Chapter 210 -

Chapter 210: Chapter

Soon, they arrived at the grand imperial hall. Su Yueqing walked side by side with Wenzhe, while Lu Yue, Nine, and Dong Li followed closely behind them.

The hall was massive and heavily decorated, perfectly fitting for a royal banquet. The Emperor and the Empress had not arrived yet, so only the noble families were present, filling the room with loud chatter as they took their places.

"Wenzhe, did you sleep well?" Duchess Xi asked, walking straight up to them with Aunt Ronghua right behind her.

"Yes, Mother. I am alright," Wenzhe replied with a faint smile. His face was still a bit pale, but he looked much better than the night before.

Nodding, the Duchess turned toward Yueqing and offered a warm smile. "Yueqing, take care of Wenzhe. We will all talk after the banquet starts." With that, she turned and walked away to greet the other noble ladies.

With her gone, Yueqing and Wenzhe made their way to their assigned seats. Since they were officially husband and wife, they sat right next to each other at the front table.

As they sat down at the front table, Yueqing immediately started talking to Nine in her mind.

[This banquet is already so boring,] Yueqing complained in her head, popping a grape into her mouth. [Look at all these nobles faking their smiles.]

[Just eat the food and stay out of trouble,] Nine warned her back through their mental link. [Remember the plan. Do not do anything crazy today.]

[Me? Cause trouble?] Yueqing thought back, rolling her eyes. [I am a perfect, innocent angel!]

Sitting right next to her, Wenzhe heard her loud bragging echoing clearly inside his head. He silently scoffed and took a slow sip of his hot tea, trying his best to ignore her noisy brain.

Gradually, everyone found their assigned tables. The loud chatter filled the massive hall until a sharp, high-pitched voice suddenly cut through the noise.

"The Third Prince, His Highness Xiao Chen!" the head eunuch announced loudly from the grand doors. "The Third Princess! The Fifth Princess! Arriving!"

Instantly, the entire hall went dead silent. Everyone stood up and bowed their heads respectfully.

The three royals walked through the grand entrance. The Third and Fifth Princesses looked stunning in their bright, colorful silk dresses, smiling proudly as they waved to the nobles.

But Xiao Chen did not smile.

He wore dark, heavy royal robes. His face was completely blank and as cold as ice. He did not look at the bowing crowds, and he did not stop to greet a single person. He walked straight past the grand tables with long, quick strides.

He walked all the way to the front of the hall and sat down heavily in his assigned seat.

His table was directly opposite Yueqing and Wenzhe.

The moment Xiao Chen sat down, he lifted his head. His dark, sharp eyes stared straight across the open floor, locking directly onto Wenzhe.

Wenzhe slowly lowered his teacup. He stared right back.

In a split second, the air between their two tables turned freezing cold. The heavy, dangerous tension between the stubborn prince and the cold general was so thick, Yueqing could practically feel it choking the entire room.

Yueqing felt the deadly tension instantly. If looks could kill, the entire hall would be on fire.

[Oh no! They are going to stare each other to death before the Emperor even gets here!] she panicked in her mind. [I need to stop this right now!]

Moving as fast as she could, Yueqing grabbed the small jade teapot from the table. She quickly poured a fresh cup of hot tea and literally shoved it right in front of Wenzhe’s face, completely blocking his view of Xiao Chen.

"Husband, drink some tea!" Yueqing said brightly, forcing a massive, overly sweet smile. "It is very good for your throat after your fever!"

Wenzhe blinked, startled by the sudden cup pushed right under his nose. He slowly pulled his deadly gaze away from the prince and looked down at his wife.

[Drink it! Drink it and stop glaring at him like a hungry tiger!] she yelled in her head, still holding the cup out to him.

Wenzhe’s jaw twitched. He heard her loud, bossy thoughts perfectly. A tiny, annoyed sigh left his lips, but he reached out and took the cup from her hands.

Across the room, Xiao Chen watched the whole exchange. Seeing Yueqing act so caring toward Wenzhe made a strange, bitter look flash across the prince’s cold face. He picked up his own cup of wine and finally looked away, breaking the heavy standoff.

