Chapter 94 Chapter 93 Palace Banquet
Today's banquet was said to be held to celebrate the emperor's easy suppression of Prince Ping's rebellion and to reward his meritorious officials.
But no one knew that Mu Congmo's real intention was to use this rumor to announce Gu Shiyan's other identity and support him at the same time. This was the result of his discussion with Gu Shiyan.
At first he wanted Gu Shiyan to come with him, but the latter did not want to be too conspicuous, so Gu Shiyan ended up sitting here alone.
But Mu Congmo was an impatient person. He couldn't sit still for more than a cup of tea after Gu Shiyan was gone.
Normally he would avoid such banquets, but today he was eager to attend.
A shrill voice rang out, "Your Majesty has arrived."
The ministers who were watching the show around immediately knelt on the ground, their heads lowered, not daring to look at the emperor.
Mu Congmo's steps were a little hurried. He saw Gu Shiyan fiddling with the teacup in his hand, looking a little bored.
Everyone was bowing, only Gu Shiyan was sitting. He looked towards Mu Congmo, and the palace maids and eunuchs behind the latter, as well as the steward Hu, all lowered their heads at the same time.
Their eyes met, and a faint smile appeared on Gu Shiyan's lips.
A barely perceptible cold light flashed in Mu Congmo's eyes. He glanced at the ministers kneeling on the ground, and then turned to Gu Shiyan. His eyes were so gentle that they seemed to be moist with water.
The emperor on the throne said coldly, "Stand up."
The minister who was kneeling below slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and sat in his own seat under the guidance of the palace servants.
Some sharp-eyed people vaguely saw that the figure of the young man in white seemed to have not moved, as if he had been sitting in the same place.
The emperor at the top looked normal and didn't seem to have any objections, which made them more convinced of the rumors in the martial arts world.
There was a hint of fear and respect in the look he gave Gu Shiyan.
However, the emperor seemed to have no intention of introducing Gu Shiyan's identity. He just drank his wine calmly and didn't even look at the white-robed venerable.
Mu Congmo felt a little depressed. Was he unwilling to look at Gu Shiyan? If possible, he even wanted to stare at him every moment. However, before the banquet today, Gu Shiyan specifically told him not to stare at him.
When Gu Shiyan said these words, his tone was quite serious and his eyes were fierce.
But Mu Congmo just thought that he looked so seductive, so he kissed him immediately.
So much so that if you look closely now, you can still see that Gu Shiyan's lips are a little red and swollen.
When everyone saw the emperor's attitude, those who originally wanted to show their courtesy to Gu Shiyan stopped thinking about it.
After all, the one sitting above is their real master.
In addition, Yue Zun had no emotion on his face and looked quite cold. Everyone present was a person of status, so why should they do such a humble thing?
Hu Xian, who was standing beside Mu Congmo, had beads of cold sweat on his forehead. Being so close to Mu Congmo, he could naturally feel the chill coming from the other person.
He naturally knew that the emperor's displeasure was because of Yue Zun. His Majesty now looked like a child who needed to be coaxed. He glanced at the young man in white clothes below him. He didn't know what his apprentice said, but a faint smile appeared on the other's cold face.
Hu Xian was startled and quickly looked away. He was afraid that the emperor would see this scene, so he quickly leaned close to the latter's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you want to perform a song and dance?"
Mu Congmo was playing with a wine glass in his hand, with no emotion on his face, but the coldness around him revealed his true emotions.
He didn't say anything, just nodded lightly.
Immediately afterwards, Hu Xian clapped his hands. The crisp sound was somewhat inconspicuous in the noisy banquet, but the palace servants waiting on the side were always paying attention to the movements here and naturally saw Hu Xian's actions.
Women wearing green dance costumes and white veils on their faces walked slowly to the center with graceful steps.
They bowed slightly as a gesture of respect to Mu Congmo.
However, the emperor at the top of the table was looking down at the wine glass in his hand, not even glancing at them.
The leading woman couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. They had long known that the emperor was not interested in women and had no interest in singing and dancing.
But she originally thought that wearing the light-colored dress that the emperor now liked would arouse his interest. The emperor's indifferent attitude was undoubtedly a mockery of her self-conceit.
Thinking of this, she clenched her hands, then turned around and began to dance to the sound of music.
