"After saying goodbye to Minister Lin, I remembered I hadn't picked up the gift, so I went back to Qingfeng Tower to get it. I was afraid I might lose control of myself after drinking, so I went to the Imperial Hospital to sober up. Am I not late?"
"What are you talking about? His Majesty is waiting for you. Please follow me."
Xu Jing followed Wang Huai into the inner hall. The music and dance abruptly ceased, and the surrounding guests fell silent. A single woman, the head of the Shangshu's household, looked up and saw the Prince of Qin, dressed in a sleek, elegant robe, kneeling in the hall. He shouted, "I am late. I hope your Majesty and your Majesty will forgive me."
Wang Huai leaned over to Emperor Zhao's ear and explained everything the King of Qin had just said. Emperor Zhao, though pleased, concealed his expression and said, "No need for formalities."
"Thank you, Father."
"I heard that you prepared a gift for Zitong. Where is it?"
Xu Jing gave the jade bottle to the eunuch, who presented it to the emperor. Emperor Zhao was surprised and asked, "What is this?"
Xu Jing replied, "This is a treasure I found in the Western Regions. It's called the Ice Skin and Jade Beauty Pill. Taking this medicine will keep your skin whiter than snow, and your appearance even better than before. This item is rare in the world, and I was lucky to find it. I wish your mother eternal youth, and that she and your father can share the prosperity of the world."
The Queen smiled and said, "The King of Qin is thoughtful. Come and reward me generously."
Xu Jing kowtowed and knelt. "Thank you, Queen Mother."
"Please take a seat."
After Xu Jing took his seat, the banquet returned to normal. Seeing the delicious food on the table, Xu Jing lost his appetite.
021 is Xu Jing's caring little speaker. "The heroine is watching you."
Xu Jing looked in the direction determined by 021 and saw a woman in a blue dress sitting upright, holding a cup and drinking it all in one gulp.
021 asked, "What do you think of her appearance?"
"Nothing special." She wasn't particularly outstanding among the group of beautiful women, and her manners were particularly poor. She didn't know how to sit or stand properly. She was so lucky to be noticed by the male protagonist.
021. "Don't look at it with tinted glasses. She's the female lead. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also a medical pro. She was the one who saved the male supporting character, Zhou Siheng."
Xu Jing. "Help me locate the male supporting role. I want to see what the top scholar looks like."
Zhou Siheng's current official position is only a sixth-rank editor. Wearing a green official uniform and sitting among a group of civil servants, he stands out like a crane among chickens. He is so outstanding that Xu Jing finds it difficult to ignore him.
Zhou Siheng was frail, so he could only drink two or three glasses of wine; any more would make him drunk. He took a sip of wine, and as he picked up some food with his chopsticks, he felt a fiery gaze from the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a cyan figure. Zhou Siheng grumbled inwardly, wondering why the King of Qin was looking at him. Could he have mistaken him?
Xu Jing glanced at her for a moment before looking away. "You found me a sickly person?"
021. "Zhou Siheng was a premature baby, and was always sickly. His mother died young, and his stepmother, in an attempt to make her son the heir to the Zhou family, gave him a chronic poison. If he hadn't met the heroine, he would have died long ago. So you know why Zhou Siheng is obsessed with the heroine, right?"
"How long can he live?"
021. "I'm 20 now, so I probably won't live to be 30."
Come on, he's still going to die young. "Does Lin Wanru have a magic pill that'll keep him alive until he's thirty?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm a book girl and I didn't bring a system space with me. And Zhou Siheng was only 28 years old when he died. You should hurry up and get your strategy. You only have eight years."
Unifying the country in eight years is a bit of a stretch. First, you have to eliminate Emperor Zhao's son, then the male protagonist, and then you have to battle wits and courage with the female protagonist. The key is that the female protagonist is a complete idiot; her success is only possible thanks to Zhou Siheng's counsel. Xu Jing can't defeat multiple people on his own.
021. "That's why the bonus is so high. The higher-ups are really at their wit's end. This mission is almost over, and it would be a shame not to do it now. Meng You said you can definitely handle this, and he agreed immediately."
Xu Jing was speechless, his eyes brimming with smoke as he silently lit a candle for Meng You in his heart. He would deal with this brat once he got out. He was simply outrageous, even accepting such a mission that defied heaven. He was really asking for his life.
Compared to conquering the country, saving Zhou Siheng was not difficult. Xu Jing planned to trick Zhou Siheng into coming to see a doctor when he had time, so as to help him live a few more years.
Two flowers bloomed, each showing its own beauty. Xu Jing was busy thinking about how to conquer the country, while Lin Wanru was absent-minded. She kept looking towards the door, but Caihe never showed up.
Damn it, why didn't anyone show up? Did the plan get exposed?
No, the King of Chu was her good friend who had promised her that he would help her deal with that scumbag Xie Yunqi. So why was Xie Yunqi at the Qianqiu Banquet, while the others were nowhere to be seen? Could something have delayed him?
Lin Wanru waited and waited, but no one showed up even after the banquet. Her mother dragged her along, asking her to greet the concubines and empresses. Lin Wanru responded with a fake smile. Just as she was about to follow her mother back, she was stopped by Jianjia, the empress's lady-in-waiting. "Miss Lin, the empress invites you to a side hall for a chat."
"I wonder what the Queen wants to talk to you about?"
Jianjia smiled and said, "Miss Lin, please come with me."
Lin Wanru had to give the Queen face, so she was forced to follow Jianjia into the inner hall.
Arriving at the inner hall, Lin Wanru saw Caihe and Lin Qingru kneeling on the ground, and she immediately understood. She immediately found a place to kneel and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I know nothing."
The Queen said with a forced smile, "Why are you panicking? I'm not punishing you. Jianjia, help Miss Lin up and offer her a seat."
After everyone arrived, the Queen stopped smiling and looked at Xu Jing. "Prince Qin, can you tell me what's going on?"
Xu Jing stood up and saluted, then said, "I, your son, was co-hosting the Qianqiu Banquet with Lord Lin, the Minister of Rites. Just as the banquet was about to begin, I realized I had forgotten to bring a gift, so I returned to Qingfeng Tower to retrieve it. On the way, I ran into Miss Lin and her maid. Since Miss Lin is my cousin, I exchanged a few pleasantries, then hurried off to Qingfeng Tower to retrieve the gift. As a result, I was late for the Qianqiu Banquet. This was all my fault, and I accept the responsibility."
Prince Xie Yunzhang of Chu retorted, "Fifth Brother, you are mistaken. I remember that you left the birthday banquet because you were drunk. Could it be that you have forgotten?"
Xu Jing calmly responded to Xie Yunzhang's criticism, "It's true that I had a couple of drinks before the Qianqiu Banquet with Lord Lin because I'm addicted to alcohol. On my way to Qingfeng Tower, I stopped by the Imperial Hospital and asked the eunuchs there to prescribe some hangover medicine for me. If your mother doesn't believe me, you can ask Jianjia to investigate. Once the facts are revealed, she'll be able to give me justice."
When did this idiot become so sharp-tongued? If he hadn't looked exactly like Xie Yunqi, Xie Yunzhang would have suspected that Xie Yunqi had been swapped.
Seeing that things were not going well, Xie Yunzhang kicked Caihe, who cried out in pain, "Slave girl, slave girl, please speak."
Of course, the queen would not listen to one side of the story. She gave Caihe a look, indicating her to continue.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
