The banquet was very grand. Everyone was already seated in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, waiting for the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and Jiang Meiyu to arrive.
After a while, the Queen Mother and the Empress came over, and the Emperor also came with Jiang Meiyu holding his hand. Everyone hurriedly stood up and saluted, shouting together: "Your Majesty, long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty, a thousand years ...
Emperor Wu of Yan went up and sat on the main seat, with the empress sitting beside him. The emperor took Jiang Meiyu's hand and asked her to sit on the other side, which made the empress frown. The empress dowager sat next to the main seat, watching the scene in front of her, and sighed in her heart. She knew that since Jiang Meiyu appeared, the peace in the harem had been broken.
However, the Queen Mother did not show any dissatisfaction. After all, she also understood that the emperor needed someone who could bring him happiness. Moreover, Jiang Meiyu's arrival did bring some changes to the palace. She gave birth to a granddaughter, making the entire palace more lively.
Despite this, the Queen Mother still hoped that the Emperor would pay more attention to the affairs of the harem while handling government affairs. After all, the harem was also part of the country, and only when the harem was stable could the country be guaranteed to be stable.
Just then, the banquet began. The maids brought out exquisite dishes, each one fragrant and delicious. Everyone picked up their chopsticks and savored the delicious food.
At the banquet, everyone was chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. However, beneath this harmonious surface, there was an undercurrent surging.
Jiang Meiyu was very surprised to find that on such an important day, Eunuch Wang was not with the emperor. She called Qiuping and asked why Eunuch Wang was absent. Qiuping quickly whispered in Jiang Meiyu's ear, "Before the banquet started, Eunuch Wang suddenly had diarrhea and was unable to serve the emperor, so he sent his apprentice Xiao Guizi to serve the emperor closely. Xiao Guizi was trained by Eunuch Wang himself, and Eunuch Wang trusted him very much." After listening to this, Jiang Meiyu always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't tell why. She couldn't help but think, "How could it be such a coincidence? He had diarrhea just when the banquet started?"
However, before Jiang Meiyu could think about it, she suddenly turned her head and saw Gu Xiangling and Qin Huaian exchanging glances. She suddenly felt uneasy and asked Qiu Ping, "Qiuping, have you arranged everything for the little princess?" Qiu Ping replied softly, "Don't worry, my queen. Chen Yu will be protecting the little princess today. She should be fine."
The Duke of Qin stood up, held up the wine glass with both hands, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I would like to congratulate Your Majesty and the Concubine Xian on the birth of the princess. I would like to offer a toast to Your Majesty and the Concubine Xian."
After the Duke of Qin finished speaking, he drank the wine in his cup and sat down. The other ministers also stood up and toasted the emperor. For a moment, the atmosphere was very lively.
The emperor laughed heartily and said to everyone in a cheerful mood, "Please take a seat, my dear ministers! My beloved concubine and I are very happy today. Let's drink to our heart's content!"
Xiao Guizi and Qiu Ping poured a glass of wine for the emperor and Jiang Meiyu respectively. The emperor raised his glass, looked at Jiang Meiyu with a smile, and said, "Yu'er, let's have a drink together."
Jiang Meiyu's heart tightened, but she kept a smile on her face. She nodded gently, raised her wine glass, and secretly poured out the wine in the glass while the emperor was not paying attention. Then she pretended to be nonchalant and handed the empty wine glass to Qiu Ping.
The emperor saw this scene but didn't notice anything unusual. He drank the wine in his cup happily. Then, he turned to look at Jiang Meiyu, his eyes full of tenderness and love.
Jiang Meiyu lowered her head slightly to avoid the emperor's gaze, secretly thanking herself for her wit. Suddenly, the wet nurse came running out of the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, breathlessly reporting that the little princess had been crying non-stop after drinking milk, and asked Jiang Meiyu to go over and take a look.
When Jiang Meiyu heard the little princess crying, she left anxiously. The emperor originally wanted to go, but the empress persuaded him that since so many royal relatives were here, the emperor needed to preside over the meeting, so the emperor had to stay here.
After Jiang Meiyu left, Gu Xiangling also left the banquet. After a while, the emperor felt hot all over and his head was a little dizzy. Several ministers toasted the emperor, and the emperor drank a few more cups. He felt hot and uncomfortable all over.
The emperor wondered what was wrong with him. How could this happen? Had he drunk too much? Or… He felt confused and worried. He wanted to get up and leave the banquet to look for Jiang Meiyu, but he found that his body seemed to be unable to respond.
Seeing the emperor's flushed face and dazed eyes, Xiao Guizi guessed about 70% of what was going on, so she hurried forward to support the emperor and said to the other ministers: "Your Majesty can't hold his liquor. I will help Your Majesty to rest for a while. Please continue drinking and having fun, everyone." After that, Xiao Guizi supported the emperor and walked towards the imperial garden.
The emperor was already unconscious and could only let Xiao Guizi do what she wanted. As Xiao Guizi walked away, she said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I will help you to the Imperial Garden to get some fresh air. You will be fine. We will be there soon."
To the southeast of the Imperial Garden is the Yongfu Palace. Xiao Guizi helped the emperor walk towards the Yongfu Palace. At this moment, Gu Xiangling had just finished bathing and was only wearing a thin gauze. She was half lying on the bed, just waiting for the emperor to come. She swore that she would make the emperor never forget her tonight. After all, the medicine was made by that favorite concubine.
Xiao Guizi helped the emperor into the inner hall of Yongfu Palace and closed the door. The emperor was already half drunk and half awake at this time. He tried to open his eyes and saw that there seemed to be someone on the bed. He staggered to the bedside and whispered: "Yu'er, is that you? I feel uncomfortable all over now, as if my body is on fire. Come and help me see what's going on?"
Hearing the emperor's voice, Gu Xiangling secretly rejoiced that the emperor had mistaken her for Jiang Meiyu. She quickly got out of bed, walked quickly towards the emperor, and gently replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I'm coming right away." Then, she reached out to untie the emperor's clothes, but at that moment, the emperor suddenly woke up and grabbed her hand.
The emperor's eyes widened in anger, and he said majestically, "Gu Guiren, you are so bold! How dare you drug me and try to murder me! Someone, come..." As the emperor finished speaking, Chen Feng emerged from the darkness. He waved his hand, and immediately a group of guards rushed in. The emperor continued to order, "Capture this bitch, throw her into the Sky Prison, and interrogate her strictly!"
The guards replied in unison, "As you command, Your Majesty!" They quickly advanced and dragged Gu Xiangling away. By this point, Gu Xiangling was so terrified that she forgot even to beg for mercy. Then, the emperor ordered again, "Also, arrest Xiao Guizi and thoroughly investigate all those involved!" The emperor's face was gloomy, his tone icy.
Xiao Guizi, who was about to run away, was so scared that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly for mercy: "Your Majesty, please spare my life! I am just following your orders, please have mercy on me, Your Majesty!" But the emperor ignored him, and walked out of Yongfu Palace directly and returned to the main hall of Qianqing Palace.
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