Chapter 139 Stunning Debut
Helian Chi and Yun Li walked to the center of the hall and stood side by side.
"I have fulfilled my mission and returned triumphantly to report to my father."
Helian Chi's voice brought the emperor back to his senses. He nodded and said, "You've worked hard this time! We have achieved a great victory. I should reward you and the entire Northwest Army!"
Helian Chi said calmly: "Thank you, father."
Helian Tian nodded, then looked at Yun Li and asked uncertainly, "Are you Yun Li?"
Yun Li smiled and nodded: "It was before, but not now! This princess is here to visit Yueqi Country on the orders of her mother!"
As soon as the words fell, the audience was in an uproar. Yun Wei bit her lips and her face turned pale.
The emperor was slightly stunned, then used a loud laugh to cover up his embarrassment: "Haha~ Good! On behalf of the Yueqi people, I welcome Princess Mingxi!"
Yun Li smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Your Majesty"
At this time, an official stood up and said, "Princess Mingxi, why didn't you kneel and salute when you saw the emperor? And why didn't the guards and envoys you brought with you kneel?"
Yun Li turned around and looked at the official. It turned out to be Mr. Huang, the Minister of Revenue, Huang Ying'er's father.
"Oh, why should this princess kneel? Lanxi Kingdom is neither a vassal state of Yueqi Kingdom nor a foreign country. This princess was born in the royal family and has an equally noble status. Why should I kneel to others? Since this princess does not kneel, they are my people, so naturally there is no need to kneel!"
Yun Li coldly hit back at the Minister of Revenue, without giving him any face at all.
She guessed that the Minister of Revenue was jealous of her because of the incident with Huang Ying'er last time, so he was making things difficult for her.
The Minister of Revenue was speechless for a moment and stood there in embarrassment.
Yun Li continued, "According to his status, Master Huang should have saluted and greeted this princess! However, this princess is magnanimous and doesn't care about these empty formalities, so Master Huang will be spared the ceremony!"
The old face of the Minister of Revenue turned red, and he was at a loss.
The emperor at the top of the table glanced at the Minister of Revenue, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. However, since there were so many people present today, he didn't want to get angry and spoil everyone's fun, so he said, "Forget it, I don't care! Princess Mingxi, Prince Yu, please take your seats!"
Then he looked at the eunuch beside him and said, "Let the banquet begin!"
Yunli's position is the first position on the left hand side of the emperor, opposite to the prince, and next to the prince is Helian Chi's position.
After taking their seats, the banquet began, string music sounded, and dancers in pink dance costumes danced slowly in the hall to the music.
The palace maids brought in fine wine and delicacies one by one.
"Today is the day that Prince Yu leads the Northwest Army back to the capital! We won a resounding victory in this battle against the Sangyou Kingdom, capturing several cities. I am very pleased!
This banquet is specially held to welcome Prince Yu and to solemnly welcome Princess Mingxi!
Come, let us raise our glasses and celebrate this happy moment together!"
The ministers stood up with their glasses and drank the wine in their hands.
After drinking, the emperor began to reward Helian Chi and the Northwest Army. The imperial edict had been written in advance and was waiting for the eunuch to read it.
"I hereby decree that Prince Helian Chi, for his meritorious service in battle, be granted ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of fertile farmland, a hundred rolls of brocade and cotton, a pair of jade ruyi (ruyi-shaped scepters), a pair of East China Sea night-shining pearls, a pot of East China Sea pearls, and a statue of agate coral. I decree this!"
Then he read out the rewards for the lieutenant generals in the army, and the other officers and soldiers were rewarded with half a year's monthly salary, and also had a month's vacation to go home and reunite with their families.
Helian Chi stood up and bowed slightly to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers of the Northwest Army!"
There was another round of singing and dancing, and the atmosphere at the banquet became lively. The eyes of the officials' children present were all wandering around the Prince.
They had always thought that the King wore a mask all day because he was too ugly to show his face to others, but they never expected that there was such a handsome face under the mask.
The facial features carved by the magic of nature emanated an indomitable aura. Even the prince, who was known as a graceful young man, looked pale in comparison when he sat beside the king. It was as if one was in the sky and the other was on the ground.
The women were secretly attracted by this heroic prince who was a god of war. How could he not capture their hearts? Some women secretly made up their minds to marry the prince.
At this moment, Helian Chi was looking down at Yun Li opposite him, and his thumb was playing with the jade ring on his finger, not knowing that he had been noticed by many women.
The prince beside him glanced at Yun Li and found that Yun Li was also looking at him, so he picked up the wine glass on the table, raised it towards her with a smile, and drank it all in one gulp.
Yun Li thought the prince was sick and ignored him. She supported herself with her arms and admired the dancing girl in the middle of the hall.
Ministers and princes took turns to toast the King, and several princes, led by the Crown Prince, came to Yun Li and toasted her.
Yun Li flatly declined, "I'm sorry, but this princess can't hold her liquor! I can't drink, so please go back, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Ji!"
A trace of embarrassment flashed across the prince's face, but he still maintained a smile and said softly: "It's my fault. I didn't know that the princess can't drink much! The princess can just use tea instead of wine. At least give me some face."
The prince had said so much, Yun Li could not refuse, so she picked up the teacup and drank it all.
The prince said happily: "Princess Mingxi is straightforward!"
Yun Li didn't say much, thinking that she had nothing to say to the prince, so she sat down.
Seeing this, the prince happily returned to his seat.
At this time, Yun Qingshan walked up to Yun Li and asked tentatively: "Yun Li, why don't you go back to the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Yun Li glanced at him and said unhappily, "My name is Murong Li! Please call me Princess Mingxi! The Prime Minister's Mansion isn't my home, so why would I go back?"
Yun Qingshan's face turned grim, and he continued, "I don't know why you became a princess, but you've lived in the Prime Minister's Mansion for over a decade. I was the one who raised you. Even if I haven't made any contributions, I've certainly worked hard over the years... I sincerely hope you'll come back more often. The Prime Minister's Mansion will always be your home!"
Yun Li's mouth twitched. Yun Qingshan didn't seem like the type to say something like that. Was he playing on her emotions? What was his motive?
"Ahem~ Just tell me what your purpose is."
"Li'er, I've spent a lot of money raising you for so many years. Now you're a princess of a country, and it's time to repay your father!"
Yun Li almost spit out the tea in her mouth before she even swallowed it! Is Yun Qingshan asking her for money?
Could it be that after she robbed the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Prime Minister's Mansion was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat...
Hahaha~ She thought she had discovered the truth, but she didn't expect Prime Minister Yun to have gone to this extent.
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