Chapter 222 Attacking the Empress Dowager's Birthday Banquet

Pretending to be angry, Liu Ye kicked open the door and rushed in without a care. On the bed, the fake Bai Zilin Zhao Xinbao was...

Liu Ye's sudden intrusion startled the two people on the bed. Of course, the fake Bai Zilin was only pretending to be startled. He quickly pulled the blanket over himself and explained guiltily, "Princess, please listen to me, I was drunk and acted recklessly, that's why..."

Zhao Xinbao screamed and burrowed under the covers, but inside she was overjoyed. It was truly heaven's help; she was now Brother Bai's woman. Liu Ye could only glare angrily. Humph! The General's wife was hers.

Liu Ye pretended to be angry and pointed at the fake Bai Zilin, shouting angrily, "Shut up! I don't want to hear your explanations. What do you mean by drunken misbehavior? These are all excuses. Bai Zilin, have you forgotten what you promised me? What are you doing now? Who is that slut in your bed? Bai Zilin, we're over. Don't ever come looking for me again. I find you disgusting and repulsive. You two can stay together forever!"

"Furong, have someone build the wall in the middle right away!"

Liu Ye turned and left after speaking, so she didn't see the sly smile on the face of the fake Bai Zilin. He hadn't expected the mission to be completed so easily; it was truly not challenging at all.

Hiding under the covers, Zhao Xinbao's hands wandered towards the fake Bai Zilin's... The fake Bai Zilin threw off the covers and began a new round of battle with Zhao Xinbao.

Liu Ye returned to the princess's residence in a huff, and then looked at Fu Rong and ordered, "Fu Rong, have someone build a wall immediately. I don't want to see that door for even a second longer!"

Furong quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will have people build the wall overnight. Princess, it's getting late, you should go back to your room and rest. This servant will go and supervise their work."

Liu Ye stormed back to her room, but the anger vanished the moment she closed the door. She took off her shoes, got into bed, and thought, "Hmph, trying to play this game with me? I'm familiar with this trick that fake Bai Zilin plays. Back then, Wang Tieniu stole all the food from her kitchen to please her, and then tried to win her over with pheasants and rabbits. Isn't this exactly the same thing?"

It seems the fake Bai Zilin is backed by Emperor Xuan. But what good would it do him to break ties with Bai Zilin? He's replaced the real Bai Zilin; clearly, this is aimed at her. "Hmph! The fox will show its tail sooner or later. When that happens, I'll snap it all in half, making you ungrateful!"

The next day, the fake Bai Zilin pretended to come to her door to apologize to Liu Ye in person, but she refused. She had no interest in watching his act. Tomorrow was the Empress Dowager's birthday, and she still had to prepare a gift for the old woman. It was so annoying. She didn't know what the Emperor's purpose was. The Empress Dowager's mouth was crooked and her eyes were slanted, yet he still wanted to hold a birthday banquet for her. Wasn't he afraid that all the ministers would laugh at him?

She waved to Furong: "Furong, I don't need you to serve me here. I didn't sleep well last night, I need to catch up on some sleep. You go and do your thing."

"Yes, I'll go check on the fruit shop."

After Furong left, Liuye locked the door and went into her spatial dimension. She was going to prepare a big gift for the old woman, hoping that her illness would heal quickly and that she would die quickly as well!

Half an hour later, Liu Ye had produced a red pearl the size of a quail egg. Of course, this was not a real pearl, but a fake pearl she made with medicine. It was covered with a layer of pearl powder and contained her newly developed poison.

She put the fake pearls into the brocade box. Tomorrow, while there are many people and chaos in the palace, she needs to hurry and find Bai Zilin. It seems that there is a dungeon in the palace, and the emperor should have locked him up in the dungeon.

Before she knew it, it was the next day. Furong helped Liuye change into a gorgeous dress and put a set of gemstone jewelry on her head and hands, making her look like a fairy descending to earth. Liuye originally wanted to go later, but as soon as she finished breakfast, a carriage came from the palace to pick her up.

As Furong helped Liuye out of the Princess's residence, she saw a carriage parked at the entrance of the General's residence. Bai Zilin was standing in front of the carriage, and Zhao Xinbao was pouting and pleading beside him: "General, please take me to the palace. I promise I won't say anything out of line, okay? Please take me, please..."

Bai Zilin impatiently shrugged, his face darkening, and said, "You can't understand human language. No idlers allowed in the palace. Get back here right now!"

When Bai Zilin saw Liu Ye come out, he quickly walked up to her and said with a fawning expression, "Take my carriage, let's go together. That night I was drunk and acted recklessly, I..."

