In early March, heavy snow fell for seven consecutive days. The Great Qi launched a swift attack on the twelve passes of Xilin and returned victorious. The Great Qi Emperor returned to the capital, held a banquet for his officials, and rewarded the soldiers.
The leaders of Southern Liang, Great Liang, Quanrong, and Great Yan, along with the kings of the north, border generals, and noble families, gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Central Plains, to congratulate him on his triumphant return and celebrate the prosperous era.
The palace banquet was extravagant and lavish, with fragrant wines and sweets. The high hall was brightly lit, filled with beautiful songs and dances, delicious food, overturned wine cauldrons, and singing girls dancing, their ample hips and jade arms swaying in the breeze. The music of musicians filled the entire hall.
The decadent imperial nobles toasted each other at the banquet, raising their cups to celebrate the emperor in the high hall. When the wine flowed freely, they noticed that the throne, inlaid with jewels and pearls, was empty. They all dropped their pretenses, embracing the beauties in their arms and indulging in debauchery and music.
The sound of drums and music filled the air, and the luxurious fragrance permeated the palace. Everywhere was filled with jubilant sounds.
Cui Linyuan waved away the generals who came to offer him a toast, glanced at the man below the main seat who was surrounded by more than a dozen beautiful maids, and slowly walked over.
Wang Hezhan had drunk a lot of wine and leaned back in his chair with his eyes slightly closed.
The young dancer sat in his lap, laughing sweetly as she raised a glass of white wine to his lips, her full breasts teasingly brushing against his chest.
"General~ Have I not served you well?"
The cloying fragrance surrounded him. He lowered his eyes lightly, a smile playing on his lips, and teased, "A rare beauty."
The dancer chuckled softly, becoming even more audacious as she poured the wine onto her smooth skin, her eyes alluring as she seductively asked, "Would the general like some?"
The woman's bare shoulders were smooth as jade, and the thin veil could not conceal her two proud, snow-white mounds. Dewy nectar meandered down her body, making her incredibly alluring.
Wang Hezhan glanced at it, but didn't react. He seemed lost in thought, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
The dancer lay on top of him, her supple waist swaying like a water snake, her scarlet nails, stained with crimson nail polish, tracing a path down his chest, her breath sweet and fragrant as she laughed.
"General, is something on your mind? Would you like to tell me?"
"Wang San."
Suddenly, a soft, gentle voice interrupted the idyllic scene. The beautiful maids serving the man immediately retreated respectfully upon seeing the newcomer.
The dancer clinging to him glanced at his expression, then wisely withdrew and knelt on the soft carpet beside him, serving him wine.
Wang Hezhan slightly lifted his eyelids. "His Majesty has already left. Why aren't you going to the nearby palaces to enjoy yourself? What are you doing here looking for me?"
Cui Linyuan stood tall and elegant in a deep purple robe, his features clear and bright. The luxurious fragrance wafted through the air outside the palace, wafting over his sleeves and swaying gracefully.
"Your Majesty is busy appeasing the Empress who is throwing a tantrum. I am all alone and have no choice but to come to you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Meiji beside him, who immediately understood, put down her wine cup, bowed, and retreated.
The two spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, and all the nobles around them heard it clearly. They couldn't help but think to themselves that the Empress was arrogant because of the Emperor's favor, but they didn't dare to say it out loud. If this were to reach His Majesty's ears, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to kill him.
After the victory of the Northern Expedition, His Majesty returned to the capital and immediately began to reorganize the cabinet, killing several important officials. Those who had been associated with the rebels were all dealt with. At this critical juncture, no one dared to stand out.
Cui Linyuan casually pulled up a stool and sat down next to him, listening to the singing and dancing filling the hall, and spoke calmly.
"While His Majesty was on his northern expedition, the Southwest Governor colluded with the King of Southern Xinjiang to rebel, privately manufacturing weapons and stationing troops on the border. Now that His Majesty has returned to the capital, they should be destroying those weapons. You should go and do that."
Wang Hezhan raised an eyebrow and leaned back lazily in the soft chair behind him. "A bunch of traitors, just kill them."
Cui Linyuan smiled and took a sip of wine. "Go ahead. The customs and culture of the Southwest are quite nice. After fighting in the North for so long, it's a good time to relax."
“Brother He Zhan, this is a Gu Bell from our Southwest. Isn’t it beautiful?”
The girl's sweet voice seemed to come from the distant horizon, shattering the decadent and extravagant atmosphere of the palace. Something seemed to crack in his eyes as he grabbed a wine cup from the table and poured it into his mouth, speaking coldly.
"I'm not going."
Seeing his expression, Cui Linyuan remembered something and chuckled, "No wonder he doesn't care about Xie San's ridiculous deeds anymore. It turns out he hasn't let go of that little girl yet."
Wang Hezhan remained expressionless, lazily sipping his wine from the flask in his hand. "She's just a woman, nothing to be so attached to."
"Then why don't you want to go?"
He scoffed, "Why don't you go to that godforsaken place?"
Cui Linyuan smiled and continued to provoke him, "Unlike you, with your beautiful wives and concubines, how lonely it must be for me to go south alone."
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the main hall for banquets for officials. With its green tiles and vermilion roof, purple pillars and golden beams, hundreds of carved corridors and waterside pavilions meander and wind around a pond. Other halls and pavilions are where noble ladies chat and make merry, with the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, drums and bells.
The noble ladies at the banquet listened to the lively conversation in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and whispered among themselves. They all lamented that the current emperor did not appreciate beautiful women. The beautiful young princess from Xiliang had publicly expressed her admiration for the emperor at the banquet and wished to enter the palace as a concubine, but she had been rejected. They had even less chance of entering the palace to serve him.
"Sister Wanyan, what are you looking at?"
In the bustling waterside pavilion, a woman in purple looked expectantly at the man emerging from the main hall. Hearing the voice beside her, she pointed at the man and asked.
Who is that man?
“That’s the third young master, a direct descendant of the Langya Wang clan.”
The noble sons of the four great clans were figures that the weaker aristocratic families could never hope to reach in their entire lives. The young ladies, who were chatting happily, all looked up when they saw the person coming out of the main hall.
Wanyan Ke raised an eyebrow. "He looks very dashing."
The young lady next to him whispered, "He's married. Look, it's the lady in blue in the inner hall, she's a young lady from the Yan family."
"So what if you're married?"
Wanyan Ke glanced at it indifferently and walked towards the corridor to the right of the water pavilion.
At this end, Wang Hezhan descended the jade steps and was talking to several adults beside him. His eyes casually glanced towards the water pavilion, and when he saw the girl who was provoking him, his brows furrowed slightly.
"The Royal Hunting Grounds, you're the one who shot me."
Wanyan Ke chuckled and blocked their path, his eyes bright and arrogant.
Cui Linyuan glanced at the two of them, smiled, and walked towards Qingchi Garden behind them. All the adults behind him immediately followed.
Wang Hezhan ignored her and was about to leave when she suddenly blocked his way, nearly bumping into him.
He paused, casually lowered his eyes, and said slowly, "Is the princess going to throw herself into my arms?"
Wanyan Ke blushed, but his face remained arrogant as he raised his eyes and snorted, "In the rules of our Quanrong, if you take my golden bell, you must marry me."
Wang Hezhan smiled lazily, "Throw it away. If the princess wants it, go fish it out of the lake."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
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