His intentions are despicable.
Immediately, palace maids stepped forward to clean up the broken teacups.
Gongsun Cheyuan examined Gu Jinghong's hand closely and, seeing that she was not injured, patted his head in annoyance: "It seems the tea was still too hot; I wasn't careful enough."
"Brother King Jin..."
Princess Yongning, dressed in a peacock green palace gown, walked towards Xiao Chengyan. At first glance, the color of her gown was the same as the prince's robe that Xiao Chengyan was wearing today.
Gu Jinghong withdrew her gaze and watched Gongsun Cheyuan frantically pat her clothes. She was surprised to find that her clothes and Gongsun Cheyuan's clothes were the same style today, both in scarlet.
She subconsciously looked up at Xiao Chengyan again, only to find that his gaze was fixed on her.
He seemed to be looking at her with that oppressive gaze again.
For a moment, she wanted to dodge again—but why should she?!
Didn't he and Princess Yongning wear clothes of the same color?!
They didn't even get married!
Gu Jinghong and Gongsun Cheyuan had indeed formally bowed to heaven and earth!
Gu Jinghong seemed to finally come to her senses, staring blankly back at Xiao Chengyan with a stubborn expression, vaguely resembling a powerful figure in the martial arts world.
Those watching at the time probably didn't know how penetrating the gaze between the two was; it seemed as if all the surrounding noise had vanished, and the world was left with only the two of them gazing at each other from afar.
Princess Yongning walked gracefully to Xiao Chengyan's side, her smile radiant and her voice becoming increasingly gentle: "Brother Prince Jin, the peonies in the Imperial Garden are truly beautiful."
Her appearance had already aroused the curiosity of everyone present, and when her sweet words reached the ears of people at nearby tables, it immediately attracted even more attention.
Look, the princess who has been waiting so devotedly has finally returned. At today's palace banquet, the two of them are even wearing the same clothes. The cold-faced prince's "white moonlight" is indeed her.
Xiao Chengyan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He finally pulled away from his gaze with Gu Jinghong and turned his eyes to Yongning, but his gaze was cold and devoid of any warmth.
He noticed that her robe was a similar color to his own, and a moment of inexplicable guilt arose within him.
He didn't answer at all. Instead, under everyone's astonished gaze, he raised his hand and unfastened the knot around his neck. Then, he deftly took off the peacock green outer robe and casually tossed it to the palace maid standing beside him.
A subdued murmur of conversation immediately filled the room.
A prince's status is so noble, and in front of so many people, how could he casually take off his outer robe?
In particular, his undergarment was a striking crimson color, so eye-catching!
this……
Gu Jinghong was taken aback; his undergarment was the same color as hers.
The people at the Royal Garden were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and all chose to shut up.
They were very clear about their own identities and cherished their lives. They would never do something like criticizing a prince, especially since the person in front of them was the renowned Prince Jin, Xiao Chengyan.
Xiao Chengyan, seemingly oblivious to everyone's gaze, took a step back, distancing himself from Yongning, his expression calm.
“Princess. I remember when you were young, you were wronged because your clothes were similar to those of a young lady-in-waiting. Today, by chance, my robe is similar to yours. In order to avoid repeating the same mistake and damaging your reputation, I have removed this robe. I will apologize to my father for any breach of etiquette.”
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances—what did this mean? Was he going to abandon his childhood sweetheart? What was the point of waiting all these years? Everyone knew that with King Jin's image and power, he should have married long ago. If he hadn't refused, who could have forced him to do this?
But everyone just blinked at each other, and even if they had a million thoughts, they could only keep quiet at this moment.
The prince's words were eloquent and impeccable, entirely for the sake of Princess Yongning's reputation.
But his expression seemed to suggest that he wanted to distance himself completely, ostensibly for her sake, but actually to "avoid suspicion."
Naturally, as a prince in charge of a large army, he had to avoid suspicion. But almost everyone who was deeply involved in officialdom and aristocratic families knew that Princess Yongning was his favorite. So why did he have to avoid suspicion now that a beautiful and charming person had appeared?
What's even more puzzling is that the coldness on King Jin's face wasn't feigned; he didn't even glance at her once from beginning to end.
Princess Yongning's face turned deathly pale, even her fingertips trembled slightly. She knew the secret of Xiao Chengyan's body; how dare he treat her like this in public?!
Just then, the chief eunuch Li Mu announced again: "The Emperor has arrived!"
When the emperor arrived, the entire garden fell silent.
Officials and relatives returned to their positions, straightened their clothes and hats, and respectfully welcomed the emperor.
Emperor Xiao Gong's health seemed to be deteriorating again.
Since being startled by that wild elephant last winter, there has been no sign of improvement.
Today was a perfect day, and he seemed to be greedy for the splendor of the peony banquet, so he arrived in a sedan chair carried by people.
He took his seat on the throne, and then the officials and relatives also took their seats.
Xiao Gong's gaze swept across the entire room seemingly casually.
His gaze paused for a moment when it fell upon Princess Yongning, who stood with her head bowed in reverence, before shifting away without warning.
He didn't spend much time on the "resurrected" princess, but instead turned to the most eye-catching figure in the room—Xiao Chengyan, who was only wearing a scarlet undergarment.
