Chapter 35 He didn't look at her once the entire time.
Inside the water palace, guests gathered in large numbers.
The real feast has not yet begun; it will be three days from now.
Princess Crescent Fox sat on a high platform, and everyone paid homage.
Each was then guided by a palace maid carrying a lantern to their assigned room.
As everyone dispersed, Liu Jiao grew bored with their flattery and pondered what to give Sang Ji for his upcoming birthday—
Suddenly, a huge piece of blood jade was spotted, inlaid on the waist belt of a man in red.
Liu Jiao had a sudden inspiration and thought that she could embroider a sword sheath for Sang Ji as a birthday gift.
And he had this large blood jade, which looked valuable and suited Sang Ji's personality, repaired onto the sword sheath.
This shows that care was put into it, and therefore the price was higher.
Expressing your feelings is the best thing you can do.
Liu Jiao planned to step forward and make a deal with the man in red.
But the more he looked at the man in red, the more familiar he seemed.
Liu Jiao took a closer look:
The man in front of me was dressed in red, tall and well-proportioned, with flowing white hair, holding a red plum blossom in his hand, a high nose bridge, and standing upright.
He was the only person present who made Princess Crescent Fox stand up straight from the platform and bow in worship.
He looked listless and expressionless, yet inexplicably gave off a chilling aura, making people subconsciously want to submit to him.
Oh ho!
"Brother-in-law!" Liu Jiao immediately came to his side.
He is the husband of her best friend Hua Man, named Feng Che, who is also the ruler of the neighboring Man Kingdom.
Feng Che glanced over, his narrow, beast-like eyes looking at a dead man.
Even the usually carefree Liu Jiao was intimidated by that look and instinctively shrank back, shivering.
That's terrifying, haha...
Upon seeing Liu Jiao, Feng Che, who had maintained an indifferent expression, showed a slight ripple in his calm eyes because she was a friend of Hua Man.
He subconsciously nodded with a cold face as a sign of agreement, but thinking of his wife's good relationship with her, he forced a smile out of affection for her.
That laugh looked like it was about to devour someone.
Liu Jiao: "..."
You don't have to laugh if you don't want to.
"Isn't Sister Manman here?" Although her brother-in-law Feng Che was quite friendly to her, Liu Jiao still didn't want to stay with him any longer.
I greeted them in order to find Hua Man.
“She will accompany me when the banquet begins.”
“She’s unfamiliar with the place and the rules are complicated, so she doesn’t want to show up too early.”
The stiff smile that Feng Che had initially forced out, which he was extremely reluctant to put on, vanished without a trace when he mentioned that Hua Man was unwilling to come with him.
He regained his majestic and dignified demeanor as a monarch.
Liu Jiao sighed softly.
Since their separation three years ago, she had been corresponding with Hua Man through letters, but they hadn't seen each other much, and she missed Sister Man Man a little.
"Actually, I came here today to ask my brother-in-law if you sell this blood jade?"
After her initial sentimentality, Liu Jiao got back to business.
Feng Che seemed amused by Liu Jiao's repeated calls of "brother-in-law," and a rare smile appeared on his usually fierce eyes.
"Sister Liu, you want her?"
Liu Jiao nodded vigorously: "Mmm-hmm!"
"Wind Emperor, please give it to me! I'll give you anything in exchange!"
Feng Che paused, his hand touching the waist belt. "What did you call me?"
"Emperor Feng..." Liu Jiao noticed the obvious expectation in the Man Kingdom's Emperor's expression, which was not outwardly visible. She paused, then understood, and her face immediately filled with a fawning smile.
"Haha, brother-in-law, brother-in-law... give it to me quickly, brother-in-law!"
Feng Che was satisfied: "Since she's like a sister to her, what's a piece of blood jade? I'll send it to you later."
Huh? You just give it away like that?
Liu Jiao was dumbfounded.
I'm amazed by Mann; it truly deserves its reputation as the richest country on the entire continent.
As the king of Man Kingdom, Feng Che is incredibly wealthy; he can just give away priceless blood jade to his wife and sisters without a second thought.
