At the palace banquet, Song Tang sat next to the Crown Princess, a tired, fake smile on his face.

At the Emperor's request, this palace banquet followed the old system and was held in the main hall of the palace.

The Emperor's consort sat in the head seat, in the center; the Emperor, accompanied by a chubby boy, sat beside the consort, serving him wine.

The seats below the emperor's parents, the emperor's younger brother (a prince), the crown princess, and the eldest princess were left empty. Below them were the various officials.

The Emperor also bestowed the titles of Duke and Queen upon the Emperor's parents.

I don't know why the Emperor's mother hasn't been so angry about her behavior that she's sat up.

Song Tang sighed slightly.

She had already been subjected to open and covert attacks from various people. If it weren't for the Crown Princess always being by her side, shielding her from some of the polite remarks, she probably wouldn't even have the leisure she has now.

She looked down at the wine in the silver cup in her hand and whispered to the Crown Princess, "It's choking."

The Crown Princess glanced at her quickly, her pupils contracting almost imperceptibly, but she said nothing, only gently shaking her head.

Song Tang lowered his head and put the blackened wine glass back.

The Emperor continued to serve food to his consort, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was serving him food.

The Emperor's consort possessed a handsome appearance, but it was already filled with wine and meat; the flesh stretched his skin so much that oil almost oozed out. He grinned and ate the food the Emperor had placed on his plate, then pulled the Emperor into his arms and drank the wine from the Emperor's hand.

The Duke and Empress, seated at the lower end of the table, were also quite smug, ordering the maids around as if the one sitting at the head of the table was not the Emperor and his consort, but them.

Songtang heard the Crown Princess grinding her teeth very softly.

The Emperor said slowly, "I have prepared this banquet today so that all of you present may bear witness to it."

The Crown Princess paused in her teeth grinding.

The Emperor continued, “As the ruler of a nation, I am unable to serve my husband and the Queen Mother, which is truly a regret in my heart.”

The entire room fell silent.

Song Tang secretly glanced at the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess swiftly gripped the wine cup—the veins on her fingers bulged, and the cup creaked as she held it.

The male protagonist, sitting in the lower seat, smiled and said, "What are you saying, Your Highness?"

The male protagonist raised his wine glass, stood up, and continued with a smile: "As the ruler of a country, Your Majesty naturally has worries that only you can handle."

He smiled and asked the Crown Princess, "What does the Crown Princess think?"

The Crown Princess immediately smiled. She raised her cup to the Emperor and said, "Mother, I think so too."

The Founding Father, seated to the lower left, immediately showed displeasure on his face.

The Emperor quickly put down his wine cup and said, "Duke, please don't be angry. It's my fault for not raising my daughter and brother properly..."

The Crown Princess began grinding her teeth quietly again. Sitting beside her, Song Tang whispered, "The Eldest Princess is coming."

The Crown Princess pursed her lips.

She is now the Crown Princess; she cannot lose her composure here.

She knew she couldn't have any expectations of her mother, but every time she saw her like this, she thought her mother from childhood was dead.

Who exactly is the Queen Mother standing before her now?

Why has the Queen Mother, who taught her to always stand behind her and provide support no matter who she faces or what threat she faces, become so subservient and humble now?

Princess Chang and Ai Cao entered the banquet amidst an awkward atmosphere.

The princess apologized to the emperor for being late and then sat down in her designated spot.

Several maids brought out the dishes, and the princess lazily leaned to one side, calling for Ai Cao to pour her some wine. Ai Cao silently bent down, picked up the wine pot, and filled the princess's cup.

The eldest princess asked, "Your Majesty, I am late. I wonder what Your Majesty was angry about?"

The gloom on the Emperor's face eased slightly.

The eldest princess and the crown princess exchanged a glance, then the princess smiled and said, "Your subject understands. Uncle must have said something wrong again! Mother, please don't be angry. Your subject will go to my elder sister's residence later and bring a cloisonné gold cup inlaid with many pearls to apologize to you, okay?"

The Emperor then smiled and said, "It's good that you have this intention."

The eldest princess laughed along with the emperor. They appeared to be a harmonious family, but only those within the group knew the truth.

Seeing that the matter had been put aside for the time being, the eldest princess called to Ai Cao: "Go and pour wine for your elder sister."

Artemisia bowed her head in response.

Holding the wine pot, she walked over to the Crown Princess's side in a few steps.

When the Crown Princess saw the mugwort tightly wrapped in her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), a slight smile couldn't help but appear on her lips. She casually poured the old wine from the silver cup under the table and placed the empty cup in front of the mugwort.

Songtang also saw Aicao wearing a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). Her eyes, which had become dull from repeated social interactions, lit up again.

Despite their laughter, Ai Cao simply picked up the wine jug and poured wine.

The princess said softly, "You're really bold."

Ai Cao smiled slightly.

It wasn't that she was particularly bold, but rather that she was confident she could kill everyone here. As long as no one escaped, her news wouldn't leak out.

After pouring the wine, she could rightfully stay by the Crown Princess's side.

The Emperor was about to speak again. Holding her cup, she said, "My birthday is also the day I met my consort..."

She was about to continue speaking when the Duke and Queen coughed lightly a few times.

The Duke said, "Your Majesty, we are old and we can't stand to hear this."

The Emperor quickly smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "It was my oversight." She called to the Crown Princess, "Crown Princess, come and give the Duke a massage."

The Crown Princess twitched the corners of her mouth, smiled, and rose to reply, "Yes."

She took only one step before bending over and coughing violently. She coughed for a while, covering her mouth, revealing a patch of bright red blood on her sleeve. She staggered two more steps before collapsing to the ground.

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