"Your Highness is so generous, then I shall accept your offer." Qin Ge picked up the cup, his long, white fingers even more beautiful than the white porcelain cup. Finally, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Princess Fengxi turned around, placed the silver wine cup on the maid's tray, and without lingering, smiled sweetly and gracefully departed.
Seeing this, Qin Ge slowly put down his wine glass, and the barely perceptible furrow in his brows gently relaxed.
Perhaps... he's just overthinking it?
…
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Ge gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly for his own shallowness and Jun Yuanyao's audacity.
To avoid losing his composure in public, Qin Ge flicked his scarlet official robe and stood up.
Fortunately, although such palace banquets were nominally to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday, in order to ensure that guests and officials could enjoy themselves and that the emperor and his ministers could have a good time, the Empress Dowager and the emperor would leave their seats after a few rounds of drinks. Only then could the ministers relax and enjoy the banquet to their heart's content, so as not to be bound by rules and unable to enjoy themselves to the fullest.
The tyrant and Empress Dowager Cixi had already left, so Qin Ge only needed to say a brief word to his companions before quietly leaving the banquet.
The palace servants asked him if he needed to rest in a side hall, offering to lead the way for Qin Ge.
Qin Ge had already fallen for the trap. Thinking that Princess Fengxi was so audacious as to dare to drug him openly at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, his vigilance was already at its highest point. Naturally, he could not trust the palace servants and follow her anywhere.
After politely declining the palace servant's offer, Qin Ge walked far away from the banquet. Only when she could faintly hear laughter and music, and was certain that she was far from the banquet, did she stop her slightly unsteady steps.
He leaned against the rock face of the artificial hill, slightly out of breath from the effects of the alcohol and the exertion of walking this distance.
He reached out and tugged at his official robe.
Originally dressed impeccably and formally in a scarlet official robe, one or two buttons on the side of the collar were undone, revealing half of her slender, snow-white neck.
After loosening the constraints of his clothes, Qin Ge finally felt his breathing become easier.
However, this is ultimately only a temporary solution and not a fundamental cure.
His gaze shifted, and he spotted the lake not far away. There were many such pavilions and lakes in the Imperial Garden. This place was quite far from the banquet hall, so even if he jumped in, no one should notice. He could simply lie and say he was drunk and accidentally fell into the water...
Just as the thought crossed Qin Ge's mind, he heard shouts coming from afar, "Top scholar, top scholar..."
It was the voice of Eunuch Xia, the chief eunuch serving the tyrant.
Eunuch Xia jogged up to Qin Ge, grabbed his hand, and pulled him away without giving him a chance to speak: "Your Excellency, I've been searching for you everywhere! His Majesty has summoned you urgently. Please, sir, accompany me to the Dragon Palace..."
"Eunuch Xia, do you know why His Majesty summoned me?" Qin Ge didn't want to go, but Eunuch Xia grabbed his arm and he couldn't break free. Eunuch Xia's tone was extremely urgent, leaving no room for him to refuse. "Scholar, don't ask any more questions. Just come with this old servant. Let's talk as we go!"
…
Upon arriving at the Dragon Palace, Qin Ge was panting heavily, his entire back soaked with sweat, making his crimson official robes feel heavy.
The handsome young man, who was always a gentleman, upright and elegant, dressed in light robes and flowing belts, actually looked like this.
This appearance clearly makes him unsuitable to meet the Emperor.
However, the anxious Eunuch Xia didn't care about all that. He pushed Qin Ge into the Dragon Palace and then closed the palace door.
They didn't leave Qin Ge any room to maneuver at all!
Qin Ge: "..."
Inside the Dragon Palace, it seemed that no palace lanterns were lit, and the light was dim and dim.
Qin Ge smelled a strong, pungent odor of blood floating in the air.
Taking two steps inside, one sees the tyrant sitting on the edge of the couch, his head propped up, a sword in his hand, his posture languid. There is a pool of blood on the ground that has not been cleaned up, and even his light gold dragon robe, which symbolizes nobility, is splattered with scarlet blood, like red plum blossoms in full bloom.
Qin Ge was taken aback. This was...
Hearing the commotion, Jun Chenbi initially intended to tell the person to get out, but upon opening his narrow, scarlet phoenix eyes and seeing it was Qin Ge, the word "get out" that was already on his lips turned into—
"come over."
Qin Ge's face was radiant, and she barely managed to maintain a sliver of rationality. She even knew to walk up to the tyrant and give him a proper bow: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Jun Chenbi had an unbearable headache. He closed his eyes, suppressed the urge to kill, and commanded, "Press my head down."
Qin Ge roughly understood that the tyrant's headache had flared up again, and some clueless person had just happened to run into him.
Normally, I'd just let them force my head down; after all, I'd done it before when I was his concubine. But tonight…
Qin Ge took a deep breath and walked towards the emperor on the bed. After only a few steps, he felt his legs go weak and he was on the verge of collapse...
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