Chapter 22: The Banquet Oh my, this pretentious Xiaojiu is so weird...
Emperor Shengde said calmly, "Stand up."
Qi Xin stood up respectfully and said, "Thank you, Father!"
Emperor Shengde raised his wine cup and said in a loud voice, "I am overjoyed to have Ah Xin return to the court. Today, I drink this cup with all the nobles to congratulate Princess Jialing on her new life!"
The ministers, united in spirit, raised their glasses and chanted, "Congratulations to Princess Jialing on her new life!"
Emperor Shengde nodded in satisfaction and said to Qi Xin with a kind look, "Xin, please join us. I've prepared your favorite coconut-skin taro cake for you. Go and try it."
"Your Majesty, I thank you, Father." Qi Xin bowed and sat down next to Empress Yuan.
Qi Xin herself didn't have much of an appetite. Besides, although she didn't think Qi Ling would act so blatantly, her fourth sister was a bit stupid after all, so she had to be on guard in such an important occasion.
However, unable to bear the constant glances from Emperor Shengde, Empress Yuan had no choice but to lean over and ask quietly:
"Is it not to your liking, Xin? After all, this was prepared by your father himself, and the guests are all watching. Xin should also do his duty as the host and try at least a little."
Qi Xin had no choice but to pick up his ivory chopsticks and take a small bite of each dish. Finally, he picked up a piece of coconut-skinned taro paste cake and took a bite.
Emperor Shengde turned his head and asked, "How is it? It still tastes like the way Xin remembers it, right?"
The coconut-skin taro paste cake melted on Qi Xin's tongue. He felt the taste was very different from before, but he couldn't put his finger on why. So he just put it under his tongue and replied, "Well, thank you for remembering my taste, my son. I am very grateful."
Emperor Shengde: "That's good."
When Emperor Shengde turned his head back, Qi Xin hurriedly raised his wide sleeves slightly and spit out the coconut-skin taro paste cake in the dark where no one was paying attention.
Emperor Shengde stood up and laughed loudly:
"Our Great Sheng hasn't had such a happy event in a long time. Why are you all so reserved? Feel free to visit each other more often. Who knows, one of the two families could form an in-law relationship, and I could be a witness. Everyone, speak freely, speak freely!"
Afterwards, during the banquet, there was drinking and singing, and people exchanged greetings and winks, and dropped hairpins and earrings.
Qi Ling took advantage of the chaos to glance at the eldest princess's seat, but found that Qi Xin did not show any abnormality, and was puzzled:
Was it the insufficient dosage of the Soul-Snatching Powder that weakened its potency? Or was Qi Xin's concentration too strong? This shouldn't be the case. It's been so long, and there's still no reaction.
Qi Xin noticed Qi Ling's furtive, almost ambiguous gaze and always felt that she was up to something bad, but he didn't want to alert her and wanted to wait and see what would happen. Therefore, when Qi Tian came to see her, she always seemed distracted.
"Your Highness, hello, long time no see." Qi Tian was not a good drinker, and after a few glasses of fine beer, he felt a little tipsy.
She walked over unsteadily and was tripped by Qi Xin's outstretched legs, and seemed to be about to fall down.
Qi Xin quickly caught her and scolded her with a smile:
"Why is Princess Xiang Ning showing such great courtesy? If you don't know, you might think I'm bullying you by taking advantage of my power!"
Qi Tian's face flushed slightly when he heard this, and he muttered softly, "No, I didn't stand firmly."
"Okay, come and sit down." Qi Xin took back the cushion beside her that she had kicked crooked, and straightened her from his arms onto the cushion, saying:
"I've been away from the capital for a long time, and I have no friends or friends. Lately, thanks to the princess's outspokenness, I've avoided any gossip or criticism. If the princess doesn't abandon me, I'll consider it as you accepting me as your close friend. From now on, when you're alone, you can just call me by my name, there's no need to be so formal."
"Please, I beg for it." Qi Tian was so excited that she couldn't even speak straight. Her eyes lit up and she rolled her eyes back and forth twice before she asked tentatively, "Then, then, Sister Xin, can I call you that?"
"certainly."
