"Lord Liu?" The young emperor's face was as handsome as a sculpture. Lan, as bright as a star, seemed to be frozen in time. He slammed the jade cup on the table and said in a deep voice, "The court has its own rules. Military and national affairs will be discussed in the morning court!"

"Your Majesty!" Lord Liu rested his forehead against the jade-faced tiles, his voice filled with anger, "The governor of Northern Jiangsu is a disciple of Lord Zhou. This concealment..."

"Master Liu!" Zhou Yuanbai pointed at him and shouted angrily, his face flushed. "Even slander has to have a limit!"

The quarrel echoed in the hall, the ministers whispered to each other, and the palace maids serving inside and outside the hall did not even dare to breathe.

At this moment, a princess in a red palace dress strode in, and the gold and jade hairpins adorning her jet-black hair shone brightly in the light and shadow.

Just like her calm and elegant demeanor at this moment, she broke the heavy and solemn atmosphere in the hall.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It would be better if I, along with officials from the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Revenue, could go to northern Jiangsu to investigate this matter thoroughly."

The emperor paused, rubbing his temples. He glanced at the jade token bestowed by the late emperor on the princess' waist and waved his hand irritably. "Since my sister is willing to go, then go! Let's not talk about those disappointing things today. The banquet will continue."

Upon hearing this, the princess bowed respectfully and took a seat aside.

The emperor sat upright in the main seat, looked around at the courtiers, and his face regained its relaxed expression.

He said, "Today is so lively. I have heard that the daughters of all of you are outstanding in talent and beauty. Why not let them show off their talents and add some fun to this palace banquet?"

All the court officials stood up to express their gratitude and exchanged glances with each other.

The emperor turned his gaze to Marquis Xiao, and said with some admiration: "I heard that the daughter of Marquis Xiao is both talented and beautiful, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Is she here today? I really want to meet her."

Lord Xiao quickly stood up and said respectfully, "My daughter is honored to attend the palace banquet today. I am grateful for your Majesty's favor. If your Majesty does not mind, I will let her perform."

Xiao Yunya never expected that there would be this segment at the palace banquet this time!

She quickly turned her face to Li Nian: "Sister-in-law, please help me check if my lipstick is smudged?" She had just been eating. If her makeup was smudged and she lost her composure in front of the palace, it would be too embarrassing!

Li Nian raised her hand to wipe the pastry crumbs from her lips and said calmly, "No problem, go ahead."

Hearing this, Xiao Yunya felt a little relieved, but she was still nervous. She stood up with her fingers tightly clenched on the corner of her clothes.

The young emperor on the dragon throne looked at a girl in a goose yellow brocade dress with great interest, and slowly walked forward to bow to the emperor on the dragon throne.

Her pretty face was filled with the shyness and nervousness of a young girl, and she spoke in a gentle voice, "Your humble servant, Xiao Yunya, greets His Majesty. I heard that Your Majesty is in a good mood, so I specially played the piece 'Spring Stream Flowing Water' for Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will not laugh at me."

Xiao Yunya walked to the guqin and gently stroked the strings. A song "Spring Stream Flowing Water" slowly flowed out, the melody sometimes like a gurgling stream, sometimes like a towering mountain.

When the song ended, the emperor nodded slightly and praised, "It really lives up to its reputation. This zither skill is superb. Marquis Xiao's teaching is very effective!"

Fuquan, who was standing beside him, covered his lips and chuckled softly: "The emperor is praising me so much, I am curious about the talents of other young ladies. I hope they don't outshine me."

The young and handsome emperor curled his lips and chuckled softly, "Then I will wait and see which young lady will catch my eye."

The noble ladies below were all blushing and their hearts beating fast because of his stunning appearance.

Afterwards, the daughters of other court officials also came forward to show off their talents, and the atmosphere of the palace banquet became more and more lively.

However, the emperor always seemed to lack interest, and even the carefree Li Sisi noticed that something was wrong.