She truly loves her best friend.
Watching Feng Che leave with a carefree and confident air, Liu Jiao, with a sincere heart, wholeheartedly and earnestly acknowledged this brother-in-law:
"Thank you, brother-in-law. Goodbye, brother-in-law!"
Hearing the call, Feng Che's brows furrowed with a hint of arrogance, and his calm voice drifted from afar:
"If you need anything, you can come to me. My brother-in-law might be able to help."
——
Liu Jiao was also assigned a room to rest.
We're just waiting for the banquet to begin tomorrow.
According to the Sang family, to prevent her from making any mistakes in etiquette, an etiquette teacher will be coming tonight to teach her the rules of the banquet.
Liu Jiao sat on the bed waiting anxiously. The night was so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. The oil lamp's cord had burned out, but no one knocked on the door.
When my eyelids started to droop and I was feeling drowsy, my shoulders became uncontrollable, and I could only barely maintain my balance by leaning against the bed, my head feeling heavy.
I vaguely remember smelling a strange fragrance.
He then uncontrollably fell asleep.
When a ray of sunlight stung her eyes, Liu Jiao groggily opened them and saw a bright, sunny day with the window open. She was then dragged by T Sui Sui to the dressing table.
After the vision cleared completely, the person in the mirror smiled radiantly, their eyebrows and eyes curved like a crescent moon, their features enhanced by a touch of color, indicating that it was time to begin the banquet.
Fearing being seen as disrespecting the royal family, Liu Jiao didn't have time to learn the proper etiquette.
They could only rush over to the banquet for fear of missing the time.
They didn't learn any rules or etiquette.
The female guest was to enter the back hall, and she was led in by a palace maid, thus entering the back hall without any problems.
However, once they arrived at the back hall, the women were completely unaware of the proper etiquette for exchanging greetings.
It was only after Sui Sui reminded her that she hurriedly clasped her hands together and bowed, but the noblewoman had already left.
Then, people should take their seats in order of seniority.
Those present took their seats in an orderly fashion.
This tacit understanding exists in everyone's hearts.
Therefore, no palace servants informed them when it was time to sit.
This also meant that Liu Jiao was completely unaware of this unspoken rule.
Liu Jiao was sitting opposite Wangyou Jun, who held a very high but mysterious position. No one knew his identity except his confidants. She had to take her seat first.
When Liu Jiao saw that he was sitting down, she thought she could sit down as well, so she lifted her robe and sat down on the ground.
"Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao...you can't sit down!"
Finally, it was Wangyoujun who hurriedly reminded her in a low voice that Liu Jiao realized that apart from the princess, she was the only other female guest sitting down.
The gazes of most of the high-ranking officials and nobles at the banquet in the water palace made Liu Jiao feel extremely uncomfortable.
Liu Jiao blushed with embarrassment and clasped her hands together.
"Whose wife is this? How can she be so rude?"
"His behavior was crude and vulgar, lacking any semblance of refinement."
The cacophony reached Liu Jiao's ears. She wanted to speak up and explain, but she didn't know what to say to calm things down, and her voice went hoarse.
"You must be Sang Ji's new wife?"
Upon hearing the sound, Liu Jiao looked over and saw Princess Crescent Fox facing her with a gentle smile, her tone soft and charming.
"Yes... This humble woman greets Princess Xin'an."
Liu Jiao remembered the proper etiquette, but when she actually did it, her tongue would involuntarily twitch, and she felt a pang of discomfort.
In contrast to Liu Jiao's crudeness and panic, Crescent Fox was dignified and held her own.
"I'm giving you some face out of respect for Sang Ji. Today, considering your rural background and lack of knowledge of etiquette, I'll teach you some banquet etiquette."
“Banquets in Huajing have always been orderly, not chaotic.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Jiao noticed that Xin Yuehu's deep gaze fell on her for a moment. She thought she was seeing things, so she rubbed her eyes and squinted to try to see the mist in Xin Yuehu's eyes. However, Xin Yuehu had already looked away and returned to his calm and composed demeanor.
