Helian Jue and Xie Yuan's group have been in He County for half a year.
During this period, Cui Boyong and other officials of Yuezhou met Helian Jue only once, when they first arrived.
In the following months, Cui Boyong would at most sneak off to Crescent Moon Village to see the Prince's Mansion under construction or the military camp where new recruits were being trained.
He never took the initiative to visit Helian Jue, nor did he ever invite Helian Jue and his wife to his home.
Since Cui Boyong, as the governor, acted in this manner, other officials, both high and low, in Yuezhou also treated Helian Jue as if he were invisible.
No visits, no invitations.
The Cui family held a banquet, and they all actively participated, but they deliberately avoided Helian Jue!
To put it mildly, this means that the officials in Yuezhou don't take Helian Jue seriously.
To put it more broadly, it means that many officials below the rank of governor treated a prince with disrespect.
Cui Boyong's initial intention in ostracizing Helian Jue was to provoke him and make him do something unwise and foolish in a fit of anger.
However, Helian Jue was completely unconcerned about such disrespect.
Instead of making a scene, he closed the gate, focused on drinking, and refused to associate with officials from Yuezhou.
"Helian Jue is just throwing caution to the wind!"
Cui Boyong said this with a smile to the officials of Yuezhou, both high and low.
Regardless of their true thoughts, all the officials nodded in agreement.
In fact, most of these officials agreed with Cui Boyong's guess—
Deposed and expelled, the emperor and the nobles in the capital shattered Helian Jue's illusions.
If these officials themselves had experienced what Helian Jue went through, they would also have become disheartened and dejected.
Once Cui Boyong realized that Helian Jue was a hopeless case, he lowered his guard.
Therefore, the reason why Cui Boyong and other Yuezhou officials "ignored" Helian Jue was simply because they looked down on him and considered it a humiliation.
Xie Yuan was busy with matters inside and outside the Prince's residence and paid no attention to these banquets.
If you attend a banquet, you should reciprocate by inviting someone to join you!
They don't even have their own palace, so are they going to hold a banquet in a borrowed residence?
If that's the case, not only will you not gain face, you'll lose even more face!
Furthermore, saving face is not something that can be done overnight. It may feel frustrating now, but who knows what the future holds!
"Is it Governor Cui's birthday?"
Xie Yuan curled his lips into a playful smile.
"Yes! I heard it's his 45th birthday. I didn't originally want to make a big fuss, but I couldn't refuse everyone's enthusiastic invitations!"
Helian Jue sneered and deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "everyone"!
Cui Boyong's meaning was all too clear; he simply wanted to demonstrate his "prestige" in Yuezhou to Helian Jue.
Helian Jue was clearly the King of Yuezhou, while Cui Boyong, the governor, was more like an "emperor emeritus."
The officials probably didn't even know which way the gate of Helian Jue's new palace faced, yet they were all vying to curry favor with the Cui family!
Who is superior and who is inferior?
It's absolutely obvious who's better.
"laugh!"
Xie Yuan sneered; she looked down on Cui Boyong's petty schemes.
She bet that if she went to the Cui family the day after tomorrow, she would probably experience similar "embarrassment".
"Xie, aren't you angry? Don't you think it's humiliating for me to be overshadowed by a mere subject?"
Helian Jue raised an eyebrow and deliberately asked Xie Yuan this question.
"Your Highness, what is there to be angry about? Governor Cui is indeed very influential in Yuezhou now!"
Xie Yuan looked completely unconcerned.
"As for Your Highness, there's no need to fight over a matter of time!"
Those who achieve great things must be able to bend and stretch.
What does it matter if I suffer some grievances now? As long as I can achieve great things in the future, that's enough!
Furthermore, Cui Boyong only dared to engage in underhanded tactics and did not dare to openly humiliate the Yue Prince's Mansion.
Even if Helian Jue and Xie Yuan attend the banquet, they won't be treated any differently.
At most, you'll hear some sarcastic remarks or receive some subtle eye rolls.
Just be patient, it will pass!
However, Helian Jue showed her the truth—
I cannot tolerate even the slightest grievance.
My queen will never have to swallow her anger.
"Why not fight? Do you really think I'm afraid of Cui Boyong?"
"Don't worry, even if I'm down on my luck, I won't be humiliated by a mere subject, and I certainly won't fail to protect you, my queen!"
Helian Jue's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was resounding.
Xie Yuan looked at him intently, his heart deeply touched.
The image of her wedding day flashed through her mind again—
Helian Jue grabbed the Fourth Prince by the neck with one hand, posing as if she wanted to die with him, and finally forced the Fourth Prince to apologize to her.
He didn't say anything boastful, but he always protected her.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Xie Yuan said sincerely.
Helian Jue frowned slightly, thinking Xie Yuan was just being perfunctory. "You don't believe me?"
Xie Yuan looked into his eyes and slowly shook his head. "No! I believe you!"
Helian Jue saw his own reflection in Xie Yuan's clear, watery eyes.
Finally, he was satisfied.
This Xie woman was quite sensible; she didn't disappoint the generous gift he had specially prepared for her.
...
Time quickly came to the day of the Cui family's birthday banquet. Xie Yuan and Helian Jue arrived at the governor's mansion in an oxcart at a leisurely pace.
As soon as they arrived at the alley entrance, they saw crowded horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts, as well as wealthy families and officials dressed in fine clothes, along with their families.
The guests were extremely eager, while the servants of the governor's mansion displayed arrogant expressions.
"Even a seventh-rank official is more prestigious than a mere seventh-rank county magistrate!"
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