Song Xingzhi vivió durante el reinado del emperador Huizong

Capítulo 168

Perhaps there's something he can't say? Given Mu Wensheng's personality, it might be better if others don't know about him, so he won't be drawn into the vortex of power and get implicated even more deeply.

"Oh, if you're not going, then forget it. I'll be going then," Ru Feng said softly, kissing his cheek.

Mu Wenchen held Ru Feng's small waist tightly and said, "Okay, I'll take you there now."

With that, he leaped up, and with a few bounds, he reached the rooftop. Like the wind nestled in his arms, he chuckled. It felt so good to hitch a ride for free without having to lift a finger.

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

Mu Wenchen pointed to the brightly lit hall ahead and said softly, "That's it, Rufeng. I'll come to find you tonight. Just remember to wait for me."

Ru Feng nodded. Mu Wenchen seized an opportunity to avoid the Imperial Guards, then carried Ru Feng down into the shadows. Before leaving, he solemnly touched Ru Feng's chest, frowning at the hard texture: "Ru Feng, you've lost weight again. You should eat more to gain some weight, so I'm going to punish you tonight."

Ru Feng stared wide-eyed at the man before him, who seemed to be a banished immortal. Did he even realize he was being a pervert? Thinking of this, Ru Feng gave Wen Chen's chest a hard pat.

Mu Wensheng was only wearing a thin black shirt, so Ru Feng could feel the warmth of his chest with a gentle squeeze.

Mu Wenchen looked around, took Ru Feng's hand down and nibbled on it before saying, "Go quickly, or I'll carry you back to my palace later."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng happened to see someone walking towards them, so he had no choice but to shut up, glare at him fiercely, and then obediently walked out of the shadows.

The Violet Kingdom's royal palace is divided into the front palace and the rear palace. The front palace is where the emperor handles state affairs. The front palace is further divided into three sections: the front hall, the middle hall, and the rear hall, which are used for holding court, handling government affairs, and hosting banquets, respectively. Therefore, this victory celebration banquet will be held in the rear hall.

When Ru Feng entered, the ministers had not all arrived yet, but for a moment, the entire hall fell silent as everyone stared at Ru Feng.

Ru Feng smiled slightly, which was her way of greeting the guests.

Everyone here is used to seeing beautiful women, so they were only momentarily distracted and quickly came to their senses. After all, no matter how handsome Ru Feng is, he is still just a man, and didn't everyone see General Yuchi's menacing gaze?

Just as the young eunuch was about to lead Rufeng to his seat, Rufeng saw his grandfather beckoning to him, so he quickly went over and obediently sat down next to him.

After sitting down on the floor, Ru Feng asked softly, "Grandpa, may I sit next to you?" Wasn't there supposed to be a lot of etiquette at palace banquets? Her rank didn't seem high enough to warrant sitting so close to the emperor. Ru Feng realized she was at the third table closest to the emperor; the first table was probably reserved for princes, and the second was likely for the prime minister.

“It’s alright, it’s your first time here. His Majesty won’t say anything. Everyone knows you’re my grandson now,” Yu Chi Fengyang said softly. Although the Emperor hadn’t arrived yet, everyone spoke quietly and didn’t make a fuss.

Ru Feng nodded. As a newcomer, no one approached him to chat. However, he did see many generals, such as Lü Meng. They all came over to greet him. Ru Feng also saw Gao Yueqi, who looked incredibly dashing and imposing today. But when he saw Ru Feng, his gaze darted away, which puzzled Ru Feng.

After much effort, the greetings were finally finished, and the time was almost up. Everyone quieted down and waited for the emperor to appear. Ru Feng glanced around and saw that the hall was set up in two rows on both sides, with two people per seat. In the middle of the hall, there were empty seats, presumably for the entertainers to sing and dance; below, there was a band providing accompaniment.

Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince appeared one by one, and then the Emperor finally arrived late, ascending the throne surrounded by numerous palace maids and eunuchs, and kneeling in obeisance once again.

The emperor sat on the throne, wearing a golden dragon robe embroidered with dragons and a crown. His face was majestic, his eyes were sharp, and his demeanor was calm and composed. His aura of ruling the world seemed to be innate and extremely awe-inspiring.

At this moment, the emperor waved his hand majestically and said loudly, "The soldiers of the Zi Luo Kingdom are brave and skilled in battle. Their salaries will be doubled to reward their merits. From this day forward, they are permitted to return home in batches to visit their families. Those who have made contributions in battle will be rewarded with gold and jewels or official positions, according to their wishes. Those over forty years of age will be allowed to return home to serve their elderly mothers and will be given gifts. The specific arrangements will be made by General Yuchi Fengyang."

Ru Feng and his generals expressed their gratitude together.

"Leng Weitian and his accomplices disobeyed orders and launched a private attack, violating not only military regulations but also national laws. They have caused enormous losses to our country. They are hereby imprisoned and will be sentenced according to the law as a warning to others." "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Another shout rang out. As Ru Feng bowed down, he thought to himself that even if Leng Weitian didn't lose his life this time, he would probably never appear in the court again.

As Ru Feng stood up, she saw the Crown Prince glare at her, the chilling look in his eyes sending a shiver down her spine. Good heavens, this Crown Prince was just as Yu Jue and Yu Xuan had said—a master of appearances, seemingly kind, but actually quite sinister. It seemed she and he were destined to be enemies.

Thinking of this, Ru Feng quickly looked at Yu Xuan, but unfortunately he was in front of her and she couldn't see his face.

