Song Xizhi touched his neck uncomfortably, then frowned and looked in the direction of that gaze.
In the blink of an eye, she saw Zeng Yaxian's hateful eyes.
Zeng Yaxian wore a light blue dress today, with only a touch of makeup on her face for etiquette, and no luxurious decorations on her head.
It hadn't been long since they last met, but Zeng Yaxian looked like she had aged more than ten years.
A few streaks of silver appeared in her temples, and many fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. Both her expression and appearance made her seem like a completely different person.
Actually, her attire today was not appropriate for her status, but she looked as if she were in mourning for someone.
Zhao Qingshu, however, let her do as she pleased.
Song Xizhi recalled the incident that had occurred in front of the Zhao residence and sighed inwardly.
She sensed Zeng Yaxian's hatred but did not look away. Instead, she met Zeng Yaxian's gaze with a calm and gentle look, as if expressing her regret for Hei Yin.
Feeling Song Xizhi's gaze, Zeng Yaxian simply looked away and never looked at her again.
Song Xizhi closed his eyes briefly, his heart filled with anticipation:
Hopefully, Zeng Yaxian won't let momentary hatred blind her and cause her to do something wrong.
Siqin, dressed as a maid, naturally sensed Zeng Yaxian's unfriendly gaze.
She became wary and leaned close to Song Xizhi's ear, whispering:
"My lord, you must be extremely careful. Do not eat any food in the palace, and no matter who tries to lure you to go elsewhere alone, you must not go. You must stay with your subordinates at all times."
"The people sent by the young master will come to pick us up after the palace banquet ends."
The palace was heavily guarded. Apart from the Imperial Guards, no one's guards were allowed to carry knives. Although Siqin did not carry any weapons, she was unlikely to encounter any assassination attempts. However, while it is easy to dodge a spear in the open, it is difficult to guard against an arrow in the dark. In the palace, one only had to guard against some dirty tricks.
Once the two leave the palace, they will be met by people sent by He Jingyan, so their safety should not be a problem.
No matter what Zeng Yaxian wanted to do, they were able to prevent it.
Song Xizhi nodded upon hearing this, but he was not actually afraid.
More than fear, she felt a deep sense of melancholy, a melancholy that this was a self-destructive conflict caused by lies and deception.
As she thought about it, she couldn't help but shift her gaze to Zeng Yaxian in the distance.
Zeng Yaxian was no longer looking at her at this moment.
Everyone else was staring at the screen, admiring its craftsmanship, but Zeng Yaxian pursed her pale lips, looking listlessly at the cups in front of her.
Song Xizhi frowned slightly and noticed that she had a chopstick under her right hand. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she moved the chopstick forward little by little.
Even as her chopsticks touched the glass cup, she didn't stop; instead, she stretched her hand even further forward.
There was a crisp "bang".
The glass cup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, scattering fragments all over the floor.
When Zeng Yaxian saw the broken pieces scattered all over the ground, a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.
Song Xizhi took in her reaction and felt increasingly puzzled.
Disrespecting the Emperor is a serious crime. What exactly was Zeng Yaxian doing?
However, this sudden sound instantly brought everyone back to their senses.
Everyone snapped out of their daze at the screen, cleared their throats, and sat back down in their original seats with varying expressions.
The chanting of the high monks resumed at this moment, and the Empress Dowager's originally devout expression became calm.
"Madam Zhao, has something happened?"
The Empress Dowager lifted her eyelids and looked in Zeng Yaxian's direction.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu finally snapped out of her daze, her whole body jolted, and the muscles in her face stiffened. She immediately stood up to apologize, "No, no, nothing..."
"Your Majesty, it is only because my wife has been absent-minded and somewhat distracted lately. Just now, she was bathed in the Buddha's light and felt refreshed for a moment, so she was a little lost in thought."
Zhao Qingshu was telling the truth. Ever since Hei Yin died, Zeng Yaxian, who was originally a perfectly healthy person, has become like this, half-mad.
She stopped doubting him and stopped interfering with him, only repeatedly begging him to take revenge.
She was willing to give him anything and do anything as long as he agreed to avenge Hei Yin.
She used to maintain the demeanor of a well-bred lady and was unwilling to engage in any intimate sexual activities with him, but now she is willing to do any thing, no matter how humble or degrading.
Those were things that even Zhao Qianlan was unwilling to do.
In the past, she had kept her parents' last wishes in mind and was unwilling to give him the pension money to start a business. Instead, she used it to adopt baby girls and run some wasteful baby nursery.
Zeng Yaxian no longer cares about the baby girl; as long as he asks, she will hand over the silver with both hands.
She had only one condition: that he avenge Hei Yin. And she had only one person to rely on: himself!
As Zhao Qingshu pondered, he glanced at Song Xizhi again, his eyes filled with a deep, dark intensity.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded and said nothing more.
Originally, everyone thought the matter was over, but Consort Li, seated on the throne, let out a cold laugh:
"Feeling refreshed and relaxed?"
"I'm afraid Prince Yu did something wrong, deceiving his grandmother and father, and almost receiving a reward from his grandmother. Now that the truth has come out, Madam Zhao, as Prince Yu's aunt, must be in a daze thinking about the heinous crime of deceiving the emperor that Prince Yu committed at his grandmother's birthday banquet."
Consort Li drew out her words, her eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement.
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
Consort Li is right. They were so impressed by Prince Xiu's birthday gifts that they forgot about this matter.
Prince Xiu also presented a large lacquer mother-of-pearl inlay, which Prince Yu had just claimed to be unique and unparalleled in the world, and this became a crime of deceiving the emperor.
It was fortunate that the birthday gift was sent by Prince Xiu. If it had been obtained by someone from another country or had fallen into the hands of the common people, wouldn't the Empress Dowager's fondness for that small makeup box have become a joke?
Prince Yu's heart tightened, and his scalp tingled. He immediately stepped forward from his seat and knelt down again. His mind went blank, and even his voice trembled slightly: "Grandmother, please forgive me. Your grandson is innocent. It was all a misunderstanding!"
As Prince Yu spoke, Consort Liang tightened her grip, her eyes shooting towards Zhao Qingshu like sharp arrows.
At this moment, Zhao Qingshu also lost his usual composure and calmness. His face was blank as he stared intently in the direction of Song Ruoan and Zhao Qianlan, as if he wanted to tear them apart and devour them.
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