Chapter 168 He Lost Weight
It was mid-to-late September, and there were still ten days until Jiang Fei and Wei Mingzhen's wedding.
Originally, the bride and groom were not supposed to meet each other, but because the palace banquet was personally hosted by the royal family, all the civil and military officials, as well as the royal family members and nobles had to be present, even folk wedding customs had to give way to the royal etiquette.
Princess Anping's carriage went to the Jiang Mansion to pick up Jiang Fei and brought her into the palace. She comforted Jiang Fei on the way.
"My mother wants to see you because you've helped me a lot. I've decided to divorce Zhang Zheng and told my mother about it. She's been wanting to do so for a long time, but I've been stubborn. This time, I want to thank you, so don't be nervous."
Jiang Fei was surprised and asked, "Are you really planning to divorce Zhang Zheng?"
Princess Anping nodded. "When I lived in the Zhang Mansion before, I always felt lonely and had no end in sight. Every time Zhang Zheng came to see me, it felt lively and I always felt like I couldn't live without him. Later, when I moved out, I was a little uncomfortable at first, but after getting used to it, I realized that I was trapped. You're right, I can live better without him."
Jiang Fei was very happy for her and held Princess Anping's hand. "I'm really happy that you can figure it out. Does Zhang Zheng know about it?"
"I haven't told him yet."
"What if he regrets it and tries to keep you? Will you be soft-hearted?"
Princess Anping thought for a moment and said, "No. In fact, he has come to see me recently. Once he sent a maid to tell me to go back, and once he came in person. However, I refused, and he even threatened me, saying, 'Let's see how long I can hold my nerve.' I look back at this man and feel that I was really blind. After this, I plan to return to the Princess Mansion and spend more time with my mother."
The palace was bustling with activity tonight. Princess Anping took her hand and whispered, "The Empress was unwell a few days ago, so the Chongyang Palace Banquet was cancelled. Now we can make up for it."
Princess Anping took Jiang Fei to see the eldest princess.
The eldest princess was serious and looked very stern, but she spoke gently to Jiang Fei. She talked to her for a while, and when the palace maid reminded them that the banquet was about to begin, they took their seats.
Although Jiang Fei was called by the eldest princess, her status was much lower than hers and she could not sit next to them. Her seat was not at the end, probably because she benefited from the Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion.
The emperor and empress had not arrived yet, and everyone at the banquet was chatting, making the hall bustling with activity.
Jiang Fei didn't know anyone in front, behind, or around him. He just nodded and greeted them and then sat there.
The originally noisy conversation and laughter in the hall suddenly stopped, as if it was suddenly cut off by some invisible force.
Jiang Fei was adjusting her sleeves with her head down when she noticed the unusual silence and subconsciously looked up.
At the palace gate, a slender figure stood against the light.
Pei Jing was wearing a black brocade robe with a jade belt hanging loosely around his waist. He had lost a lot of weight, his jawline was as sharp as a blade, his eyes were darker than before, and his whole body exuded a frightening gloom.
Just one person caused the temperature of the entire hall to drop sharply.
Didn’t he say he wouldn’t come?
Jiang Fei's breath was choked, and the handkerchief in her hand unconsciously clenched.
The court officials all stood up and saluted. Some stepped forward with flattering smiles to congratulate, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your upcoming wedding. Miss Wei is both talented and beautiful. You and Your Highness are truly a match made in heaven."
Pei Jing paused, his eyes suddenly becoming sinister.
Before the man could finish his words, he was pinned to the spot by his cold gaze, sweat dripping down his face. "Your Majesty..."
Pei Jing didn't even raise his eyelids and walked straight past the man. He didn't even glance at Jiang Fei when he passed by her desk.
The man was sweating profusely and retreated in a hurry, not daring to say another word.
The seats at the banquet were all arranged in advance. As the King of Zhaoning, Pei Jing sat on the lower right side of the emperor.
Halfway through the walk, Pei Jing stopped, glanced casually around the hall, and suddenly walked towards an empty seat. It was more than ten desks away from the main seat, but only one desk away from Wei Ciying.
"Your Highness," the eunuch leading the way hurriedly trotted forward and said with an apologetic smile, "This is not your seat. Your seat is in the front. This is..."
Pei Jing suddenly raised his foot and kicked the eunuch to the ground, saying coldly, "Is this position not suitable for me to sit in?"
The eunuch stumbled back after being kicked, and fell to his knees, clutching his chest. He kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, please forgive me! This is not what I meant. I am afraid that this position is not worthy of your noble status."
Pei Jing sneered, waved his sleeves and sat down, "Whether you are worthy or not, it is up to me to decide."
The hall was completely silent.
He poured himself a glass of wine and swept a gloomy gaze over the crowd. "Why are you all looking at me? Just do what you need to do. Or is my presence making you uncomfortable? Do you want me to move you to another seat?"
His voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone in the hall. Everyone hurriedly said they didn't dare to speak and went back to their own conversation.
The young lady next to Wei Ciying quipped, "Look, a hundred embroiderers aren't enough. Even the palace banquets are eager to come to you."
She pursed her lips in Pei Jing's direction and said, "Everyone says Prince Zhaoning is cold and ruthless, but I don't think he's that scary."
Wei Ciying's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her eyes shyly, scolding, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
But he couldn't help but steal a glance at Pei Jing not far away.
The man was drinking with his head tilted back, his slender fingers clasping the jade wine cup, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he swallowed.
It’s really beautiful. Why was I so blind in my previous life to fall in love with that heartless man Jiang Linyuan?
"The prince must be afraid that you will be disturbed by others, so he came here to protect you." The young lady continued to tease, "Ciying, when you marry into the prince's palace in the future, don't forget us, everyone..."
Before he finished speaking, Pei Jing suddenly turned around and looked over.
The look was as cold as an ice-hardened blade, which frightened the young lady so much that she immediately fell silent, and the round fan in her hand fell to the ground with a "click".
"Noisy."
Pei Jing didn't even raise his eyelids as he spat out those two words, yet Wei Ciying's face paled. The young lady who had been joking just now now wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground, even breathing lightly.
Jiang Fei looked at it from afar, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
He had indeed lost a lot of weight, his eyebrows and eyes looked sharper, and his collarbone was visible at the collar. When he tilted his head back to drink, the lines of his neck were extremely tense, and his Adam's apple rolled with a sense of sharp fragility.
She was lost in thought when she suddenly felt a real gaze falling on her, and she met Pei Jing's deep eyes.
He looked over at some point, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't understand.
Jiang Fei lowered her head in a hurry and missed the fleeting, almost pathological curve at the corner of his lips.
Wei Mingzhen's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists, but the man never once glanced at him from beginning to end.
After a while, the emperor, the empress and the imperial concubine arrived. The banquet, which was full of laughter and chatter just now, suddenly fell silent. All the ministers and ladies in the room bowed their heads and saluted.
Jiang Fei had been here once before, so this time she was familiar with the place. After paying her respects and listening to the polite words of the emperor and the queen, she kept her head down to eat, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible, not daring to look across.
I don’t know why I was able to eat several bowls of rice every day a few days ago, but tonight I can’t eat anything.
Halfway through the banquet, Jiang Fei's sleeve was gently pulled.
A palace maid whispered, "Miss Jiang, the princess asks you to go to the back hall."
Jiang Fei looked towards the seat of Princess Anping, and sure enough, no one was there. Pei Jing and Wei Mingzhen were still sitting in their original seats.
Jiang Fei hesitated for a moment, lifted her skirt, stood up, and quietly left the table with the palace maid.
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