I thought for a moment and decided to comfort Huo Qi, "Don't be afraid, he probably has some kind of illness that caused him to be like this."
"Really?" Huo Qi blinked and looked at me suspiciously. "But to me it's clearly a monster."
"If it were truly a monster, it wouldn't have died so easily." I continued to talk nonsense. "In my opinion, it just contracted a strange illness."
I nudged You's arm again and said, "Right? Am I right, You?"
"My wife is right."
"Now you believe me, right?" You Ken cooperated. "You Ke is the doctor who cured your elder brother's cold poison. What he says is always right."
Is that so?
"Yes, stop scaring yourself. Tell those people the same thing."
"good."
Huo Qi left with his servant. He still had to resolve the issues at the Second Prince's residence; otherwise, if word got out that there were monsters in the residence, he would lose face.
However, none of this really concerned me, so I pulled You back to the courtyard.
Time flew by, and it was almost time for the evening banquet the next day.
This time, You and I used the same old method as before, hiding ourselves on the crossbeams above the main hall.
We arrived a little later this time than last time, and there were already a few guests when we came in.
After observing the main hall, I found that this banquet was no different from the last one, just a change in name only.
"The delegation from the Nanzhao Kingdom has arrived."
The delegation from the Nanzhao Kingdom is the main guest today, and their timing is perfect, neither too early nor too late.
The scions of prominent families gradually arrived and took their seats. Most of the seats downstairs were occupied, but the most prominent seats were still unoccupied.
I rested my chin on my hand. Again, the First Prince, the Second Prince, and a series of other royal family members were absent. I guess important people always arrive a little later.
As I was thinking this, I saw Huo Qi following behind Huo Yao. The two seemed to be talking about something; Huo Qi looked troubled, while Huo Yao was quietly comforting him.
These two have a really good relationship; it seems there won't be any scenes of family feuds.
Once all the royal family members had arrived, only the emperor and empress remained.
Before long, the Emperor and Empress arrived, but this time the Emperor was accompanied by Yinhua, the Imperial Noble Consort Wei.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived! His Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!" The crowd below knelt down.
"Get up." The Emperor waved his hand, dismissing the crowd to rise. He still had Yinhua in his arms.
Logically speaking, the seating arrangement should follow the rules for today's occasion, but the Emperor disregarded the Empress and sat with Lady Wei Huang.
The old ministers on the mountain of the main hall looked on with disbelief.
I turned my gaze to Yinhua, who this time boldly revealed her entire face, smiling seductively as she leaned into the Emperor's arms.
The Empress, sitting to one side, kept her eyes straight ahead, pretending not to see anything. It must have been difficult for Her Majesty.
Huo Qi and Huo Yao were already used to their father's behavior, but a hint of disdain still flashed in their eyes when they looked at Yin Hua.
The young men in the main hall dared not look up at the current Imperial Noble Lady, but they couldn't help but feel restless and itchy as they listened to her charming laughter.
Yinhua remained nestled in the Emperor's arms, unaffected by the stares or whispered curses around her, appearing every inch the wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country.
After the emperor said a few polite words to welcome the envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom, the banquet began in a rather sparse manner.
The Emperor and Yinhua were drinking merrily on the high platform, while the ministers below were seething with anger. The difference between their joyful expressions last time and the current state of affairs was too great.
When the banquet was more than halfway over, the envoy from the Nanzhao Kingdom suddenly spoke up, "The Nanzhao Kingdom's Linzhu Chu Kingdom is powerful and prosperous, may its king live ten thousand years in peace and prosperity."
"Good, good, good." Although the Emperor and Yinhua were slightly tipsy, they still heard the saddened delegation's words.
After the emperor and the Nanzhao delegation had their drinks, the atmosphere returned to normal.
A group of dancers in flowing red dresses moved gracefully in the arena. Their waists were incredibly supple, and every movement exuded feminine charm.
The dancers' performance added an extravagant touch to the hall.
Many people in the hall were already drunk. With the emperor leading the way on the stage, some other ministers who lacked self-control had lust in their eyes and were pulling at the dancers.
The Empress's expression was not good, so she simply closed her eyes and refused to look at the extravagance in the main hall.
Huo Yao looked at the chaotic scene in the hall and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
Huo Qi remained slumped over his desk, drinking alone in silence.
This scene is so captivating, I can't wait any longer! When will the Nanzhao Kingdom's delegation finally present their treasures?
The man named Dulin from the Nanzhao Kingdom who had just offered a toast glanced at the chaos in the hall and smiled mockingly.
I had been keeping an eye on Du Lin, and I naturally noticed his smile.
Could it be that Du Lin, after seeing the chaos in the main hall today, thinks that the State of Chu is nothing special and not worth presenting treasures to?
If that's the case, then You and I have no choice but to fight over it. No matter what, this Soul-Stealing Jade must be ours.
After taking a sip of wine, Du Lin pushed aside the maid beside him and knelt in the middle of the hall. "Your Majesty, I have come to present you with a treasure."
"Oh? What kind of treasure is it?" The emperor also became somewhat interested when he heard about the treasure.
The string music in the hall also stopped.
"The Soul-Snatching Jade." As soon as Du Lin finished speaking, a man from the Nanzhao Kingdom stepped forward holding a box.
"Open it and take a look." The Emperor squinted at the box.
The box was opened, revealing a piece of crystal-clear jade.
"You, is this the Soul-Snatching Jade?"
He squinted at it for a while and then nodded. "That's right, that's it."
"Finally, I can get it."
However, when such a treasure was placed in front of ordinary people, no one recognized it. The court officials craned their necks to take a look and saw that it was just a piece of jade. They sneered, "I thought it was something important, but it's just a piece of jade. There are countless pieces of jade of better quality in my Chu Kingdom."
"That's right. It seems that the Nanzhao Kingdom is indeed a barbarian land, very poor. They are willing to rush over to send such a piece of jade."
The eldest prince glanced at the jade in the hands of the Nanzhao king, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, but he still remembered his promise to You. "Father, I see a piece of jade that I really like. May I have it?"
The Emperor glanced at the box, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, then waved his hand and said, "It's a reward for you."
You and I were overjoyed; we really got it!
This past year wasn't wasted after all.
"Thank you for the reward, Father Emperor."
"Your Majesty~" Yinhua, who was leaning against You's chest, suddenly spoke.
"My beauty, what's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, someone wants that piece of jade."
I was so angry I almost vomited blood. What's wrong with Yinhua? Is she deliberately trying to antagonize me?
The Emperor glanced at his son with some difficulty, "But I have already bestowed it upon the First Prince."
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