Chapter 67 Chapter 66 The Hongmen Banquet
A few days later, when night fell, the mountain of the palace was a scene of singing and dancing. The road was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns. The palace maids and eunuchs were in a hurry, shuttling back and forth, making final preparations for this grand banquet.
A while ago, the Third Prince of Beirong and his Imperial Preceptor finally arrived at the temporary palace. Today, the Emperor hosted a banquet to welcome them from afar. This banquet was destined to be no ordinary affair, with both sides having their own calculations, though the final outcome remained uncertain.
The envoys from the Northern Rong had not yet entered the venue, and the throne was empty. However, the officials from Daliang entered the banquet venue in groups of two or three in advance.
Candles flickered in the hall, and small tables were neatly arranged in an orderly manner. At the top sat a massive gold-lacquered wooden table, and behind it sat a golden dragon throne, showcasing the majesty of the imperial family.
There is a platform separated from the emperor's throne by several steps. On the platform are four pairs of tables and chairs. Such seats have always been reserved for the emperor's most trusted favorites. In the past, the candidates for these seats could be guessed without thinking.
The seating arrangement at this banquet was quite intriguing. Just below the emperor sat Prime Minister Fan Zizhuo. The old man's hair was gray, and his face was dotted with freckles, yet he sat upright and looked energetic. The seat facing him was empty, presumably reserved for the Third Prince of Daliang.
The next one to come was Prince Zong Zhengcheng. He was dressed in a crimson royal royal robe, and his usual timid look was gone. He looked worthy of his status as a descendant of the emperor.
The most unexpected thing was the man sitting before Prince Cheng. His First-Rank Duke's pine crane robes were perfectly fitted, and the jade crown and hair tie gave him an air of scholarly elegance. When Gu Cheng was brought here by the eunuchs, he was still a little incredulous, even confirming with them several times. However, the eunuchs at the palace banquet were clearly well-trained and wouldn't make such a mistake.
Gu Cheng had no choice but to sit here feeling uneasy, and during this time he did not forget to greet Prince Cheng with a smile. Mu Zhice smiled at him somewhat awkwardly.
Although the two worked together in the court, one in charge of the clan relatives and the other in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, they were not actually too anxious. Moreover, at previous banquets, he and the Prime Minister usually sat opposite each other. Today, the person in front of him suddenly became Gu Cheng, and he was still a little uncomfortable.
So today's seating arrangement was very strange. Not only the two of them thought so, but the officials below were also a little surprised when they saw that it was Gu Cheng sitting opposite Mu Zhice, so they whispered and discussed it.
"Sir Li, am I seeing correctly? The person sitting opposite Prince Cheng is the Duke of England?" An official with a bloated figure turned sideways, looked at Gu Cheng at the top, and asked the official beside him with some confusion.
The next second, a somewhat sour voice rang out. The person being questioned looked at Gu Cheng with disdain and said, "That's Gu Cheng. Ever since he sided with the emperor, he's become incredibly popular. Even that son who popped up out of nowhere has been able to enter the palace as a minister."
This person is an official from the aristocratic family. Coincidentally, he has some relationship with Gao Yan, who was forced to retire and return home. Because of the Gao Yan incident, he has always been resentful of Gu Cheng. Now that he has finally got such an opportunity, he has to make a few sarcastic remarks.
The people nearby noticed that the atmosphere was a little off and quickly came out to smooth things over.
"My lords, there are only four seats on the imperial steps. Doesn't the State Master of Beirong have to come together? But there seems to be no place for him in this hall?" Someone changed the subject by asking a question.
The effect was immediate. They were much more curious about the Beirong State Master than about Gu Cheng, whom they saw every day.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around stared at this so-called Lord Li with curiosity. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he sat up straight and said in a somewhat mysterious tone: "There is a lot of knowledge involved here, and not many people know it."
A chorus of flattering voices rang out around them: "That's why we came to ask you, Master Li, isn't it?"
"Oh my, even if others don't know, how could you, Lord Li, not know?"
These words struck a chord with him. He feigned seriousness and said, "The Beirong Imperial Preceptor is a legendary Free and Easy Realm expert. What if he's too close to Your Majesty and suddenly attempts to assassinate Him?"
After saying that, he pointed to the seats on the other side. The people sitting there were all big, strong and powerful generals, but the seat at the head was empty.
"Look, that empty seat is reserved for Beirong State Master."
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that the seat in the front row opposite was indeed empty, and sitting below the empty seat was the Dali Temple Minister Shi Chengji.
Although Shi Chengji looked young, he had never been to the battlefield. He only had some skills, and he felt a little out of place among the group of strong and powerful generals.
Everyone's faces showed a look of sudden enlightenment. They were not surprised that Shi Chengji was sitting next to the Northern Rong State Master. The rest of the generals only had muscles but no internal strength. Among the officials in the court, only Shi Chengji possessed internal strength.
