"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager sighed. There was nothing she could do to help with this matter, and there was no point in saying anything more: "Tomorrow night, I will prepare a banquet to entertain Emperor Wu of Shaoyi Kingdom. At that time, Princess Jingyue will see if she is willing to marry any of the other princes and nobles of my Beilu Kingdom. If she does not have anyone to marry, then she should return to Nanling Kingdom. Staying here will only leave her heartbroken."
The Empress Dowager gently persuaded her.
Upon hearing her words, Ruan Jingyue couldn't help but cry even more bitterly, and the sound of soft sobbing filled the hall.
However, her eyes held a bloodthirsty crimson. "Ji Hailing, you destroyed everything I had. I hate you."
The following evening, the Empress Dowager hosted a banquet in a side hall of Cixi Palace to entertain Emperor Wu of Shaoyi. Besides Emperor Wu, the banquet was attended by members of the Northern Lu royal family and some sons of noble families, totaling only two tables of guests.
Hai Ling was also present, along with her father Ji Cong and her brother Ji Shaocheng.
Princess Jingyue also attended. She looked much better today. Although her face was still pale, her cheeks were flushed and she was in good spirits. Moreover, she smiled at everyone she saw. Even when Hailing appeared, she did not change her expression.
However, Hai Ling didn't have much contact with her because this woman was quite cunning, and it was better for her to be careful. Although she hadn't fallen into any traps yet, this woman had plotted against her quite a bit, but hadn't succeeded.
You must not be blinded by her sweet smile, or you will be the one who suffers.
Hai Ling sat in the first seat, a seat reserved for important figures. At the head of the table sat Ye Lingfeng, with Emperor Wu of Shaoyi to his left, and below him was the Empress Dowager. To Ye Lingfeng's other side sat Hai Ling, followed by Xi Yuan of the Western Palace. Xi Yuan was very fond of Hai Ling and, upon seeing her, insisted on sitting next to her. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to arrange for her to sit next to Hai Ling. Princess Jingyue sat below west Yuan.
Besides them, the seats below were occupied by unmarried young talents of the Northern Lu Dynasty, such as Hai Ling's brother Ji Shaocheng, and some young masters, all of whom were of noble status.
Hai Ling glanced at the crowd, somewhat puzzled as to why there were so many talented young men tonight. Wasn't the Empress Dowager there to entertain Emperor Wu of Shaoyi? Why had she invited so many noble young men over?
Just as she was lost in thought, she felt a playful and wicked gaze sweep across her face. Hai Ling raised her eyebrows and looked over, seeing a man with a charming and slightly wicked appearance. His slender peach blossom eyes were full of tenderness and affection, his nose was high and straight, and his thin, sexy lips were slightly upturned, exuding an indescribable charm. He was clearly a womanizer.
This person is probably the Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, whom she has never met. If she hadn't seen Princess Zhaoyang, Feng Yao, sitting next to him, she really wouldn't have recognized him.
It is said that the Prince of Zhaoyang of Beilu is the most lustful. Unexpectedly, he is also extremely handsome, with charming eyes and eyebrows, and looks like a romantic figure.
Next to Prince Zhaoyang sat Feng Yao, and the other man sitting below him was presumably Prince Anyang, Ye Ranmo. Ye Ranmo was not as outstanding as his two elder brothers. He was rather plain-looking, tall and thin, with ordinary features. He had the kind of face that would be hard to spot in a crowd. In contrast, Princess Anyang, Yan Xiaoxiao, was beautiful and alluring. The two of them sitting together looked rather mismatched.
Each person at the table had their own thoughts, but the Empress Dowager spoke first.
"Today, I've only prepared two banquets to invite everyone to come and keep Emperor Wu of Shaoyi company. Please have a good time and don't be too polite."
As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, everyone responded with a "yes".
The banquet began. In the side hall, because only two tables were set up, there was a lot of space. The court dancers danced gracefully, and the people sitting at the tables enjoyed their meals while watching the singing and dancing, feeling very relaxed.
Except for Ruan Jingyue, whose face was somewhat unpleasant and whose eyes occasionally flashed with a fierce light as she shot at Hai Ling, Ruan Jingyue could no longer maintain her previous optimism when she saw Ye Lingfeng, who was in the very center, taking good care of Hai Ling and occasionally putting a dish or two into Hai Ling's bowl, completely disregarding other people's expressions.
