Birthday banquet (2)

They sat in the pavilion for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Only after learning from Zi Ling that the Empress was going to personally take Xie Jingche and Xie Jingyan away from Kunning Palace did Xie Sili leave with Jun Qiyu.

On their way to the Taiji Palace, the two of them encountered the First Prince Jun Qixiu, the Second Prince Jun Qizhe, and the Third Prince Jun Qiyou. Apart from Jun Qizhe, it was clear from their eyes that they did not like Jun Qiyu and their relationship with him was not good, especially after the incident with the Grand Secretary.

After they had gone far away, Xie Sili heard Jun Qiyu's voice, "I think they want to deal with you."

A smile played on her lips. "So what? There are plenty of people who want to kill me, but they almost always end up not coming back." She seemed to have taken Jun Qiyu's words to heart.

But aside from Si Ze by her side, her shadow guards, secret guards, and imperial guards are all top-notch experts, and no one can get close to her.

Even if they really had a chance, their final enemy, Xie Sili, was not some sickly person, but a true top expert.

Before even reaching the Taiji Hall, Xie Sili spotted Yang Shi in the crowd, accompanied by Xie Sichuan and Xie Sichu, along with Xie Sinan and Lu Ciyuan.

It was the first time any of them had entered the palace. Upon seeing Huang Shi's gaze, Xie Sili and Jun Qiyu exchanged a few words and then walked in her direction.

“Since this is your first time entering the palace, you should know the rules here,” Huang’s slightly sarcastic voice rang out. “After all, it is the Empress’s birthday.”

"Since it is Her Majesty the Empress's birthday, why are you putting on airs here?" Driver Xie walked a few steps to Huang's side, his eyes cold as he looked up at her. "I wonder when you will be able to make decisions for Her Majesty the Empress."

Madam Huang turned her gaze to her, and almost frowned as she spoke, "Although I cannot make decisions for Her Majesty the Empress, I am still the wife of the Left Prime Minister."

“Madam Xie, you are the wife of the Left Prime Minister, and your second aunt is the wife of the Grand Secretary. Your second uncle and the Left Prime Minister are both first-rank officials, so there is no distinction between them. Why are you making things difficult for your second aunt here?” Xie Sili smiled instead of getting angry. “Or do you think you are being bullied because you are your second aunt’s sister-in-law?”

She didn't give Madam Huang a chance to speak and continued to press her, "Madam Xie, I hope you remember that this is the Empress's birthday banquet, not yours, Madam Xie's birthday banquet. Even if Second Aunt has done something wrong, it's not your place to lecture her."

Madam Huang looked at her, almost speechless with anger, when she heard Xie Siyao's voice, "Sister, no matter what, Mother is still your legal mother, why do you have to be so disrespectful?"

“Miss Xie, you are mistaken. I have severed my father-daughter relationship with the Left Prime Minister. Since he is no longer my father, what does his second wife have to do with me?”

Xie Sili continued, disregarding the gazes of those present, "Miss Xie, he has always been your father, but not mine. After all, the reason I returned to Chang'an was because the Left Prime Minister arranged for me to marry Prince Yan in your place."

Noticing the gazes on him, Xie Sili met Xie Siyao's eyes. "Am I wrong, Miss Xie?"

"Well said, well said! No wonder you are Xie Aiqing's granddaughter."

Hearing the familiar voices, Xie Sili turned his head and saw the Emperor and Empress holding Xie Jingche and Xie Jingyan's hands, standing not far away, with a loving smile on their faces.

Xie Sili had always thought that Emperor Jun was a good emperor, which was why she was willing to help him in the first place. But she still couldn't understand why such an emperor would poison his own son. Was it just because he was the crown prince and because he had the support of the ministers?

He was filled with fear and dread that his own son would usurp his throne, so much so that he ultimately had no choice but to kill him with his own hands.

Everyone present bowed to the Emperor and Empress, and the banquet officially began because of their arrival. However, the Emperor stayed with the Empress for a while before leaving, perhaps worried that his presence would put pressure on the ladies of the noble families.

After the Emperor left, the Empress brought out prizes and had the noble ladies from various families perform, and even had Xie Sili sit next to her.

"Is this Li'er's first time attending such an occasion?" The Empress held her hand, a smile playing on her lips. "I don't like these kinds of occasions either; I find them too noisy."

