The table was quiet. Some people felt uneasy about the beautiful yet aloof Empress, while others disliked her. For a moment, no one spoke. The Wen family of the Ningnan Marquis's residence and Hailing were close, and seeing that no one spoke, the Ningnan Marquis's wife directly picked up her wine cup.
"Your Majesty, I offer this cup to Your Majesty the Empress, wishing you and Your Majesty a long and happy marriage."
Chapter 91 The Fox Emperor and Empress [First VIP Text Version]
The people of the Ningnan Marquis's mansion held a very high status and prestige in Beilu. Since the Ningnan Marquis's wife took the initiative to toast the Empress, how could the others not have the foresight? All the women at the table stood up, raised their wine cups, and looked at the Empress together.
"Your Majesty and Empress wish Your Majesty and Empress a long and happy life together."
Hai Ling smiled slightly and gestured for everyone to sit down: "Sit down and have a drink together. You've all been so kind."
Everyone drank a glass of wine, then sat down, and the conversation gradually began.
Princess Yan Xiaoxiao of Anyang asked Hailing with concern, "I heard that Your Highness was poisoned on the eve of the wedding. Is your health much better now?"
On the surface, Princess Yan Xiaoxiao of Anyang appeared genuinely concerned, but in reality, she was merely gloating, as if she wanted everyone to know.
Indeed, quite a few people at the banquet were unaware of the truth, except for a few who knew the inside story. So when Yan Xiaoxiao started speaking, someone exclaimed in surprise and asked, "Who is so bold as to dare poison our Empress?"
Yan Xiaoxiao said with a look of disappointment, "Isn't it that so-called most beautiful woman in the world, Princess Jingyue? For the sake of our Emperor, she actually poisoned the Empress. Originally, the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Justice to arrest her, but who knew that she was rescued, so the matter was dropped."
After Yan Xiaoxiao finished speaking, some people at the table became uneasy and nervously asked her questions.
"Won't the emperor of Nanling Kingdom start a war with our Beilu Kingdom?"
"Yeah yeah."
Inside the main hall, many worried voices arose. These noblewomen were not only of high status, but also possessed power and wealth. Who would want to fight a war?
Hai Ling looked at Yan Xiaoxiao with her pretty eyes, then her eyes gleamed with wisdom as she spoke leisurely: "Everyone, don't worry. That's right, Princess Jingyue of Nanling Kingdom poisoned me. Now Nanling Kingdom should give us an explanation, not us give them one. And if they don't give us an explanation, we will definitely fight them, not the other way around."
As he spoke, his voice became fierce and resolute.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then someone realized, "Yes, the princess of Nanling Kingdom actually harmed the queen of Beilu. They should be the ones to explain to us. Why are we panicking?" Everyone finally regained their composure.
To be honest, I felt quite sorry for Ruan Jingyue. She was beautiful and had everything she wanted, but she was defeated by Ji Hailing. Not only was she defeated, but this woman only allowed the emperor to marry one woman, so Ruan Jingyue didn't even have a chance.
Otherwise, even if she didn't become empress, becoming the Imperial Noble Consort of Beilu would still be a romantic tale.
The banquet then began in a lively atmosphere. People ate and talked, mostly exchanging trivial pleasantries or respectful remarks about Hailin.
Of all these people, the one who was most angry and frustrated was Princess Zhaoyang, Feng Yao. Looking at the woman beside her, who was radiant and looked high and mighty, she felt uncomfortable. Her enemy, who had harmed her, was now not only living a life of good food and good sleep, but also enjoying high status and favor. How could she swallow this insult?
Besides Feng Yao, the people of the west family also looked grim. west Yan, the daughter of the west family, was originally supposed to enter the palace, but because of this woman, their west family had become somewhat distant from imperial power.
The wife of Marquis Jiang Yuan, the Protector of the Nation, had a smile on her face, but she hadn't forgotten that her mouth had been sewn shut by the Emperor's order. To recuperate, she had been hiding and dared not see anyone. If it weren't for this formal occasion, she wouldn't have planned to show up at all. Now she felt that everyone who looked at her was staring at her mouth.
