Lord Xin's words stunned everyone present.
No one could have imagined that the usually enlightened Lord Xin would say such a thing.
He was a highly respected elder, and his students were everywhere in the officialdom. Even though He Jingyan held a higher official position than him, he was still considered his junior.
Moreover, his wife had a very good relationship with Song Xizhi.
Now that he has made such a request, if He Jingyan refuses, their relationship will likely deteriorate rapidly.
However, He Jingyan shook his head without hesitation and looked at Lord Xin with a firm gaze, saying, "Please forgive me for being unable to comply. I only have eyes for one person, and I regard Madam as my life!"
"We are born together and will die together; no one can separate us. I will never take a concubine, much less have multiple wives. If Lord Xin insists on this, then please do not blame me for being rude!"
He Jingyan's face was serious, and his tone was not very polite; it was practically rude to Lord Xin.
After saying this, he gripped Song Xizhi's hand tightly, as if he were about to turn away and leave, looking somewhat angry.
This was the first time He Jingyan had shown anger in front of everyone since his return.
The air froze, and the room fell silent for a moment, even more awkward than when they had arrived.
The smiles on the faces of the adults froze, and almost no one dared to look at Lord Xin's expression.
To everyone's surprise, Lord Xin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and burst into laughter again.
"Well said! Well said!"
"Lord He is loyal to Judge Song, and I can finally rest assured!"
He Jingyan was taken aback, and then turned his head back to look in the direction of Lord Xin.
His beaming explanation, coupled with the undisguised admiration in his eyes as he looked at He Jingyan, revealed the following:
"Please forgive me, gentlemen. It was my wife who came up with this terrible idea. She tricked me at home into becoming the villain who ruins other people's marriages!"
"The purpose was to test General He's sincerity towards Judge Song. I wholeheartedly agree with General He's words!"
"Having multiple wives and concubines is not a desirable thing in life. Love is stronger than gold and as firm as a rock. There is nothing better than a husband and wife supporting each other through thick and thin and spending the rest of their lives together!"
Madam Xin stood silently outside the crowd, listened to the whole process, and then smiled and walked into the crowd.
She gave Lord Xin a reproachful look: "Who forced you to be a bad person?"
Lord Xin laughed heartily and shook his head helplessly: "Fine, fine, I'm the bad guy! I'm the bad guy!"
Those around him laughed when they heard this.
Amidst laughter, Madam Xin grasped Song Xizhi's hand, her eyes filled with worry and joy: "Zhizhi, don't blame me. I just wanted him to give it a try."
"Now that I know you have found a good home, I can finally rest easy."
Song Xizhi smiled and nodded, looking at He Jingyan's profile as he chatted happily with the other officials, his heart filled with endless doubts.
That's strange, really strange.
If He Jingyan had spoken up for Old Madam Huang in the past, it would have been to win over the Huang clan and gain a good reputation...
But now, in front of so many people, he has spoken rudely to Lord Xin.
Why didn't he try to win over Lord Xin?
Even if he couldn't agree, he could have easily smoothed things over instead of getting so angry and making Lord Xin lose face.
With Lord Xin's interruption, the officials and He Jingyan chatted even more enthusiastically.
The people surrounding him changed wave after wave. At first, it was Lord Xin and others, and later it became Minister of Rites Lord Sun, Prime Minister Lin, and so on. They were all people whom Song Xizhi had treated before.
Song Xizhi stood by He Jingyan's side the whole time, listening to them with great interest.
Only when the crisp sound of string and wind instruments rang out did the banquet begin. The two then bid farewell to the officials and headed towards the palace together.
The palace where the banquet was held was the same place where the Empress Dowager used to hold her birthday banquet.
The banquet was also divided into men's and women's sections, and couples were required to sit separately.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Song Xizhi opened one of the bottles of medicine that the Divine Physician Rihua had given him.
The renowned physician Rihua gave Song Xizhi two bottles of medicine, namely, Medicine A and Medicine B.
This potion actually has a special effect: if it is applied to a suspicious person, the potion will leave a trace wherever that person goes.
Potion A is colorless and odorless, and cannot be detected by people.
However, after Song Xizhi applied the No. B solution to his eyes, he was able to see the fluorescence emitted by the No. A solution.
By observing the fluorescent traces left by certain people and places, one can determine where He Jingyan has been and who he has been in contact with recently.
On the day Song Xizhi received the medicine, he left the medicine of type A on He Jingyan's hand and applied it once a day.
However, she did not discover that He Jingyan had been in contact with any special people.
Even though she had stood beside He Jingyan for so long today, she couldn't find any trace of He Jingyan's contact with those adults.
Thinking this, Song Xizhi tightly grasped He Jingyan's hand again and smeared the No. 1 medicine on his body.
He Jingyan was taken aback by Song Xizhi's sudden action, then looked up in surprise, his eyes filled with affection and joy: "Zhizhi, what's wrong?"
Song Xizhi swallowed hard, then smiled at him: "You'll be sitting alone in a bit, and I'm a little worried..."
Upon hearing this, He Jingyan's eyes deepened even further: "Silly girl, although I was sick before, didn't you take good care of me?"
"I'll come to you as soon as the banquet is over, okay?"
Song Xizhi nodded without speaking, then bent down again, patted the dust off He Jingyan's robe with his hands, and applied the No. 1 medicine to the hem of his clothes and the surface of his shoes, making sure the area covered by the medicine was as large as possible.
He Jingyan's gaze became even more tender as he watched Song Xizhi's actions. He bent down to take Song Xizhi's hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, his voice soft as if he were coaxing her.
"Why can't you bear to let me leave for even a moment?"
As soon as he finished speaking, as if sensing someone's gaze, he slowly turned his head again.
Song Xizhi turned his head in the direction of his gaze and saw a large group of people standing not far from them, who had been standing there for who knows how long.
Pei Yunyi, who was leading the group, wore a black brocade robe with intricate dragon patterns embroidered in gold thread, which shimmered with a cold and noble luster in the sunlight.
Wearing a purple-gold crown, a white jade belt, and black leather boots, he simply stood there, his back straight as a pine tree, like a majestic mountain.
He was followed by several eunuchs and guards, exuding an air of royal majesty.
At this moment, Pei Yunyi stood there with deep eyes, his thin lips slightly pursed, his jawline hard and cold, and his face expressionless.
It's unclear how long he stood there or how much of their conversation he overheard.
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