Shikoku banquet
Yangyang and Yueyue carried Li Xin and Li Ziyin back to the dormitory. Chen Ying, who had been waiting inside, was beaming with joy and hurried over to them, holding the two children in his left and right hands respectively.
"Xin'er, Ziyin, mother is back! Did you miss her?"
Chen Yun looked at the two babies in his arms babbling and their chubby little mouths pouting, which was so adorable.
His expression changed, and Chen Yun asked, "Yangyang Yueyue, how about asking you to investigate this matter?"
Yangyang and Yueyue handed a pile of papers to Chen Ying, who held the child and looked at the papers in his hand.
Yangyang said, "Lan Xixi's father, Lan Taifu, was involved in the illegal salt trade with the Guo family. A year ago, they were selling illegal salt in Leping Town, Yongle Town, and Shangxiachuan Township. Many of their private correspondences are recorded on these papers. The palace also has account books, but they are too strictly protected to be taken out."
Yueyue said, "Chen Youyou's family is very secretive, so we can't find any relevant information. However, Chen Youyou herself bullied the palace maids and even had affairs with several guards. And Minister Li's resort villa has a warehouse where privately made weapons from the Ministry of Works are stored."
Chen Yun nodded, then placed a pile of papers on the table, put the child in the cradle, and then walked to the cabinet, took out a few silver coins, walked over to Yangyang and Yueyue, stuffed them in front of them, and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, you can leave first."
The two of them saluted excitedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After the two left, Chen Yan walked out of the bedroom, thinking to himself: "This paves the way for the East Palace. Whoever messes with me, I will kill him."
Then he placed a few silver coins on the grass in the courtyard, took a pile of paper on the grass and went back to the dormitory.
But before she had gone far, Li Lin came to her side. He looked at the information in Chen Yun's hand, and Chen Yun hurriedly put it away.
Li Lin smiled slightly and said, "I won't ask about it. But after you get out, you should eat more tonic food. Look at how bad your skin has become."
Li Lin touched Chen Yun's cheek affectionately. Chen Yun gently pushed Li Lin's hand away and walked into the room with a slightly red cheek: "He's a rough guy, it doesn't matter."
Li Lin quickly grasped Chen Yun's hand, which had just been pushed away. One was outside the house, the other inside. Li Lin lifted Chen Yun's hand and examined it carefully. "You are now my wife. Your image symbolizes the royal family. Please take care of yourself." He pulled out a small bottle from his waist. "This was a tribute from the vassal state last year."
Li Lin dipped his fingers in some ointment and gently applied it to Chen Yun. Chen Yun looked up at Li Lin and saw that the prominent Adam's apple was like a spirit pearl hidden in a deep valley, and the drooping eyelashes were like the wings of a butterfly quietly under the night sky, which made people's heart beat faster.
At that moment, Chen Ying seemed to realize that his mind was on Li Lin and wanted to pull his hand back, but was pulled back by Li Lin.
Li Lin looked at Chen Yun and said, "Don't move. I'm applying medicine! It will be better soon!"
Chen Yun lowered her head, and a warm feeling unconsciously surged in her heart, which made her complain to herself: "Chen Yun, what are you so moved about? Aren't you and Li Lin just living together? Isn't it a cooperative relationship where everyone gets what they need? Ah——"
Li Lin was also thinking: "An ordinary citizen, with such a special identity, came to the palace, but was bullied by others. I always feel a little sorry for her. No, why should I care about her? No... When did I become so considerate of her?"
Everything was silent, and the breathing of both of them became so soft and sweet that they even found their relationship too ambiguous and awkward.
Trying to break the awkwardness, Li Lin was the first to ask, "Xiao Ying, aren't you planning on competing for the position of Crown Princess?"
"lazy."
"I'm gambling with the ministers in the court with your and my crown prince positions!"
Chen Yun jumped up and looked at Li Lin: "Have you lost your mind? How can you gamble your position as crown prince with those ministers?"