The turquoise long skirts danced in front of the hall, pleasant music sounded, and the cold moonlight sprinkled on them, mixed with the red light of candlelight.
After the song ended and the dance stopped, the hall was filled with the sound of endless applause and cheers.
The leader slowly raised her head, wanting to see the emperor's reaction, but a cold voice shattered her hope.
"reward."
With just one word of praise, the emperor never even raised his head from beginning to end.
The leading woman showed a bitter smile on her face. After all, no one in this world could enter the heart of the emperor. This was probably what it meant to be a lonely man.
She bowed and thanked him, then lifted the white veil on her face, walked to the side of an official, and said with her head lowered, "Father."
The official seemed somewhat helpless and said, "Now you should give up, right?"
She showed a wry smile on her face, did not answer the question, but sat down next to her parents.
How could she not give up? She had practiced this dance for five years, just for a chance to win the emperor's favor, but today, he didn't even give her a glance.
Thinking of this, she sighed deeply in her heart, took the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Then she glanced at the emperor on the throne, and looked away after a moment. Then, she saw the young man in white sitting below.
He sat there quietly, dressed in a white robe as white as snow, his long, dark hair casually tied up with a jade hairpin, a faint smile on his face. His eyebrows and eyes were smiling, his nose was high, and his lips and teeth were bright red. His slender fingers played with the jade cup beside him.
In just a moment, she was confused. How could life be so beautiful?
Xiao Huazi, who was following Gu Shiyan, was afraid that he would feel bored, so he whispered in his ear about the embarrassing things that happened to the ministers at the banquet. He was a little thirsty from talking, but when he saw the smile on Gu Shiyan's face, he felt a little satisfied in his heart and felt that it was his honor.
Seeing Gu Shiyan holding the jade cup in his hand, his heart tightened, thinking that Gu Shiyan wanted to drink. Suddenly, he remembered the emperor's instructions, "He is not well yet, remember not to let him drink."
He hesitated and said, "Sir, you can't drink this wine."
Gu Shiyan raised his eyes and looked at him with a puzzled look.
Xiao Huazi thought Gu Shiyan was somewhat dissatisfied with this, so he said, "If you really want to drink, I will ask them to bring some bayberry wine."
At first, Gu Shiyan had no interest in this, but when he heard the word "fruit wine", he nodded as if possessed.
It's not that he had never drunk alcohol before, but the poison in his body had not been eliminated at that time. The alcohol evaporated instantly after entering his body, resulting in him never experiencing the real taste of alcohol.
Now that the poison in his body had been removed by Wu Yongchun using Feiyun Fairy Tears, he could naturally taste the true flavor of wine. Moreover, Mu Congmo was worried about his injuries and only forbade him to drink alcohol, but he did not say that he could drink fruit wine.
What's more, how can fruit wine be considered wine, Gu Shiyan thought.
Soon, a palace maid came over with a pot of bayberry wine. She lowered her head and respectfully placed the pot on the table, while not forgetting to steal a few glances at Gu Shiyan.
The purple-red fruit wine flows into the emerald green jade cup, revealing an enchanting color that makes people salivate.
Gu Shiyan picked up the wine glass and brought it to his mouth. Before he knew it, he had drunk the entire pot of bayberry wine by himself.
Xiao Huazi was watching from the side, feeling a little panicked. He thought, "Will something happen after drinking so much?"
Then he thought that this was fruit wine, originally prepared for the wives of officials, and it would not make people drunk.
Seeing that Gu Shiyan was enjoying his drink, he asked tentatively, "Sir, would you like some more?"
Gu Shiyan didn't say anything, just nodded woodenly.
Xiao Huazi immediately took the empty wine jug and handed it to the palace maid serving beside him, but he did not notice that Gu Shiyan's eyes had become a little unfocused.
Soon, the palace maid brought back the wine jug. She reached out and picked up the wine jug and filled the jade cup next to Gu Shiyan.
With a grunt, the wine jug in her hand accidentally fell to the ground. The purple-red fruit wine dyed Gu Shiyan's white clothes red, and the wine in the jug continued to bubble out.
The palace maid showed a trace of fear on her face when she saw this, and then she knelt on the ground. The cool stone slabs brought a chill, but this chill was far less than the panic in her heart.
She seemed to be frightened and for a moment she even forgot to beg for mercy.