Zhao Xinbao hurriedly jogged over, interrupting Bai Zilin's explanation. She raised her head and looked at Liu Ye with a provocative expression: "Oh, isn't this Princess Wushuang? The princess is dressed so ostentatiously today. It's a pity that General Bai doesn't like to look at her. The general likes me now. It's no use for you to seduce him. You should save your breath."

Liu Ye ignored the idiot: "Good dogs don't block the way, get out of here, Furong, help me into the car."

Just as Furong was about to get into the carriage with Liuye's help, Zhao Xinbao grabbed her sleeve and asked, "Can you also enter the palace?"

Furong angrily shook off Zhao Xinbao's hand, looking at her with a sarcastic expression and said, "Of course I can enter the palace. I am the one who enters the palace for the princess. In terms of status, our princess is of higher status than General Bai. General Bai should kneel down and pay his respects to the princess. Humph, you who don't know the rules, step aside and don't delay our entry into the palace!"

Zhao Xinbao ignored her words and shamelessly looked at Liu Ye, saying with a grin, "Liu Ye, I know you're a princess now, with a noble status, but we used to be friends, hehehe. Why don't you take me with you to the palace? Once you take me, you don't have to worry about me anymore. I can play by myself, okay? Don't be so stingy. So you're a princess now too, you should be more generous, or people will laugh at you."

Zhao Xinbao pestered Liu Ye, while the fake Bai Zilin stood aside without saying a word. Liu Ye stepped onto the carriage, and Furong quickly followed suit.

Seeing that Liu Ye didn't say anything, Zhao Xinbao assumed that she had agreed, so she also bent over and climbed onto the carriage, only to be kicked off by the eunuch and fall face-first into the dirt: "Ouch, General, you dog servant, you hit me!"

Bai Zilin sneered, turned around and got into the carriage next to him. The two carriages, one after the other, soon arrived at the palace gate. At the palace gate, there were already many carriages parked, and many ministers and their families had arrived.

Furong helped Liuye down from the carriage, and those nearby greeted her, saying, "Greetings, Princess Wushuang."

Liu Ye nodded perfunctorily and led Fu Rong into the palace, arriving at the Empress Dowager's Yongshou Palace. The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was also being held in Yongshou Palace. Many people had already arrived at the banquet hall. Male and female guests sat on both sides, and each person had fruits and snacks placed on their table. The head seat was still empty, as the Emperor and Empress Dowager had not yet arrived.

Princess Ruyi smiled and waved to Liu Ye: "Princess, come and sit down. Why are you here so early? The birthday banquet hasn't started yet."

Liu Ye sat down at the second table next to Princess Ruyi, who was sitting in the first seat. Actually, she should have sat in the fifth or sixth seat, below several of the princesses. "It's getting late. I've been busy getting dressed all morning. Princess, you look so beautiful today! Wow, your clothes even glow! What rare material is that?"

Princess Ruyi spread out her sleeves to show Liu Ye: "This is called Moonlight Brocade. It's a material exclusively supplied to the royal family of Nanzhao. My husband asked someone to get me two batches. I'll send you a bolt when we get back. Feel this fabric; it's so smooth. It feels cool and comfortable to wear."

Liu Ye reached out and touched it, then smiled and praised, "Wow, it feels so good! I can just imagine how comfortable it would be to wear. Hehehe, then I thank you, Princess. When I get something good, I will share it with you."

Princess Ruyi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll be waiting. By the way, what birthday gift did you prepare for the Empress Dowager? Let me see it secretly, and I'll show you mine too."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye thought, "Why not?" She took out a brocade box from her sleeve and handed it to Princess Ruyi: "These are pearls I bought from a merchant. They cost me a lot of money, but I think it's worth it to give to my mother. Princess, please help me make an informed decision."

Princess Ruyi took the brocade box and couldn't wait to open it. A dazzling white light flashed, revealing a pearl inside the box, as big as a quail egg. She was astonished. Although she was a princess and had seen many fine things since childhood, she had never seen such a large pearl before, which made her feel a little uneasy.

Princess Wushuang is so generous! She gave the Empress Dowager such an expensive gift. No one else's gift could possibly catch the Empress Dowager's eye. Although her gift was also valuable, it couldn't compare to her enormous pearl!

Princess Ruyi returned the brocade box to Liu Ye with a fake smile, saying, "Your gift is very thoughtful. I'm sure Mother will like it. It's a perfect match for yours. My gift is nothing compared to yours. Mother will definitely find it distasteful."