Yueqing let out a huge sigh of relief. [Phew. Crisis avoided.]

Wenzhe took a slow sip of the hot tea. He leaned a little closer to her, his rough voice low enough so only she could hear.

"You are trying too hard, Yueqing," he muttered, keeping his eyes on his cup.

Before anyone could say another word, the heavy brass gong at the hall’s entrance sounded three times. The ringing echoed loudly across the stone floor, shutting up every single noble in the room.

"His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor!" the chief eunuch shouted, his shrill voice carrying across the entire hall. "Her Imperial Highness, the Empress! Arriving!"

Instantly, all the high officials, generals, and noble families shuffled out from their seats. They dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in a unified bow.

"Long live the Emperor! May Your Imperial Majesties live for ten thousand years!" the voices roared together, filling the massive hall.

Through the heavy double doors, the Emperor walked in. He wore a heavy golden dragon robe, his face strict and full of royal power. Beside him walked the Empress. Her magnificent gold crown shimmered under the lantern lights. She wore a deep purple silk dress, and her smile looked perfectly sweet and polite to the crowd.

Yueqing stayed flat on the carpet next to Wenzhe, secretly peeking up under her dark lashes. Seeing the Empress again felt exactly like running straight into a deadly, former foe.

⁠[She hasn’t aged a bit... still using those snail oils, I presume,]⁠ Yueqing thought, practically rolling her eyes in her head. ⁠[Still wearing that exact same fake smile to hide her rotten, toxic heart.]⁠

Wenzhe look at her confused.. his wife was truly confusing even ther thoughts couldn’t do justice.

The Emperor reached the top platform, turned around, and swept his heavy sleeves through the air.

"Rise," the Emperor commanded, his deep voice carrying through the quiet room. "Tonight is a night for celebration. Let the banquet begin!"

Soft, lively music started playing from the corner of the grand hall. Dancers spun onto the floor, and servants quickly poured sweet wine into golden cups. As the banquet officially began, the nobles lined up one by one to present their gifts and greet the Emperor and Empress.

First up was Lord Jin, the wealthy Minister of Finance. He bowed so low his hat almost fell off. "Your Majesty!" he announced loudly, holding up a glowing green statue. "I bring you the finest jade from the southern mines to celebrate your glorious and wealthy reign!"

The Emperor leaned back in his grand throne. He looked down at the jade, his face completely unimpressed. "How thoughtful, Lord Jin," the Emperor replied slowly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I see your personal mines are producing beautiful jade much faster than your department is producing the kingdom’s taxes this year."

Instantly, nervous murmurs broke out across the hall.

[Oh snap!] Yueqing thought, happily chewing on a piece of roasted duck. [The Emperor woke up choosing violence today! Savage!]

Wenzhe smoothly raised his cup of wine to hide his amused smirk. He heard her loud, dramatic thoughts and silently agreed.

Next was Lord Cao, a regional governor. He stepped forward nervously, holding a silk box. "Your Majesty, I bring rare mountain ginseng to symbolize the unbreakable strength of our empire!"

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "Unbreakable? Let us hope these roots are much stronger than the border walls your men completely failed to repair last spring, Lord Cao. Step down."

Lord Cao turned pale and quickly rushed back to his seat. The gossip around the room grew louder. Ladies whispered fiercely behind their silk fans, and officials nervously wiped sweat from their foreheads.

"The Emperor is in a ruthless mood tonight," one noble whispered to another at the next table.

"No one is safe," the other muttered back, quickly hiding his face.

The music played on, but the heavy tension in the room was growing thicker by the second. Then, the Emperor raised his hand, instantly silencing the entire hall. His sharp eyes scanned the front tables and landed directly on the Duke’s family.

"Duke Xi," the Emperor’s loud voice boomed across the quiet room, cutting through the music. "And our great General, Xi Wenzhe. Step forward."

[oh boi! Wenzhe didn’t prepare anything for the emperor.. what was he going to do now?!"