Chapter 307

When Qi Roufu said this, his face was full of mockery. The gift he gave was a Buddhist longevity scripture, making it hard to tell whether it was a genuine blessing or a provocation.

Empress Dowager Liu naturally thought that she was coming to bring bad luck to her, and not only did she choose to send invitations to those noble ladies and hold banquets on her birthday, but she also did so.

To dare to embarrass her in front of everyone now is infuriating!

"Thank you for your kindness, Princess. Please accept it."

Her face was gloomy, her tone was cold, and she did not give Qi Roufu a friendly look.

"What does the Empress Dowager mean by this? Does she seem dissatisfied with the congratulatory gift I sent?"

"This was written by me day and night with great effort. Even if the Empress Dowager comes from a humble background and covets gold and silver, she shouldn't betray my good intentions, should she?"

"It's just that my imperial brother only cares about appearances and doesn't pay attention to a woman's background and upbringing. If it were my father, Empress Dowager Liu might not have been able to enter the palace."

These words were a blatant disparagement of Empress Dowager Liu's background; they were not merely disrespectful, but a direct slap in the face.

As expected, Empress Dowager Liu's face darkened, and she abruptly stood up, angrily rebuking, "Qi Roufu! You are too presumptuous! Such arrogance towards others, don't blame me for punishing you!"

Qi Roufu was not afraid at all. In her view, her son's ascension to the throne was entirely due to luck.

If it weren't for Duan Gan, the throne would definitely belong to Qi Xi.

"I am the eldest princess! I have paid half my life's price for the Celestial Empire, and I am also the current emperor's own aunt. Who among you dares to touch me?"

She stared coldly at the eunuch who was about to step forward and make a move.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The eldest princess is of a forthright and generous nature; she did not do it intentionally."

"Yeah yeah."

The old ministers saw that things were not going well, but the princess's contributions were beyond question, and there were very few people left in the royal family. It was just not advisable to cause any more trouble.

Empress Dowager Liu and she locked eyes, neither willing to back down.

The musicians stopped without anyone noticing, and the atmosphere froze. Qi Roufu had turned a perfectly good birthday banquet upside down.

When the young emperor saw his mother being bullied, he stood up and shouted, "You vile woman! How dare you bully my mother! I will throw you into the dungeon and execute you in the autumn!"

Tao Tao sat to the side, eating pastries with her head down, remaining silent throughout.

Qi Roufu was too easily swayed by emotions, impulsive and easily angered. He thought that because he had made contributions to the Celestial Empire, he could act so recklessly.

Little did she know that after Emperor Mingyou's downfall, she believed that her gratitude to the Celestial Empire had been forgotten.

Furthermore, marriage alliances were a princess's duty. Since she enjoyed the wealth and honor that came with this status, as well as the offerings from the people, she should do something for them.

Her life was very tragic, so it's understandable that she developed this personality.

The Celestial Empire was not wrong, she was not wrong, Empress Dowager Liu was not wrong, and the young emperor was not wrong either.

The mistake was that Emperor Mingyou inflicted pain on her that should not have been inflicted upon her.

She should have known to avoid direct confrontation.

At the young emperor's command, the imperial guards rushed in and surrounded Qi Roufu.

Upon seeing this, Qi Roufu's eyes widened as she stared at the Imperial Guards in disbelief, her voice trembling with fear, "I am the Princess, you dog slaves dare to touch a single hair on my head!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she finally remembered Tao Tao's existence.

"Huaimin!"

This sound successfully drew everyone's attention to Tao Tao, who seemed completely unconcerned.

Empress Dowager Liu squinted at the composed woman. She knew that this woman was quite favored by Duan Gan, judging from the fact that even when going on a campaign, he would leave half of the Privy Council's guards by her side for protection.

That tells you how much he cares about her.

Murong Tao cannot be easily offended. She came in with Qi Roufu just now, which does not prove anything, and so far no one has stood up to speak for her.

Tao Tao looked up at everyone, a little confused, and asked in confusion, "Have all the gifts been given? Is it my turn?"

She stood up, waved her hand to let Rong'er step forward, opened the object in her hand, and said to Empress Dowager Liu, "What I am presenting to Your Majesty is a jade ruyi, wishing Your Majesty happiness and contentment every day."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Liu's expression improved considerably, and she managed a weak smile.

"Your Highness is so kind. Someone bring it up so I can take a look."

The Imperial Guard and Qi Roufu were locked in a stalemate in the center.

The young emperor glared at Qi Roufu with displeasure, "Why aren't you taking this madwoman away right now! I am the emperor, and if you dare disobey me, I will execute you all!"

The Imperial Guards were startled and rushed over to grab Qi Roufu, but were stopped by a voice.

"etc."

The Imperial Guards looked towards the sound and, upon discovering it was the Regent's Consort, immediately stopped.

"You may leave. Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. The Eldest Princess is His Majesty's aunt. His Majesty is young, so it is normal for him to make a few jokes now and then."

"Is that so, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager?"

She looked up and smiled at the woman in the high position.

Empress Dowager Liu smiled faintly, but there was no hint of a smile in her eyes. "Of course, what the Regent's Consort says is true."

The young emperor glared angrily at the speaker, wondering who this person was who dared to defy him. He raised his hand to point at her, about to speak, but was silenced by Empress Dowager Liu.

"Your Majesty, let's enjoy the song and dance instead."

Qi Xi turned to look at Empress Dowager Liu and shook his head slightly before sitting down.

Gao Liangui stood up and shouted, "Play the music!"

The Imperial Guards slowly withdrew, and Qi Roufu, still with a livid face, turned and left with a flick of his sleeve.

After the tense scene, most people were still shaken, and while they were chatting and laughing, they were much more reserved.

Murong Jia Hui was about three or four people away from Tao Tao. Turning her head, she saw that she was surrounded by many ladies and young women who wanted to befriend her.

Feelings of inferiority welled up inside her. She wanted to go over and let everyone see that she and the Regent's wife were sisters, but she hesitated and dared not go over.

The sky gradually darkened, and although it wasn't evening yet, it gave off a hazy, gray feeling.

Suddenly, it seemed as if snowflakes were drifting down from the sky.

They could also hear the palace maids and eunuchs whispering outside, which made them quite excited.

"A timely snowfall promises a bountiful harvest, and today is also the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet—a truly auspicious sign..."

"Excellent, excellent, this must be a sign from heaven that victory is assured in the border war."

"With the regent here, are we afraid we can't defeat those barbaric Turks...?"

"That makes sense."

Empress Dowager Liu said happily, "Gentlemen, I and all the ministers are witnessing the first snow of the year."

After saying that, she stood up, took the young emperor's hand, and walked towards the door.

"Your Highness, it's snowing outside. Let's put this cloak on."

Rong'er whispered beside her.

Tao Tao shook her head. "It's okay, I'm not cold yet. Let's go out and take a look."

It's snowing! Time really flies.

She sighed, looked up at the snowflakes dancing like willow catkins, stretched out her hand, and a crystal-clear snowflake landed in her palm.

He muttered to himself, "I wonder how Duan Gan is doing..."