Chapter 1243 Farewell
Yuwen Ye smiled faintly and said, "Third brother, as the Prince of Qi and the General Who Guards the North, you should never listen to the nonsense of the common people. There is no such thing as merit by Heaven in this world. If there is, it is because our father was ordained by Heaven to establish the Great Sheng Dynasty and save the people from suffering. Since you say that this cup of wine is too much for you, then I will first offer this cup of wine to our father."
After saying that, he turned his head and pointed the wine cup at the emperor.
Yuwen Yuan's eyes had already turned cold. Hearing these words and seeing Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi raising their wine cups towards him, he smiled and picked up his own cup, saying, "Alright, I'll drink this first cup."
Since he said that, Yuwen Cheng couldn't say anything. Although Yu Mingyue was somewhat dissatisfied, no one in the hall could get past Yuwen Yuan. As long as Yuwen Ye offered this cup of wine to the emperor, they couldn't do anything about it. They could only raise their cups with Yuwen Qian and toast Yuwen Yuan.
So everyone drank this cup together.
After finishing their drinks, everyone placed their empty cups on the table, and immediately, palace maids standing on both sides came forward with wine pots to refill their cups.
However, once the wine was poured, Yuwen Ye didn't touch the cup.
He had been the one to offer that cup first, wanting to celebrate Yuwen Cheng's birthday, but the other party had turned the tables on him with his words. Although he had also retaliated and then offered the first cup of wine to the emperor, he certainly wouldn't raise the second cup on his own initiative.
Sensing the quiet in the hall, Yuwen Qian, who had been very quiet all along, paused for a moment before picking up his wine cup: "This second cup should be offered to my third brother."
Yuwen Cheng immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, elder brother."
Yuwen Yuan glanced at Yuwen Ye and saw that he looked indifferent but not angry, so he raised his cup and said, "Yes, it's time for everyone to drink this cup together."
Yuwen Ye didn't say much, picked up his wine cup, and drank it down with everyone.
After this drink was finished, the lobby fell even quieter.
Yuwen Yuan couldn't help but frown slightly.
He knew all too well that it would be difficult for this family to sit down quietly and enjoy a meal together as happily as before. He had originally thought that if Yuwen Ye agreed to go to Luoyang, this family banquet tonight might even be a farewell banquet. Therefore, he put extra effort into it. Even when Yuwen Qian brought Yu Mingyue to Qinqin Tower and told them that Yuwen Ye had taken Shang Ruyi to Shanshui Pond to enjoy the scenery, he did not get angry even though Yuwen Cheng deliberately said a few words of dissatisfaction.
In his view, this might also be a sign that Yuwen Ye was reluctant to leave Chang'an.
This family dinner was all the more precious to him and to him and his son.
Unexpectedly, Yuwen Cheng refused to let things go smoothly.
As he thought this, he quieted down. When the emperor fell silent, everyone else also fell silent, making the atmosphere in the hall even more somber and eerie.
Just then, a clear and loud voice suddenly shouted, "Yo!"
Everyone hurriedly looked up and saw that it was Xiao Yuangan, who had been eating silently. He had eaten most of a bowl of cherry yogurt, and his mouth was full of mush. He had just seen everyone raising their glasses to drink, but he had missed out. Now that no one was drinking, he raised his spoon high and shouted.
Upon hearing this sound, Yuwen Yuan chuckled.
Yuwen Ye laughed too: "What are you saying?"
Yuan Gan was overjoyed to see his imperial grandfather laughing so hard. He became even bolder, stepping on Yuwen Ye's knees and climbing halfway up the table. Waving the spoon in his hand, he shouted to everyone, "Yo!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Yuwen Yuan burst into laughter, saying, "It seems Yuanzi is the one to offer this toast. Very well! I'll drink this one. You all, raise your glasses!"
Naturally, no one dared to be negligent, and they all raised their glasses.
After drinking that cup of wine, Yuwen Yuan felt as sweet as if he had drunk honey, and said with a smile, "No matter how difficult the matter is, seeing Yuanzi makes me forget everything."
Then, she turned to look at Yuwen Qian, who had been sitting silently on the right side of the hall, and Yu Mingyue, whose face was somewhat stiff but who still maintained a smile, and said, "Crown Prince, Crown Princess, you should also..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Cheng suddenly said, "Father, today is my birthday. How come you forget your son as soon as you see your grandson?"
As he spoke, he deliberately put on a displeased expression, as if he were vying for favor.
Seeing him like this, Yuwen Yuan couldn't help but laugh, but said, "Yuanzi is so young, why are you, his uncle, arguing with your nephew about this?"
Yu Mingyue glanced at Yuwen Cheng but didn't say anything.
Yuwen Cheng laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I was just joking. Not to mention Father, I also feel heartbroken when I see Yuanzi."
As he spoke, he put down his wine cup, stood up, and walked to the table where Yuwen Ye and the others were sitting. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a rattle drum, shook it twice, and handed it to Yuan Gan: "Little Yuanzi, here you go."
Yuan Gan was initially a little shy and afraid of him, but children naturally love these toys. When he heard the thumping sound, his eyes lit up and he wanted to reach out and take it. However, when he saw Yuwen Cheng, he timidly shrank back.
Yuwen Cheng frowned.
Yuan Gan let out a soft moan, jumped off Yuwen Ye's lap, turned around, and snuggled into Shang Ruyi's arms.
Just as the situation became somewhat awkward again, Shang Ruyi immediately smiled and said, "Yuan Gan, why don't you thank your third uncle?"
As he spoke, he reached out and took the rattle drum from Yuwen Cheng's hand: "Your Highness Qi has gone to great lengths."
Yuwen Cheng snorted, straightened up, dusted off his sleeves, and laughed, "What's so troublesome about this? When Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law go to Luoyang in the future, I, as their younger brother, will really have to go to great lengths to prepare parting gifts for you."
After saying that, he leisurely walked back to his desk and sat down.
The pleasant and harmonious atmosphere in the hall, which had become so because of Yuan Gan's "trouble," suddenly turned cold after he said those words. Yuwen Yuan's expression became serious, while Yuwen Qian's eyes flickered for a moment, but he didn't say much. He calmly put down the empty wine cup in his hand and raised his hand to stop the palace maid standing behind him from coming forward to pour wine.
Yuwen Ye had already picked up the third cup of wine, which had been filled by a palace maid, and was about to bring it to his lips when he heard this. He stopped, looked up at Yuwen Cheng, smiled faintly, and still took a small sip.
Yu Mingyue said, "So, the King of Qin has already decided to go to Luoyang?"
Yuwen Ye slowly put down his wine cup and smiled, "I didn't know about this either. I didn't expect my third brother to have made the decision for me."
Yuwen Yuan frowned again.
A sharp glint immediately flashed in Yuwen Cheng's eyes: "So, Second Brother isn't going to Luoyang?"
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