Jing Lan still smiled faintly, but her gaze toward Yan Zhen contained a hint of icy sharpness.
An Xin glanced at Yan Zhen and said, "There's no need to look at me with such admiration. There are no autographed stickers to give you."
Yan Zhen smiled and said, resting her chin on her hand, "Then I'll give you to me, okay?"
An Xin frowned slightly: "Your Excellency, please don't throw out your shamelessness so casually. You might offend someone!"
Yan Zhen looked at Xu Ruolan with her eyelashes curving upwards and said, "Is Madam An worried every day that she can't get married?"
Xu Ruolan tensed up. How could she remain calm when the rumored Right Prime Minister spoke to her in such a friendly tone?
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Right Prime Minister, Xin'er, she..."
The entire audience was stunned!
I still remember that An Youwei was almost beheaded last time, which was entirely thanks to the Right Chancellor!
I still remember that while others couldn't tolerate a speck of dust in their eyes, the Right Chancellor couldn't tolerate a woman!
I still remember that An Xin was a divorced woman from the Ling family, which means that her marriage would be her second marriage!
Yan Zhen gently waved her folding fan and said calmly, "An Xin, she's mine."
Even though An Xin didn't understand romance, she was still provoked by Yan Zhen's words. His words, spoken in front of everyone, made her ears turn red.
In an instant, the way everyone looked at An Youwei changed.
An Xin picked up a glass of wine, took a sip to calm her nerves, then raised her eyelashes and stared at Yan Zhen for a long time before saying, "I refuse."
Everyone's lips twitched involuntarily. In full view of everyone, she actually dared to openly reject the Right Chancellor's... advances!?
"My lord, she... she is the former wife of the Grand Tutor!" A bold female voice rang out, breaking the surface calm and instantly stirring up a storm.
In the end, An Xin is nothing but a second-hand commodity. How could she possibly be worthy of the noble and precious Right Prime Minister?
While the young ladies were heartbroken, they were even more indignant at An Xin's blatant rejection!
Yan Zhen concealed a hint of coldness in his lips with his folding fan, his eyes sweeping over the woman who spoke with a shimmering, youthful glow. The woman was Yu Miaomiao, the daughter of Yu Jiagui, the chief minister of the Imperial Clan, who was ranked among the Nine Ministers. She had long admired the Right Chancellor, and when he suddenly glanced at her like that, she felt a chill run through her body, and her gaze unconsciously shifted.
Zongzheng Yujiagui wiped away a cold sweat and fell silent.
Ling Tian's expression was grim and uncertain. How could a divorced woman have gained the favor of the Right Prime Minister?! How could that be!
“The Right Chancellor has always been very clear about his likes and dislikes. If he likes something, he will like it very much; if he dislikes something, he will dislike it very much. It seems that Miss An is very much to the Right Chancellor’s liking.” The clear and gentle voice was like a clear spring flowing slowly, and everyone came back to their senses.
Sitting in the head seat, the Left Prime Minister smiled, his right hand playing with the jade thumb ring on his left index finger. However, his words made everyone suddenly realize something.
Yes, the Right Chancellor has very clear likes and dislikes and is usually domineering. Even if he says he likes someone, it's just that the person happens to suit his taste, and that's all. In the end, it doesn't involve feelings!
Upon realizing this, everyone's expressions relaxed.
Yan Zhen's eyes were filled with frost as he looked at Jing Lan and said with a slight smile, "The one who understands me is the Left Prime Minister."
An Xin glanced at Yan Zhen coldly and said, "Unfortunately, the Right Chancellor is not to my liking." Openly declaring that she was his, although she didn't take it to heart, undoubtedly dragged her father into the right wing. The political situation in the court is unpredictable. Once one devotes oneself to a certain faction, then one's fate is bound to be shared by all. Even if her father does not collude with the right wing, he will definitely be regarded as a member of the right wing.
An Xin frowned slightly and said indifferently, "Are banquets always this boring? Mother, let's go back first!"
Xu Ruolan's face paled slightly. In her opinion, An Xin was too bold, showing no regard for the Right Prime Minister's reputation whatsoever. This was the Right Prime Minister, who held the power of life and death!
But at this moment, she had no choice but to obey An Xin. She stood up tremblingly, and An Xin helped her walk away slowly under the almost eerie gazes of the crowd, her face expressionless.
An Youwei felt cold sweat soaking through his inner clothes, with sweat constantly dripping from his forehead, and the entire courtyard fell into an eerie silence.
The Right Chancellor would surely be furious because An Xin had humiliated him, and An Youwei was even more terrified at the thought that his head might roll on the ground at any moment.
Yan Zhen, chin in hand, lazily watched An Xin's retreating figure. In the entire courtyard, only he appeared truly relaxed, showing no embarrassment whatsoever. It was as if he had been humiliated so many times that he was numb to it all…
Those who knew how to read the winds immediately rebuked An Youwei, saying, "Lord An, your daughter has quite the audacity!"
"A divorced young girl is so rude and uncouth, how outrageous!"
"With both prime ministers present, she actually left the table first. Lord An has truly raised a good daughter!"
...
The women, in a rather ambiguous manner, mocked him relentlessly.
"What they did to Madam Song just now was utterly lawless!"
"These country bumpkins really don't know any manners!"
"How dare a lowly person like you presume to be worthy of the Right Chancellor?!"
...
Madam Ling gave a cold smile.
An Youwei felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles. The gazes of everyone felt like thorns in his back, and even his former elder brothers seemed to have suddenly turned their backs on him...
Yan Zhen frowned slightly and said indifferently, "Shut up, all of you." Her previous smile vanished completely. Yan Zhen stood up and coldly swept her gaze over the crowd before fixing it on An Youwei. "If I ever hear words like 'lowly,' 'vulgar,' or 'abandoned woman' again, whoever it is, I will execute them all!"
An Youwei's body trembled suddenly.
The expressions on everyone's faces once again varied.
Jing Lan's gaze deepened, her gentle eyes gradually turning cold.
****