The wife of the Marquis of Huguo felt ashamed to face anyone, but the wife of the Prime Minister wouldn't let her off the hook and brought it up again.
"Speaking of our Emperor, he is the emperor who dotes on women the most in the world. He even went down Black Wind Cliff for the Empress, creating a timeless legend. Anyone who says anything bad about the Empress will have their mouth sewn shut."
As soon as she said this, the conversation at the banquet stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes immediately fell on the words of the Lady of the Protector of the Nation.
The wife of the Marquis of Protectorate blushed instantly, glared angrily at the wife of the Prime Minister, and then exploded: "What did you say?"
"Oh, I forgot about the Lady of the Protectorate. She deserves a beating."
The Prime Minister's wife seemed to suddenly realize what had happened. She had clearly provoked the other party, but she acted as if she had just realized it. She quickly and pretended to lightly slap herself twice, then picked up her wine cup and looked at the wife of the Marquis of Protectorate: "Elder sister, it was my fault. I apologize to you."
Lady Huguo, her face stiff, was torn between accepting and refusing. In the end, she forced herself to drink the wine, her hatred for Hailing growing stronger. It was all this woman's fault that she had been so humiliated. How could she, the dignified Lady Huguo, be so shameful? She was truly despicable.
Hai Ling observed coldly and noticed that the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Marquis of Protectorate's Mansion seemed to be at odds. The Marquis of Protectorate's Mansion was connected with the West Mansion, so the West family was likely at odds with the Prime Minister's faction. As for the other families, they all looked on with amusement, thinking that these women were all quite formidable.
At this moment, Feng Yao spoke up, inviting everyone to eat.
"Alright, today is a banquet bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress, let's all be quiet and eat our food."
Hai Ling glanced at Feng Yao, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Aren't you all trying to give me a hard time?" she thought to herself, smiling as she said, "Come on, everyone, don't be shy. I've always been an easygoing person."
"Yes, Her Majesty the Empress seems very easygoing."
Lady Ningnan responded, and anyone with eyes could see the current trend of the Ningnan Marquis's mansion. Although it was not to the point of joining forces with the royal family, at least the attitude of the Ningnan Marquis's mansion was that it would not make things difficult for the royal family.
Princess Cang and the people from the Ningnan Marquis's residence were also close, so she smiled and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, the atmosphere at the banquet shifted. Everyone knew what was going on. The Prime Minister's wife looked at the Marquis of Ningnan's wife as if she had just remembered something.
"Last time, Madam said that her daughter-in-law was seriously ill, but was later saved by the Empress. Is that true?"
Although the Prime Minister's wife asked this question, it was clear that she didn't quite believe it.
I've never heard of the Empress being a doctor, so how could she possibly save the Crown Prince's wife?
The others also looked at Lady Ningnan, and then at the Empress in the center. If the Crown Prince's wife was indeed saved by the Empress, then the people of the Ningnan Marquis's family would not become estranged from the royal family in the future.
Lady Ningnan immediately smiled and nodded: "It was Her Majesty the Empress who saved us. You may not know that the famous Physician Shen is actually Her Majesty the Empress's apprentice."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table was startled and looked at Hailin, thinking, "This is unlikely."
Is it just a rumor or is it true that the renowned physician Shen is actually the Empress's apprentice?
However, Lady Ningnan would never lie, so it must be true.
Ignoring the constipated expressions on the faces of the women at the banquet, Lady Ningnan pulled her daughter-in-law aside, raised her wine cup, and looked at Hailing: "Speaking of this, today, my wife and I would like to take this opportunity to offer a toast to Her Majesty the Empress, to thank Her Majesty for saving us."
Hai Ling picked up her wine glass and spoke gently: "That is also the fate between me and the Crown Prince's wife. I like the Crown Prince's wife very much. She is beautiful and intelligent, and kind and generous. It is a good fate that she has created herself. If a person does a lot of good deeds, he will have good karma. On the contrary, if he does a lot of bad deeds, he will create bad karma. One day it will come back to haunt him."
These were words spoken as lightly as a breeze, yet they struck a chord deep within everyone's heart.