of Qin Yufeng, Mo Xuetong put on a smile and said, “Yes!”
Since Princess Caifeng did not mention it, she might as well not ask. She wanted to see what Princess Caifeng was up to.
“Qianyue, what do you think of the Number One Scholar?” Princess Caifeng smiled politely at Mo Xuetong before she turned around and asked Hu Qianyue, who was seated beside her.
Hu Qianyue was stunned. For a moment, she did not understand the meaning behind Princess Caifeng’s words. She followed Princess Caifeng’s gaze and saw a handsome young master. She immediately nodded and replied with a smile, “The Number One Scholar is indeed outstanding. It’s rare for such a handsome man to have such a literary talent.”
Usually, many Number One Scholars were old, and it was the first time for Hu Qianyue to have seen such a handsome young man who had already become the Number One Scholar, so she couldn’t help but nod and praise him.
Princess Caifeng leaned back and said softly as if she was joking, “Qianyue, how about I tell Elder brother later to let you marry the Number One Scholar? At that time, we can still be together and live happily in the Qin Kingdom. We can also take care of each other.”
“I…” Hu Qianyue was shocked, and her face suddenly turned pale. She was so shocked that the tea in her hand almost fell on her body. She hurriedly put the teacup on the table, but some water had already poured on her dress. Fortunately, she was wearing a lot of clothes at this time, and the water was on the edge of the skirt, so others couldn’t see it at the moment.
Mo Xuetong did not turn around. She seemed to be focused on the song and dance in the hall. The dancer was like a fairy in the sky, which was really attractive. Almost everyone in the hall was attracted by it. If Mo Xuetong had not felt a little uncomfortable because of the hot eyes on the opposite side, she would not have been able to hear what Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue said.
“Qianyue, do you like him badly? Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Eldest brother later.” Princess Caifeng giggled and looked around. No one noticed them. She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Qianyue, stay in the Qin Kingdom with me. When Elder brother go back, he will definitely make it clear to Third brother. You are a perfect match for each other. Since it’s destined, Third brother will definitely not say anything about it.”
“Your Highness, please… please spare me!” Hu Qianyue’s voice trembled, and she could hardly speak. There was a pleading look on her face. She was smart, and immediately knew that she had offended Princess Caifeng, so she did not dare to say anything more. Even if the Third Prince was powerful, she could not rely on him now.
“Qianyue, aren’t you very smart and capable? Why did you ask me to spare you? Did Mother ask you here to send me to get married, or to be the concubine of the man I will marry? If I marry into King Xuan’s Manor, will you go with me? Or if I marry into King Yan’s Manor? Oh, won’t you look down on King Yan, will you?” Princess Caifeng smiled with a surprised expression on her face. She whispered to Hu Qianyue’s ear as she glanced at the princes across from them from time to time.
The others did not pay much attention to the two of them when they saw that the two of them were talking happily and that it was a girl’s private conversation. Mo Xuetong was the only one who could vaguely hear them. She knew that what had happened in the Empress Dowager’s palace earlier made Princess Caifeng unhappy. Princess Caifeng had wanted to harm her earlier. It was likely that it had something to do with Hu Qianyue.
However, because of what she had said, Princess Caifeng had not figured it out earlier. She had been frightened by Feng Yuran earlier and now she had figured it out. She must have thought of Hu Qianyue’s problem. Given Princess Caifeng’s character, she would definitely seek revenge for the smallest grievance. She would not let Hu Qianyue off the hook so easily.
This was also the retribution for Hu Qianyue’s scheming against others. Mo Xuetong did not feel sorry for her at all. She simply listened carefully and looked ahead. She was in a good mood as she listened to their internal strife.
“Your Highness, I don’t dare to think so. How could I think of the man you like?” The more Princess Caifeng said, the more Hu Qianyue was frightened. Her face was so pale that it was almost bloodless. She looked at Princess Caifeng with pleading eyes and promised again and again.
“You don’t or you don’t dare?” Princess Caifeng asked with a grin.
“I don’t dare to do anything! I really want to plot for Your Highness. I really don’t know about what happened just now. I only heard that there is some poison in the box. I thought that since you dare to pick it up, you must know that there is no poison. Your Highness, I came from the Southern Barbarian Lands with you. If something happens to you, how can I escape? His Highness Crown Prince will not let me go either.”
Seeing that Princess Caifeng was unwilling to spare her, Hu Qianyue secretly felt that she was going to get into trouble. She immediately spoke with all her heart out. She did not expect that Princess Caifeng would vent all her anger on her after her plan failed. She did not dare to say anything more and only hoped that Princess Caifeng would not blame her.
When she mentioned Crown Prince Xieyue, Princess Caifeng’s odd expression grew slightly better. If not for Crown Prince Xieyue rushing in earlier, she might have really died at the hands of that devilishly handsome King Xuan. When she thought of the vicious look in his cold eyes, it was rare for Princess Caifeng to be smart. She knew that this person would not show any mercy when he dealt with her. He was truly able to do what he said.