"Woo woo woo woo, Sister Xin, let me tell you something," Qi Tian's deer eyes were moist, as if carrying the purest essence of nature's breath after a fresh rain in the empty mountains, "I've wanted to go, I've wanted to find you for a long time, but it's Daddy, it's Daddy who won't let me. He's afraid of me, afraid that I'll get involved in your Crown Prince affair."
Qi Xin gently patted her shoulder and soothed her, "Tiantian, your father's words are not without reason, indeed..."
"That's not the case!" Qi Tian sobered up after hearing this. She stopped herself from complaining and pouted, saying, "Sister Xin is a woman of pure nature, with a heart as bright as the moon and a temperament as graceful as an orchid. She can't be compared with those treacherous villains."
Qi Xin was so amused by her puffy cheeks, but he didn't dare to show it. He then paid attention to Qi Ling's movements and jokingly replied to her, "Sister Tiantian, you are really well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge. You must have been forced to read a lot of books by your uncle, right?"
"Yeah, no, not only that, Dad, Daddy takes care of everything, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, and social life." Qi Tian said, his eyes glanced at the coconut and taro paste cake on Qi Xin's table, stretched out his arm to pick up a piece, and said curiously:
"Huh? Isn't this your favorite coconut-skin taro cake, Sister Xin? Why aren't you eating it? You don't even know that Daddy always tells me not to eat too much, saying it makes me fat and I won't be able to find a good husband. It just so happens that I finally have the chance to try it now."
Qi Tian raised her head and quickly stuffed a whole piece of coconut-shell taro paste cake into her mouth, fearing that her father would see it.
Qi Xin happened to glance at Qi Ling for a moment, and when he turned around, he saw that Qi Tian's mouth was already stuffed full.
She was startled and quickly shook her arm, saying, "Did you eat something on my table just now? What did you eat?"
Qi Tian stammered and was unable to speak. He slowly raised his hand and pointed.
Qi Xin looked in the direction of her index finger and saw the plate of coconut-skin taro paste cake. Her temples throbbed and she said in a low voice:
"I think there's something wrong with this dish. Spit it out, quick! Cover it with your sleeve and I'll catch it for you from below, quick!"
Qi Tian had already chewed most of it, but this stimulation made him swallow it all in one gulp. Then he spoke hesitantly:
"Sister Xin, maybe you're overthinking it. This is your homecoming ceremony. How could anyone tamper with it under His Majesty's watchful eyes?"
Qi Xin frowned and looked her up and down, asking in a low voice: "Do you feel the smell is strange, or are you feeling unwell?"
Qi Tian rolled his eyes and muttered, then took Qi Xin's hand and said with a sweet smile:
"Don't worry, there's none. In fact, I think it's quite delicious, hehe."
Qi Xin was half-believing and half-doubting, and the doubts in his heart became more and more complicated.
However, within a cup of tea, Qi Xin noticed that Qi Tian's palm had strangely become hot. Qi Xin placed the back of his hand against the side of her neck, and sure enough, Qi Tian's body was already scorching like an iron. Her eyes were blurry, and she leaned weakly beside the table, supporting her chin with one hand.
Qi Xin quickly wrote a note with a small brush beside him, quietly handed it to Xing'er who was standing behind him, and whispered in her ear:
"You will find an excuse to add more wine later and spill it on my robe. When I leave the table, immediately give this note to my uncle, the Emperor of Yuyang. Don't delay."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Xing'er then found the emerald wine jug, and when adding wine, she stumbled and the wine happened to stain Qi Xin's lapel.
This scene was witnessed by Emperor Shengde. He was furious and stood up and scolded: "You bold and cunning servant! On such a happy day, you can't even serve your master properly. You really ruin the mood. Come, drag this cunning servant out and beat him to death!"
Qi Xin protected Xing'er behind him and said with a folded hand:
"Father! You always taught me to be compassionate. Today, with the whole nation celebrating, it is inappropriate to commit murder. I hope Your Majesty will spare her this time for my sake. After the ceremony, I will definitely discipline her strictly."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengde's expression softened slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. You can go down and change your clothes first."
"Thank you, Father!" Qi Xin took a breath and said slowly, "This formal dress is a bit heavy. I'm afraid Xing'er can't hold it steady by herself. I need to ask Princess Xiang Ning to accompany me. I hope your Majesty will agree."
