Chapter 25: Palace Night Banquet, Turbulence Arose Again
Palace lanterns hung high, illuminating the Changle Palace's main hall as bright as day. Expensive ambergris burned in gilded bronze censers, its smoke curling, mingling with the aroma of wine and cosmetics, filling the air. Civil and military officials and their families attended the event, all elegantly dressed, toasting and chatting in a scene of opulence and bustle.
Yun Zhi, however, felt uncomfortable. She was wearing a plain dress that Xiao Jin had prepared for her. While the material was fine, it was so plain it resembled mourning clothes, jarringly out of place among the splendid silks, satins, and jewels of the noble ladies around her. She stood half a step behind Xiao Jin, head bowed, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt so tightly that her nails practically dug into her palms. She knew she was merely a "thing" brought by Xiao Jin, a tool to highlight his status, and perhaps also a reminder of her status as a "substitute."
"Your Highness, who is this person next to you..." An official came over with a wine glass in hand, his eyes fixed on Yun Zhi with a hint of inquiry, "She looks quite unfamiliar."
Xiao Jin held the wine glass, his eyes were calm, and his tone was emotionless: "She is just a concubine in the mansion."
"Concubine?" The official was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember something. A glint of understanding flashed across his eyes, along with a hint of subtle contempt. "Oh... so it's the 'daughter of a guilty minister'? I heard she looks a bit like Miss Shen back then?"
These words were like a needle, piercing Yun Zhi's heart. She lowered her head even lower, her cheeks burning, but she didn't dare to refute them. In the eyes of these powerful people, she would always be the "daughter of a guilty minister," a "substitute," and always inferior to others.
Xiao Jin's eyes grew colder, but he didn't refute. He simply said, "Let's drink, and don't talk about irrelevant people."
The official tactfully shut up and walked away, his glass in hand. Yun Zhi, however, felt as if all eyes were fixed on her: curiosity, contempt, and ridicule, like countless fine needles pricking her, making her feel uncomfortable.
She raised her head and stole a glance at Xiao Jin. He was chatting and laughing with the prince beside him, his profile hard and stern, as if he didn't care at all about what the official had said, and as if her embarrassment had nothing to do with him.
Yun Zhi's heart sank. She shouldn't have had such expectations. Xiao Jin hadn't brought her here to give her dignity, but to make her realize her true identity—a lowly concubine, a substitute who could be discarded at any time.
"Hey, isn't this the 'substitute sister' beside His Royal Highness Prince Duan?" A sharp female voice suddenly sounded, breaking the silence around.
Yun Zhi looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Yanran, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, approaching with a few noble ladies, holding a wine glass. Her eyes were filled with sarcasm. "I heard that your sister is the daughter of a criminal. Is she able to stay with His Highness Duan only because she looks a bit like Miss Shen? What a blessing!"
"Yes," another noble lady nearby echoed, "but no matter how similar it is, it's still a fake. It can never compare to the original. Sister, you'd better stay calm and don't try to associate yourself with the rich and powerful, or you'll end up in a bad situation."
"Fake," "daughter of a guilty minister," "climbing the ladder of power," these words were like heavy hammers, hammering down on Yun Zhi's heart. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, the pain numbing her fingertips, but she endured it, whispering, "Ladies, you're joking. I..."
"Are you kidding?" Li Yanran interrupted her, took a step forward, and deliberately bumped into her. Yun Zhi lost her balance and stumbled back a few steps, almost falling. "What's wrong with you, sister? You can't even stand steadily? Or are you feeling guilty because you know you don't deserve to be here?"
A low laugh echoed from the surroundings, and it was like a knife, slicing through Yun Zhi's dignity. Her eyes were red, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall. She couldn't cry, couldn't let these people laugh at her, and couldn't let Xiao Jin think she was a coward.
At this moment, a hand suddenly reached out and supported her arm. Yun Zhi was stunned for a moment, then looked up—it was Xiao Jin.
He walked over at some point, his eyes as cold as ice, fixed on Li Yanran and the other noble ladies. "Do you think you can bully my people?"
His voice was quiet, but it carried an invisible intimidating force that instantly silenced the laughter around him. The mocking expression on Li Yanran's face froze, and she said awkwardly, "Your Highness, Prince Duan, we were just joking with this sister..."
"Are you kidding?" Xiao Jin sneered, the sinister look in his eyes almost devouring Li Yanran. "How can you make fun of my people? Is this how Minister Li taught his daughter?"
Li Yanran's face turned pale instantly, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to speak again. Her father was only the Minister of Personnel, and he couldn't afford to offend Prince Duan Xiao Jin, who held military power.
The other noble ladies were so frightened that they dared not speak and lowered their heads, fearing that they would anger Xiao Jin.
Xiao Jin didn't look at them again. He held Yun Zhi's arm and turned to walk to the corner. He let go of her hand, his tone still cold: "Behave yourself and don't cause trouble for me."
