Chapter Ninety-One
In her past life, when Zhou Junsong was studying, she had casually flipped through a book that read: "Wang She, then all suffer."
She had only glanced at it briefly then and did not understand the meaning of those words, but now that she saw everything before her, she seemed to understand.
She suddenly realized how precious monarchs like Zhou Yanqing and Qin Zixiu were.
Perhaps for the common people, what they need is not a powerful monarch. They don't care about the monarch's charm; they only care about whether they can have enough to eat and wear new clothes.
Unfortunately, most people in high positions are blinded by the reflected sunlight, unable to see the group of people struggling beneath it.
Before she could finish her lament, King Nasak stood up with an air of importance and said to the group of people serving him tea and water, "The frost disaster is currently ravaging my Sak territory, and I must thank King Qin for coming to my aid. More than anyone else, I hope this disaster will end soon so that the people can be freed from their suffering."
He took the wine glass, turned around, and quietly placed it in front of the statue of Emperor Gu behind him.
This was the first time Si Yanmo had ever been so hopeful that Di Gu would actually manifest. He was probably going to be struck dead, right?
Unfortunately, no, Si Yanmo could only watch as he put on a show, lit three sticks of incense, returned to his seat, and with a wave of his hand, a group of dancers ran in from outside, dancing gracefully to the music played by the musicians.
They were draped in thin veils, yet when they came in from the outside, their ears, red from the cold, and their fingertips, stiff with cold, were clearly visible.
Wu Zhao didn't care; instead, he smiled and appreciated everything before him.
Si Yanmo looked at Zhou Yanqing, who was clearly also uncomfortable but unable to express it.
She then looked at Zhou Junsong across from her. He had no expression. Even when some dancers, at Wu Zhao's signal, came to his side and began to flirt with him, his face remained expressionless, showing instead a hint of disgust.
Si Yanmo pursed her lips and shook her head. Wu Zhao had miscalculated. Using a honey trap on Zhou Junsong was the most wasteful thing. Even if he truly loved him, he could only weigh the pros and cons. How could such a low-level honey trap work on him?
She was still watching the commotion when the fire quickly spread to her.
Wu Zhao called out a beautiful woman. The woman was dressed in an orange dress with a thin gauze, and bells were tied to her ankles. They jingled as she swayed. Her features were like a painting, exquisite yet lively.
Wu Zhao patted the woman's back, gesturing for her to move forward, her target being the man beside Si Yanmo.
"A few days ago, while I was helping with disaster relief in the countryside, I met a beautiful woman. To express my gratitude to Your Majesty for not holding a grudge, people from all over the country presented gifts to Your Majesty."
He laughed, completely unconcerned that Si Yanmo was sitting right next to him.
As Zhou Yanqing watched the woman approach, he quickly declined, "No need, King Sak can keep it for himself."
"Oh, how can that be? If it's said to be the King of Qin's, then it is the King of Qin's." Wu Zhao said, taking another sip of wine. "Or is His Highness the King of Qin afraid of his wife?"
Si Yanmo felt uncomfortable watching this scene, but she also felt that she shouldn't stop it, since she and Zhou Yanqing weren't really husband and wife.
Everyone loves beauty, and if he really likes it and wants to take it back, she shouldn't stop him.
But she just felt uncomfortable!
She took a big bite of the crabapple in front of her, thinking to herself that if he dared to agree, then what she had just said would be meaningless, and everything she had said before would be meaningless!
Who wants to be his Qin Queen!
I won't make fakes anymore!
Go back and we'll get a divorce!
Just as she was lost in thought, a hand suddenly pulled her into an embrace, and a man's clear, pleasant voice came, "Yes, I am afraid of my wife and will only have her. I appreciate Brother Wu's kindness, but I have already benefited from the hostage situation. How could I possibly want your beauty?"
He deliberately used a more intimate form of address, hoping to dispel Wu Zhao's idea.
Seeing that he had already refused twice, Wu Zhao could not force the matter any further, so he gave the beauty a wink, signaling her to go back.
As the banquet continued, Zhou Junsong also declined the advances of the beauty beside him. When he looked up again, he saw that Zhou Yanqing had already tightly embraced Si Yanmo, as if to tell everyone how good his relationship with his wife was.
The man's breath brushed against Si Yanmo's ear, and a soft, teasing voice came, "Jealous?"
"Who's jealous?" Si Yanmo turned her head away haughtily. "You're overthinking it."
Her flushed cheeks betrayed her, and Zhou Yanqing couldn't help but adore her, reaching out to pinch her cheek. "How can you be so cute?"
She sniffed, trying to dodge the man's hand, but he took the opportunity to hug her even tighter.
The man's gentle breath brushed against her ear. "I promise you, I won't take a concubine."
Hearing this, Si Yanmo felt a little better, but she still didn't look at him, appearing completely indifferent, "Whatever."
"That won't do!" Zhou Yanqing saw her little bit of pride and flattered her, "Madam needs to keep an eye on me more."
"Are you looking for trouble?" She raised her hand to poke his head, but he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his heart.
"Yes, I like being managed by my wife, I wish she would manage me every day." He laughed, his deep and pleasant voice making Si Yanmo blush even more.
Just then, a few soft coughs came from Zhou Junsong's direction, interrupting the ambiguous relationship between the two.