At this time, she also woke up because of Feng Yuran. If she poisoned Consort Xuan and she was killed by King Xuan, the alliance between her eldest brother and the Qin Kingdom would not succeed. Then her third brother would benefit most from it. And Hu Qianyue in front of her eyes was her third brother’s cousin. Princess Caifeng had never thought of this before, but now she suddenly understood!
“Qianyue, I heard that Mother has already named you as Third Brother’s consort?” Princess Caifeng raised her eyebrows and asked with a faint smile, as if she was just curious about it.
Hu Qianyue’s heart beat wildly, and there was a slight cold sweat on her forehead. When the Empress secretly told her this, there was only a personal palace maid standing beside her. And this matter would be settled after she returned from abroad. They were afraid that it would attract the attention of Princess Caifeng and Crown Prince Xieyue, so they did not make it public.
But how could Princess Caifeng know about it?
She smiled awkwardly and looked at Princess Caifeng. She did not find anything unusual. Then, she pretended to be at a loss and replied, “Your Highness, what are you talking about? If Her Majesty really wants me to marry Third Prince, how could I follow you to the Qin Kingdom at this time?”
“Really?” Princess Caifeng seemed to frown in disbelief.
“Of course!” Hu Qianyue answered with absolute certainty.
“How could it not be? Could it be that I was wrong?” Princess Caifeng seemed to be talking to herself, but then she nodded and patted Hu Qianyue’s shoulder with a calm att.i.tude. “That’s the best. I thought that you would be the Third Prince’s wife in the future, and then I can’t stay with you all the time,” she said with a deeper meaning in her words.
Her words were vague, but it made Hu Qianyue alert. She felt that there was something hidden in Princess Caifeng’s words. She suppressed the shock in her heart and wanted to speak again. However, she saw that Princess Caifeng had already abandoned her and turned to look at Consort Xuan on the other side. She could only bite her lips tightly and suppress the waves of shock and helplessness in her heart. She was fl.u.s.tered!
Of course, she did not think that Princess Caifeng was just joking. Could it be that what had happened today had reminded Princess Caifeng of her failure in the mission to the Qin Kingdom? The Crown Prince had already taken back the necklace made of South Pearls and explained the reason. The Qin Kingdom should have blamed the Empress for it.
However, they had a good impression of Crown Prince Xieyue, which could be seen from the other people’s expressions in the hall at that time.
Not only did she fail to help her aunt and cousin, but she even made the people of the Qin Kingdom hate them. Could she become her cousin’s wife if she didn’t make anything? That day, her aunt said that she could be her cousin’s consort after she succeeded. But if she failed…
Hu Qianyue didn’t dare to think further. It seemed that not only the Crown Prince had doubts about her, but also Princess Caifeng, who had always looked stupid, had a grudge against her. This was originally a trump card for her to resist the Crown Prince, but now it seemed that it had become her weakness!
How could Hu Qianyue not panic? She didn’t even know how to do next. She clenched her hands tightly under her sleeves and lowered her head slightly to hide the panic in her eyes. At this time, she couldn’t be fl.u.s.tered. She had to make a good plan, step by step, before she took any actions. She couldn’t mess up and be led by the nose by that stupid woman, Caifeng.
She had to think about if Princess Caifeng said those words unintentionally or intentionally before she would make plans.
Mo Xuetong sat by the side. However, she had heard them clearly. A hint of a cold smile appeared on her lips.
At this time, the music in the hall stopped, and the dancers also stopped. With their long sleeves fluttering, they left in an orderly manner.
Crown Prince Xieyue retracted his heated gaze and raised his wine cup. He glanced at King Yan, who was sitting beside him. Then he walked to the center of the palace, smiled at Emperor Zongwen and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty, for the talents you get!”
After that, he drank the gla.s.s of wine in one gulp!
Emperor Zongwen smiled slightly and also raised his cup in the distance. He raised his head and drank it. Then he said with a smile, “Crown Prince Xieyue, you are too polite. You are guests from afar. Please have a few more drinks. Yuxuan, the few of you should also urge Crown Prince Xieyue to have a few cups of wine.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, stood up with a smile and drank a cup of wine respectfully.
“You’re too polite, Your Majesty. It’s a good day. I have a happy event here, and I hope you can grant my wish.” Crown Prince Xieyue’s eyes swept over Princess Caifeng. It was obvious that he was going to ask for an engagement for her. Everyone knew that Princess Caifeng had come to the Qin Kingdom for a marriage, but they did not know who would be the one to get her this time.
All the whispers stopped, and there was a sudden silence in the hall.
Everyone’s eyes fell on the several princes opposite the women. One of them would be Princess Caifeng’s husband, but they didn’t know who he was. Everyone favored King Ning most. After all, he didn’t have a legal wife. If Princess Caifeng married one of the other princes, she would only be a co-wife whose statue would be lower than the legal wife. The Southern Barbarian Lands wouldn’t be willing to suffer this loss, would they?
