Chapter 50 Yun Zhao's Hard Fight

Yun Zhao was stopped and his heart was filled with anger.

[If anything goes wrong at the dog emperor's banquet, the entire Yun family will be buried with him!]

"Could it be that this bastard Xiao Yan is planning to rig the banquet and get the Emperor to kick me out of the palace? So he can continue pursuing that damn engagement?"

[With his father back to health and his brother back in Beijing, it’s even more impossible for him to let go easily…]

【Headache! 】

"Your Highness," Yun Zhao suppressed his turbulent thoughts, his voice as cold as a knife tempered with ice, "Without the decree of Your Majesty and the approval of the Queen Mother, even if the Yun family had the audacity to do so, they would not dare to cancel the engagement today!"

Xiao Yan keenly sensed her deep alienation and immediately put on a face of deep affection. He even took a step forward, trying to close the distance. "A Zhao, are you still angry with me? Angry that I didn't stand up when the Duke's Mansion was wronged? You and I were childhood sweethearts, so can't you give me a chance to make amends? Isn't being the Princess of Qin a hundred times better than being a fifth-rank Shangshi?"

Cut the Gordian knot! A cold light flashed in Yun Zhao's eyes, and every word was like a knife, piercing the vital point:

"Yes! I'm angry! The Yun family is nearly overthrown, and I've become a palace maid! Your Highness, you know exactly who framed the Yun family! What's wrong with being a palace maid? Lowly? I actually feel happy! At least the Majesty I serve knows everything clearly and trusts me! It's not a stab in the back!"

Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly: "A Zhao! Do you hate me? When have I ever lied to you? When have I ever distrusted you?"

"Alright! Since Your Highness asked, I'll speak openly tonight!" Yun Zhao took a deep breath, his chest heaving. Every word was filled with years of suppressed resentment and insight. "I thought the pearl flower you carefully selected at the market was for me, but why did you put it on Su Mingli's head? Why is the Ferghana horse you painstakingly found kept at the Su family horse farm? When you returned from Jiangnan, the first person you saw wasn't me. Instead, you sneaked off to Zhaixing Tower! Whose territory is that?!"

Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly shrank, and he shouted sternly, "How dare you! Ah Zhao, what nonsense are you talking about! How dare you slander the Imperial Concubine! You know this is a capital crime!"

"False accusations?" Yun Zhao sneered, his voice suddenly rising with a determination to perish together with his enemies. "Su Mingli was already secretly in love with you before she entered the palace. She was no longer a perfect match! After entering the palace, she kept refusing to accept your favor. Isn't that obvious enough?! Xiao Yan, do you think I, Yun Zhao, am blind?!"

"How dare you!!!" Xiao Yan's face turned pale and his roar resounded between the pillars!

dark place.

Xiao Jin's handsome face instantly darkened like a cold abyss, his knuckles crackling. "Idiot! Is she crazy?! How dare she shout such words?!"

Zhang Fuan was so frightened that his soul flew out of his body. Cold sweat instantly soaked his shirt. "Your Majesty, calm down! Consort Yun... Consort Yun is furious. Green clouds are covering the sky..."

A storm gathered in Xiao Jin's eyes: "She is courting death!"

Yun Zhao showed no fear. Facing Xiao Yan's murderous gaze, she spoke word by word like a hammer, "Your Highness, why are you panicking? I have evidence! As long as I, Yun Zhao, am alive and the Yun family is safe, you and your Concubine Su will naturally be safe! If Your Highness insists on dragging out the engagement..." She paused slightly, a cold, almost cruel smile curling up the corners of her lips. "I don't mind revealing one more secret—about the Empress Dowager! Your Highness, do you think it's strong enough to turn this capital upside down?"

"You--!" Xiao Yan's last bit of rationality completely collapsed. In a rage, his five fingers suddenly clamped down on Yun Zhao's slender neck like iron clamps!

"Hmm!" Yun Zhao was already prepared! She was a daughter of a general! With a twist of her waist, her wrist blocked the counterattack with lightning speed, and her fingers were like eagle claws, precisely grabbing the numbness on Xiao Yan's wrist! Her movements were swift and fierce, how could she look like a weak palace maid?