"Come, let me toast you generals." The emperor raised his wine cup. The generals also stood up and offered their toasts.

One of them raised his cup and said, "Father, the hero of this great victory should be General Yuchi Rufeng, the grandson of General Yuchi. Why is there no reward from Your Majesty?"

As Ru Feng looked up, he saw Yu Xuan, wearing a golden crown and a brocade robe with a black collar and gold floral patterns. His eyes were as bright and dazzling as night stars, and he exuded an aura of power. This was someone Ru Feng was unfamiliar with.

"But alas, Yuxuan, you've only made things worse. I was hoping the Emperor would forget me, so why did you bring it up again?" Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed and said to Rufeng, "Haha, how could I forget? My dear minister, you are so young yet so skilled in warfare, inheriting the mantle of the Yuchi family. It is truly a great fortune for my Zilu Kingdom. Now look, even my son is pleading for you. Whatever reward you desire, just name it. As long as it's not excessive, I will grant it. After all, my empire still needs young people like you to protect it." Although he said this, Rufeng felt that the eyes staring intently at her were very unusual, making her feel uneasy.

What an immense honor! Everyone thought to themselves, it seems that the General's Mansion is truly blessed with lasting honor. It is necessary and correct to form a marriage alliance with him. Moreover, this Yuchi Rufeng looks like a talented man and is the grandson of Yuchi Fengyang. He must be quite good.

Ru Feng quickly knelt down, his mind racing. His first thought was to resign, but the emperor's next words made him afraid to say it. Besides, his grandfather was watching, and if he did, his grandfather would probably slap him away before the emperor could even react.

After Ru Feng knelt down, he hadn't spoken for a while when Yu Chi Feng Yang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, protecting the country is your duty, and it is only right that you have done it well. Moreover, Ru Feng is still young and needs to guard against arrogance and impetuosity. Therefore, this old minister believes that there is no need to reward him too much now."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng could only reply, "The signing of the ceasefire agreement with the Spring Vine Kingdom is thanks to the valiant efforts of all the soldiers. It has little to do with me; I was merely fulfilling my duty." Ru Feng's heart was bleeding. Heavens, he had squandered such a golden opportunity! His flesh ached, his heart ached! He could have asked for a little something good, or even just some money, but he had refused! What a waste! Ru Feng's heart was in turmoil. The Emperor thought for a moment and said, "Since you are unwilling to take credit, I cannot withhold a reward. Therefore, in front of all the generals and ministers, I hereby promise: I will owe you a reward in advance."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ru Feng quickly thanked him. Fortunately, he hadn't lost too much. He just didn't know if he could use it to absolve himself of the crime of deceiving the emperor.

"My beloved ministers, let us drink to our hearts' content tonight! Men, pour wine for the soldiers!" With these words, the emperor proclaimed, officially commencing the evening's banquet. The soldiers drank merrily. The aroma of wine filled the entire rear hall.

At the emperor's eunuch's command of "Music begin!", the band started playing music, and the dancers walked into the hall and danced to their hearts' content.

Instantly, the hall was filled with candlelight, dancing costumes fluttered, and graceful songs and dances filled the air with the aroma of wine. The generals present drank heartily, their faces beaming with joy.

Shortly afterward, the emperor also left, and everyone relaxed even more. Most of those present were military men, so they were much more rugged than the refined civil officials, which explained the lively atmosphere.

Ru Feng wore a smile as he looked at the dishes on the table. Because Yu Chi Fengyang was blocking his view, he didn't need to drink any alcohol. Ru Feng was also afraid of revealing his identity, so he sat upright the whole time, his eyes fixed only on the food on the table.

Very good, the dishes look beautiful because the imperial chefs have arranged them into auspicious patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, butterflies, and flowers, or into characters such as "福" (fortune), "寿" (longevity), "万年" (ten thousand years), and "如意" (as you wish). They look so good that one can't bear to eat them. I just wonder if they taste good? Ru Feng patted his stomach, seemingly realizing that he hadn't eaten in a long time and had forgotten about it. He only remembered drinking a lot of tea.

At this moment, Yu Xuan walked over with a wine glass in his hand. Seeing Ru Feng's appearance, he smiled and asked, "Ru Feng, are you hungry?"

Ru Feng abruptly shifted her gaze from the dishes and said, "Yes, I'm a little hungry."

Yu Xuan sat down next to Ru Feng. At this time, Yu Chi Feng Yang had already gone to Lu Meng and the others. They were all old comrades-in-arms, so the seat next to Ru Feng was empty.

"Ru Feng, the food here isn't very good," Yu Xuan said, seemingly very sincerely.

Ru Feng looked at him suspiciously, "You're not lying to me, are you?" After all, there was a history of this guy lying to her before.

Yu Xuan smiled and said, "You should know that many dishes are only at their most delicious when they are fresh out of the pot. Once they cool down, they not only lose their freshness but also taste terrible. However, nowadays, banquets require strict rules and proper dining etiquette. Generally, the tables are set up first, and then dishes befitting the status of the person are served together. As a result, the imperial chefs have to prepare the dishes half a day or even a day in advance, either simmering them over a fire or steaming them in large bamboo steamers. Therefore, such dishes are only good for looking at but not for eating. Trust me, after all, I grew up in the palace."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng put down the chopsticks he had picked up, and with a quick glance, he realized that most people were just drinking and not eating anything.

Ru Feng looked utterly despairing and said, "It seems my wishful thinking has backfired."