Unfortunately, Hai Ling didn't look at Ye Lingfeng at all. Ye Lingfeng's identity is different now. He is neither the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou nor Xi Lengyue of the Cold Demon Palace. He is the new emperor of the Northern Lu.
All the women present were staring at him covetously, as if they had spotted a large piece of meat. Was she going to fight these women for a piece of meat, or share a husband? Just thinking about it made her shudder. Wherever there are women, there is no shortage of war. She didn't like fighting with other women just to win a man.
Ye Lingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly. When he saw that the little girl beside him didn't even glance at him, a thin layer of anger suddenly enveloped him. This anger made Ji Cong, who was sitting on his other side, feel uneasy. Unfortunately, Hai Ling seemed oblivious and still didn't look at Ye Lingfeng. He had plenty of women to look at, so why did he need one more?
Unfortunately, Ye Lingfeng had no eyes for anyone else and didn't look at anyone from beginning to end.
Beneath those deep, cold eyes, a hint of anger rose, and then one hand came down, directly grabbing Hailin's hand under the table.
Now Hai Ling couldn't pretend she couldn't see him. This man was not only domineering but also forceful. It seemed that what she knew before was only another side of him. His inherent strength was so thorough that it could not be ignored.
Hai Ling tried to pull her hand back, but compared to Ye Lingfeng, her strength was like that of a chick compared to an eagle; she couldn't pull it back at all.
Moreover, if she makes any big moves, others will know about her relationship with Ye Lingfeng, and she won't be able to escape it anymore. So Hai Ling had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure it without moving. When she looked up, she saw that the guy who was covered in coldness just a moment ago now had a smug glint on his lips and his eyes were filled with determination.
Ling'er, don't even think about escaping.
During the banquet, no one noticed the Emperor and Miss Ji's actions. After all, he was the Emperor of a country, and who would dare to stare at him for a long time? Besides, their actions happened in the blink of an eye.
The little lion Qiuqiu, who had been nestled in Hailing's arms, stared intently at Ye Lingfeng. However, Hailing knew that the little lion was actually a bully who preyed on the weak. Faced with Ye Lingfeng's powerful aura, this guy probably wouldn't dare to utter a sound. Thinking of this, she glanced at the little lion, and sure enough, the damned little guy didn't make a move at all. He even closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Someone brought wine to toast the emperor, and Hai Ling breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her hand could be released, but to her surprise, the long, slender hand was still tightly holding hers.
Ye Lingfeng picked up the wine glass with his other hand, nodded slightly, and drank a glass with the newcomer.
After one person came over to offer a toast, the others became bolder, and many important officials from the court came over to offer their own wine. In no time, the banquet became lively again.
However, from beginning to end, Ye Lingfeng held Hai Ling's hand tightly, not allowing her to pull it away.
The game of pitch-pot began, along with a riddle game, and many young ladies came up to participate.
Just then, someone walked over, smiled at Hailing, and said softly, "Miss Ji, would you like to play the pitch-pot game with me?"
Hai Ling raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman walking towards her. She naturally didn't recognize her, but she was willing to get rid of Ye Lingfeng temporarily, so she nodded: "Okay."
Ye Lingfeng was well aware of her little scheme, so he didn't make things difficult for her and slowly let go of her hand.
A pair of unfathomable eyes stared at Hai Ling as if she were her prey. As she slowly stood up and placed the little lion in Shi Mei's arms, his eyes involuntarily narrowed, locking onto the little lion with a murderous gaze. The little lion couldn't help but shiver. Why was this person staring at it? It hadn't done anything.
Ye Lingfeng frowned. He wanted to see if the little pet was male or female. If it was male, he would definitely keep it.
The little lion shivered again, wondering how it had offended this master.
As soon as Hai Ling entered the arena, many people were attracted to her. Many women even stood up and crowded around her, partly hoping to win favor with the Emperor, and partly to see if this young lady from the Ji family could play pitch-pot or solve riddles. Seeing this woman's elegance and nobility, it was really hard to feel happy about her.