Upon hearing this, Xie Sili turned his gaze to her and said softly, "Your Majesty's health is indeed not suitable for such occasions, but you do need to have some fun every now and then, don't you?"

She paused for a moment before turning her gaze to the scene before her. "Your Majesty, do you know? My husband sometimes talks to me about things from the past. What he worries about most is his mother."

My mother died of postpartum hemorrhage on the day I was born. I grew up in Chongqing with my grandparents and never experienced a mother's greetings or care.

Whenever I talk about these things with my husband, he treats me very well, and even says that if his mother saw me, she would like me too.

As Xie Sili spoke, Jun Qichen's face appeared in her mind again.

As soon as she finished speaking, she was pulled into the Empress's arms, and she felt the Empress's slightly trembling hand on her back.

Xie Sili patted the Empress's shoulder, and just as he was about to speak, he heard the Empress's voice, "When you have time, could you take me to see your husband?"

"Yes." Xie Sili smiled at the Empress.

After the song and dance performance, the best performer among the noble ladies was Princess Anning, Feng Wanqing. She played a piece of music at her birthday banquet, which won everyone's hearts, making her the undisputed number one.

The Empress pulled Feng Wanqing to sit beside her and took off her bracelet, giving one to each of them.

"Mother, I have prepared fireworks for you in the Imperial Garden," Jun Qiyu stepped forward and spoke at the opportune moment. "Please come and enjoy them, Mother."

Xie Sili raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jun Qiyu, only to see him subtly curl the corners of his lips, looking determined and confident.

Xie Sili followed the Empress toward the Imperial Garden.

As they approached the artificial hill, they heard a discordant sound, occasionally accompanied by tearing and sobbing.

"Don't worry, I will treat you well. I am a bodyguard of Consort De."

Xie Sili glanced at Jun Qiyu standing not far away and was about to speak when she saw a little maidservant, barely clothed, rush out. Upon seeing them, she immediately fainted.

Before Xie Sili stepped forward, he took off the cloak he was wearing and draped it over the little maid.

The guards who chased after them rushed out upon seeing them, uttering obscene words, before Xie Sili kicked them into the pond.

Noticing Consort De's gaze, Xie Sili glanced at Jun Qiyu before hearing the Empress's voice, "Someone, bring that guard up."

After they pulled the guard out of the water, he was kneeling there, half-dead, mumbling incoherently, but unfortunately, he couldn't make out a single clear word.

Noticing the Empress's actions, Xie Jingche, who was standing beside her, spoke first, "Today is Her Majesty the Empress's birthday, and it is not auspicious to draw blood. Why don't we hand this person over to His Highness Prince Yan to deal with?"

The Empress glanced at Xie Jingche and nodded, immediately agreeing with his suggestion and ordering Jun Qiyu to imprison the man.

Jun Qiyu ordered his guards to imprison him, and then he set off fireworks for them.

After the banquet, the Empress directly stated that she wanted to adopt Jun Qiyu as her son, and from now on Jun Qiyu would be her son. This was also a clear message to the Consort, Consort De, and Consort Shu that no one could bully Jun Qiyu.

Jun Qiyu had not expected the Empress to give him such a surprise. The reason he took care of the Empress was simply because she was Jun Qichen's mother, and Jun Qichen was his most respected elder brother.

The Empress suggested that Xie Jingche and Xie Jingyan stay overnight in the palace. After obtaining their consent, Xie Sili allowed them to stay in the palace, while he himself boarded Jun Qiyu's carriage.

Inside the carriage, Xie Sili was pressing Jun Qiyu's hand as he brewed tea. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Jun Qiyu's voice, "Is this your arrangement?"

"You can understand it this way," Xie Sili said without any concealment. "After all, you need someone with an upright identity. Who do you think did this today?"

"Imperial Consort, Consort De, or Consort Shu?" Jun Qiyu raised an eyebrow at her, a half-smile on his face. "Whom do you want?"

Xie Sili gave a knowing look.

"It seems you have your own power base in the palace, but I underestimated you." Xie Sili said, taking a small sip from his cup. "The results will be announced tomorrow. Aren't you looking forward to it?"

"Why should I have any expectations?" Jun Qiyu retorted. "Those people should be the ones who are anxious, not me."