Seeing this, Xiao Huazi, who was standing by, quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the wine off Gu Shiyan's body, pointing at the palace maid kneeling on the ground and scolding her, "Why are you so careless?"
At the same time, he asked Gu Shiyan with concern: "Sir, please follow me to change clothes."
Such a big commotion naturally attracted the attention of others, and even the emperor on the throne couldn't help but look over here.
As the emperor slowly walked down from the throne, everyone withdrew their gazes, turned around to talk, or ate the dishes on the table, secretly watching the scene there with their peripheral vision.
The emperor exuded a terrifying aura of oppression, and even Hu Xian, who was following beside him, couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
Everyone present knew that this palace maid might not have a good end today.
Seeing Mu Congmo approaching him, Gu Shiyan slowly raised his head, stared at him blankly, and murmured, "Ting Liao."
Gu Shiyan didn't know what he was saying. He was not in a sober state when he said these two words last time. Now when he saw Mu Congmo, he said these two words subconsciously.
His voice was a little soft, but people who were close by could still hear what he was saying.
The word "Ting Liao" is the word for emperor, taken from the Book of Songs, implying that one should be diligent in government affairs. Thinking of this, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for Gu Shiyan. Even a powerful person in the Free and Easy Realm couldn't address the emperor by his name.
There was a hint of worry in their eyes when they looked at Gu Shiyan. If it were an ordinary emperor, they might just laugh it off and give proper respect to the strong man in the Free and Easy Realm, but the key problem was that their emperor never played by the rules.
In just a short moment, they had already thought about how they would plead for the venerable if the emperor wanted to punish him.
The majestic emperor was instantly confused. He looked a little flustered and didn't know where to put his hands.
Gu Shiyan's originally fair cheeks were stained with red, and there was a hint of drunkenness in his eyes.
Mu Congmo looked at the empty wine glass on the table and smiled helplessly, "Ayan is drunk."
As we all know, drunks will never admit they are drunk. Gu Shiyan shook his head in disagreement and stood up. His tone was not as cold as usual, but more like a coquettish tone, "I am not drunk."
Mu Congmo felt a warm feeling in his heart, and this warmth quickly spread to his whole body. Fortunately, the dragon robe was too loose today, so no one noticed the undercurrent surging under the robe.
But the next second, Gu Shiyan's body was a little shaky and he couldn't even stand steadily.
Fortunately, Mu Congmo was quick-witted and quickly pulled the person into his arms. At this time, he didn't care about the strange looks of these officials.
Perhaps it was because he was in a familiar embrace that Gu Shiyan fell asleep peacefully, and soon he began to breathe evenly.
Mu Congmo looked at the sleeping person in his arms, smiled helplessly, and picked the person up horizontally, completely ignoring the ministers at the banquet, leaving only the palace maid kneeling on the ground, her body cold, and the stunned ministers.
The bright yellow figure walked further and further away, and everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what had just happened.
In this situation, Hu Xian naturally didn't dare to follow, for fear of disturbing the emperor's business. However, Young Master Gu was already so drunk, so His Majesty shouldn't be drunk, right?
He looked coldly at the palace maid kneeling on the ground. If it were an ordinary palace maid, she would definitely not have a chance to survive, but Yue Zun was kind. If he asked about the whereabouts of this palace maid tomorrow, he would be afraid that he would not be able to explain himself.
He said in a deep voice: "Get up, and be more careful next time."
The palace maid was a little bit incredulous. After seeing Hu Xian's expression, she quickly thanked him and retreated.
After finishing the work here, Hu Xian waved the whisk in his hand and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty has something to do. Everyone, please continue to eat."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left, thinking that maybe His Majesty would order hot water tonight.
Seeing this, Xiao Huazi hurriedly followed.
After the two left, the originally unusually quiet banquet suddenly became noisy. Without exception, everyone was discussing the scene that had just happened.
Someone came up to Gu Cheng and his wife and joked, "Master Gu's family has produced a queen."
Gu Cheng cursed with a dark face: "Get lost, your daughter wants to enter the palace but His Majesty doesn't even look at her."
Liang Qiulan was pulling his wrist with some concern, so he could only hold his wife's hand tightly as if to comfort her.
As the candles in the palace were extinguished one by one, the banquet came to an end, but what happened at the banquet will be forever engraved in everyone's heart.
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