Chapter 207 Palace Banquet
The palace banquet was held at Jinming Pond. Along the winding corridor beside the pond, exquisite glass palace lanterns hung, each filled with burning ambergris candles, their fragrance filling the air. The calm lake reflected the dazzling display of lights, creating a shimmering, ethereal scene, like a fairyland.
Dou Wenyi walked up the steps into the building.
"Princess——"
A voice came from the other side of the corridor.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw Princess Fu'an and Xie Guidu approaching gracefully, bowing to each other with elegant manners.
Princess Fu'an beamed with pride. "Wenyi, look how beautiful those palace lanterns are! This banquet was all meticulously prepared by my mother, just to show off the prestige of our Great Zhou!"
The ambergris candles used in these palace lanterns were wrapped with red silk. When lit, the ash would fly up and the fragrance would spread. Sometimes the fragrance mist could even transform into colorful pavilions or dragon and phoenix patterns.
In their previous lives, the Northern Di people must have witnessed the wealth and corruption of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which is why they coveted it day and night, and ultimately launched a surprise attack on Tianning City with the full strength of their nation.
"It is beautiful, but these barbarians from foreign lands probably don't know how to appreciate such scenery," Dou Wenyi thought disdainfully, her tone casual.
Princess Fu'an's face paled, and she looked at her in disbelief. "Don't gossip about these things. It wouldn't be good if it got to the Emperor's ears..."
Dou Wenyi felt a surge of anger. Emperor Muzong himself lacked courage and was always trying to please the Northern Di people. This kind of behavior from the top down would only further embolden the arrogance of the Northern Di barbarians.
Xie Guidu glanced at her indifferently, "Fu'an, let's go into the hall first."
As she spoke, Dou Wenyi entered the hall, where dozens of luminous pearls were placed around, illuminating the surroundings.
She looked up and saw that Pei Siyan was already sitting in the hall, a smile in his eyes, gesturing for her to come over.
Dou Wenyi went straight over and sat down next to him. "Was this banquet organized by the Princess?"
Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow, a casual sneer playing on his lips. "Since the Ministry of Revenue couldn't come up with any extra silver, the Princess volunteered to help His Majesty solve his problems."
How ironic!
The Great Zhou Dynasty's treasury was in dire straits, while the Princess's mansion was overflowing with wealth, yet Emperor Muzong did not seem to care.
The palace banquet proceeded smoothly, with singing and dancing filling the air. After several rounds of drinks, Wanyan Tai began to toast the emperor and his ministers. His steps were stiff and unsteady. When he brought the wine cup to Pei Siyan, he suddenly stumbled and almost fell, dropping the cup to the ground.
The wine spilled directly onto Pei Siyan's robes.
The palace maid's expression changed drastically. She immediately cleared away the wine cups, poured another cup of wine, and brought it over.
Wanyan Tai took the cup of wine and laughed heartily, "I stayed at Lanxiang Garden last night. The women of your Great Zhou are beautiful and passionate. I really enjoyed the experience..."
His words were too explicit and too offensive!
Xie Guidu's face darkened, and he immediately stepped forward with his wine cup to stop him, "Right Prime Minister, have you had too much to drink?"
"What? Brother Xie? Aren't we at Lanxiang Garden?" Wanyan Tai's face flushed slightly, his eyes half-closed, and a hint of malice flashed in his gaze.
He pointed at Dou Wenyi, feigning surprise, "Miss Sisi is here too? Come, play a tune for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"shut up--"
The two voices spoke in unison.
The crowd reacted with varying expressions and immediately began to discuss the matter.
In front of everyone, including Emperor Muzong and the powerful families of the Great Zhou, he dared to mistake the Crown Princess for a prostitute. Was this a blatant provocation against the Great Zhou, or was the Northern Di royal family fully aware that Pei Siyan was not favored by the emperor?
Xie Guidu's face was covered with frost. Seeing the situation deteriorating, he hurriedly reminded, "Wanyan Tai, this is a palace banquet. Please be mindful of your behavior and do not behave improperly in front of the palace!"
Dou Wenyi's face was ashen, and her hands trembled slightly beneath her sleeves. She spoke sharply, "Those who respect others will always be respected; those who insult others will always be insulted. Is the Right Prime Minister out of his mind, or is he blind? On the land of my Great Zhou, you still want to show off your power? To act drunk? I think you might as well stay in Great Zhou and keep your esteemed Seventh Prince company!"
This was practically a declaration that Wanyan Tai was to be taken hostage.
The members of the Northern Barbarian delegation stood up abruptly, instantly becoming enraged. "What's with all the shouting from a mere woman? This kind of sharp-tongued, unruly woman is not fit for a banquet in our Northern Barbarians; she should be chained up in a sheepfold!"
"What Crown Princess? The men of the Great Zhou are all cowards. Can't they even control a woman like this?"
The atmosphere at the dinner party became tense and uneasy.
Tan Jieyu sat diagonally opposite her, giving her a half-smile, seemingly amused, and felt completely relaxed.
Emperor Muzong's ears were ringing. "Insolence! Crown Prince, bring him here at once—"
Pei Siyan slowly stood up, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Guards, take them all away!"
A line of imperial guards in full armor surged in, their killing intent palpable, drawing their swords and pointing them directly at the entire Northern Barbarian delegation.
Emperor Muzong frowned. "Nonsense! Are they all idiots?"
Pei Siyan's eyes flashed with a cold light as he said in a deep voice, "You barbarian rats from the Northern Barbarians, my Xuanjia army has utterly defeated you, yet you dare to bark and ravage in front of the Emperor and insult the women of my Great Zhou."
"Father! These barbarians have shown contempt for the imperial authority and trampled on the dignity of the nation. If they are not severely punished—"
"Was the blood of the soldiers on the frontier shed in vain? How could the backbone of the Great Zhou be humiliated?"
The officials present were instantly filled with enthusiasm, especially the upright officials from the Censorate and the Ministry of Rites.
They had been holding back their anger for some time now. "What the Crown Prince says is true, we agree!"
"We second that proposal!"
"The northern barbarians, having gained Long, covet Shu; they are wolves in sheep's clothing, and we must be on guard against them!"
"Why not just kill them and use it as a deterrent on the border!"
"Is it not proper for two countries to maintain friendly relations and not to harm their envoys?"
"Do they have even the slightest sense of responsibility as envoys? They're courting death every day, violating the laws of my Great Zhou Dynasty, and according to the law, they should be executed!"
Emperor Muzong gritted his teeth and shouted, "All of you, shut up!"
Pei Siyan raised his chin slightly, feigning ignorance, "Father, do you really think the Northern Barbarians haven't behaved improperly? Haven't offended the prestige of our Great Zhou?"
The Imperial Advisor's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled. "Your Highness, please calm down. The Right Chancellor of the Northern Barbarians is drunk. Why take his words seriously? The Great Zhou has always been a land of etiquette and has always been tolerant. The Northern Barbarian delegation has traveled thousands of miles to be guests of our Great Zhou. We must not neglect them."
Emperor Muzong immediately understood. "It's inevitable that he would lose his composure after drinking. Guards, take him away and bring some hangover soup."
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