"What are you trying to do, boy?" Princess Heng stared at Duan Jiachen suspiciously.
He was making a fuss about wanting to go home early, but now he's so well-behaved, is he planning something?
Duan Jiachen glanced guiltily at her mother, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just suddenly felt that His Majesty's banquet was too early."
"Really?" Princess Heng stared at him suspiciously.
"Of course it's true," Duan Jiachen said confidently, though his argument was skeptical.
Unable to get a reason from her, Princess Heng was too lazy to care about her foolish son's affairs, as long as he didn't cause any trouble.
But what Princess Heng didn't expect was that her silly son had actually gotten himself into a big mess.
...
With the previous incident of the emperor summoning her gone, Qingyin's participation in the banquet proceeded smoothly.
A person sat at the table, and Jiang Lingya next to her tasted something delicious and recommended that Qingyin try it too. Before long, while watching the performance, they secretly stuffed food into their mouths under their veils. Qingyin was half full.
He didn't notice a palace maid with a nervous expression approaching him with a cup of wine.
Just as she was walking, the palace maid suddenly fell, and the wine in her hand was about to fall on Qingyin.
At the critical moment, Jiang Lingya was quick enough to reach out and grab Qingyin, thus saving Qingyin's new clothes from being ruined by a pot of new wine. However, Qingyin's veil was not as lucky as her clothes; the spout of the teapot caught on a corner of the veil and came down.
The speed was so fast that by the time Qingyin reacted, an eerie silence had fallen around her.
Feeling the scorching gazes from all around and the cool sensation on her face, the girl pursed her lips slightly. Oh dear, her veil had fallen off prematurely.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Miss Lin." The palace maid who had finished her work did not hear the commotion around her. Just now, the Prince Heng's heir and the young master Wang had asked her to come back after spilling tea on Miss Lin. She had brought Miss Lin back to change her clothes.
The palace maid couldn't understand the two young masters' reasoning, but since neither of them had harmed Miss Lin, and the young master and the prince had offered a lot of money, the palace maid had no choice but to suppress her unease and agree to their terms.
The palace maid, who was kneeling on the ground, was unaware that Qingyin's clothes had not been wet. She said, following the lines she had prepared, "Miss Lin, there are clean clothes in the palace. Let me take you to change."
Qingyin blinked, wanting to pick up the veil from the ground and put it back on, but the veil was stained with mud and wine, so Qingyin was a little disgusted and frowned as she nervously grabbed Jiang Lingya's arm.
Seeing Qingyin's timid and nervous appearance, Jiang Lingya felt all her maternal instincts kick in. She protected Qingyin and glared warningly at the overly intense gazes around them.
And that little palace maid... Jiang Lingya glared suspiciously at the nervous little palace maid.
Things in the palace are not ordinary. Could it be that Sister Ahua has been framed by someone?
The little palace maid had been kneeling for so long that she vaguely sensed something was wrong. She mustered up her courage and looked up, finally seeing Qingyin's face clearly.
Especially when a familiar, authoritative voice came from above.
"Ms. Lin, come here."
Emperor Yongqing walked down step by step, his eyes burning with a bottomless possessiveness. He reached out his hand to Qingyin, wanting to pull her over.
The girl, somewhat frightened and nervous, placed her hand in the palm of the supreme emperor, and her slender body was immediately pulled into his arms.
"Drag this palace maid out."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The head eunuch shouted for someone to quickly gag the palace maid before she could beg for mercy and drag her out.
The emperor personally led Qingyin to the highest seat. As they passed the princes' seats, Qingyin could feel an unusually painful and burning gaze fixed on her.
Qingyin knew that it was Duan Heng.
But what could she do? She was just a pretty woman who had been forcibly married into the palace by the emperor.
On the table, Emperor Yongqing looked with satisfaction at the beautiful young woman sitting to the side.
"Don't wear the veil anymore."
The girl nodded, puzzled and frightened. She sat beside him, a tiny, adorable little bundle.
Emperor Yongqing knew the girl was nervous. The experienced old man knew how to tease a naive girl. He gave a look to the eunuch beside him and slightly raised his chin. The eunuch understood what His Majesty meant.
Soon a brand new set of bowls and chopsticks was placed in front of Qingyin.
There was also a very delicate and adorable flower petal dessert. The emperor did not have a sweet tooth, so this dessert was obviously prepared specifically for a young girl.
The young girl's beautiful eyes widened as she looked at the plate of exquisite and fragrant pastries suddenly placed before her, a hint of curiosity flashing in them. Clearly, she liked the pastries. However, due to the emperor's presence, she was somewhat afraid and didn't dare to eat them.
Emperor Yongqing watched this scene with a smile that was hard to hide. He gave the capable eunuch a good look before smiling gently at Qingyin and saying, "Eat up, this is for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Qingyin said timidly.
However, while enjoying the snacks, the girl's tension noticeably lessened, and she was no longer so afraid of the emperor.
Those in the audience caught glimpses of the intimate gestures above from the corner of their eyes, but dared not voice any objections.
They're all shrewd people; everyone knows His Majesty has taken a liking to the woman the Fourth Prince brought. It's just that the Fourth Prince probably harbors resentment towards the Emperor.
As the banquet ended, Duan Jiachen and Wang Chun'an glanced at their seats above with a mixture of regret and remorse.
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