As for the other noblemen, with the Emperor and the Martial Emperor of Shaoyi present, they couldn't say anything for the time being. They just quietly observed Princess Jingyue of Nanling Kingdom and the famous Miss Ji of Beilu, admiring her greatly. However, who among them would dare to compete with the current Emperor for a woman? The new Emperor Ye Lingfeng had been taking meticulous care of Miss Ji from beginning to end, while Princess Jingyue on the side had an unhappy expression, clearly admiring the Emperor as well. So these people restrained their thoughts, keeping their eyes down and quietly eating while enjoying the song and dance.
At the banquet, only one person dared to stare at the two beautiful women.
Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, narrowed his slender, peach-blossom eyes, carefully scrutinizing Hailing and Ruan Jingyue. He couldn't deny that both were beauties, each with her own unique charm. Both women were fond of the Emperor, but he had heard that the Emperor only wished to marry a daughter of the Ji family. Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, couldn't understand why the Emperor would refuse such a good opportunity. Two beauties filling the harem was something every man in the world would envy, yet the Emperor refused them. Was he out of his mind?
As Prince Zhaoyang was pondering this, Ye Lingfeng's cold gaze shot over him, causing him to shiver involuntarily. This emperor was not to be underestimated; he'd better not look at his woman.
No one dared to speak casually at the table, and the atmosphere became somewhat somber.
Today, the Empress Dowager is hosting Emperor Wu of the Shaoyi Kingdom, yet the scene is so awkward.
The Empress Dowager felt somewhat uncomfortable and had to smooth things over herself.
"Is Emperor Wu staying comfortably at the Ji residence?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Everything is fine."
Mu Ye gazed at Hai Ling with his deep, dark eyes. He saw her eating with her head down, while Ye Lingfeng, though the emperor of a nation, was taking meticulous care of her. Mu Ye's heart twitched slightly. To be honest, he couldn't deny it. Ye Lingfeng really cared about Hai Ling. The two of them were perfectly harmonious, even in the smallest gestures.
While he felt heartbroken, he was also happy for Hailing. He couldn't do much for her, but at least he hoped she would be happy.
In the past few days, he had also thought about it carefully. If Hailing married him and went to Shaoyi with him, it might not be a good thing. Shaoyi was in a turbulent time. Once he returned to the country, he would let the soldiers rest and recuperate. It was very likely that the flames of war would break out again in a short time.
As the Martial Emperor of Shaoyi Kingdom, he had not forgotten the hatred his people harbored for Nanling Kingdom. They hated that Nanling Kingdom had destroyed their homeland, which would take nearly ten years to rebuild, and many of their family members had died. This deep-seated hatred was one that he was determined to avenge.
Otherwise, he would be ashamed to be a member of the Shaoyi clan, and those who truly submitted to him and supported him as emperor would not feel disheartened.
Mu Ye was lost in thought, and Hai Ling, sitting next to Ye Lingfeng, wasn't much better off. Of course, her thoughts were different from others; she was very troubled.
Why is Ye Lingfeng doing this? Why is he putting so much food on her plate, and doing it in front of everyone makes the scene look weird?
But to be honest, all the dishes he served were her favorites. How did he know so much about what she liked to eat?
Hai Ling thought for a moment and realized that it must have been that little rascal Shi Mei who did it. With that thought, she glanced at Shi Mei behind her, and Shi Mei felt a chill run down her spine.
The Empress Dowager coughed, glanced around at the people at the table, and then said, "Everyone, please don't be shy. Relax. This is still a family banquet hosted by me today, so please make yourselves at ease."
After she finished speaking, she looked at the songstresses who were still dancing on one side of the hall: "Go down, all of you. Let us talk quietly for a while."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The court dancers withdrew, and the hall finally quieted down.
Emperor Ye Lingfeng of the Northern Lu Kingdom finally turned his attention away from Hai Ling and raised his wine cup to look at Mu Ye beside him.
"Come, let me toast Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu has traveled a long way to Beilu to congratulate me on my ascension to the throne. Similarly, I wish Shaoyi Kingdom a strong and prosperous nation."
Chapter 85 Ruan Jingyue is Drugged [VIP Text Version]
Ye Lingfeng knew that the Shaoyi people would not invade Beilu in the short term. They had a blood feud with Nanling, and if they were to fight, it would be against Nanling. So he had nothing to worry about. Although Mu Ye came to Beilu this time to marry Ling'er, he did not make things difficult for her. For this, he toasted him.
Makino raised his glass in response, and the two emperors laughed heartily as they drank together.
The banquet finally became a bit more lively, and people started to speak, mostly inquiring about the situation in Shaoyi Kingdom.