Ye Lingfeng observed the scene discreetly and noticed that many people's eyes were fixed on Hai Ling. He narrowed his eyes and his gaze became extremely sharp. The person sitting next to him wondered what was wrong with the emperor this time.
Little did they know that Ye Lingfeng hated people staring at Hai Ling, and seeing the situation on the field, a thought suddenly came to mind.
He should hold a selection of concubines, bring her into the palace, and keep her by his side, forbidding anyone from making a move on her.
Looking at her today, she is truly outstanding. Even among a group of young ladies at the banquet, she is still the most dazzling one, standing out at first glance. How could he let her slowly think about him and accept him? Therefore, he must select her to enter the palace as soon as possible and keep her by his side.
Thinking this through, Ye Lingfeng's expression finally relaxed a bit.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then some people came over to talk to the emperor and discuss matters of the court.
On the surface, everything seemed harmonious and peaceful, but in reality, many people did not submit to this suddenly appearing new emperor. Although he had a strong presence and decisive methods, which is why he was able to win over a group of court officials with lightning speed as soon as he appeared, and even get the late emperor to accept him and issue an edict to pass the throne to him, most of the ministers were still disobedient. They were only maintaining a facade of peace.
In the middle of the banquet, many beauties gathered together and looked at Hailin.
The young lady who had previously invited Hailin spoke up: "Miss Ji, how about we play the pitch-pot game?"
Hai Ling nodded, but didn't speak directly. She wanted to see what these women were up to.
Among this group of people, she knew a few, but not most of them. The only ones she recognized were Ye Liushuang, Ye Lingfeng's cousin Xi Yan, and Princess Zhaoyang Feng Yao. However, none of these three women seemed to like her, especially Feng Yao, who harbored deep hatred for her. As for Miss Xi Yan, she also looked resentful, wondering how she had offended her.
As soon as the young lady who had been provoking Hailin finished speaking, Ye Liushuang chimed in, "My cousin has never played before, so you can just have a casual game, but please don't set any bets."
At first, no one paid any attention, but as soon as she opened her mouth, some people started to have ideas, and one of them chimed in.
What's the point of pitch-pot if there are no stakes?
A cold glint flashed in Hai Ling's eyes, and she looked up at Ye Liushuang. Ye Liushuang met her gaze and her eyes darted around. To be honest, she was very afraid of Hai Ling's eyes.
Ye Lingfeng's cousin, west Yan, chimed in, "In our Northern Lu Kingdom, pitch-pot has always involved wagers. What's the point of throwing if there are no wagers? What's there to throw?"
Princess Feng Yao of Zhaoyang also looked at Hai Ling with great interest, her eyes hinting at amusement.
“Miss Ji has always been courageous, and I think she would participate in any bet, no matter what the stakes are.”
"Really? Let's begin then."
The woman who was going to compete with Hailing was Wang Qing, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue. In fact, she was jealous of Hailing's beauty and the favor she received from General Ji and Ji Shaocheng. Later, she even sat next to the Emperor. Actually, Wang Qing liked Ji Shaocheng, not the Emperor. However, seeing Ji Shaocheng treat this woman like a treasure, she became jealous and that's why she came out to cause trouble.
This means they've fallen into Ye Liushuang's trap.
Hai Ling glanced at Wang Qing, then at Ye Liushuang, west Yan, and Princess Feng Yao of Zhaoyang, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Why does she always get attacked by others? It was when she was fat, and it's still happening now that she's thin. It's so hard to be a person. But since people have come knocking on her door, she can't just back down and not participate, can she?
"Okay, what's the stake?"
In reality, this pitch-pot competition is nothing more than a contest of jewelry or money.
As soon as Hailin accepted the challenge, the women watching all smiled and looked at them with great interest.
Wang Qing glanced at the flower feather headdress on Hai Ling's head and liked it very much. Moreover, it was very expensive and could be seen at a glance that it was worth a lot of money.