Shen Yuan nodded slightly: "Your Highness Prince Jin is too kind."
Xiao Yunfei looked at the rice dumplings on the jade plate and wanted to say something more, but Xiao Yuncheng grabbed him and said impatiently, "Brother, don't just stare at Miss Chen. We brothers finally have a chance to sit and drink, let's have another drink!"
Xiao Yunfei took the wine glass from Xiao Yuncheng's hand, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, and then downed the glass in one gulp.
Seeing that Xiao Yunfei had finished drinking the wine in his glass, a hint of smugness flashed in Xiao Yuncheng's eyes.
But his smugness was all too obvious.
Noticing Shen Yuan's gaze, Xiao Yuncheng turned his head with an unfriendly expression and glared at her: "What are you still standing here for?"
Shen Yuan didn't speak, but bowed and turned back to her seat.
As soon as she sat down, a palace maid behind her poured her a cup of wine.
Just then, the Emperor finished tasting the zongzi wrapped by Shen Yuan and mentioned her name.
When her name was called, Shen Yuan should naturally raise her glass and stand up to offer a toast, but just as her hand touched the glass, her sleeve was suddenly tugged.
Shen Yuan turned around and saw Cao Suian winking at her, as if trying to tell her that there was something wrong with the wine.
Shen Yuan glanced down at the wine in her cup, then casually picked it up and respectfully addressed the Emperor of Great Yan, saying, "It is my blessing that Your Majesty has been able to appreciate this salted egg yolk and meat rice dumpling. I thank Your Majesty for your praise."
The emperor's smile held a hint of benevolence: "What reward do you desire?"
"This humble woman dares not ask for a reward, but..."
Shen Yuan hesitated for a moment, then knelt down without hesitation and said, "I was harmed by villains when I was young and was forced to wander south of the Yan River. The south is rich in rice, and it is because of the rice that I am able to wrap zongzi and enjoy their sweetness on this Dragon Boat Festival."
"But the area south of the Yanjiang River is unbearably hot, with many mountains and few plains. It is really not easy for the people to dig canals to store water and carve mountains to irrigate fields in order to grow rice!"
"Your Majesty, I would like to request that you gather skilled craftsmen to manage the water system in the south, so that the people can conserve water for their fields and increase rice production!"
After Shen Yuan finished speaking, the once lively banquet fell silent.
All eyes were focused on Shen Yuan.
Some were amazed by her courage, some scorned her proposal, and others sincerely praised her actions—a woman who, despite her age, sought to improve the lives of the people of Yannan…
Regardless of what others thought, Shen Yuan didn't care. This was her first time meeting the Emperor of Great Yan, and she was only able to attend this palace banquet thanks to her status as the eldest daughter of the Shen family.
She knew this opportunity was hard-won, so she wanted to do something about it.
If the Emperor of Great Yan adopts her suggestion, that would be best. If the Emperor ignores her suggestion, she will not suffer any loss; at most, she will only incur the Emperor's annoyance.
It's all just a gamble.
She was betting that the emperor would adopt her suggestion.
"As expected of the daughter of the General Who Guards the North, she is intelligent and kind-hearted, with the people of Yan in her heart, and she is worried about the country and its people!" The Emperor said solemnly, "I will discuss your proposal with Prime Minister Cao and send a suitable person to the southern part of Yan to build canals and store water for the people."
"On behalf of the people of Yannan, I thank Your Majesty for your benevolence. Long live the Emperor!"
Shen Yuan lay prostrate on the ground, her voice resounding.
The Emperor then said, "Shen, you have rendered meritorious advice. I hereby bestow upon you a palace token! When you have free time, you may come to the palace with your father and chat with me and the Empress."
With a palace pass, one can freely enter and exit the palace without waiting for a summons.
Those who possess such badges are mostly princes, princesses, nobles, or high-ranking officials of the first or second rank in the imperial court.
Therefore, receiving this reward proves that Shen Yuan has caught the emperor's eye.
Moreover, the palace plaques of the Great Yan Imperial Palace are made of pure gold and are exceptionally beautiful.
Shen Yuan's favorite thing was gold. She happily thanked the chief eunuch for handing her the palace token.
Seeing that Shen Yuan had received a reward, even though she herself had received the same thing, Shen Yunjin was still so jealous that she wanted to go crazy.
The Emperor was simply making up for all the debts he owed to her father by giving them to Shen Yuan.
Did Shen Yuan really think that she had earned the reward on her own merit?
She just got lucky and got a good deal!
But how can someone be lucky forever?
Seeing that Shen Yuan had drunk all the wine in her glass, Shen Yunjin scoffed. This time, that bitch Shen Yuan should finally fall into her hands!
She wanted to ruin his reputation in front of everyone!
They became the laughing stock of the entire capital!
Shen Yuan put down her wine glass, looked up at Shen Yunjin, and their eyes met in mid-air before quickly looking away.
After drinking the wine, Shen Yuan felt dizzy after a while. She held her forehead and said to Bai Zhi, "I think I'm drunk. Let's find a place to rest!"
Upon seeing this, Cao Suian was extremely anxious: "I've been giving you signals with my eyes, how come you didn't understand? I told you not to drink, but you still drank! Where are you going? I'll go with you!"
Seeing Cao Sui'an's worried expression, Shen Yuan's brows furrowed with helplessness.
How can we find out who wants to harm him if we don't drink this cup of wine?
"Sister, even if the wine in the palace tastes very good, you can't overindulge and drink so much!" Shen Yunjin suddenly walked up to Shen Yuan and instructed Tao Hua beside her, "Hurry up and help sister down to rest! Otherwise, she'll make a fool of herself here!"
"yes!"
Having received instructions, Peach Blossom stepped forward to support the swaying Shen Yuan.
Cao Sui'an hurriedly pushed Tao Hua away: "Shen Yunjin, what evil scheme are you plotting now? Wasn't it enough that you used this trick on me once? Now you want to harm your own sister?"
“Miss Cao, I have already explained the matter from three years ago to you very clearly. It has nothing to do with me. Why do you still misunderstand me?”
Shen Yunjin pursed her lower lip, her tone softening slightly: "Besides, she is my own sister, we both have the blood of the Shen family flowing in our veins, we share the same fate, how could I possibly harm her?"
"Miss Cao, are you also drunk? Otherwise, you're deliberately trying to sow discord between us sisters!"
After saying that, Shen Yuanjin turned around and glanced at the peach blossoms.
Peach Blossom immediately grabbed Shen Yuan's arm and pulled her towards the door.
Seeing that Shen Yuan's consciousness was clearly somewhat dazed and confused, Cao Suian rushed forward impatiently and shoved Tao Hua aside: "I can't let you take her away!"
Cao Suian's voice was already loud, and when he shouted like that, he instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Just as Cao Suian and Shen Yunjin were fighting over Shen Yuan, Xiao Yunfei suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood and collapsed on the table at the banquet on the other side.
This scene terrified everyone.
The Emperor of Great Yan and Empress Chen stood up immediately and rushed to Xiao Yunfei's side.
The chief eunuch shouted, "Quickly, quickly... quickly go to the Imperial Medical Bureau and fetch the imperial physician!"
Blackish-red blood splattered everywhere. Xiao Yunfei clutched his chest, his body convulsing, his face contorted in pain. But he only glanced at Xiao Yuncheng before collapsing onto the table, completely unconscious.
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