"At the banquet, seating must be arranged according to rank and social status; disrespect is unacceptable. Didn't your etiquette teacher teach you that?" Crescent Fox's tone rose slightly. "Alright, let's begin the banquet."
With a sweep of her wide sleeves, her beautiful face revealed a magnanimous countenance.
"The princess is so gentle and magnanimous."
Compared to this uncouth village girl, they are worlds apart.
"Poor Sang Ji, he married this wild girl and was forced to separate from the Sang Ji he loved. What a perfect couple they were."
Sui Sui, standing beside Liu Jiao, took a step forward, her face showing anxiety and indignation, and was about to speak.
"Sui Sui, where are you going?" Liu Jiao reached out and grabbed Sui Sui's arm, asking softly.
“I’ll go explain that the etiquette teacher didn’t come…” Sui Sui said, but her tone became indifferent.
She finally understood.
Even if I explain, people will still not believe me.
If you don't follow the proper etiquette, then you haven't done it at all.
Sui Sui stopped walking and looked at her with concern.
Then, he lowered his head, took two steps back, and returned to his place.
After the banquet, the New Moon Fox requested a performance of "Journey to the West".
Incense burns and swirls, the Westerners sit opposite each other, and wine cups clink.
Liu Jiao was completely stunned, awkwardly clutching the hem of her clothes, still standing by her seat, watching Crescent Fox clink glasses not far away.
The voices gossiping about her reached my ears, like weeds in a field, impossible to eradicate.
Liu Jiao's eyebrows drooped slightly.
She felt that she looked no different from a wilted eggplant.
They've long lost their former spirit.
"Jiaojiao, look who's here!"
A quick pat landed on her shoulder, and Sui Sui pointed to the gate. Hearing this, Liu Jiao instinctively headed towards the wide-open gate of the Golden Patterned Hall.
The young man, dressed in black, was walking towards the banquet. His face was anxious, his brows were furrowed, and he looked very worried.
"It's Young Master Sang Ji!" Sui Sui exclaimed excitedly.
Liu Jiao slightly opened her eyes, her fists clenched.
Seeing Sang Ji, she finally regained her spirits.
Sui Sui, standing beside him, clapped her hands excitedly and exclaimed:
"It seems that this Sang Ji isn't as bad as Master worried. He does know how to stand up for Madam and protect her..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiao's gloom vanished, and a glimmer of hope appeared in her heart.
A joyful smile appeared on her face as she watched his retreating figure—
But Sang Ji walked straight past her without stopping for a moment.
Only the cold wind, whipped up by the hem of her robe, clung to Liu Jiao's face.
Liu Jiao froze, her smile that stretched to behind her ears freezing.
Her mind went blank.
His gaze unconsciously followed Sang Ji's steps—
Sang Ji didn't spare her a single glance; from beginning to end, he had only one clear purpose—
They headed towards the crescent moon.
Liu Jiao saw him stop in front of the Crescent Fox.
Then, press two fingers together and gently place them on the crescent fox's forehead.
"It's not hot, so it shouldn't be burning."
In an instant, he lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand, never overstepping the boundaries. He asked, "Are you still feeling dizzy?"
Crescent Fox shook her head. "I was just a little dizzy. I must have kicked off the covers because I was too hot yesterday and caught a chill. I'm much better now."
"It's just a little pain. I told the palace servants not to tell you, but how did you still find out..." She pouted slightly, a hint of reproach in her voice.
Liu Jiao was still standing there, stunned.
Because her seat was close to Crescent Fox, on the right side of the main seat where Crescent Fox was sitting, she heard their entire conversation.
Sang Ji did not accompany her to the banquet, saying he was busy with other matters.
Liu Jiao was understanding and went to the princess's banquet alone.
But the princess was only dizzy, and rumors reached Sang Ji's ears.
Sang Ji then abandoned the countless errands he had been given.
We arrived at the palace.
Even if he is very busy.
Sang Ji didn't glance at Liu Jiao, who was still standing and being reprimanded for her rudeness, the entire time.
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