Chapter 108: Each with His Own Thoughts

The moment Xiyan stepped into the palace, the smell of fresh food mixed with the aroma of alcohol hit her in the face.

She and Manluo lowered their heads, walked around from behind the rows of banquet tables to Xiao Nanyue's seat, and stood still.

At this moment, Emperor Helian Cong, who was sitting on the main throne, was chatting and laughing with Xiao Nanyue about the war in the north.

The rest of the concubines and princes also sat in their seats.

Queen Su Qinyao, who had not seen her younger sister Su Xianrou for several years, asked about her well-being.

She deliberately gave up the main seat and sat next to Su Xianrou, holding her hand tightly. The gilded armor on her fingertips tapped lightly against the jade bracelet on her wrist:

"Sister, you are so cruel. For so many years, I have invited you to the palace to reminisce about the past, but you have never agreed. It has been seven or eight years since we last met."

Su Xianrou looked at her elder sister's graceful face, and a bitter feeling rose in her throat.

Eight years ago, her husband had died in Xinzhou, and it was ultimately connected to the Helian clan. On the day Xiao Beicheng was buried, she wanted to die with him.

The son hated the Helian family. Her sister was Helian Cong's queen, and her elder brother Su Lantian was Helian Cong's right-hand man. After all, the relatives who were once connected by blood gradually drifted apart because of Xiao Beicheng's death.

The love between brothers and sisters in the court is always wrapped in a knife.

She was stuck in this gap, unable to move forward or backward, and had no choice but to retreat to the ancestral hall to survive.

But now, for the sake of her son, she sat in this gilded palace again wearing a phoenix robe, and had to regain her old smile:

"Sister, I have not been in good health these past few years. Only in front of the Buddha can I find peace and tranquility."

She lowered her eyes and fiddled with the Buddhist beads. The sound was as light as ink drops falling on rice paper, but it made Helian Cong, who was sitting in the main seat, tremble his fingertips.

Queen Su Qinyao's eyebrows moved slightly, and she gently patted her sister's hand:

"You're not feeling well, so you should rest more. But I've missed you so much these past few years. It's a rare opportunity for you to enter the palace today, so we sisters must chat."

"Yes, sister. Over the years, I have relied on you and His Majesty to take care of our Xiao family."

The Queen chuckled:

"What nonsense! You and I are sisters of the same blood. Yan'er is now the Regent, assisting His Majesty wholeheartedly. Seeing that we are about to become closer, I am so happy..."

"Yan'er is young and still needs more guidance from His Majesty and Sister."

Before the Queen could speak, Helian Cong beside her suddenly spoke:

"Little sister, we are relatives, so we should take care of each other. You have been weak since childhood. Although it is good to practice meditation in front of the Buddha, you still need to take care of your body. A few days ago, I obtained a thousand-year-old ginseng from the Western Regions. It is very good for replenishing qi and blood and strengthening the body. I will send it to you when you leave the palace. Please make sure to take good care of it."

His voice, mixed with the incense in the hall, sounded particularly dry.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Su Xianrou only felt that her sister was pinching her arm, and it suddenly tightened a little. She lowered her eyes slightly to avoid Helian Cong's burning gaze.

Helian Cong was shocked to find that he had stood up halfway. He hurriedly coughed to cover it up, but caught a glimpse of Xiao Nanyue looking at him with a smile, his phoenix eyes, which were exactly the same as Su Xianrou's, were slightly frosted.

At this moment, Xiyan, who was standing behind Xiao Nanyan, her gaze silently moved between the concubine's lowered brows and the emperor's smiling face, but cold sweat was oozing from her palms.

Staring at Helian Cong, the man who had a secret meeting with the concubine in Fanyin Temple that day suddenly appeared in her mind. His figure and voice gradually overlapped with the emperor at this moment.

The man's suppressed and gentle voice in her memory, mixed with the smell of alcohol in the hall, surged up in her mind. Then she heard the emperor's soft voice calling "little sister", and she seemed to understand something all of a sudden.

I glanced at Xiao Nanyan, but saw that he had a calm expression on his face. He was slowly serving food to the concubine beside him. The sound of silver chopsticks sliding across the celadon plate was particularly clear.

Xiyan's heart inexplicably tightened. With Xiao Nanyan's methods, he must have discovered that Helian Cong had been to Fanyin Temple. But he was able to smile and turn a blind eye, not even openly rejecting the marriage with Helian Shu. Why?

At this time, it was Prime Minister Su Lantian who stood up with a smile, picked up the jade cup and nodded to Helian Cong, his voice like the sound of an ancient jade chime:

"Your Majesty, my two sisters, one is the Empress, the mother of the nation. The other is married to the Prince Regent, both of whom hold such noble positions. This is all thanks to Your Majesty's patronage of the Su and Xiao families. This honor and grace is truly a great blessing for the Su family. Here, I offer a toast to Your Majesty!"

Helian Cong laughed out loud when he heard this, and raised his hand as if to support him:

"Your Highness, that's being a bit too formal. Su Qing is my trusted minister, the Empress is virtuous and kind, the Dowager Consort is gentle, respectful and frugal, and the Su, Xiao, and Helian families have been friends for generations. Your Wan'er is about to marry Feng'er and become my daughter-in-law. Shu'er is also engaged to Nan Yan, making us even closer and having a lot of good things to do."

He held up the Nine Dragon Jade Cup and gestured to everyone:

"Today's family dinner is not for the emperor and his subjects, but for relatives. Everyone, drink to your heart's content and don't leave until you are drunk."

After he finished speaking, he drank the wine in the cup, and everyone echoed him.

After a pause, Helian Cong looked at Xiao Nanyan and Helian Shu, then glanced at Helian Feng and Prime Minister Su's daughter Su Wan, with a bit more kindness in his eyes:

"After you two get married, I will be looking forward to holding my grandson in my arms. This will also make this palace full of children around my knees."