Li Lin whispered in Chen Yun's ear, "Because I want you to be the Crown Princess."
After saying this, he pressed the medicine bottle into Chen Yun's hand and said as he left, "This is for you. I'll go back and continue reviewing."
Chen Yun lowered his head, looked at the medicine bottle in his hand, and said to himself, "But... I just want to survive in peace. But why is my life becoming less and less like the past..."
The day of the banquet arrived, but Chen Ying was lying in bed sleeping. Yang Yang and Yue Yue were urging Chen Ying to get up beside the bed.
Yang Yang urged, "Master, Master, get up quickly! The banquet is about to begin."
Chen Yun slowly opened her eyes sleepily, subconsciously wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth and said, "I'm so tired. You know how sleep deprived mothers are!"
Yueyue: "I know. But now, if you are not a member of the royal family, then you, my master, have not yet arrived at the scene. This is the day for the Three Kingdoms Business Banquet and the final decision on the position of Crown Princess! Ah! I am worried for you too!"
Chen Yun sat up and said helplessly, "Oh, what a hassle. Anyway, change my clothes for me, use the No. 3 perfume, and take the little prince and princess with me. There should be an interesting banquet tonight."
After a while, a woman holding two babies in her arms slowly entered the reception hall of Yingtian Gate, just as:
Her hair is as beautiful as a flower, and her skin is as graceful as jade.
Her eyebrows are as beautiful as distant ink and full of affection, and her eyes are like autumn waves chasing dreams.
The cherry lips are naturally red and smooth, and the red clothes complement her noble and luxurious appearance.
She has an elegant demeanor with a green hairpin in her bun, and her graceful figure is set against the backdrop of the palace clouds.
"Who is that woman?" a businessman commented.
"This person seems to be one of the concubines of the Qiankun Kingdom's Crown Prince. Her surname is Chen and her name is Yun. It is said that the Crown Prince traveled thousands of miles and disappeared for several months just for her."
Chen Yun walked down the red carpet in the banquet hall, scanning the surrounding courtiers. It was clear that to his left were the foreign guests, to his right were the courtiers, and in the middle were, naturally, Li Lie'ao and Xue Lian, the two rulers of Qiankun. In one corner sat Crown Prince Li Lin, flanked by three beautiful ladies: Lan Xixi, Chen Youyou, and Li Zi.
Looking down, there are four concubines and their respective children, as well as the fourth prince Li Chun, the son of Huang Jieshu.
Below them were the important officials in the court. However, these officials did not have the same curious eyes as the princess and the prince, but rather looked at them with contempt and scrutiny.
"Are these the princesses, princes, and their families? The high officials are here."
Chen Yun stopped before the dragon throne and saluted, "Your son, along with the two grandchildren, pays homage to your father, the emperor, and your mother, the empress."
The officials behind her accused Chen Ying of wrongdoing and even insulted her background, but Chen Ying didn't care and ignored them.
Li Lieo then sent Chen Yin to take a seat as soon as possible.
As Chen Yun sat down, Li Lin said, "So, Princess Wei, everyone is here before the food is served. Should we fulfill our bet and invite you to perform your unrivaled music?"
Wei Ningshuang smiled and nodded, then asked someone to bring out the flute.
Chen Youyou stood up and volunteered, "Father, Crown Princess Wei, I'd like to meet my fellow musicians on the guzheng. Do you agree?"
The two agreed, and Chen Yun approached Li Lin and asked, "Prince, who is Crown Princess Wei?"
"She is the Crown Princess of Yanyou Country, and sitting next to her is the Crown Prince Xuanyuan Haonan of that country."
Li Zi hurried over to help lift the zither up. Seeing this, Chen Youyou hurried forward to stop Li Zi: "Li Liang Di! How can I trouble you with this job?"
Li Zi responded and prepared to hand the zither to Chen Youyou, but during the handover, she suddenly let go of the zither and it fell. Li Zi reacted and used her other hand to hold the silk thread. At that moment, one of the strings broke and the zither fell.