Zhou Yanqing reluctantly released his hold on her and raised his glass to drink with Wu Zhao.
The musicians played classic Saxophone folk songs, and the wine was served one glass after another.
While the group was quite drunk, Si Yanmo secretly gave Zhou Junsong a look, and he immediately understood what she meant. He then spoke to Wu Zhao, saying, "It's wonderful that the two places can be reunited. It's truly a cause for celebration. However... if this fake hostage is still alive, there might be future troubles. I wonder how Your Highness plans to resolve this?"
Wu Zhao had already drunk several cups. Although this Sak man had a high alcohol tolerance, he was still a little dizzy. He squinted and listened for a long time before he realized what he was saying.
He waved his hand dismissively, "Hey, he's just a kid. He might starve to death someday if he runs off."
“That’s not necessarily true,” Si Yanmo interjected at the opportune moment. “I heard that many of Sak’s disaster victims are currently at the border. What if he gets a chance to…”
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Yanqing interrupted her with a mock cough, "Brother Wu, my wife was just talking nonsense, don't take it to heart."
The three of them were already making a scene, and Wu Zhao, who was already dizzy, was quickly drawn into their scheme. He muttered to himself, "Yeah, don't let this kid rebel."
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Zhou Junsong opportunely brought up the "suggestion" that Si Yanmo had given him earlier: "Why not lure the snake out of its hole?"
"Oh?" Wu Zhao put down his wine cup. "What insightful opinion does Your Highness have?"
Zhou Junsong exchanged glances with Si Yanmo and Zhou Yanqing, and then laid out his so-called suggestions.
It must be said that these words were even more effective when spoken by Zhou Junsong.
Wu Zhao's eyes lit up, as if he had found some brilliant plan, and he even told Zhou Yanqing that he must stay and watch the excitement.
In his mind, Sano was already a lamb for bickering.
Little did he know, this was a trap set for him by the three people at the dinner party.
Soon, everyone was quite drunk. Si Yanmo draped a coat over Zhou Yanqing and helped him into the sedan chair. Just as they were about to return to their residence, she discovered that the bell hanging on her waist was missing.
It must have been rubbed off when Zhou Yanqing rubbed against him after drinking too much.
She had no choice but to ask the palace attendant to wait a while, and then she went back to the "garden" to look for it.
As soon as she entered, a crisp slap echoed through the air along with a puff of steam. "What use are you if you can't even seduce a man?"
Si Yanmo raised her eyes and saw Wu Zhao standing by the stream, while the beautiful woman from before was still kneeling on the ground.
She instantly realized the situation; Wu Zhao had indeed done it on purpose.
Although Si Yanmo didn't know what this man was planning by having the girl seduce Zhou Yanqing, she didn't want to see anyone suffer, so she quickly walked to the two of them and said, "Your Highness, are you drunk? Why are you so angry?"
She helped the girl up and patted her hand to comfort her.
Seeing that she instantly became more sober, Wu Zhao's tone became kinder, but his eyes revealed a threat, "I don't need Princess Qin to trouble herself with disciplining my own servants."
“Of course.” But Si Yanmo was not one to stand idly by. “However, I remember that Your Highness intended to give this girl to the Prince of Qin. Why don’t you let me take her with me? She can keep me company in the future.”
This surprised Wu Zhao, but he knew that this was not how a woman should be used.
Moreover, if he were to let her take it away like that, where would he put his pride?
"Since the King of Qin does not like it, then so be it. Princess Qin should go back as soon as possible. After all... this is my palace, and I can do whatever I want."
The implication was that no matter how much she tried to stop her, this was Sack's territory, and he could do whatever he wanted to her.
Just then, another clear, cold voice rang out, "Why are you two arguing over a servant? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others?"
Upon seeing Zhou Junsong, Wu Zhao's imposing manner instantly diminished.
This person was sent by the Southern Emperor. He claimed to be visiting shops, but who knows if he was actually there to keep an eye on these nobles?
He could only force a fake smile. "How could that be? I was just joking with Princess Qin. If she wants to take it away, of course she can."
Si Yanmo didn't stand on ceremony with him and immediately pulled the girl away, saying, "Then thank you very much, Your Highness."
As she reached the door, she remembered her bell and turned back to get it, only to find that King Sak was gone, and Zhou Junsong was shaking his bell around.
She walked over and held out her hand. "Brother-in-law, aren't you going to pay me back?"
Zhou Junsong smiled, about to place the bell in her palm, then withdrew it, a sly glint in his eyes. "I just helped Auntie again, shouldn't Auntie do something in return?"
This person isn't done yet.
He really needs to be taught a lesson!
Si Yanmo simply knelt down on the ground and performed a full kneeling bow, "Thank you for your help, Third Prince. Is that alright?"
Zhou Junsong was amused by her appearance and thought to himself that it was no wonder Si Yunyun always said that her younger sister was the most quirky and clever. Sometimes the things she did were really both infuriating and funny.
He's seen it for himself now.
He raised his hand to help her up, but Si Yanmo dodged him and tried to snatch the bell from his hand. Luckily, he reacted quickly and didn't let her succeed.
This time, Si Yanmo was truly angry.
"What exactly does the Third Prince intend to do?"
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