Emperor Shengde looked at her lapel, which was still dripping with wine, and felt that his face was really humiliating. He hurried her away impatiently: "Okay, okay."
Qi Xin got the agreement and quickly pulled Qi Tian to the back garden. Along the way, he whispered in her ear:
"Tiantian, I know you're feeling bad, just bear with it a little longer, we're almost there..."
Just as the wing room was approaching, Qi Xin's eyes went dark and he was knocked unconscious by someone from behind the neck.
When she opened her eyes again, Qi Xin touched the back of her neck which was still painful, but found that her whole body and the bedding under her were all wet, and even the ends of her eyebrows were dripping with water. She stood up in a panic, but met a pair of familiar amber eyes. In his hand, there was a dipper that was still dripping with water.
Why was Chen Yu here? Did he wake himself up by splashing water on himself? That was really brutal.
Qi Xin looked around and found three or two figures passing by outside the paper window. The doors and windows were all closed, and he was still wearing the clothes of a servant for the ceremony.
She probably knew what was going on.
Qi Xin now had no time to care about how Chen Yu had sneaked into the ceremony servants, and this - the way he woke himself up.
She paused to reflect. The fact that they could slip the drug into the coconut-skin taro cake was truly toxic. Whether actively or passively, she was certain she would ingest it. Furthermore, not only was they putting her in a relationship with a stranger, they also had to find someone to watch her. They were afraid that her self-control was too strong and their efforts would be in vain, right?
Besides, Tiantian took Chinese medicine because of me, and now she is separated from me. The situation is unclear. If I go there rashly, not to mention that there will not be much time to treat her, it will be extremely difficult to find her and rescue her.
It would be better to give in to their wishes now, wait for the person outside to tip off, and then concentrate our firepower here. If they find nothing, then we can just run around like a headless fly. Perhaps this will not only buy us enough time to escape with Tiantian, but their lies will also probably displease our father.
Qi Xin made up her mind, pretending to be charming and seductive, and staggered down the bed, tearing at the front of her dress as she walked. She threw herself into Shen Yu's arms and said coquettishly, "It's so hot, so uncomfortable, help me, help me."
Chen Yu straightened her up and stared into her dark eyes, trying to find a glimmer of clarity, but all he saw was a hollow expression. He had doubts in his heart, but he didn't dare to speak out. He could only straighten her already tangled and slipping collar, avoiding her vaguely visible collarbone, and lowered his voice to the lowest possible level, asking softly:
"Then tell me, who am I?"
"Little brother," Qi Xin grinned, climbed up his neck, moved close to his lips, put the tip of his index finger on his lips, and said coquettishly, "It's something we both agree on, isn't it? Just make both of us feel comfortable."
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The author has something to say: ps——
My dear children, is there anyone who understands me? How could our Marshal Shen be the kind of weak and easily pushed aside type? This is not for...
Hehehe~
Okay, okay, I won’t say anymore. I feel like I’m going to give away spoilers.
Note:
Lost hairpins and earrings - "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Humorists": "If it is a gathering between states, men and women sit together, drink and linger, play six-bog and toss pots, form groups, shake hands without penalty, stare without restraint, earrings fall in front and hairpins are lost behind. The bald men enjoy this secretly, they can drink eight dou and still get drunk." Later, "lost hairpins and earrings" was used to describe drinking happily without being restrained by behavior.
One toast and one drink - refers to the two parties toasting each other back and forth.
Xin, Ren, Gui, and Jia - refers to a spirit of devoting oneself to the public good and disregarding personal gain. "Shangshu Yushu Yiji": "Married at Tushan, Xin, Ren, Gui, and Jia."
The heart of clouds and the nature of the moon – a metaphor for not pursuing fame or wealth. In Meng Haoran's "Remembering Zhou Xiucai Su Shangren": "The heart of a country guest is made of clouds, the nature of a high monk is made of the moon."
Haozhui - Tang Dynasty, from Su Shiyi's "A Poem in One Hundred Rhymes Sent to Wei Zhi" "The tip of the brush is as sharp as a needle, and the tip of the brush is as pierced as a letter." This means "When I was with Wei Zhi, we each had a fine brush with a thin tip. We brought it to test it, and we looked at each other and laughed, thinking it was a Haozhui."
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