"Speaking of being busy with affairs of state? The Prime Minister should give a toast to the Emperor's uncle!"
Xiao Yuqi looked at the slightly pink liquid in the luminous cup and shook it absentmindedly.
Xiao Linshen raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he didn't understand the hidden meaning of Xiao Yuqi's words, and said "hmm".
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense."
As he spoke, Xiao Linshen raised his glass and toasted to the prime minister.
"This king and the Prime Minister have served in the same court for decades, so it is only natural that we have a drink together!"
Prime Minister Wei maintained his smile and raised his glass with the Regent.
"Your Majesty, please!"
Xiao Yuqi glanced at him lightly, then raised his eyes and looked through the dim light, wondering what he was thinking!
Princess Zhaoyang knelt down at the Queen Mother's knees and said, "Today is my aunt's birthday. I have specially learned one of her favorite songs as a gift. Would you like to listen to it?"
...
...
"Of course, my aunt wants to hear Zhaoyang's gift."
Today's banquet is held, firstly, to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, and secondly, to select a concubine for His Majesty.
Zhaoyang was the only daughter of the Empress Dowager's cousin Chen and Marquis Anle. She often accompanied her mother into the palace since she was young, and could be said to be a girl who grew up under the Empress Dowager's watch.
She is also the most preferred candidate for queen in the Queen Mother's heart.
With the Queen Mother's approval, Zhaoyang smiled happily and said to Xiao Yuqi beside him, "Does your Majesty want to hear it too?"
Only then did Xiao Yuqi turn his gaze to Princess Zhaoyang, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes.
He wasn't very interested and just said "hmm" faintly.
However, Zhaoyang was accustomed to his attitude. She smiled and bowed to the Queen Mother, Xiao Yuqi and the Regent, then asked the palace maids to bring up her five-stringed harp.
With Zhaoyang as an example, all the girls from famous families followed closely, eager to try, just to show off their talents at the banquet.
Prime Minister Wei winked at his daughter.
Wei Qingwu received the signal from his eyes and left Zuiqing Garden on the pretext of getting some fresh air.
After a while, Duan Chengzhi also came out.
The two people stood behind the rockery, and Wei Qingwu buried herself directly in Duan Chengzhi's arms.
"Chengzhi, why didn't you even look at me at the banquet today?"
She raised her head and acted coquettishly.
Wei Qingwu was like a fairy who knew nothing about the world, and every strand of her hair grew right at Duan Chengzhi's heart.
"I'm not looking away from you!"
Duan Chengzhi caressed her hair greedily.
"You are so beautiful today. I am afraid that once I look at you, I will never be able to take my eyes off you."
Just one sentence made Wei Qingwu very happy.
"You don't look at me, but His Majesty is always looking at me. Chengzhi, I'm afraid. What if His Majesty really wants to make me the queen? Then how will you and I cope?"
"You..." Duan Chengzhi struggled desperately, wanting to hug his beloved girl back, but he couldn't.
"You don't want to be queen?"
Wei Qingwu pretended to be angry and pushed Duan Chengzhi away.
"I thought you should have understood my feelings a long time ago. Are you saying this to humiliate me or to comfort yourself?"
Duan Chengzhi pursed his lips tightly and clenched his fists tightly. The words that expressed his feelings came to his lips, but he couldn't say them out loud.
She happens to be the prime minister's daughter.
"Duan Chengzhi, if you can only choose one between your majesty and me, you will choose your majesty without hesitation, right?"
Wei Qingwu's eyes were filled with tears as she stepped back step by step.
The breeze blew her hair gently, and her light green dress made her look like willow catkins in the wind.
"If that's the case, why bother to provoke me? What's the point of a water lotus every day?"
A tear fell appropriately from the corner of her eye, sliding across her beautiful face, silently, but it made Duan Chengzhi's heart tighten.
In her hair, there is a water lotus pinned in it. The light pink matches the tender green of her hair. The lotus emerges from the clear water, naturally without any embellishment.
"Qing Wu!"
Duan Chengzhi sighed slightly.
"Even if I chose you, I can't help you tonight."
His attraction to Wei Qingwu was not fake.
The young man is passionate and unrestrained. Once his heart is moved, he is moved.
If you can stop loving her just because she is the prime minister's daughter, then the word love is nothing more than that.
It is precisely because people cannot let go and cannot afford it that they suffer the most.
"What do you mean by that?"
A hint of shock appeared in Wei Qingwu's eyes.
Duan Chengzhi stood in the dark, and even the moonlight could not shine on him.
"Qing Wu, if I wasn't the commander of the Imperial Guard, would you still be attracted to me?"
A very pointed question.
The moment he asked the question, Duan Chengzhi's heart suddenly relaxed.
It was as if the mountain that was as high as the sky in my heart suddenly disintegrated and collapsed completely.
He felt relieved.
Wei Qingwu was flustered for a moment.
She grabbed Duan Chengzhi's hand and shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"Chengzhi, I'm not..."
Duan Chengzhi placed his index finger on Wei Qingwu's lips.
"You don't need to explain to me, Qingwu, between us...it's impossible!"
He raised his hand and took the water lotus from Wei Qingwu's hair. The light pink color was just like the innocent love between the two of them.
After all, it will not be able to show much color and will wither in this world.
Wei Qingwu looked at Duan Chengzhi's gradually walking away, and her heart suddenly felt empty.
She wasn't actually as uncomfortable as she looked, but there was a vague thought in her mind that kept telling her.
Wei Qingwu, you lost something very important!
But what are the important things?
A tall figure, like a ghost, appeared in the darkness, with a faint arc at the corner of his mouth.
Then, it was blown away by the evening breeze.
In the hall, noble ladies from aristocratic families took turns to recite poems and play the piano, or sing and dance, making the scene very lively.
A cold arrow suddenly flew in from outside the hall.
Towards the direction where the Queen Mother is.
In a flash, Xiao Linshen threw the wine glass, and with a clang, the cold arrow was deflected by the wine glass and landed in Qiaozhen's hair as she stood beside the empress dowager.
Qiaozhen's legs went limp and she fell to her knees, her face as pale as paper.
Unexpectedly, another cold arrow followed closely.
It shot straight at the Regent's shoulder blade.
The sharp weapon penetrated the bone, making a dull sound.
Xiao Linshen helped the empress dowager avoid a fatal attack, but he himself was hit by an arrow.
Everyone in the hall then realized the danger and started panicking. Regardless of whether they were familiar with the person or their enemies, they all gathered together, huddled together, and trembled.
"Protect His Majesty!"
Duan Chengzhi rushed in from outside the hall.
A cold arrow passed over his head and rushed straight towards Xiao Yuqi.
With a puff, the cold arrow pierced Xiao Yuqi's chest.
The dark dragon robe did not show any color, and before Xiao Yuqi could utter a sound, he fell limply to the ground.
"His Majesty!"
Duan Chengzhi exclaimed, and the Yulin Guards formed a flesh wall to block Xiao Yuqi.
Unfortunately, it's too late.
"Summon the Imperial Doctor, and the rest of us, we must capture the assassin alive."
Duan Chengzhi commanded a part of the Yulin Guards to protect the scene, while the other part went to capture the assassin.
The Prime Minister's chest was pounding.
This... this must not be the assassin he arranged.
With both His Majesty and the Regent in danger, doesn't that make him the biggest suspect?
How is this possible?
The prime minister gritted his teeth and licked the prepared poison.
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