The palace banquet begins.
With singing and dancing, and clinking glasses, this palace banquet was more lively than ever because of the birth of the prince.
The prince was still young, and he showed up at the beginning of the banquet, then was taken back to Yaoguang Palace by his wet nurse.
The princess was almost two years old. She was cheerful and loved to laugh. She loved to watch the fun and the singing and dancing. So she stayed with Su Wanti.
The tiny person, like a glutinous rice ball, snuggled softly in his mother's arms, laughing and making noises.
Su Wanti touched her little face from time to time, and listened to her daughter's giggles, her heart filled with happiness.
The Queen Mother also attended the palace banquet in her most magnificent attire, with elaborate and exquisite clothes and glittering gold jewelry.
The empress dowager's temperament is as noble as the clouds on the mountain top, graceful and elegant, which makes people admire her.
The banquet was halfway through, and everyone was talking and laughing.
Emperor Xiao Ping was happy and drank a few more glasses of wine. His cheeks turned slightly red and his body was stained with a slight smell of alcohol.
The Queen Mother glanced at Emperor Xiao Ping, and her dim eyes brightened a little. She poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of Emperor Xiao Ping.
"Your Majesty, I know you have always been a good emperor who works diligently and cares for the people. I also know about the matter of an heir. Before, you pretended not to care, but in fact you were deeply worried. Now that the world is at peace, the country is prosperous, and the people are safe, and the Imperial Concubine has given birth to a child for the Emperor, I am truly overjoyed. I offer a toast to the Emperor, and please drink it to the full."
The Queen Mother handed the wine glass to Emperor Xiao Ping.
Emperor Xiao Ping was slightly tipsy. He listened to the empress dowager's words with a smile on his lips. He did not take the wine glass from the empress dowager's hand, but looked at the empress dowager indifferently with a slightly cold look in his eyes, which made people feel nervous.
He opened his thin lips slightly, "Queen Dowager, must I drink this wine?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression darkened slightly, and her voice was so stern that it shook the eardrums. "Does the Emperor intend to offend me in front of everyone?"
This small world still maintains a social form where imperial power is supreme. Since imperial power is supreme, we must emphasize the relationship between ruler-ruler, minister-minister, father-father, and son-son, and we must also emphasize filial piety.
As an emperor, you must fulfill your filial duties, so that you can set an example for the world.
The Empress Dowager's words were intended to accuse the Emperor of being unfilial and disobedient to the Empress Dowager.
The emperor and the empress dowager were surrounded by concubines from the harem. After hearing their conversation, everyone fell silent. For a moment, the silence was eerie.
Emperor Xiao Ping ignored the empress dowager's harsh questioning. The smell of alcohol on him dissipated slightly and his eyes became clear.
He simply looked at the Queen Mother calmly and said, "If I drink the Queen Mother's wine and the world falls into chaos and the people suffer, will the Queen Mother still let me drink it?"
The Queen Mother lowered her eyes, a faint light flickering in them, and then nodded, "Your Majesty, please drink this cup to the full."
"Heh—" Emperor Xiao Ping sneered. He reached out to take the wine glass and then placed it on the table. His voice was low and cold, "Does the Queen Mother think that I know nothing?"
The Queen Mother was slightly startled when she heard this, her voice trembling, "What does the Emperor mean? I don't understand."
Emperor Xiao Ping waved his hand and the singing and dancing stopped abruptly. The guests didn't know the reason and all looked at the emperor. Seeing that the atmosphere between the emperor and the empress dowager was not right, they all shut up and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
In just a moment, this huge palace became as silent as a stagnant pool of water.
Emperor Xiao Ping looked at the empress dowager, and his voice was clear and distant, reaching the ears of everyone present.
"Empress Dowager, my mother passed away before I ascended the throne. The imperial physician said she died of excessive worry and depression. Is that true? If someone hadn't added a few ingredients to the sleeping potion she drank daily, would she still have nightmares and fears every night?"
The Queen Mother's face turned pale.
Emperor Xiao Ping showed no sign of stopping. He continued, "Does the decoction that the Empress Dowager sends me every day really strengthen my body and replenish my energy? And what is the purpose of the extra vine that's added to the decoction?"
The Queen Mother clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Emperor Xiao Ping snorted coldly, raised the glass of wine presented by the Queen Mother, handed it to the Queen Mother, and said:
"Does the Queen Mother really think that I have done nothing in my ten years on the throne?"
He looked around and spoke slowly.
"Today, the political situation in our Dongli Kingdom is stable, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Whose credit is this? Is it the credit of the court officials, the credit of the Queen Mother, or the credit of the deposed Crown Prince who has been hiding in the Jingxin Temple?"
The Queen Mother trembled violently, "You, you know everything?"
Emperor Xiao Ping smiled coldly and said, "Empress Dowager, there is no chance to depose the Crown Prince. It is because you are too obsessed and have not been able to see clearly."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She also knew that now, her son had no chance of seizing the throne.
"It was I. Everything was planned by me. I will drink this wine. I hope the emperor won't vent his anger on others, especially the deposed crown prince. He did nothing. It was all my fault."
At the last moment, she still wanted to save her son's life.
While the empress dowager was speaking to the emperor, she turned her hands behind her back and gestured to her trusted nanny behind her, asking her to go out and tell the deposed crown prince that the plan was aborted and that he should secretly return to his fiefdom immediately.
Emperor Xiao Ping had a stern expression. Just as the empress dowager picked up the wine glass and was about to drink it all, he raised his hand and knocked the glass to the ground.
The wine spilled all over the floor, creating dark red foam.
"This wine is poisonous!" Su Wanti was closest to the two of them, so she could see it most clearly.
She never expected that the Queen Mother would be so bold as to openly poison someone at a palace banquet.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother actually poisoned Your Majesty!"
There were tears, shock, and fear in Su Wanti's eyes. Emperor Xiao Ping felt distressed when he saw this and held her hand. "I'm fine, my beloved, don't panic."
Su Wanti shook her head, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother was able to openly poison someone at a palace banquet, which means she has another trick up her sleeve!"
Emperor Xiao Ping nodded, "My beloved concubine is right."
He looked at the pale queen mother and said, "I will not let you die. I will let you watch how I pacify the world."
The Queen Mother's cloudy eyes suddenly flashed, and she had a bad premonition in her heart. She looked towards the palace gate and saw her trusted nanny being escorted by the guards, kneeling at the palace gate with her head bowed.
Her eyes suddenly widened, her heart pounding as if it was about to burst out, "My son's life is in danger."
The emperor held Su Wanti's hand and sat on the dragon throne. He asked the palace maids beside the empress dowager to help her sit down.
Several people sat in the upper seats, each with a different expression.
Emperor Xiao Ping was calm and composed, showing the spirit of an emperor.
Su Wanti's eyes sparkled, and she held the princess tightly in her arms, not letting go for a moment.
The Queen Mother had a look of despair on her face and eyes full of despair.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
