Lu Yinjiu rushed out and soon arrived at the door of the Queen Mother's bedroom. At this moment, Concubine Rong was also in the Queen Mother's bedroom, chatting with her to relieve her boredom.
As soon as Lu Yinjiu stepped into the door of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, without even having time to take a breath, she couldn't wait to recount in detail what had just happened in the imperial study.
However, after listening to Lu Yinjiu's story, the Queen Mother gently patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Since the Emperor said he cannot grant the marriage, he must have carefully considered it and weighed the pros and cons. Xiaojiu, please don't embarrass your brother anymore."
But at this moment, Concubine Rong unexpectedly objected. She frowned slightly and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Sister, it's just a marriage, why make such a fuss? In my opinion, the Emperor is really overthinking it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Concubine Rong stood up impatiently and walked quickly to Lu Yinjiu's side. She first gently took Lu Yinjiu's hand, and then carefully looked at the beautiful boy in front of her.
Her face was filled with fondness, and she couldn't stop praising him, "Look at our little Jiu, she's so beautiful she's the most stunning beauty. To be favored by our little Jiu, Xie Qi must have earned a lot of luck in his past life! Little Jiu, just relax. If your brother doesn't want to marry you, tomorrow I'll personally help you test Xie Qi and let you know what he really thinks."
Hearing Concubine Rong's words, Lu Yinjiu was overjoyed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He happily hugged Concubine Rong's arm and said coquettishly, "As expected, you love me the most, mother!"
Faced with Lu Yinjiu's affectionate gesture, Concubine Rong smiled from ear to ear and nodded repeatedly in agreement. At this moment, the entire palace was filled with a cheerful and joyful atmosphere.
However, in sharp contrast to the lively scene here, the empress dowager sat silently aside.
She stared quietly at the two people across from her who were being intimate, with a hint of loneliness that was hard to conceal in her eyes.
She didn't know when it started, but Lu Yinjiu became less close to her. The empress dowager couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness in her heart. She always felt as if they were mother and son, and she felt uncomfortable as an outsider.
The next morning, the sun shone through the clouds onto the earth, illuminating the entire palace with golden splendor and sparkling brilliance.
The palace gate was bustling with people coming and going. Ministers, accompanied by their families, dressed in their finest attire, headed for the banquet.
Xie Qi and Lu Xing sat quietly at the table below, as if the noise around them had nothing to do with them.
Lu Xing was still wearing a hat on his head, hiding his real face from Concubine Rong.
At this time, the emperor stepped onto the platform, solemnly explained some matters related to the banquet, and then announced the official start of the banquet.
The ministers all understood that this banquet was held in honor of the Ninth Prince. Although some of them had complaints about the Ninth Prince's character, considering his noble status, a marriage with him would not be a bad idea.
As a result, the entire banquet was bustling with activity. The ministers came forward one by one, respectfully presenting the birthday gifts they had carefully prepared for the Ninth Prince, and took the opportunity to show off their elegance in front of the Ninth Prince.
However, Xie Qi was the only one who was different. He never showed any intention of giving a gift from beginning to end.
At this moment, Lu Yinjiu, who had been silently paying attention to Xie Qi's every move, finally couldn't suppress the anxiety surging in her heart like a tide, and tugged at the corner of Concubine Rong's gorgeous clothes beside her.
Concubine Rong naturally felt Lu Yinjiu's subtle movement, and following his gaze, she saw Xie Qi, who was tall and handsome, sitting in the middle of the field.
Then, Concubine Rong smiled slightly, turned her head to look at Xie Qi, and said softly, "I have heard that there is a young man with great martial arts skills and chivalrous spirit in the martial arts world. Today I have the opportunity to meet him. It is true that hearing is worse than seeing. He is truly a handsome man. Even my Jiuer admires you very much. However... I am very curious, is this young man interested in marrying into the royal family?"
Concubine Rong's words were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves. The scattered attention of the crowd, drawn as if by a magnet, instantly turned their gazes to the Ninth Prince and Xie Qi.
The eyes of these people were full of curiosity, inquiry, and a hint of subtle gossip.
The people present also understood that the Ninth Prince had probably taken a fancy to Young Master Xie. But they just didn't know whether Young Master Xie was willing to accept this special affection.
For a moment, the entire banquet fell into silence, with only the rustling sound of the leaves in the breeze, which seemed to tell the tense and expectant mood of everyone at the moment.
However, what no one expected was that just as everyone was holding their breath waiting for Xie Qi's response, Lu Xing beside him spoke first.
"Do you want to die? He's mine!"
Lu Xingze's sudden roar instantly made the already tense atmosphere even more tense.
Everyone present was dumbfounded, their faces filled with astonishment. They could never have imagined that as a brother, Lu Xingze would declare his sovereignty in public without regard for the occasion.
"How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you speak such nonsense!" Concubine Rong was so angry that she was shaking all over and shouted loudly with a furious look on her face.
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