Nan Qianyue's hand holding the spoon froze. She covered her lips with a handkerchief and whispered, "Whose person are you?"
The palace maid continued in a voice only Nan Qianyue could hear, "This servant once received a favor from Prince Anzheng. Just now, a secret guard named Wei Da sent me to remind Miss Nan."
Nan Qianyue lowered her eyes, concealing the strange look in them. "Is only mine poisonous?"
The palace maid replied in a low voice, "Yes, Miss Nan, it's best not to drink anything on the table."
During the month of the southward migration, she was in an exceptionally good mood: "Okay, I understand, thank you."
The palace maid was very polite, saying, "It is my honor."
"Big sister, why aren't you drinking?" Nan Yichu ate heartily and enjoyed her drinks.
Nanqian Yue smiled and said, "Drink."
She pretended to reach for the soup spoon, but the handkerchief in her hand accidentally fell into it.
"Oh!" Nan Qianyue exclaimed, covering her mouth with her fingertips. "I can't drink anymore."
Nan Kezhi generously shared her sweet soup, saying, "Big sister, I served this to myself, you can have mine."
Nanqianyue smiled and patted her hand, "The portion is so small, little sister, you should drink it yourself."
She paused, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, "Father doesn't like sweet drinks. Look, he's just been drinking, he hasn't touched the food in front of him."
Nan Kezhi instantly understood Nan Qianyue's meaning, and the obedient girl also revealed a sly smile.
Nan Qianyue reached out and tugged at the Prime Minister's wife's clothes. The Prime Minister's wife turned around gracefully, "What is it?"
Nanqianyue said with a smile, "My sweet soup is dirty, Father probably won't drink it, so please trouble Mother to bring it to me."
The Prime Minister's wife gave her a playful glare, and without asking the Prime Minister, she took the sweet soup from in front of him and handed it to Nan Qianyue.
While talking with envoys from other countries, the Southern Prime Minister noticed his wife's actions out of the corner of his eye. His smile remained unchanged. He raised his wine cup to signal the envoys to drink, while simultaneously handing the untouched fruit plate on the table to the children behind him.
The fruit platter was quite large, and the three people who migrated south all reached out their hands at the same time.
"Wow, Father's is different from ours!" Nan Yichu's eyes sparkled.
The moon's reflection on the southward migration was not just different, it was worlds apart.
As the head of all the officials sitting at the front, the food placed in front of him would only be exquisite and luxurious, even the seemingly identical sweet soup was quite different.
"Big sister, the peonies in this garden smell so good!" Nan Kezhi sniffed.
Nanqianyue looked around and saw that there were indeed many peonies, but not so many that their fragrance was so strong. Logically, the aroma of the wine and food should have masked it.
"It doesn't smell like peony to me." Nan Yichu sniffed hard.
Nan Kezhi smelled it again carefully, "It seems so, it smells quite nice, it must be incense."
As the moon migrated south, its eyes darted around, and when its gaze passed over the artificial hill behind the envoy opposite, it met a pair of familiar eyes.
It was Veda.
His body was hidden in the artificial hill, with only his eyes showing.
Nanqianyue asked with her eyes: Is there anything unusual?
Whether Veda understood or not, he nodded and then disappeared.
Nanqianyue silently put down her soup spoon, thinking that just to be on the safe side, she shouldn't eat anything.
The old emperor's humble yet dignified voice rang out from above: "Tomorrow, you all will depart to return to your countries. I am reluctant to part with you. This cup of wine is offered to you all. I wish you a safe and smooth journey home. I hope that in the future, all countries will continue to maintain friendly relations with our dynasty and exchange goods with each other. After you return to your countries, please convey my greetings to the rulers of all countries. I hope that our relationship with all countries will last for thousands of years!"
"please!"
"Your Majesty's blessing!"
The farewell banquet lasted a long time.
The old emperor retired prematurely due to his advanced age.
The remaining leaders of Dongling were Prince Anzheng, the Southern Chancellor, and the Grand Commandant of Song, among others.
"Big sister, I need to go to the toilet, will you come?" Nan Kezhi whispered close to Nan Qianyue's ear.
I was so bored during my southward migration that I couldn't wait to go out for a stroll.
"Let's go together."
Song Suihuan next door revealed a smug sneer. She thought to herself, how could anyone not leave their seat halfway through such a long banquet?
Well, here comes the opportunity.
She looked around and quietly left, calling a few of her sisters to join her.
As dusk fell, the two sisters, who had migrated south, finished relieving themselves in the elegant garden pavilion and instead sat idly there instead of rushing back to the banquet.
As Yue dismissed the palace servants who had led the way for the southward migration, she was about to call out Wei Da to ask him something when she suddenly heard the sound of someone falling into the water and the cries for help from a palace maid.
"Big sister, it looks like someone has fallen into the water!" Nan Kezhi stood up and stood on tiptoe to look.
As the moon swelled with sorrow upon her southward migration, who was causing this trouble?
"Oh, isn't this the Poet Immortal? What are you doing sitting here? Did you get lost?" Song Suihuan led a group of her sisters over.
Before the moon rose over the southward migration, someone in Song Suihuan's group of sisters exclaimed, "It sounds like someone is calling for help up ahead!"
Song Suihuan was startled. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look!"
After saying that, she led her sisters and ran ahead.
Nan Kezhi tugged at Nan Qianyue's sleeve and asked softly, "Big sister, aren't we going to go take a look?"
Nan Qianyue shook her head, "No, they have palace servants around them, they don't need the two of us."
"Miss Nan! Come here quickly! There's no one here who can swim!" A girl with an unfamiliar face called out anxiously to Nan Qianyue.
Nan Kezhi frowned. She recognized the girl. "Elder sister, she is the daughter of the Duke of Lu. She is a good person and not like Song Suihuan. Let's go and see her."
Nanqianyue glanced irritably into the shadows. There were too many people around, and he couldn't summon Wei Da and the others. It was really annoying.
"Let's go."
Nan Qianyue pulled Nan Kezhi along and walked quickly over.
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