Chapter 821 Farewell Banquet for Chengqian
After leaving Qianqiu Palace, Yuwen Ye walked slowly under the gradually reddening sunset, and arrived at Chengqian Palace after a short while.
At this time, the weather was no longer very hot, but the fiery sunset still gave people the illusion of being in a sea of fire. Coupled with his mind being preoccupied with the Qianqiu Palace he had just left, Yuwen Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of heat. But as soon as he reached the entrance of Chengqian Palace, he immediately felt a chilling wind blowing out from inside.
It instantly chased away all the summer heat from his body.
It even took away some of the heat from his body.
"His Royal Highness King Qin?"
Just as Yuwen Ye was somewhat stunned, Aunt Hui's voice rang out behind him again. He turned around and saw that familiar face, always plastered with a fake smile, which was now still plastered with one. In fact, because of the bright sunlight, her cheeks were bathed in a golden glow, making her face look even more like a mask. She said with a slight smile, "His Highness the Crown Prince has been waiting for a long time. Please come in quickly."
Yuwen Ye said, "Okay."
After saying that, he turned and went inside. Aunt Hui stood at the door without moving until she watched Yuwen Ye's tall figure disappear into the gate of Chengqian Palace. Only then did the corners of her mouth, which had been deliberately upturned, slowly fall down. Soon, her lips were pursed into a thin line, and in her suddenly cold and sharp gaze, she revealed a hint of murderous intent.
She turned and left.
Yuwen Ye, who was separated by a wall, slowly walked into the main hall of Chengqian Palace.
Just as he and Shang Ruyi had guessed, the place had long been emptied. Although he hadn't been there many times before, he had a good memory and could clearly remember how the original residence, which was supposed to be prepared for the Crown Prince, was furnished, where the chests and cabinets were, where the tables and stools were. But now everything seemed to have never been there. The entire hall was empty, giving people a sense of desolation.
Even so, there was a table in the center of the hall.
Behind the table sat another person.
Upon seeing that tall, imposing figure, and those almost transparent eyes that appeared even darker in the dim light, Yuwen Ye's breath hitched involuntarily. However, his expression remained unchanged. He simply stood before him, raised his hands, and was about to bow when another familiar, cold voice rang out from the side.
"Second brother, you've finally arrived!"
This time, Yuwen Ye frowned slightly, and when he turned his head, he saw his third brother, Yuwen Cheng, walking over from the side hall.
The Prince of Qi was dressed in a dark gold robe, which made him shine even in the dim light, giving him an arrogant air. Yuwen Ye glanced at him and his brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything. His cold gaze then fell on Yuwen Cheng's face. His forehead, which had been wrapped in thick bandages before, looked frightening and worrying. Today, however, much of the bandages had been removed, leaving only a thin layer, which still covered the corners of his eyes and the ends of his eyebrows, making his tiger-like eyes appear uneven and giving him a gloomy look.
Yuwen Cheng said with a smile, "My brother and I have been waiting for you for ages. The food and wine are almost cold. Shouldn't you punish yourself by drinking three cups first?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye didn't speak immediately. Instead, he watched as the man walked over with his hands behind his back, swaggering over without even bowing to him. He sat down at the table, looking completely at ease, even somewhat nonchalant. Yuwen Ye asked calmly, "Third brother, where did you go just now?"
"I?"
Yuwen Cheng was surprised that he didn't answer but asked a question instead. He frowned, but couldn't help but reply, "I'm going to see my brother's side hall. What's wrong?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Oh, so you know this is my brother's Chengqian Palace."
"..."
"What you just said almost made me think this was your place, and I was here to attend your banquet."
"..."
Yuwen Cheng's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected that his first words, which he had intended to use to suppress Yuwen Ye, would be countered so effectively, hitting the nail on the head and leaving him no room to retort. He was immediately annoyed. Yuwen Ye, however, no longer looked at him. Instead, he bowed to Yuwen Qian, who was sitting in front of him and had been watching them silently, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Only then did Yuwen Qian move.
He slowly raised his head, his almost transparent eyes seeming to be invaded by the bone-chilling coldness of the empty hall, which swept away all warmth, and even his gaze was somewhat cold. He slowly said, "Second brother, please don't be so polite, please sit down."
Thank you.
As he spoke, Yuwen Ye stepped forward and sat down opposite him.
At this moment, Yuwen Cheng finally snapped out of his anger. He looked behind Yuwen Ye, then at the empty bowl and chopsticks in front of him, and sneered, "Second brother is quite polite, but the emperor clearly invited you and your sister-in-law. Why did you come alone? What, does your sister-in-law not want to give your elder brother face?"
Yuwen Qian's long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "Since you call Ruyi your second sister-in-law, don't you know that your second sister-in-law is about to give birth?"
