The defeat on the front line did not affect the mood of the people of Tianqi during the New Year.

This year's palace banquet was even more luxurious than ever before.

The heavy gold and silver were all turned into nanmu tables and chairs, and each table was set with bowls and chopsticks, sparkling.

The musicians played music, the dancers danced gracefully, and civil and military officials entered the venue one after another, dressed in court robes and with dignified and solemn demeanor.

The foreign envoys were all dressed in their country's formal attire and bowed politely.

The emperor and the empress came slowly and sat on the high seat. Behind them was a screen carved with dragons and phoenixes, shrouded in clouds and mist.

The ministers took their seats in order of rank.

Only Jiang Zhiyu and He Yanting were different. The emperor ordered people to prepare seats for them separately next to the prince.

Although they are separate, they are placed side by side, so at first glance it looks like a table for three.

Jiang Zhiyu sat in the middle and chuckled softly:

[What a beautiful scenery among the crowd. ]

A few people who could hear my inner voice: "..."

For such a grand occasion as a palace banquet, the empress dowager would naturally be present. She arrived earlier than the emperor, and Song Shiwei stood beside her and served her.

This was the first time that Song Shiwei was in such a front position, but she was playing the role of a palace maid.

While serving food to the empress dowager, she stared at Jiang Zhiyu's back and gritted her teeth.

Prince Yu sat below the Emperor. Although he no longer had any odor, everyone still sat further away from him.

It is said that when the assassin attacked that day, Prince Yu was dodging in the woods, but fell into a hole in the ground. No one knew who dug it, but the hole was full of animal excrement, which was very fresh and covered Prince Yu's body.

When the assassin saw Prince Yu in this state, he hesitated to kill him and was captured alive.

Although Prince Yu had bathed many times and there was no smell on his body, everyone looked at him with a hint of disgust.

In their eyes, Prince Yu now looked stinky.

Prince Yu could naturally feel the gazes surrounding him. He picked up the wine glass and frowned calmly.

Don’t complain, but after today, you all have to come and kneel down to beg me.

Across the crowd, Prince Yu's eyes met Erzhu Huaji's, and both of them saw in each other's eyes that they were determined to win.

Their eyes met for only a moment, and the emperor above was already holding up his wine glass and speaking a congratulatory speech. After he finished speaking, everyone drank a glass of wine together and then began to echo him.

Xiao Siyuan's eyes were red as he looked at Xiao Qingwu and the Third Assistant Minister sitting upright, his fists clenched tightly.

The Fourth Prince also received the Emperor's grace today and was able to leave the palace to attend the palace banquet. He kept reminding himself in his heart that he must behave well, but after less than a cup of tea, his eyes were fixed on the palace maid next to him.

Everyone had different thoughts in their mind. During the entire palace banquet, Jiang Zhiyu was probably the only one who was concentrating on eating.

He Yanting listened to her thoughts and fed her with food whenever she mentioned delicious dishes.

Looking at her concentrating on eating and drinking, He Yanting's irritability miraculously decreased a little.

While she was eating, envoys from various countries kept presenting her with treasures, and she kept hearing noisy sounds. Suddenly, the sounds seemed to disappear in an instant.

Jiang Zhiyu looked up curiously and saw a young woman standing in the center of the hall. She was dressed very coolly, with a pair of eyes as soft as water, looking in her direction.

"It's Princess Toya of Junggar." He Yanting knew she wasn't listening, so he continued to serve her some food while explaining, "In Junggar, Toya means glory. They hope this Princess Toya can marry the crown prince and bring glory to Junggar."

【Oh~ This is the Crown Princess. 】

Xiao Lingyu: “!!!”

He still remembered Jiang Zhiyu's words. So, this was the Crown Princess who killed him with a cup of poisoned wine?!

His eyes met Toya's, and Toya thought he was also interested in her, and his eyes became even more seductive.

Xiao Lingyu: "..."

The messenger kept chattering on. The emperor listened patiently at first, but gradually, a hint of impatience appeared in his eyes.

"Well," the emperor interrupted the Junggar envoy, "regarding matters of marriage, we still need to hear the opinions of both parties. Lingyu, what do you think?"

Toya's lips curled up. She didn't think anyone would reject her.

The emperor called his name, and Xiao Lingyu stood up and bowed to the emperor: "Father, let's forget about this matter."

Toya's smile froze on her face, and the emperor's eyes narrowed slightly.

The sincerity of Junggar in sending the princess to Tianqi was obvious, and this was very beneficial to Tianqi. In addition, the prince had reached the marriageable age, so it would be a good thing if it could be facilitated.

The emperor felt a little embarrassed by the prince's direct refusal.

"Why?"

The emperor spoke in a calm voice, and the others all looked at Xiao Lingyu curiously.

Xiao Lingyu paused for a few seconds, then suddenly tilted his head to the side and said, "Father, I already have someone I like."

Combined with the look in his eyes, it was obvious who he was attracted to.

The emperor's eyes suddenly became mysterious, and the others also looked thoughtful.

Toya's gaze also shifted from Xiao Lingyu to Jiang Zhiyu.

In the silence, there was a "pop" sound, and everyone's eyes moved over, only to see He Yanting wiping his hands lightly, with broken pieces of wine glass next to him.

"My hand slipped."

He said softly.

Jiang Zhiyu saw that he was not injured and looked away.

【Using me as a shield? 】

Xiao Lingyu: "..."

He sat down and took out a bulging purse, pushing it in front of Jiang Zhiyu. "Sorry, I was in a hurry. I'll explain later."

Jiang Zhiyu: “…”

She put the money away.

[It doesn't matter. Just give me the money. Whatever you say is right.]

He Yanting: “…”

He took a few deep breaths and gritted his teeth.

The emperor naturally heard the shielding words, but it was not appropriate to say such things at the banquet. He suppressed his anger and smiled to smooth things over: "Although we cannot become relatives, we can still be friends. The princess will stay in Tianqi and choose another prince consort that suits her."

Although the Junggar envoy and Toya were unwilling, they could only respond and return to their seats.

Both of them looked sullen.

This incident soon passed and the happy atmosphere of the banquet returned.

The queen looked at Xiao Lingyu, her eyes full of hatred for her not fighting back.

The useless things and tools for fighting for power were handed to him by the emperor himself, but he didn't even know how to take them!

How can such a person achieve anything great!

How could I have given birth to such a useless thing!

She was angry and drank several more glasses of wine.

Time passed minute by minute, and the banquet soon came to an end. Many ministers were drunk and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, the queen on the platform had a distorted expression and spat out a mouthful of blood.