Jin Yu knew she would make excuses for herself. "Second sister, you always have a thousand and one reasons. I really admire you for that. But then again, so what if you don't like her? Do you dare to stand up and scold her in front of all the court officials and the Empress?"

After saying that, he gave a disdainful laugh and filled his cup with wine.

Jin Man felt humiliated, and her hand involuntarily pressed against the edge of the table. She wanted to stand up and yell at them, but she didn't dare.

No matter how arrogant she usually is, she now knows that this matter concerns the friendship between the two countries and she cannot act rashly.

After glaring fiercely at him from afar a few times, he reluctantly suppressed his resentment and poured himself a drink.

Jin Yu felt a sense of satisfaction seeing her unable to vent her anger, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips, her eyes filled with nothing but whites.

You think you can fight me with your stupidity?

Despite the blatant disdain, Jin Man didn't even glance in their direction; she was blinded by jealousy.

Why shouldn't I be the young ruler of Dayue? The difference in status and position is too great; I'll always be suppressed.

Upon their first meeting, Leng Qingning disgusted Jin Man in every way.

I find fault with everything about him: his appearance, his talent, his husband, his status, even his voice and clothing.

"Fairy! She just got a good birth." Jin Man muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.

As the banquet reached its climax, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, and the ministers began to drink.

Leng Qingning's family relaxed as Wen Yanche and Gu Nanshu took turns serving her food and pouring her drinks, showing their doting and caring nature.

Jin Yan looked over through the crowd. To others, his expression was calm, but in reality, his eyes held seven parts envy and three parts confusion.

This time, I specially invited her over, hoping that we could have a good outcome! Otherwise, I would have no choice but to plunge into the military and serve the army for the rest of my life.

No other women will be considered!

Where eyes were focused, a group of people were eating and chatting, looking happy and harmonious.

"My lady, what do you think of the Jin Kingdom?" Lu Shiyi asked, his gaze passing over the people in front of him and landing on Jin Yan.

"That's great!" Leng Qingning smiled, picked up her cup, and turned slightly to gesture to him. "Shi Yi, you usually stay in the manor and rarely come out. This time, don't hold back. Just relax and have fun. Buy whatever you like. I have plenty of money."

He withdrew his gaze the moment Leng Qingning turned away, then smiled gently and raised his glass to clink with hers.

"I understand, thank you for your kindness, my lady."

Gu Nanshu couldn't help but interject, "My lady, we'll be in the Jin Kingdom for two months. Will the young prince also be traveling with us?"

Leng Qingning nodded without hesitation. "We're unfamiliar with this place, so he has to be our guide. If it's not him, it must be the First or Second Princess." She paused, then asked with a hint of doubt, "What's wrong?"

Gu Nanshu instantly looked disappointed. "No, I was just asking casually, it's nothing." He wasn't good at hiding his feelings, so he forced a half-smiling smile, but his handsome eyebrows twitched, revealing an unnatural expression.

"You don't like him?" Leng Qingning asked bluntly.

"How could that be!" Gu Nanshu was taken aback. "The young prince is a man of noble character and a general of the Jin Kingdom. How could I dislike him? It's just that he doesn't seem like an ordinary man. I'm afraid he'll feel uncomfortable traveling with us young men."

Leng Qingning smiled, not doubting Gu Nanshu's explanation at all. He was usually the most gentle and had the best interpersonal relationships in Langya Prefecture. He was also the most considerate of others.

"It's alright, Nan Shu. I know a little about the young prince's character. He won't be embarrassed by this. There's no need to worry."

"Does the mistress know the young prince well?" Cang Yuan asked before Lu Shiyi could.

“No, not at all.” Leng Qingning smiled faintly. “It’s just that when we fought side by side during the attack on Cangqiong, I felt that he was a trustworthy and reliable comrade-in-arms.”

Trust and reliance? Fighting side by side?

The husbands fell silent.

It turned out that the two were more familiar with each other than they had imagined, to the point that they could rely on each other.

They had assumed that they were merely acquaintances.

"Your Highness, Young King." Jin Man's voice came at this moment.

Hearing someone call her name, Leng Qingning looked in the direction of the voice.

Jin Man raised his cup to her from afar, saying, "Your Highness, I have heard that you are exceptionally talented and a skilled poet. I wonder if I may have the honor of inviting you to compose a poem on the spot?"

The sudden invitation left Leng Qingning puzzled. Why did she suddenly want to write a poem?

After Jin Man finished speaking, the entire room fell silent, with everyone focusing on the words "compose a poem".

Emperor Jin became intrigued and cast his gaze downwards.

Seeing that everyone was looking over, Leng Qingning wanted to speak up and refuse, not wanting to be the center of attention all the time.

Jin Yu promptly raised his wine cup and echoed, "I'm sure our ministers are also eagerly anticipating Your Highness composing a poem on the spot. I wonder if Your Highness would do us the honor of fulfilling the wish of all the ministers of our Great Jin?" After saying this, he glanced at the ministers present.

When the ministers heard that Leng Qingning was going to compose a poem, they immediately became excited and raised their cups to confirm.

"Your Highness, are you really going to compose a poem on the spot? That would be wonderful!"

"Oh my, Your Highness's poems are all masterpieces. It seems we are fortunate to have you today."

"Who can argue with that?"

"Your Highness, your poetry and prose are truly exceptional. If I were fortunate enough to witness them in person, this old minister would die content."

"Your Highness, would you like to compose a few lines of poetry?"...

As questions were thrown at her, Leng Qingning quickly raised her hand to interrupt everyone, "My lords, I can feel your enthusiasm, but I only want to drink today and not compose poetry, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you all. How about we play a drinking game instead? Wouldn't that be more unrestrained and enjoyable?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers suddenly felt disappointed.

Jin Yu quickly advised, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. What's so fun about drinking games? Your Highness is exceptionally talented and it's rare for you to come to our Jin Kingdom. We have long admired you and are completely devoted to you. Our subjects are all your loyal and devoted fans. Can you really bear to let everyone leave disappointed?"

"Ahem." He coughed softly.

Jin Man quickly stood up, as if she had prepared some flattering words, and also pretended to smile like a persimmon blossom, revealing a set of white teeth, "What my elder sister said is very true, Your Highness. My elder sister and I have also admired you for a long time, and we hope that Your Highness will not refuse."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If Your Highness thinks highly of our Jin Kingdom, we, the loyal fans, will compose a poem to express our sincere feelings. Of course, we will prepare a generous gift for you."

"What kind of grand gift?" Leng Qingning asked in surprise.

"Well, you'll find out soon enough. Don't worry, this gift will definitely satisfy you," Jin said with a cryptic smile, glancing in a certain direction and deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

oh?

The courtiers were both curious and puzzled. Wasn't the poetry competition a suggestion made on the spot? How come the First Prince and the Second Prince had already prepared gifts?

What kind of grand gift will it be?