Princess Hui, looking annoyed, held Prince Hui's head, but his head seemed boneless, drooping limply, and he kept leaning against her: "Your Majesty, Prince Hui is drunk. I'll take him back to his residence first."
The old emperor tilted his head and waved his hand in annoyance: "Go, go."
They wished everyone in the hall would leave.
Princess Hui and her maidservants, one on each side, hurriedly carried Prince Hui out of the main hall.
The cold wind outside immediately sobered Prince Hui up. He dusted himself off, grabbed his wife's hand, and headed out of the palace.
Princess Hui scolded softly, "Haven't you lost your mind now?"
Prince Hui chuckled shamelessly and whispered in the princess's ear, "Be soft when you need to be soft, and be extremely hard when you need to be hard!"
Princess Hui blushed with embarrassment and pinched Prince Hui's arm.
Inside the hall, Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow at Lu Jinpei beside him: "It's your turn."
Lu Jinpei rolled her eyes at him: "What do you mean, my turn?"
"Xiao, would you like to eat some more? Steamed? Deep-fried? Or braised? I can have the chef in the manor prepare a whole feast of bamboo flutes for you."
Lu Jinpei glared at him angrily: "Hmph, Lu Xiaoyun, you should get your own husband back yourself. Don't expect me to speak up for you!"
Zhu Yu's lips curled slightly. Fine, he had given Lu Jinpei a chance, but she didn't seize it, so he couldn't be blamed.
He turned to look at Liu Jiayun, who was sitting to his left, and raised his head to indicate that it was her turn to perform.
Liu Jiayun felt the pressure from the gazes around her and lowered her head, pretending not to see them.
Zhu Yu, however, refused. He leaned half his body closer and whispered a few words that only the two of them could hear: "Palace gate."
Liu Jiayun's face immediately turned pale, and she looked up at "Lu Xiaoyun" without thinking.
Zhu Yu looked at her with clear, bright phoenix eyes.
Seeing this, she broke out in a cold sweat. At the palace gate, Madam Huang and the other two had only said a few bad things about Lu Xiaoyun, but Prince An had already slapped their mouths shut.
These people will not have a good ending after they return home.
Zhu Yu let out a soft snort, and two cold words slowly escaped from her delicate little mouth: "Head!"
Upon hearing those two words, Liu Jiayun trembled with fear, her face turning as white as frost on a snowy night.
About half a month ago, dozens of heads were displayed at the entrance of the Liu family mansion. The heads were arranged in the shape of a smiling face, which terrified the hundreds of people in the Liu family.
The father, Liu Wentao, was so frightened that he fell seriously ill and only recovered two days ago.
The mother and grandmother were so frightened that they prayed to all sorts of gods and Buddhas for protection every day at home.
So it was His Highness Prince An who did it!
"It's you, His Highness Prince An?"
Zhu Yu blinked: "Yeah. How was the smile? Want to do it again?"
Liu Jiayun's tongue trembled: "No, no, no more. I beg you, please talk to His Highness Prince An, no, no more..."
"Alright, then we'll see how you perform."
Liu Jiayun's mind was buzzing. Watch her performance, watch her performance! What should she do to satisfy Prince An and Lu Xiaoyun?
She never wanted to see those heads again; they were too terrifying.
Liu Jiayun's forehead was covered in sweat.
Zhu Yu picked up the water, took a small sip, and didn't urge her.
Inside the main hall, the Crown Prince was still arguing vehemently, while Zhu Chen kept helping him recall what happened that day.
The old emperor's face gradually darkened, and the crown prince stammered and weakly tried to explain.
Pale and powerless.
Liu Jiayun remembered what to do, and she took several deep breaths to suppress her fear.
She glanced at Zhu Yu, who was enjoying his meal, and thought, "This guy is a devil."
She stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I have something to report."
After saying that, she swallowed.
The old emperor's mind was buzzing. This was a palace banquet, not a banquet to deal with the messy relationship between Zhu Yu, Zhu Zhi, and the other three.
He's completely lost face.
So he said to Liu Jiayun in an annoyed tone, "Speak!"
Liu Jiayun glanced at Zhu Yu again.
Zhu Yu continued eating by himself.
Madam Liu kept tugging at her daughter's sleeve from below, but Liu Jiayun slapped it away.
"That's right, it happened at the gate of the Prince An's mansion a while ago, when Miss Ren Yong'an was thrown out by His Highness Prince An's men."
The family members inside the hall all lowered their heads. This Liu Jiayun really had no fear of death.
As Liu Jiayun spoke, her words became clearer and clearer: "This matter has been widely discussed throughout the entire city of Shengjing. The drug that was administered to Prince An at the last palace banquet was not the work of Princess An."
She pointed at Ren Yong'an, who was kneeling on the ground: "It was Miss Ren who instructed her maid to do it, and she herself admitted it in front of Princess An. Your Majesty, you can ask Miss Ren if this is true."
"Moreover, this matter has already been turned into a storybook and circulated throughout Shengjing. I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Your Majesty and Empress Dowager can ask everyone present if this matter is true."
The old emperor clenched his fists tightly, his cold eyes fixed on the people below, and he shouted, "Is this true?!"
Everyone lowered their heads.
The old emperor looked at Eunuch Zhang, who was standing with his head bowed, and asked, "Zhang Zhongwei, are you aware of this matter?"
Zhang Zhongwei was complaining incessantly. What was the youngest daughter of the Censor-in-Chief doing causing trouble? Could such a thing be discussed in this kind of setting?
This involves the Crown Prince and Prince An, as well as the events at the palace banquet before the new year; it's a royal scandal.
His face was pale as he hurriedly knelt down: "Your Majesty, it is indeed true."
The old emperor gave Zhang Zhongwei a cold glance: "I think you're getting more and more confused the more you take on this job!"
Lu Xiaoyun thought that the old emperor was getting better and better at this act, and he probably hadn't even forgotten that he was involved in that matter.
Zhang Zhongwei had no choice but to kowtow and beg for forgiveness.
Consort De covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I am aware of this matter as well. The Prince An's residence is truly full of talented people. It is said that the guard can play two roles at once. He can not only imitate a female voice, but also perfectly portray the expressions of Miss Ren and Miss Lu at that time."
"Such a wonderful person, I would very much like to see her. Your Majesty, why don't you issue an order to let Prince An's guard come to the palace and perform for me and my sisters?"
The old emperor gave her a disapproving sidelong glance: "Nonsense."
"Your Majesty, I am not being silly. Such a wonderful person entering the palace will surely entertain me and the other ladies in the palace. I only have the storybooks and have not yet seen his performance in person. I really want to see him perform."
The old emperor chuckled helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll have the fourth prince send the person into the palace later."
Consort De poured a cup of wine for the old emperor, her face flushed, and she said reproachfully, "I knew Your Majesty loved me the most."
Lu Xiaoyun smiled and said, "Since Father has given the decree, I will send the person to the palace immediately after I return to my residence."
The old emperor snorted coldly.
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