Bo Ji's attempts to sow discord ultimately failed due to the King of Ye's uncompromising tone.
Seeing that the Prince of Ye coughed more violently with each word he spoke, as if he could barely breathe, Yuan Chuhua cried out in worry, "Father..."
The Prince of Ye heard her voice, his swollen and narrowed eyes looked over, and he suppressed the itch in his throat, beckoning to her: "Ahem, Hua'er, come here."
Yuan Chuhua intended to walk towards the Prince of Ye, but was grabbed by Bo Ji, whose fingernails even dug into Yuan Chuhua's flesh.
Bo Ji smiled coldly and said, "Since Your Majesty is so certain, then I have nothing more to say and will obey the decree."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Yuan Xingzhou, who was standing aside but had effortlessly obtained all the benefits, and a vicious look appeared in her eyes: "Later, I will send someone to deliver the golden seal to His Highness's palace. I am suddenly feeling unwell, please allow me to take my leave."
After saying that, she grabbed Yuan Chuhua tightly and led her palace servants away from the banquet hall in a huff.
The remaining court officials and their families had also begun to see the situation more clearly. The world had changed; Empress Ye's power was no longer absolute. Now that the Crown Prince had returned, even though the King of Ye had been deposed, with the King's remaining influence and the loyal ministers he had accumulated over decades, the Crown Prince might be able to surpass him.
The winds suddenly shifted, and these courtiers began to have their own ideas.
When the King of Ye saw the Queen of Ye's defeated and hateful figure, he beckoned to the side, signaling the Grand Eunuch Li Gang to come closer and say a few words to him to convey his message.
The chief eunuch stood up and said to everyone, "Ministers Li, Wu, and Cen, please stay for now. The rest of you may continue the banquet tonight if you are interested, or leave the palace and go home if you feel it is getting late."
Most people lowered their heads obsequiously, understanding in their hearts that this was a tactful way of asking them to leave. Indeed, the "exciting scenes" that were supposed to unfold at this banquet had all come to an end. It was normal for the losers to leave and the winners to clear out those who had no value left as onlookers.
These people were well aware of the situation, so they all wisely asked to resign and leave.
The chief eunuch nodded in satisfaction and sent palace servants to properly escort the ministers and their families away. Then he turned to Yuan Xingzhou, bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has something to say to you. Please come with me and a few other officials to Chongzheng Hall."
"You may proceed ahead; I will arrive shortly," Yuan Xingzhou said.
Li Gang looked at the Prince of Ye and saw that he did not object but instead ordered someone to start the sedan chair. He then understood his master's meaning: "Then, Your Highness, I will go ahead as you wish."
After Zheng Quchi and the others had walked far away, they looked at the empty banquet behind them and said to Yuan Xingzhou, "You should hurry up and go, there must be something good."
Yuan Xingzhou's previously gloomy and deep expression faded, and he looked at her calmly: "Oh, what good news could there be?"
Seeing that there was no one else lingering around except for her people, Zheng Quchi said, "He put you in charge of the country and snatched the golden seal of the three armies from the Queen and gave it to you. I think he is determined to send you to deal with the Queen. Maybe his current state is the result of the Queen's actions. This couple has become enemies, and you have become the key to their game."
"That sounds reasonable. It seems you're adapting to the Ye Palace quite quickly."
Yuan Xingzhou gently patted her head: "Go back to the Hundred Departments Hall and wait for me."
No, she hasn't even had dinner yet, and she's already going back like this?
Looking at the delicious-looking beef and mutton on the banquet table, she decided to have a good meal before doing anything big.
"We'll head back after we finish eating."
"Aren't you afraid someone might poison you?"
"..."
“With us here, Madam will be fine.” Wei Yao and Wang Zebang walked over.
Yuan Xingzhou didn't look at them, only saying, "Take good care of her."
After saying this, he headed towards Chongzheng Hall. Li Gang left palace servants to guide him. As soon as he moved, the palace servants followed him. From a distance, they could see that Yuan Xingzhou was indeed different from before. He had the honor and demeanor of a prince, as well as the strength to be surrounded by followers.
"Madam, you and His Highness seem to be working together very well?" Wei Yao asked with a smile.
Zheng Quchi withdrew his gaze and reminded them, "You should also hurry up and build a good relationship with him. He might just be the one who will be above us in the future."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zebang agreed, saying, "Indeed."
At this moment, the man following behind them, not wanting to be left out, spoke up again: "Hey, aren't you two going too far? You dragged me into this when you needed me, but now you're ignoring me and not even introducing me to Yuwen Sheng's wife?"
The voice was soft and cheerful, with a hint of grievance, but it didn't make people feel disgusted. Zheng Quchi looked over and saw a man who was dressed very elegantly.
Few people could wear this pink robe with such grace around Zheng Quchi. He not only wore a pink outfit, but also a hat and light makeup, held a fan in one hand, had a flute tucked into his waistband, and was adorned with various gold and jade ornaments, not a single one was bare.
At first glance, she felt a sense of familiarity with the other person. This frail and helpless scholar... wasn't he the person Yuwen Sheng had once admired?
His surname is Liu… She thinks she knows who he is.
"No need for introductions, I know you. You must be my husband's good friend, Liu Fengmian, right?" she asked with a smile.
"You know me?" Liu Fengmian was stunned.
His relationship with Yuwen Sheng wasn't good enough for him to mention him to his wife, was it?
Well, he had been shamelessly clinging to General Yuwen all along, but the other party had never given him a kind look. So when he heard Zheng Quchi say that he was Yuwen Sheng's good friend, he was overjoyed: "That's right, is that what he said? I'm his good friend?"
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