As for whether Shi Chengji could be a match for the Northern Rong Imperial Master, that wasn't a question they needed to consider; it was better than nothing. They knew the Emperor was undoubtedly protected by the Shadow Dragon Guards. Some with other concerns had begun to speculate that the Emperor likely had no Free and Easy Realm experts around him. If the Northern Rong Imperial Master suddenly attacked, the Shadow Dragon Guards wouldn't be able to stop him.
Just wait and see, this banquet is much more exciting than it appears.
As for how Lord Li knew about this matter, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Meng Heguang, came from the aristocratic Meng family. As soon as he received this hot potato-like news, he summoned all the heads of the aristocratic families to discuss countermeasures.
Originally, he was a little worried that the emperor would vent his anger on him, but those who were familiar with Mu Congmo's temper asked him to report the matter directly to the emperor and persuade him to leave the palace.
Given Mu Congmo's proud nature, he would never do such a thing. This would be in line with the wishes of the aristocratic families. If the Beirong State Master lost control and accidentally killed the emperor, they could reap the benefits.
So when Meng Heguang came back from the palace and told them that the emperor had no intention of returning to Beijing, they were not surprised. Instead, they laughed at Mu Congmo for being too confident.
Did they think that just because Yue Zun had saved them from the Demon Lord Danxi in Jiangnan, they could ignore the experts in the Free and Easy Realm? Now that Yue Zun was dead, they wanted to see who could save Mu Congmo today.
Speaking of that idiot Zheng Xiuyuan, they were simply furious. Not only had he hidden the Demon Lord for so many years, but he had even concealed his conspiracy with the Prince of Huai from them. If he had succeeded, it would have been fine, but in the end, it had caused them to be suspected by the emperor, and the aristocratic families were severely damaged by this.
This incident also served as a warning to them: the aristocratic families were not united; one could never know when their friends would stab them. It was in times like these that the aristocratic families needed to unite, but now that the Gao family had suddenly disappeared, the aristocratic families were in a state of panic.
As the melodious sounds of musical instruments rang out in the hall, Mu Congmo's figure appeared in front of the hall, and Hu Xian shouted in a shrill voice: "Your Majesty has arrived."
Upon hearing this, everyone knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold tiles, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face.
Mu Congmo was wearing a black and gold dragon robe today. Mountains, rivers, plants, flowers, fish, insects, dragons, phoenixes and unicorns were embroidered on it with dark golden silk threads. The golden twelve-slit glazed crown on his head made a crisp sound when it collided with others. He walked in the magnificent palace in black and gold dragon-patterned boots.
Mu Congmo's pace wasn't fast, but each step seemed to demonstrate his imperial majesty to the crowd. He slowly walked through the center of the Golden Palace, ascended the Imperial Steps, and finally reached the throne at the very top.
Looking down, the officials, maids, and eunuchs in the hall all knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to move a single muscle. Mu Congmo waved the hem of his dragon robe and then sat upright on the dragon throne that belonged to him.
"My dear ministers, please stand up and summon the envoys from the Northern Rong to see you." Mu Congmo's cold yet majestic voice sounded.
Soon after, the emperor's decree gradually spread outside the hall. The Beirong envoys who had been waiting outside for a long time had become a little impatient. Seeing that they had finally received the emperor's summons, the leader shook his hand in anger and then walked towards the hall.
The ministers in the hall were already sitting in their seats, their eyes fixed on the entrance of the hall with a little curiosity. For some of them, this might be the only chance in their life to see a powerful person in the Free and Easy Realm.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the entrance of the temple, so no one noticed the expression of the emperor on the throne, who seemed a little absent-minded.
Mu Congmo was indeed not interested in what happened next. At this moment, his mind was full of something else.
This matter started when Mo Yu went to deliver a letter. That day, Mo Yu followed Mu Congmo's instructions and found Gu Shiyan's courtyard in the middle of the night when no one was around.
He was so focused on Mu Congmo's advice to avoid being discovered that he forgot who would break into someone else's yard late at night. His movements weren't loud, but they caught Hua Ling's attention. Mo Yu was at the peak of the Seaside Realm, so Hua Ling couldn't detect him on her own. However, Gu Shiyan had given Hua Ling a wooden amulet before leaving.
Gu Shiyan had infused the amulet with three streams of internal energy, and Mo Yu's arrival immediately activated the amulet. Hua Ling was quietly hiding beside the small couch, reading a storybook by candlelight, when the amulet around her neck suddenly emitted a faint blue light. After a moment of shock, she was thrilled.
Hua Ling picked up her sword, a fiery red long sword. She was about to give the assassin a fatal blow, but Mo Yu's reaction was also very fast, and the sword light only scratched Mo Yu's mask.
Hua Ling stared at Mo Yu's face in a daze. His face was sharp, but he still looked very handsome. Hua Ling then noticed Mo Yu's clothes. They were the uniforms of the Shadow Dragon Guards. She then realized that she seemed to have hit the wrong person.
The two of them stared at each other, and Mo Yu seemed to recognize Hua Ling as the maid who had accompanied Yue Zun that night on the investigation. Her presence in Gu Shiyan's courtyard was enough to explain everything. Mo Yu suppressed her surprise and decided to bury the matter deep in her heart.
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