"Break off the engagement! Xiao Yan, this is your only option!" She violently shook his hand away, her voice firm and unwavering, carrying an undeniable pressure. Without even glancing at the furious man behind her, she straightened her back, turned around and strode away, her sleeves rustling in the wind, her resolve as sharp as a knife!

"Bang--!"

A muffled sound came from behind him. It was Xiao Yan's furious fist that slammed into the golden dragon pillar! The dust on the eaves of the corridor fell down.

In the shadows.

Xiao Jin stared at the innocent column, his back teeth nearly breaking. "My Langya red sandalwood! This bastard! Smash it! Smash it hard! It's been sucking my blood and digging into my corners for years, and now it's even not letting go of my pillars!"

Zhang Fuan's voice trembled as he spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, please calm down... Perhaps... Perhaps what His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is asking for tonight is to cancel the engagement?"

Xiao Jin's eyes were sinister, and he sneered through his teeth, "Break off the engagement? He's willing to do that? Yun Zhao, who can wield a spoon or a sword, stir up trouble and even expose people's past... Such a wonderful person, is he, Xiao Yan, willing to let go? Unless the sun rises from the west!"

Zhang Fuan lowered his head, twirling his Buddhist beads and not daring to respond. He only felt that the coldness of this late autumn night was penetrating into the bones.

I’m afraid even His Majesty would be reluctant to do so.

The daughter of the Yun family is really smart and a beautiful woman!

The banquet had already started and the music was in full swing when the protagonist finally arrived.

When Xiao Jin stepped into the hall, he was surrounded by a chill of late autumn, which made the warm air in the hall stagnate for a moment.

The Queen Mother sat at the head of the table, impatience evident on her face. "Emperor, where have you been? You've kept me and the entire court waiting! You're so cold, aren't you afraid of ruining the banquet?"

Xiao Jin pretended not to hear anything, his eyes indifferently sweeping over the ministers and concubines kneeling on the ground. He walked slowly to the dragon throne and sat down, then slowly uttered a sentence: "Stand up."

He picked up his hot tea, took a sip, and casually said, "I love the late autumn scenery so much that I took a few more steps. I didn't expect to run into some stray cats and dogs running around, disturbing the emperor. The imperial guards—ah, I'm afraid they're too well-fed to even take down a few low-class beasts! I'm thinking, perhaps I should pick a few smart ones from the eunuchs to serve me personally, so as to save those 'high-ranking nobles' from doing their job poorly!"

Yun Zhao stood by with his head bowed, alarm bells blazing in his heart: [Here he comes! The Emperor is sharpening his sword right after the banquet begins! Who are these "wild cats and wild dogs"? The Imperial Guards are the Empress Dowager's treasured possessions! Is he going to use his knife?]

"Emperor!" Empress Dowager Zhou's well-maintained face instantly turned as cold as water. Her voice suddenly rose, carrying unquestionable majesty. "Stop talking nonsense! How can a lowly eunuch command the Imperial Guards and manage the palace defenses? The Imperial Guards are all from famous families, loyal and righteous for generations. How can those rootless people compare to them?"

The corners of Xiao Jin's lips curved up slightly, as if he'd been waiting for these words. He put down his teacup, his voice unmistakable, "Your Majesty is right. Let's begin the banquet." His gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Prince of Qin Xiao Yan and Duke Yun and General Bai, who were about to depart for the battlefield. His tone shifted, and with the emperor's customary combination of kindness and authority, he said, "Tonight, I have only two things to do. First, to welcome the Prince of Qin for his contributions to the disaster relief efforts; and second, to send off Duke Yun and General Bai, who will be heading off for the country tomorrow! My dear ministers, there's no need to be formal; just enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone responded in unison, but the atmosphere was even more bleak and tense than the autumn wind outside the palace. Xiao Jin's gaze, like an icy probe, precisely locked onto Su Mingli, who sat below him.

He suddenly smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "Noble Concubine Su."