Yun Zhi looked at his cold profile, a complex feeling welling up in her heart - was he protecting her just now? Or did he just not like others touching his "property"?
"Thank you very much, Your Highness." She whispered, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.
Xiao Jin did not respond. He picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. His eyes fell on the singing and dancing in the center of the hall, as if what happened just now was just a small episode and not worth his attention.
Yun Zhi didn't say anything else. She just stood beside him, head bowed, looking at her toes. The taunts from before still lingered in her ears. Xiao Jin's protectiveness was like a faint ray of light, but it was quickly extinguished by his indifference. She didn't know whether she should be grateful to him or disappointed.
Just then, a figure appeared before them. It was Wang Xuan, the son of the Minister of Revenue. Leveraging his family's influence, he was known to be frivolous and lustful. His gaze fell on Yun Zhi, and with undisguised greed, he bowed to Xiao Jin and said, "Your Highness, Prince Duan, this young lady is truly a beauty. I wonder if you would be so kind as to allow me to have a drink with her?"
Xiao Jin's eyes instantly turned cold, and the air pressure around him was so low that it could drip water. "Is this how Minister Wang taught his son? How dare you covet my people?"
Wang Xuan ignored Xiao Jin's warning and continued to smile playfully, "Your Highness, why are you so stingy? It's just a drink. Besides, this girl is just a concubine. If Your Highness likes her, I will find you a better one later..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Jin suddenly stood up and pulled Yun Zhi back to his side. He put his arm around her waist tightly, his eyes were sinister and terrifying, as if he wanted to eat someone. "I'll say it again, she is my person, and you can't touch her."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jin raised his hand and slapped Wang Xuan hard in the face!
A crisp "slap" sound was particularly clear in the noisy hall. Wang Xuan's head was tilted sideways, and blood instantly seeped from the corner of his mouth. He covered his face and looked at Xiao Jin in disbelief: "You...you dare to hit me?"
"What if I hit you?" Xiao Jin's eyes were cold. "If you dare to have any thoughts about my people again, I will destroy you!"
Wang Xuan's face turned pale. Seeing the murderous intent in Xiao Jin's eyes, he no longer dared to be presumptuous and ran away crawling.
The entire place was silent, all eyes focused on Xiao Jin and Yun Zhi. There was shock, fear, and even jealousy—especially Lin Wanru, who was sitting not far away. Seeing Xiao Jin tightly holding Yun Zhi's waist, his nails almost crushing the silk handkerchief in his hand, the jealousy in her eyes almost overflowed.
Su Yurou sat next to Lin Wanru, watching this scene, a trace of calculation flashed in her eyes - Xiao Jin cared about Yun Zhi more deeply than she had imagined. It seemed that if she wanted to get rid of Yun Zhi, she had to think of a more reliable way.
Yun Zhi was held in Xiao Jin's arms, and could clearly feel his warmth and heartbeat. His arms were strong, holding her tightly in his arms, as if protecting a precious treasure. Her heartbeat instantly accelerated, her cheeks heated, and a strange feeling arose in her heart - was he really protecting her just now?
She raised her head and stole a glance at Xiao Jin. His profile was cold and hard, his eyes still sinister, but he didn't push her away. Instead, he held her tighter.
"Don't move," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "Behave yourself. When the banquet is over, come back to the palace with me."
Yun Zhi nodded obediently, not moving, letting him hold her. The singing and dancing in the hall continued, the aroma of wine and cosmetics still filling the air, but she felt that everything around her had become less important. At this moment, she just wanted to immerse herself in this brief protection, even if it was just an illusion, even if it was just because she was "his."
But she didn't know that this brief protection was merely the calm before the storm. Su Yurou and Lin Wanru's conspiracy had long been brewing in the shadows. And Xiao Jin's concern for her was far more than she imagined—there was possessiveness, reluctance, and perhaps even a hint of affection he wasn't aware of, but there wasn't pure love.
As the palace banquet was drawing to a close, Xiao Jin released his grip on Yun Zhi and returned to his usual cold and hard self. "Stay close to me, my king. Don't get lost."
Yun Zhi nodded and followed him out of Changle Palace. The night was slightly cool, and the breeze on her face sobered her up a bit. She remembered Xiao Jin's protection just now, the warmth he'd felt when he'd put his arm around her waist, and the strange feeling in her heart began to ripple again.
"Your Highness," she hesitated for a long time before asking in a low voice, "Why did you help me just now?"
Xiao Jin paused, turned around and glanced at her, his eyes as cold as ice: "I just don't like others touching my things. Don't forget your status. You are my concubine, my substitute. Don't overthink it."
"Thing," "substitute," "don't overthink it," these words pierced Yun Zhi's heart like icicles. The excitement and warmth she had felt just now vanished without a trace, leaving only the cold reality.
She lowered her head and stopped talking, simply following Xiao Jin silently. In the night, her figure seemed particularly frail, like a blade of grass growing stubbornly in the cold wind, yet threatened to break at any moment.
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