Princess Ruyi handed the brocade box on the table to Liu Ye. Liu Ye took it and carefully opened the box. Actually, she wasn't interested in seeing what her gift was, but when she opened the box, the contents surprised her. Good heavens, a koi carp carved from bloodstone, with its eyes inlaid with gemstones.

The fish-tailed fish also had many small gemstones on its body. These were genuine and high-quality items. In later generations, a small piece of chicken-blood stone could sell for hundreds of millions. Princess Ruyi was truly extravagant. Her Eastern Pearl was fake. At most, it was worth one tael of silver, and it was a deadly thing.

"Wow, how beautiful! It's much more original than my gift. The Empress Dowager will surely be delighted. The koi fish design is also beautiful. Koi fish represent good luck and wealth. When good luck comes, blessings and longevity arrive. Princess, you are truly a thoughtful person."

She held the gift box in both hands and handed it back to Princess Ruyi. Princess Ruyi was very pleased by Liu Ye's praise, and her displeasure vanished. She took the brocade and placed it on the table, smiling happily as she said, "Gifts for elders should have a good meaning. I bought this because of its auspicious meaning. Speaking of which, my birthday is coming up soon. I will have someone send an invitation to the princess. I hope the princess will do me the honor of attending."

Liu Ye smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course. I'll also prepare a thoughtful gift for the princess, which I'm sure she'll like."

With someone to chat with, time flies by, and before you know it, it's noon. Everyone who was supposed to be there has arrived. Emperor Xuan, accompanied by the Empress Dowager, makes a grand entrance, sitting on the high seat of honor, overlooking all the guests and officials.

Liu Ye knelt down along with everyone else, awkwardly smacking her lips and saying, "Greetings to the Emperor, greetings to the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager live a long and healthy life."

The Empress Dowager nodded happily, her mouth twitching as she mumbled, "Deep affection~".

Everyone stood up and returned to their seats. Liu Ye also returned to her seat. At this moment, Emperor Xuan raised his cup and stood up again: "This first cup of wine is to the Empress Dowager. May she live a long and healthy life, have a good appetite, and be in good health. Cheers!"

Liu Ye raised her cup and took a small sip, thinking that the Emperor would offer a second and third toast, but he didn't. Then it was time for the gift-giving. After Princess Ruyi presented her gift, it was her turn.

She handed the gift to the eunuch, who then presented it to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager happily opened the brocade box and, upon seeing the large pearl inside, nodded repeatedly with delight: "Wow, this is amazing! The Empress Dowager is very happy with this gift."

The Empress Dowager's saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth, staining her chest, and it smelled awful, worse than excrement.

Emperor Xuan took the gift box from the Empress Dowager's hand and put it aside: "Mother, you are not well. Don't talk too much and tire yourself out. We can look at the gift later."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded, "Alright." After the eunuchs collected everyone's gifts, they carried them to the Empress Dowager's storeroom. Emperor Xuan then waved his hand, and the sound of drums and music filled the air. A group of graceful court dancers twirled in from outside the hall.

Liu Ye ate a few bites casually, then wanted to find an opportunity to go find Bai Zilin. She turned to look at Furong behind her and whispered, "I need to go to the restroom. You don't need to come with me. Just wait here for me."

Furong nodded. Liuye left the banquet hall and avoided the palace eunuchs, maids, and imperial guards to look for Bai Zilin. However, she searched many places but could not find Bai Zilin. She also could not find the palace dungeon. She could only search randomly everywhere.

Liu Ye quietly arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study and hid in the flower bushes. There must be hidden guards in the Imperial Study. She couldn't look for the Imperial Study, nor could she look for the Emperor Xuan's bedroom. The places the Emperor Xuan frequented must be protected by hidden guards. The Imperial Prison couldn't be in these places either.

Or perhaps she should just grab someone and ask them. Just then, a palace maid walked towards the artificial hill. She quickly and quietly followed her, and taking advantage of the maid's momentary lapse in attention, she covered her mouth, dragged her into the artificial hill, and forcefully pressed her to the ground: "I want to know where the palace's imperial prison is. If you tell me the truth, I won't kill you, otherwise you're dead today!"

The terrified palace maid nodded. Liu Ye removed her hand, and the maid said in a trembling voice, "The Heavenly Prison is behind the Cold Palace, guarded by hundreds of Imperial Guards. I've already told you, so please release me!"

Liu Ye knew her voice was very distinctive, and this palace maid must have recognized her voice, so she couldn't let her go. She grabbed the palace maid's hair and slammed her head against the ground, splitting the maid's head in two and spilling brain matter all over the ground.