Gongsun Liang quickly bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask if I may also receive a copy of the invitation? I am also very fond of the young master's zither playing."

The Imperial Uncle pondered for a moment and said, "Since I am preparing a banquet, it is naturally better to make it lively. If you can guarantee that you will not cause me any trouble or embarrassment, or displease the Two Emperors, I will naturally not mind inviting you to the manor for the banquet."

Nie Feiyan said, "Uncle, then... then can I shamelessly ask for an invitation?"

The Imperial Uncle paused for a moment, then turned to look at Ye Xiao. Unlike Gongsun Liang, he wasn't well-informed and didn't know that Nie Feiyan was the Emperor's daughter. He only knew that she had a close relationship with Ye Xiao and was currently staying at the Ye Prince's residence.

The Imperial Uncle felt that it was inappropriate for him, as a man, to invite a woman who was not related to him and whom he had never even met before to a banquet, so he looked at Ye Xiao.

If Ye Xiao takes her there, then it will have nothing to do with him, and no bad rumors will spread.

Ye Xiao naturally understood what his royal uncle meant and said, "Royal uncle, you've already promised to give Mr. Gongsun an invitation, so you should give me one too. After all, Ye Nian is still my younger brother, and I have to attend the banquet where he's invited to perform."

"Alright," the royal uncle agreed, turned around, got into the carriage, and left.

Nie Feiyan looked at Ye Xiao and said, "Your Highness, you must bring me with you to the banquet."

Ye Xiao said with a hint of jealousy, "You seem to care a lot about my half-brother."

Nie Feiyan sighed and said, "His singing and musical skills really amazed me." As she spoke, she became somewhat lost in thought.

Ye Xiao said even more sourly, "What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about him?"

Nie Feiyan frankly admitted, "I was thinking about the song he just sang; it was simply a divine song!"

The next day, Chu Nian received an invitation personally delivered by the fifteenth prince, asking her to perform at his Xiangwang Mansion three days later.

This imperial uncle was probably provoked by the two saints of Xuan Yuan, because along with the invitation, he also presented fifty gold coins and many precious medicinal materials such as thousand-year-old ginseng.

Chu Nian was a little confused when she saw the large and small boxes in the hall, which numbered more than a dozen: What was this all for?

Hu Tiantian laughed and said, "Master, that royal uncle is quite good at handling things."

"Such a lack of ambition!" Chu Nian glared at her reproachfully.

Hu Tiantian asked again, puzzled, "Master, just who are those two Xuan Yuan Saints?" As he spoke, he leaned closer to Chu Nian and whispered, "As soon as those two saints appeared, that bird's feathers almost stood on end. It was so docile."

Chu Nian burst out laughing: "Guess!"

Hu Tiantian looked blank and said, "I can't guess."

Her senses were far less acute than those of the Golden-Winged Roc.

Although Lin Jingting and Jiang Bai look different, the Golden-Winged Roc probably remembered Jiang Bai's aura especially well because he was beaten last time. He immediately wilted when Jiang Bai appeared this time.

However, Hu Tiantian had no idea that he was the same Northern Emperor who had sent her back to Qingqiu from the underworld.

Hu Tiantian then asked, "Are you going to this royal uncle's banquet?"

Holding the invitation, Chu Nian felt quite heavy-hearted and said, "I'll think about it!"

She didn't want to see these old friends because she had undergone gender reassignment surgery. Jiang Bai, however, seemed quite sad, probably thinking about something else. His sensitivity allowed him to easily understand others' feelings, but sometimes it also caused him unnecessary trouble.

On the day of the banquet, Chu Nian thought about it for a long time, but in the end, she still went with a pipa.

When she arrived, it was already late, almost the hour of Wei (1-3 PM). Everyone at the banquet was a little disappointed to see that neither the two Xuan Yuan Saints, whom the Imperial Uncle had been longing for, nor the owner of the Qin House, whom they had been eagerly anticipating, had arrived.

Initially, the Imperial Uncle thought the young master of the Ye family would come, since the gifts sent hadn't been returned. But to his surprise, it was already this late and he still hadn't arrived.

Because it was getting late, there were only a few people around. The guests were wondering whether to leave now or wait a little longer when they suddenly felt a refreshing, fragrant breeze drifting into the room from outside.

The royal uncle, who had been so disappointed he was almost in tears, was overjoyed. He quickly got up and walked outside. Seeing this, the other guests also felt it was inappropriate to remain seated and followed him out to greet him.

Then everyone saw two aloof-looking young men in white robes appear at the doorway in the darkness.

"This junior pays respects to the two sages." The Imperial Uncle was overjoyed and quickly bowed deeply, saying loudly.

Although the people behind him were guests, their status was far inferior to that of the Imperial Uncle. Seeing this scene, even though they did not know who the two young men were, they all bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.

Jiang Bai nodded calmly and hummed in agreement. He then gracefully passed the crowd like the wind and entered the banquet hall first.

The imperial uncle, like a little shadow, followed a step behind the two boys with a fawning smile, his voice trembling with excitement, saying, "This junior thought you two weren't coming!"

Jiang Bai said, "He's already here, but he's still on his way. Everyone, take your positions!"

The Imperial Uncle hurriedly said, "The two emperors certainly have a lot of influence."

Jiang Bai chuckled softly, clearly in a good mood.

Lou Qianzong, standing behind him, curled his lip and said somewhat indignantly, "Why bother coming all this way to listen to a piece of music? Your piano skills aren't that bad either."

Jiang Bai instructed, "When the musician arrives, you must not do anything to offend him, understand?"

Lou Qianzong rolled his eyes and remained silent.

Jiang Bai: "You need to know..." He stopped mid-sentence. He was considering whether to tell the child the musician's true identity.

Lou Qianzong pressed, "Master, what are you trying to say?"

At this moment, a servant outside reported: "Your Highness, the master of the Qin House has arrived."

"Quickly, invite them in!" the Imperial Uncle said hastily.

Jiang Bai looked towards the door with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Lou Qianzong, seeing this, felt a pang of jealousy and also looked towards the door.

Then everyone saw a tall and handsome young man in a red shirt and white collar, carrying a pipa, leisurely walk into the hall.

The young man's tall and straight figure was like a sword, his aura exuding sharpness, intelligence, and an indescribable feminine charm, leaving everyone present in awe.

The young man smiled calmly, bowed slightly to the royal uncle, and said in an equally calm voice, "Greetings, Prince Xiang!"

The royal uncle quickly pointed to the seat next to Ye Xiao and said, "Young Master has arrived, please take a seat."

Ye Nian was Ye Xiao's half-brother. Logically, a son born out of wedlock should have been seated in the third row or later at the banquet. However, the King of Xiang specially ordered that his seat be arranged next to Ye Xiao, the legitimate King of Ye, which can be considered a great honor.

But Chu Nian didn't want to get too close to Ye Xiao, feeling that this so-called older brother was completely untrustworthy.