"..."
“Your Majesty, Ruyi is unwell. The Imperial Physicians have all gone to be on standby. She will probably give birth in the next couple of days, or even today. I don’t want anything to happen to her, so I’ve asked her to stay in Qianqiu Palace. I think you will understand.”
Yuwen Qian paused for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and picked up the wine glass on the table: "Very well."
"..."
"Since our father started his rebellion, the three of us brothers have rarely had the opportunity to get together. Today is a rare occasion, so let's toast to our brotherhood with this cup."
At this point, he raised his eyelashes and looked at Yuwen Ye: "Feng Chen, let's still be brothers."
Yuwen Ye's eyes flickered for a moment, then he immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty is joking."
"..."
"We share the same clan, the same surname, and the same father, so how can we not be brothers?"
Yuwen Qian looked at him and said calmly, "Those of the same clan, surname, and father may still be brothers; but if they are not of one mind, it is difficult to be brothers."
Yuwen Ye said, "Everyone has their own intentions, so it's natural that they can't be of one mind. However, since my brother returned, which of us three brothers hasn't done our utmost for Father's great cause? How can such unity of purpose not be considered being of one mind?"
Just then, Yuwen Cheng suddenly said, "Second brother, Father's great cause will eventually be handed over to you, so let's work together to help you."
"..."
"In that case, we're still brothers."
"..."
"You agree, don't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the once quiet Chengqian Hall fell into an indescribable silence.
Yuwen Ye looked down at the swaying wine in his cup, where two pairs of eyes, distorted and somewhat ferocious by the ripples, were reflected on the surface. After a long silence, he slowly raised his head and said coldly to Yuwen Cheng, "Third brother is indeed..."
Yuwen Cheng said, "Brotherly love and respect are what we should do."
Yuwen Ye said, "Since you know how to be friendly and respectful to your elder brothers, do you know about the proper order of seniority?"
"..."
"This banquet was hosted by my elder brother, and this toast was also proposed by him. Is your overstepping your bounds in accordance with brotherly duty and etiquette?"
"this--"
Yuwen Cheng froze, not expecting to be shut down again as soon as he opened his mouth. Annoyance immediately appeared on his face, but he couldn't show it. Yuwen Ye had already turned to look at Yuwen Qian and said calmly, "Brother, please don't worry. You and I are brothers, and always will be."
Yuwen Qian glanced at him silently and said, "Alright."
After saying that, the two raised their cups. Although Yuwen Cheng looked indignant, seeing that Yuwen Qian had raised his cup to drink, he didn't say anything and could only drink the wine in his cup with his two elder brothers.
After finishing the cup, Yuwen Qian personally picked up the wine pot and poured wine for all three of them.
As the last drop of wine fell into the glass, Yuwen Ye picked up his glass and said to Yuwen Qian, "Elder brother, third brother, this cup is for you both."
Yuwen Qian looked up at him, his eyes still calm, but perhaps because he had drunk that cup too quickly and the wine was too strong, the corners of his eyes were slightly red, making him look very different from usual. Usually, he was calm and indifferent, like a wisp of white cloud, but now, the white cloud was still a white cloud, yet it seemed as if a thousand thunderbolts were hidden within it.
That's probably why he didn't speak.
Yuwen Cheng sneered and said, "What does Second Brother want to offer us?"
Yuwen Ye looked at him, then at Yuwen Qian, and said, "You and I are brothers who know each other inside and out. There's nothing to respect. If you want to respect someone, you should respect Father Emperor's great cause."
"Father's grand plan?"
"Indeed, may Father's great cause last for a thousand years and be remembered forever."
After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp without waiting for the two of them to say anything more.
When Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng heard his words, they both frowned at the same time, but Yuwen Qian then pursed his lips and said, "Second brother is right. I'll drink this cup."
Yuwen Ye calmly watched his brother and brother finish their second cup of wine and nodded. But remembering that Yuwen Qian had personally poured the second cup, he prepared to get the wine pot to pour the wine himself. Just as he reached out his hand, Yuwen Cheng suddenly said, "Second brother, wait a moment. This third cup of wine is for me to toast you two."
Yuwen Ye's hand stopped the moment it touched the wine pot, and he turned to look at him: "How is it?"
Yuwen Cheng laughed and said, "Since I'm the one offering the toast, I'll use the wine I brought myself."
After saying that, he reached out and picked up a wine jug from his side.
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Ye frowned.
When Yuwen Cheng came in, he had his hands behind his back, and he vaguely felt that Yuwen Cheng was holding something in his hands. However, he couldn't see clearly because the table blocked his view after he sat down. Now he saw that it was a wine pot.
A wine pot carved with a Tai Chi symbol.
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