"Aren't Xie Sichu, who's at Level 1A, and Xie Sinan, who's at Level 1B, both your people?" He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. "If that's the case, why should I worry about these things?"

Hearing Jun Qiyu's words, Xie Sili laughed, "That's true. My people are your people too. Since we're going to support you in ascending the throne, they're naturally your people as well."

a long time.

Xie Sili heard Jun Qiyu's voice, "Shall I take you back to Siyuan later?"

"Take me to Longmen Academy. I'm going to see Mr. Shangguan and Mr. Murong. Si Ze is already waiting for me here." Xie Sili said, yawning.

Jun Qiyu put her down at the entrance of Longmen Academy, and she immediately flew into the academy without even glancing at Jun Qiyu behind her.

"Master, at this rate, when will you be able to marry Miss Xie?" Mu Feng's voice rang in Jun Qiyu's ears.

"I don't know." Jun Qiyu put his hands behind his head. "Maybe there's no hope in this lifetime, after all, I've never been able to beat Si Ze."

“Master, I think you should convey your feelings to Miss Xie, since she doesn’t know you like him.”

“She knows.” Jun Qiyu said with certainty, “She probably has always known, which is why she deliberately keeps this distance from me, as if she is worried that I have someone I like, but the person I like is clearly her.”

Thinking of this, Jun Qiyu sighed again, "Mufeng, what do you think I should do?"

“I think you should tell Miss Xie.” Mu Feng spoke up again with certainty. “Master, your image outside is that of a playboy and a spoiled brat. How could Miss Xie possibly think that you like her? Don’t you think so? I don’t think Miss Xie knows that you like her.”

Listening to Mu Feng's words, Jun Qiyu suddenly felt that what he said actually made some sense. After thinking about it, he made a decision.

The following day, December 26th.

The results of Longmen Academy were released, with all the results from Level 1 and Level 2 posted. The results of the four Level 1 students were the most eye-catching, especially the beautiful handwriting of Xie Sichuan and Xie Sinan.

"Sister, I got the first-class grade!" Xie Sichuan looked at her beaming smile and then turned his gaze to Zhuge Zhao. "Mr. Zhuge, I did not disgrace you."

Zhuge Zhao patted his head affectionately, "Achuan, you did very well. All my years of careful teaching have not been in vain."

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Xie Sinan, who was standing to the side, and said, "Your results this time are not bad, but you must guard against arrogance and complacency, understand?"

Xie Sinan looked at Zhuge Zhao and scratched his head sheepishly. "I understand, Mr. Zhuge. I will follow my fourth brother closely and learn from him from now on."

"A-Chuan did a great job." Xie Yi looked at Xie Si Chuan with a proud expression and said, "These years have been thanks to Li Ya Tou."

"Second Uncle, this is because Fourth Brother has worked hard. If he hadn't worked hard, even having Mr. Zhuge would have been useless."

Yang looked at Xie Sichuan with a joyful smile, her eyes misting over.

"Second Aunt, today is a joyous occasion, we mustn't be sad." Xie Sili said, taking out a handkerchief from his sleeve and presenting it to Madam Yang.

Madam Yang quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and raised a gentle smile. "What Li girl said is true. Today is a joyous day, and we shouldn't be sad. I just didn't expect Chuan'er to be so promising."

Xie Sili kept glancing at Xie Zhun and Huang Shi out of the corner of his eye. They seemed to never expect Xie Siyu to achieve such a result, and even his handwriting was embarrassing.

Xie Chun wanted to use his status as the Left Prime Minister to approach Shangguan and Murong, but who knew that the two of them would directly give Xie Chun and Huang Shi all of Xie Siyu's exam results over the years, and even said that Xie Siyu had not made any progress over the years, and had even been regressing. After all, Xie Siyu's handwriting was quite good at first, but it became more and more embarrassing later on.

Xie Zhun looked at the past years' results in his hand, then turned his gaze to Huang Shi. He turned and left almost angrily, not even glancing back at Huang Shi, no matter what she said behind him.

Xie Sili curled her lips into a smile.

No rush, this is just the beginning. She will not let the Prime Minister's Mansion go, she will not let Xie Chun go. She will send everyone in the Prime Minister's Mansion to hell to atone for her mother's sins!