"Yan'er, what kind of behavior is this? Today is a palace banquet, what kind of occasion is this, yet you are dressed so improperly?"
All eyes were on Xiao Chengyan.
Princess Yongning clenched her fists even tighter.
Yes, she wanted to know what he would say. Surely he wouldn't come up with that high-sounding reason he just gave!
Xiao Chengyan left his seat and bowed calmly before the emperor, neither humble nor arrogant, with an outstanding demeanor. Even though he was wearing a scarlet inner robe, he was still dazzling, making people dare not look directly at him.
"Your subject has behaved improperly before the Emperor; please punish me, Your Majesty."
"Just now, my outer robe was accidentally torn by a bird in the garden. In order to avoid disrespecting Your Majesty, I took it off in advance. The incident happened suddenly and I did not have time to inform you. It was my fault."
Birds?
Everyone subconsciously listened to the birdsong in the Imperial Garden.
Yes, the weather is warm in early summer, so all the sparrows come out to forage for food, chirping on the branches, and occasionally a few even fly down to the ground to peck at something.
But only Gu Jinghong's eyelashes trembled slightly—she knew that the "bird" he was talking about was her "Jinghong".
The emperor raised his eyelids again, looking at his increasingly imposing son, and finally said in a deep voice: "Even so, this is still misconduct! You are fined one year's salary and sent back to your residence to reflect on your actions for three days!"
"Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."
Xiao Chengyan bowed and calmly accepted the gesture.
His annual salary was nothing more than a drop in the ocean, and three days of confinement was even less of a concern.
Xiao Gong finally turned his gaze to Princess Yongning, his voice devoid of any warmth from the reunion of uncle and niece, only displaying the scrutiny of an emperor: "Is the one standing below the platform Yongning from the Qi Prince's Mansion back then?"
The mention of "Yongning of the Qi Prince's Mansion" instantly brought everyone's memories back to that long-forgotten past—the Qi Prince, who was convicted and demoted, and died far from home, and the princess who had been missing for many years and whose fate was unknown.
Princess Yongning took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knelt down in a grand gesture of obedience: "Xiao Xian, the daughter of this sinful subject, pays her respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
The phrase "daughter of a disgraced official" conveyed an extremely humble attitude, yet it plunged the room into silence, even causing Xiao Gong to fall silent for a moment.
“I remember,” he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a detached indifference as he recalled the past, “Back then, a report came from the southwest that the Prince of Qi and his wife had tragically perished, and their bodies had been found, but your whereabouts remained unknown. After years of searching, we assumed you had either been devoured by wolves or fallen into a rapid current. To see you today is… a cruel twist of fate.”
Xiao Xian's body was trembling slightly.
The person on the high seat made no mention of King Qi's "crimes" of the past, nor did he ask how she survived or why she returned, nor did he investigate why she, as the "daughter of a disgraced official," could appear at the palace banquet. He simply stated a "fact" and attributed her survival to mysterious "fate."
Xiao Xian knew that this was an extremely clever political rhetoric, which both acknowledged her existence and drew a line, positioning her as an "unexpected" individual who needed to be re-examined.
"It's good that you've returned alive," he finally said. "Now that you've returned to your clan, you must be careful with your words and actions from now on, and never again betray the grace of the imperial family."
"Yongning will follow Your Majesty's teachings and thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!" Yongning kowtowed again, his posture impeccable.
Gu Jinghong had almost memorized every scene from the moment Princess Yongning appeared.
She frowned, completely baffled—this "Princess Yongning," who had arrived at just the right time, the "butterfly" that Xiao Chengyan had been longing for, seemed... not to please him as much.
She even felt that Xiao Chengyan cared more about her, a mere "subject's wife," than about his beloved Yongning.
That's really strange.
Wasn't Xiao Chengyan doing this for her?
She chuckled to herself inwardly—what if it wasn't for Yongning? It couldn't possibly be for Gu Jinghong, could it?
"Jinghong, try this." Gongsun Cheyuan placed a plate of delicate peony pastries in front of her, his eyes clear and full of flattery. "You didn't eat much for breakfast, you must be hungry."
Seeing his untroubled smile, Gu Jinghong forced a smile, picked up a pastry, but couldn't taste it.
During the banquet, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.
Many officials rose to toast Prince Jin. Despite what had just happened, no one dared to neglect this powerful prince.
Xiao Chengyan accepted all comers, but his gaze grew increasingly calm, even carrying a hint of melancholy.
He would occasionally glance in Gu Jinghong's direction, and when he saw her whispering with Gongsun Cheyuan, or the plate of untouched snacks in front of her, his eyes would darken.
Princess Yongning, though seething with resentment, maintained the dignity of a legitimate daughter of the Prince Qi's household, showing no sign of displeasure or disdain at the Emperor's slight.
Just as the atmosphere at the banquet seemed to be returning to harmony, a censor suddenly took out his jade tablet, left his seat, and knelt down before the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"
The singing and dancing abruptly stopped.
All eyes turned to the imperial censor.
"I hereby impeach Gu, the wife of Gongsun Cheyuan, the heir of the Duke's mansion, for using the route through Hu merchants to smuggle ironware and medicinal herbs to the northern border, thus aiding the enemy and betraying the country. Her intentions are deserving of death!"
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