The carriage was moving slowly. Although it looked low-key with its green curtains, its interior was extremely comfortable.

Yu Jin reached out, picked up the fruit on the small table, took a bite, and looked at Jiang Si with a smile.

Obviously, this trip to the palace would not be peaceful, but he was not afraid at all. Instead, he felt eager to give it a try.

He was not the kind of person who would look ahead and behind. Since he had set his sights on that position, the sooner the stumbling blocks along the way were rolled away, the better. Once they were all removed, his goal would be almost achieved.

The excitement in Yu Jin's eyes made Jiang Si shake his head and laugh: "Knowing that something unexpected might happen, why do I feel like you're looking forward to it?"

Yu Jin threw the fruit onto the plate and said with a smile, "Why are you looking forward to it? You can't wait."

Jiang Si couldn't help laughing out loud.

The battle for the throne was full of thorns, but Ah Zhen's good attitude made her feel much more relaxed.

"You still have to be careful and don't be careless."

"Don't worry, you have to be careful too."

As the two were talking, they arrived at the imperial city.

The Empress Dowager's birthday is an event second only to the Emperor's birthday, but the Empress Dowager has not liked grand celebrations for many years. This year, she only held a family banquet in the Changsheng Hall on the pretext of poor health, and all the participants were members of the royal family.

Yu Jin got off the carriage first and reached out his hand to help Jiang Si get off.

Jiang Si had just stood still when he heard a voice: "What a coincidence, I ran into my seventh brother and seventh sister."

The two looked back and saw King Qi standing not far away with a faint smile on his face.

King Qi quickly stepped forward and said, "Seventh brother, let's go in together."

Yu Jin looked at him deeply, then suddenly took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Fourth brother is really stubborn and insists on trying to please others."

"You——" No matter how well-mannered the King of Qi was, he could not help but get furious after hearing such words and almost lost his composure on the spot.

Yu Jin put on a gentle smile instead: "Fourth brother, aren't you going in with us? You are the elder brother, so please go in first—"

He raised his voice slightly, immediately attracting the attention of some royal relatives who had rushed over.

The King of Qi could no longer vent his anger.

With so many people watching, he still had some dignity even though the seventh brother was shameless. If the two brothers quarreled on the Queen Mother's birthday, would it be good if it got to the ears of the Emperor?

The King of Qi did not move for a moment to suppress his anger. Yu Jin smiled and said, "Fourth brother is really polite. I will go in first."

By the time King Qi reacted, Yu Jin had already walked away with Jiang Si.

The King of Xiang, who arrived a little later, came over and said, "Fourth brother, what's going on?"

The King of Qi looked normal again, but there was a layer of ice in his eyes. He said calmly, "Nothing. Eighth brother, let's go in too."

The King of Xiang glanced at the tall figure, and as he followed the King of Qi inside, he asked in a low voice: "Fourth brother, did that bastard provoke again?"

Prince Qi glanced around and said in a low voice, "Eighth brother, please be careful with your words."

There are so many people here now, it would be inappropriate for others to hear the eighth brother yelling at the seventh brother.

The King of Xiang shook his head: "Fourth brother is just good-tempered and can endure."

King Qi narrowed his eyes and whispered inaudibly, "What's the point of enduring for a while?"

He will endure for a while now, as long as he succeeds, he won't have to endure anymore. It is certainly worth it to exchange a moment of endurance for a lifetime of honor.

In his eyes, Lao Qi's arrogance was childish, and he would have to pay for his current stupidity sooner or later.

As King Qi thought about this, his raging anger gradually subsided.

Just at this moment, Yu Jin turned around and glanced at the face of King Qi, with a sneer flashing across his lips.

The King of Qi paused, and the anger that he had just suppressed almost got out of control again.

"Asi, I found that Lao Si is really a talented person."

Jiang Si turned his head to look at Yu Jin: "What?"

Yu Jin chuckled: "When I said that just now, he suppressed his anger. Do you think he is a person who is particularly good at comforting himself?"

He doesn't know what that coward is thinking. He is just enduring for a while and waiting for the reckoning in the future. However, he doesn't know that once he gets used to enduring, he will only be fit to be a turtle. How can he dream of soaring into the sky like a dragon?

"Just wait and see. Even if something unexpected happens today, that coward, Old Four, won't dare to do it himself."

Jiang Si chuckled and whispered, "You really understand King Qi thoroughly."

Yu Jin sneered: "I've seen a lot of people like this."

"Ajin, in this case you have to be careful of King Xiang." Jiang Si moved closer and spoke in a very soft voice.

Yu Jin nodded slightly: "Don't worry, I know."

The Eighth Prince must still be holding a grudge against the Empress for her adopted son, and with a little provocation from the Fourth Prince, he may very well choose to take action today.

Thinking of this, Yu Jin's lips curled slightly with a sneer in his eyes.

A fool who hasn't even cleaned his bottom is jumping up and down. Are they trying to find some fun for him because his life is too boring?

He is really waiting to see.

"The prince and princess are such a loving couple." A man not far away spoke with a smile.

Yu Jin took a look at the man and recognized his identity.

The speaker was the eldest son of Prince Kang, known as Little Prince Kang.

I'm not familiar with the other person, but since he's good at speaking, it's okay to try to reason with him.

Yu Jin then smiled and greeted the other party.

The banquet had already been set up in the Changsheng Hall, with male guests sitting on the left and female guests on the right. Since they were all from the same clan, there was no need to be too discreet. A wide passage of several feet was left in the middle to facilitate passing.

As for leaving room for the dancer to move around - everyone who had attended the banquet to congratulate Princess Fuqing for the restoration of her eyesight shook their heads.

This is totally unnecessary. They are still frightened when they think of that banquet. The dancer who killed the fifteenth princess was able to poison the princess without anyone noticing because she danced in front of the nobles.

The palace had apparently learned the lesson from that banquet, and today the stage was only located in front of the main hall.

There was a round carpet beneath the high platform where the emperor, empress and queen mother sat. When the palace banquet began, the dancers could dance here to liven up the atmosphere, but they were not allowed to step outside the carpet.

Many people looked at the beautiful woman singing and dancing on the brocade carpet and nodded secretly: Well, this is very safe.

A dude who didn't know much about the incident at the banquet murmured, "How boring this is."

Someone nearby cursed, "You know shit!"

No matter how boring it is, it's better than being dead.

First, the fifteenth princess was poisoned at a palace banquet, and then Prince An was assassinated on Cuiluo Mountain. Now I am completely terrified to attend a banquet hosted by the royal family.

But looking at today's arrangements, I should be able to get through it safely. Besides, this is the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, so no one should be so bold as to commit suicide.

Emperor Jingming, sitting on the high platform, looked at all this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

My eyelids didn't twitch and my heart wasn't panicking. The most important thing was that the dancer couldn't move around randomly. Everything would definitely go smoothly today.

Thinking of this, Emperor Jingming relaxed and tilted his head to chat and laugh with the empress sitting beside him.

"I heard that even the brocade carpet was selected by the Queen herself. Thank you for your hard work."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the queen smiled modestly and said, "It is what I should do."

The emperor and empress were talking in private when they heard the eunuch shout, "The empress dowager has arrived—"