Chen Youyou picked up the guzheng and looked at Li Zi with resentment, saying, "Li Liang Di should have said earlier that she disdained Crown Princess Wei and my sister's music studies. Why did she humiliate the two of us and even break the guzheng?"
Chen Yun casually picked up some fruit from the table and started eating, thinking about the drama between the two people: "These two... are really dramatic."
Xue Lian and Li Lieo, who were standing by, saw the two men's performance as a thorn in their side, and seemed dissatisfied with them.
Wei Ningshuang said, "Why don't you two go back and rest first."
Li Zi went back triumphantly, while Chen Youyou looked at her unconvincedly.
Chen Yin was mesmerized by Wei Ningshuang's performance, and everyone present was intoxicated by it. When it ended, everyone applauded.
As they applauded, Chen Yun approached Li Lin and asked, "It looks like the discussion was quite successful!"
"No, they're still not convinced. So, you go and serve them tea!"
"Is it really okay for someone close to the Crown Prince to greet guests from another country?"
"It means doing things that others think shouldn't be done. The main goal is to catch them off guard. Then use excuses to make them give in."
Chen Yun raised the wine jug and stood up. "Dear guests, welcome to your presence. I'm honored to meet you all today. I'll fill a glass for you all."
When Chen Ying took a step forward, Chen Youyou stretched out her foot, and Chen Ying accidentally fell to the ground, causing everyone to laugh at her.
Li Lieo and Xue Lian shook their heads in dissatisfaction.
Chen Yun stood up again and asked the maid to bring the wine again. Li Zi took the wine pot from the maid and handed it to Chen Yun, but the moment the maid took it, her fake hand loosened and the whole wine pot fell to the ground again.
Li Zi said regretfully, "Sister, who are you dissatisfied with? Why would you do such a thing on such an important occasion?"
Li Lieao said dissatisfiedly: "If it doesn't work, let someone else come!"
Chen Yun thought unconvincedly, "If I give in now, how can I live a more fulfilling life? Will I be bullied to death in the future? I am no longer the fool I used to be."
Chen Ying bowed deeply to the guests and apologized.
"Take it again!"
Chen Yan reached out to take the wine. This time, Chen Youyou suddenly stood up and said, "Sister, why don't you let your younger sister do it!"
On the surface, Chen Youyou was taking the wine jug, but in fact, she was waiting for the moment when Chen Yan pulled her and then pretended to fall.
"No need." Chen Yan hid the wine jug behind him, and Chen Youyou threw the wine jug away again.
"Sister, why do you do this?"
Li Lie'ao knocked on the table and said, "I want you to sit down! Stop embarrassing yourself!"
Chen Yun continued, "Please forgive me for not obeying your command! Take it again!"
Lan Xixi also tried to persuade him, but she stopped him with her hand.
Li Zi also stood up and tried to take the wine jug away, but this time Chen Yin took the initiative to let go of his hand, and the wine jug fell to the ground again.
Chen Yun continued, "Take it again!"
Li Lin said, "When will you three be allowed to pour the wine? That's Chen Liangdi's job."
Li Zi and Chen Youyou sat back down, both with smug looks on their faces.
Chen Ying, uncharacteristically smiling, said, "Dear guests, there was a small incident that startled everyone. Please forgive me."
Chen Yun took the lead and walked over to Li Lieao and Xue Lian and poured them some wine. They nodded in satisfaction.
Xue Lian leaned close to Li Lie'ao and whispered, "This girl is stubborn, but she can keep her composure."
Li Lieo also agreed.
As soon as Chen Yan arrived at the table with Yanyou Kingdom and poured drinks for the two, Xuanyuan Haonan stared at Chen Yan with a sinister look in his eyes. Li Lin looked at this look with a fierce look on his face, but said nothing.
Wei Ningshuang smiled and held Chen Yun's hands and said, "Are you the concubine that the prince chased after for months and thousands of miles back to the palace? How enviable."
