The princess's demeanor was so upright that Su Wanyan couldn't tell whether she was truly cured or simply being controlled by Xiao Chensheng with drugs.
She looked around but didn't see Xiao Chensheng. Was he really so comfortable letting the Princess attend the banquet alone?
Just as he was wondering, he noticed a gaze falling on him.
Su Wanyan glanced over and saw it was Feng Yao, the seventeenth princess of the East Sea.
She smiled and raised her glass to Su Wanyan in a toasting gesture, giving the impression of old friends meeting again.
Su Wanyan lowered her eyes and composed herself, then stepped forward with Yu Nanqing and bowed: "Greetings, Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
Emperor Yuanhe waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Why are you so late? The banquet has been going on for quite some time. Please sit down."
Su Wanyan bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Yu Nanqing gently supported Su Wanyan's hand, and only after she sat down in her seat at Prince Gong's residence did he lift his robe and sit down himself.
Emperor Yuanhe seemed to be in a good mood. He looked at Su Wanyan and smiled, "Third sister-in-law, these are all envoys from the East Sea. Your third brother is very familiar with them. You probably haven't met them yet, so take this opportunity to get to know them."
Su Wanyan looked over, but before she could speak, she saw Feng Yao stand up, curtsy to Emperor Yuanhe, and say with a smile, "Your Majesty is mistaken. I met Princess Gong at the lakeside pavilion a few days ago. I just don't know if Her Highness still recognizes me."
"Oh?" Emperor Yuanhe asked curiously, "You've met before?"
Su Wanyan then smiled and said, "When I first met Princess Fengyao, she only said that she had come to trade with her father."
Emperor Yuanhe asked curiously, "Is that so?"
Feng Lingxiao then interjected, "Alas, my younger sister has been playful since she was little. She promised to follow my orders when we came to Dajin, and she agreed so readily when we set off. Who would have thought that she would run wild as soon as we arrived in Dajin? It has made me so worried."
He gave Su Wanyan a bright smile: "I hope Princess Gong will not take offense."
Feng Yao raised her wine cup and toasted Su Wanyan, saying, "It was my fault for not telling Your Highness the truth. I will punish myself with a cup of wine."
After saying that, he threw his head back and downed the drink in one gulp, then sat back down in his seat.
Su Wanyan laughed: "I didn't say it was the princess's fault. I never drink alcohol, but the princess drank it so quickly, which puts me in a difficult position."
Feng Yao seemed to have discovered something interesting: "Your Majesty never drinks alcohol?"
She asked with a smile, "Then, on your wedding night, Your Highness and the Prince, won't you drink the nuptial wine?"
Upon hearing this, the previously noisy hall instantly quieted down considerably.
Although the ministers in the hall were drunk, they could still tell from their long experience in officialdom that the words spoken contained a hostile undertone.
"..." Su Wanyan stared directly at Feng Yao.
Everyone knew about her affair with Yu Nanqing, and she didn't believe Feng Yao's words weren't sarcastic.
But why would she use this incident to mock her and Yu Nanqing?
Is it because they don't get along with Yu Nanqing?
That's true, after all, the East Sea and the Great Jin Dynasty already had a history of national hatred.
Yu Nanqing's expression darkened as he looked at Feng Yao.
"I didn't drink," Su Wanyan readily admitted, smiling as she looked at Yu Nanqing. "You weren't feeling well back then, so it wasn't a good time for you to drink."
The moment Yu Nanqing looked at Su Wanyan, his gaze softened.
Before she could speak, Feng Yao's voice rang out again: "So, the marriage between Prince Gong and Princess Gong isn't actually valid, is it? I've heard that weddings in your Great Jin Dynasty are very complicated. Besides the three letters and six betrothal gifts, the eight-bearer sedan chair, there's also the ritual of bowing to heaven and earth and to one's parents to be considered a proper marriage. Prince and Princess..."
"Yao Yao!" At this moment, Feng Lingxiao called out to her: "That is a private matter between Prince Gong and Princess Gong. You must not be rude."
Feng Yao was not afraid at all and laughed, "I just really like the customs of the Great Jin Dynasty, and I just happen to get along well with Your Highness the Princess, so I asked a lot of questions. Your Highness the Princess shouldn't be so petty as to not even tell me this, right?"
Because the origin of Su Wanyan and Yu Nanqing's marriage was not a glorious matter, even if the ministers present disapproved of Donghai's seditious remarks about them, they could not say that it was a marriage bestowed by Emperor Yuanhe.
Otherwise, they would truly be contradicting themselves.
As Feng Yao spoke, Yu Nanqing's face had turned as black as could be.
On the contrary, Su Wanyan remained calm and suddenly asked, "Is the Seventeenth Princess here for a marriage alliance with the Great Jin?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Yao's body trembled violently, and her smile froze on her face.
Even Feng Lingxiao, who was standing next to her, frowned and stared at Su Wanyan without blinking, completely losing his previous nonchalant demeanor.
Oh dear?
Su Wanyan raised an eyebrow. This... you guessed right?
Otherwise, how could his expression change so suddenly?
"Hmm?" Just as they were wondering, Emperor Yuanhe spoke up, looking at Feng Lingxiao with puzzlement: "Does the East Sea have this intention?"
Although he and Yu Nanqing were at odds, the one sitting in the hall now was, after all, the East Sea. In front of other countries, the most important thing was still the face of the Great Jin.
He could tolerate losing face at home, but losing face in front of other countries was absolutely unacceptable.
Therefore, he would naturally be happy if Su Wanyan could steer the conversation away from this topic.
The other ministers in the hall naturally shared the same opinion, and they began to ramble on in their drunken state: "Hey, the invitation from the Eastern Sea didn't say anything about sending a princess for a marriage alliance. Second Prince, what do you mean by this?"
"What are you saying, Lord Dong? It's only natural for Donghai and Dajin to establish diplomatic relations and have a marriage alliance. It's just that there are no princes of suitable age at the moment."
"Then I wonder which one Donghai has taken a fancy to?" a minister asked directly.
Feng Yao became anxious and hurriedly said, "This princess came to the Great Jin with my second brother to see the customs and traditions of the Great Jin. Before we set off, my father never mentioned the matter of a marriage alliance."
She looked at Su Wanyan and said, "Princess Gong, please do not speak nonsense here. Otherwise, it will damage the reputation of the Donghai royal family. Your Highness cannot bear such a crime!"
"Oh." Su Wanyan said casually, "I saw that you were so interested in my marriage to the Prince, so I thought you were preparing for your own marriage. If you were preparing for your own marriage, the Seventeenth Princess should have stayed obediently in the East Sea waiting to be married. Instead, you've traveled all the way to the Great Jin Dynasty, so I assumed..."
It would be a miracle if it weren't there.
At this point, Su Wanyan chuckled and said, "Forget it, if it's not true, it's not true. Why is the Seventeenth Princess reacting so strongly? Whether it damages the reputation of the East Sea royal family depends on whether the Seventeenth Princess's words and actions are proper. If she says something that could cause misunderstandings, how can she blame others? Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you, right? You are a princess, a role model for all people, and you should understand what I mean."
"You!" Feng Yao's heart skipped a beat. How did it turn out to be her fault after all this time?
"Heh." Feng Lingxiao chuckled and looked at Yu Nanqing: "Prince Gong, your princess consort is quite clever."
Su Wanyan's gaze fell directly upon them, her eyes filled with a menacing look.
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