As before, after Leng Yue fell into the water, everything returned to normal, and no one suggested searching for the real culprit. It's truly baffling that no one else even bothers to pretend to be emperor anymore, given Leng Yue's incompetence.

Leng Yue was used to this situation. She knew she was not well-liked, so she could only continue to be extremely careful.

Leng Yue could only blame herself for falling into the water. She was curious; hearing a splash in the water, she couldn't resist going closer to take a look. As a result, she was pushed into the water as soon as she reached the railing.

Leng Yue didn't see who pushed her, but she was certain it was one of the palace maids.

Actually, this case was easy to investigate; it was just those palace maids. It would have been easy to find out. But nobody investigated them. What could she do?

Leng Yue sat dejectedly in the study, scribbling on paper with a brush. She wasn't worried about being exposed; the original owner of this body had been raised so much by Empress Dowager Feng that she was practically illiterate, so what was wrong with her scribbles on paper?

Unbeknownst to Leng Yue, Ye Rufeng had secretly investigated her murder. He hadn't known Leng Yue was a mission participant before, but now that he did, and considering her mention of NPCs, Ye Rufeng guessed there was a high probability they had no vested interests. He decided to give Leng Yue another gift, as a favor, and to make things easier for him in the future.

As a result, Ye Rufeng discovered that Leng Yue was actually backed by several forces, all of which were preventing him from finding out the truth.

Ye Rufeng was very concerned about this matter. He never imagined that a girl disguised as a boy with no real power could make these people care so much! It could only mean that there was a bigger conspiracy hidden in this child, or that there were bigger interests involved in this child.

But what kind of interests or conspiracy could it be? And would it hinder his mission? Ye Rufeng had to become even more cautious.

The Turks were about to arrive, and Ye Rufeng, as the main person in charge of their reception, became even more worried. He had always known the palace was a dangerous place, but after getting to know them better, he discovered that things were far more complicated than he had imagined. Therefore, he became even more cautious about this banquet.

No one knows whether the Turks will interfere this time and make the murky waters even more chaotic.

………………………………

On the sixth day of the tenth month, the eldest prince of the Turks arrived. That evening, the Great Qi held a banquet to welcome the Turkic envoy. Naturally, the auspicious mascot Leng Yue was present at such a banquet.

The eldest prince of the Turks walked to the center and bowed to Leng Yue. “Your Majesty the Emperor, I am the eldest prince of the Turks, Luo Le. It is an honor for Luo Le to meet you.”

As Basil spoke, he stretched out his hand, and someone brought over a cup of wine. Basil held a cup in one hand and a wine jug in the other. He said to Leng Yue, "Your Majesty, we Turks have a custom: if we drink three cups of wine together, we are friends. Come!"

As he spoke, Basil raised his wine cup and said, "Let's drink these three cups, and from now on, the Turks and the Great Qi will be friends. May the friendship between our two peoples last forever!" After saying this, he drank three cups in a row.

Basil drank it with gusto, while Leng Yue was dumbfounded. In modern times, someone her age wouldn't be allowed to drink. Besides, she's a girl; her parents would beat her to death if she drank on her own!

But this wasn't modern times, and she couldn't be a girl. Leng Yue looked left and right, seeing that Empress Dowager Feng remained silent, her imperial uncle was silent, and Ye Rufeng was as quiet as a chicken. Leng Yue sighed, knowing that she couldn't back down now.

"Bring wine!" Leng Yue waved his hand with a grand gesture. "Since Prince Basil has said so, then for the sake of the friendship between the Great Qi and the Turks, I will risk my life to keep you company!"

After Leng Yue finished speaking, everyone reacted in different ways. Basil, however, laughed heartily and clapped his hands, saying, "The Great Qi is indeed full of talented people. I never expected His Majesty the Emperor to be so young yet possess such boldness. Basil is extremely impressed!"

As Luo Le spoke, his eyes swept across the room, and a hint of delight flickered in his eyes at the behavior of the Qi officials. He had claimed to be on a mission to Qi, but his true purpose was to probe Qi's strength. He had just forced the young emperor to drink to see if the Qi people had any backbone. Now, having tested him, Luo Le knew in his heart that Qi was no longer a threat. The Turks could gain even greater benefits, and perhaps, they could even replace them!

Under Basil's watchful gaze, Leng Yue pinched her nose and drank three cups of wine. After finishing, Leng Yue swirled the wine in her glass. "Prince Basil, I have finished my drink. Please take a seat and enjoy the performance to come."

Leng Yue spoke casually, but her stomach was churning; she had been gritting her teeth and enduring it. She had no choice; she couldn't afford to lose face, even if it meant death.

No matter how much Leng Yue tried to disguise herself, her pale face couldn't fool anyone. Basil smiled, "Then Basil will gladly accept your offer!"

As Luo Le returned to his seat, he inwardly admired Leng Yue, while simultaneously plotting to kill the young emperor. In Luo Le's view, if the Great Qi Dynasty had a ruler with courage and determination, it could have continued its prosperity for another century. This was something the Turks were unwilling to see!

During the subsequent banquet, Leng Yue only drank water and didn't eat anything else. Because there were foreign guests present, Leng Yue couldn't leave easily and could only sit at the head of the table, enduring the agonizingly long hours with them.

Leng Yue had been injured or fallen into the water recently. If she hadn't been constantly practicing the Heart Sutra, her body would have given out long ago. Therefore, the alcohol she had just consumed made her feel very uncomfortable.

Only after the banquet ended and Luo Le left with the Turkic envoy did Leng Yue finally collapse. Empress Dowager Feng, seeing this, couldn't help but stop and watch for a while. Cui Jin, who was serving her, shook her head, "Your Majesty, let's go back."

Empress Dowager Feng remained silent and turned to leave. Seeing the Empress Dowager depart, the Imperial Uncle and Ye Rufeng also left with their respective entourages.

Leng Yue was unaware that her actions today would be remembered by many. But she would not allow her predetermined fate to be changed!

Behind a wall in Empress Dowager Feng's bedroom, in a dark room, two figures swayed constantly in the firelight.

“I feel uneasy. She’s starting to look more and more like her. What should I do?” a woman’s voice rang out.

"She really is a woman. How could a mere young girl like her cause any trouble? We must not lose our composure!" a male voice reprimanded.

"I...I just...feel...she..." The woman's voice was cautious, as if she dared not offend the man.

"Alright, alright, get out of here, lest people become suspicious." The man said impatiently. "I should go too. Remember to stay calm. You've waited all these years, what's a little longer?"

The man finished speaking and left under the cover of night, leaving the woman standing alone in the dark room. The woman lowered her head, tidied her hair, and quickly left the dark room as well.

The secret room opened and then closed again. The person who walked out was none other than Empress Dowager Feng. Cui Jin walked up to her in a few steps and helped Empress Dowager Feng back to her bedroom, as if nothing had happened.