"This woman is quite approachable." Thinking of this, Chen Yun also smiled slightly. "I have heard a lot about Crown Princess Wei, and I am also grateful for Crown Prince Xuanyuan's visit. Your arrival makes Qiankun Kingdom shine brightly."
Xuanyuan Haonan grabbed Wei Ningshuang's hand in a hurry and pulled it away, then glared at her. Wei Ningshuang didn't say much, but lowered her head and looked very humble.
Chen Yun came to the next table and saw the man in front of her with a well-proportioned face. He was handsome yet delicate, but it reminded her of Xiao Qi at this Lang Dengzi Prince a year ago. The woman next to him had phoenix eyes and red lips, and a sour look on her face. So she pretended not to know him and said, "Thank you for coming. A distinguished guest from Louhuang Kingdom."
Xiao Xingchen smiled coldly, then said to the woman beside him: "I heard that this concubine came from a poor family. Although she is somewhat beautiful, is she going to compete for the position of Crown Princess? Wouldn't that be ridiculous?"
Chen Yun continued to pour wine calmly and without anger: "I don't care about the position of Crown Princess. What are you two's qualifications to teach me?"
Mu Ya took off the bracelet and handed it to Chen Yun. "The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Louhuang Kingdom, you are qualified, right? But you are quite interesting. This stone is made of earth fire stone and is very valuable. Your Majesty has probably never seen it before. Today, we are fortunate to give it to you as a greeting gift."
Chen Ying did not accept it, but smiled politely and walked to the next table.
Gao Mier whispered to the people around her and then shouted, "Prince, look at her skin, it's so rough, even worse than the peasants in my empire. Qiankun Kingdom should be more cautious when choosing a concubine."
Chen Yun poured a cup for the other side and asked, "What is your status in educating me?"
After saying that, she walked over, took out a bottle and put it in Chen Yun's hand, "I am Gao Mi'er, the princess of the Tufan Empire, and this is my husband, Afan'er, the princess of the Tufan Empire. Since you were born into a lowly family, you must work hard to make up for it."
Chen Yun thought to himself, "In this world, free is the most valuable. Being attentive without any purpose is either asking for favors or demanding something. These two countries are just trying to bribe me. And their mouths seem to have eaten half a pound of stinky food. Humph!"
Chen Yun threw the bottle back to Gao Mi'er, then smiled slightly: "So, these two guests are so domineering. And they can strip me naked with just one glance."
Afaner said, "The untouchables are untouchables, they have no manners. Prince, is this how you teach your concubines to treat guests?"
Chen Yan looked at them coldly: "If someone kills someone, the person must pay with his life. Why did you drag others into this? It's obviously because I treated the guests poorly and didn't treat them well."
Li Lin couldn't help but shook his head and smiled.
Xiao Xingchen sneered: "Is this the sincerity your country shows towards us? It's better not to attend this banquet."
"I succeeded!" Thinking of this, Chen Yan immediately smiled at them and said, "Who cares about your coming? If you don't want to, you can leave now. The banquet is only reserved for those who are interested. Unless you are just here to eat and drink for free."
Everyone looked at Chen Yun in surprise, but Chen Yun looked very confident.
The officials below demanded the execution of Chen Ying on the spot, but Chen Ying looked at Li Lin and gestured to something.
Li Lie'ao slammed the table and angrily shouted, "How dare you, Chen Qian! We have such a distinguished guest here, how can we allow you to speak nonsense!"
Chen Yun raised his finger and made a "hush" gesture to Li Lieo, then walked to Xuanyuan Haonan and whispered a few words in his ear.
Then Chen Yan came to Xiao Xingchen and whispered a few words in his ear, and he immediately threw the cup away.
Finally, Chen Yan came to Afaner and whispered a few words in his ear, and he could only sigh.
However, Chen Yun seemed to have a plan in place. She just smiled faintly, making it hard to tell what she was planning.
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