Upon returning to the banquet hall, Shang Changge and Xiao Ji were openly and unabashedly together.
The officials, who were chatting and laughing in the main hall, reacted in different ways upon seeing this.
Some people were happy to sing along with Shang Changge, such as Shang Changze.
Some people were delighted to see this happen, such as Murong Yu.
Some people were surprised, such as Changsun Yanheng.
Some people lowered their eyes, such as Wei Lianyi.
Then someone else started joking, but in reality, it was Shang Rui who was looking for trouble.
Shang Rui's legs are now fully recovered and he can move freely, no longer needing to use a wheelchair.
He was sitting at his seat, holding a wine cup, chatting happily with the Minister of Rites and Changsun Yanheng.
Seeing the two of them come in together, after a moment's thought, he smiled seemingly casually and said:
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen my elder sister. Turns out she was with the General."
"My elder sister and the General have such a good relationship even before they are married; I, your humble servant, truly envy them."
As soon as Shang Rui finished speaking,
He immediately received two sharp and terrifying death stares, one from Xiao Ji and the other from Shang Changze.
In contrast, Shang Changge, the person directly involved, remained remarkably calm and composed.
She even beat Xiao Ji to it, looking at Shang Rui with a bright smile and retorting:
"Isn't your third brother also very close to Miss Yue'er in your household? Why envy me?"
This statement,
Shang Rui's smug and self-satisfied face froze, utterly embarrassed.
Yun Xiangrong is the daughter of a minister and is not qualified to attend tonight's banquet.
But Yun Xiangrong's father is the Vice Minister of Revenue. Whether he has any feelings about it or not is hard to say.
Everyone in the banquet hall thought the siblings' barbed exchange had come to an end, but then Shang Changge took two steps...
Suddenly stopping, she took Xiao Ji's arm in front of everyone. While everyone was stunned, Shang Changge looked at Shang Rui with a face full of praise and said:
"However, my third brother's words reminded me that I was not familiar with General Xiao before, so setting the wedding date for next year was understandable."
Now that I and General Xiao understand each other and are in love, I will go to ask my father, the Emperor, for help.
"Let's see if we can set a wedding date, since both I and General Xiao are not young anymore."
...
...
A deathly silence fell over the main hall; no one had expected Shang Changge to be so bold and flamboyant.
It was one thing for her to declare her love for Xiao Ji in front of everyone, but she even went so far as to say that she wanted to put the marriage on the agenda.
The official was in a very complicated state of mind: While it's true that Qingyan has an open and honest culture, the princess... well...
As a daughter, shouldn't you at least be a little shy and reserved?
Why are you being so high-profile? The people from Nanliang are still here!
On second thought, the officials felt that Shang Changge's actions were nothing unusual or particularly reasonable.
Because they suddenly remembered that the princess had always acted in such a high-profile and flamboyant manner.
...
However, just as the officials had finished finding excuses to comfort themselves, Xiao Ji reacted.
Xiao Ji also linked arms with Shang Changge, a deep smile playing on his lips that was clear to everyone present.
Because they could see it so clearly, everyone present was stunned, especially those who frequently dealt with Xiao Ji.
I can't believe my eyes. Is that person smiling so affectionately really Xiao Ji?
Xiao Ji not only smiled affectionately, but also responded to Shang Changge's words with tenderness:
"Princess, you need not trouble yourself with the matter of bringing forward the marriage; I will ask Your Majesty for it."
Everyone was struck dumb!
What did they hear?! What did they hear?!
What shocked and horrified everyone was not the content of his words, but Xiao Ji's tone.
What kind of tone was that?
It's tenderness, it's doting!
Before tonight, they would never have imagined that these two words would one day be used on a cold-blooded person like Xiao Ji!
fear! !
Terrifying!!!
The officials, feeling frightened, all raised their glasses and took a sip of wine to calm their nerves.
Murong Yu was one of them. The old man took two sips of sake to calm his nerves.
From then on, he changed his opinion of his seemingly useless granddaughter. She wasn't just useless; she was incredibly useful! What a brilliant move!
Having navigated the officialdom for decades, Murong Yu knew exactly who he could see through and who he couldn't win over.
He truly couldn't see through or win over Xiao Ji, the young man who became famous in a single battle at a young age and showed great promise afterward.
Now it's all good.
Oh no, he's useless. No, his most useful granddaughter took him down in one fell swoop.
Wow, he really impressed that old man!
Now that I think about it, Xiao Ji probably had feelings for Changge a long time ago.
That night, when he came to keep his appointment and agreed to stand on Changze's side, he was probably just scheming to win Changge's favor.
Okay!
That kid! And all that night he had that freezing cold face the whole time...
He wouldn't budge an inch when negotiating with this old man; he's such a smooth talker, so incredibly cunning! How infuriating!
What a loss!
If he had known this kid was interested in Changge, why would he have given up such a huge benefit?!
The old man grew increasingly depressed and regretful, but fortunately, Xiao Ji's fondness for his granddaughter ultimately outweighed the disadvantages.
The old man finally came to terms with things, and once he did, his mind started racing, and who knows what he was plotting next.
In this short time,
Shang Changge returned to her seat, and Xiao Ji followed her.
Then he faced off against Shang Changze, who maintained his usual gentlemanly demeanor.
He was quite gentle and mild-mannered, and without making a sound, he stood in front of Shang Changge and started chatting with Xiao Ji.
Shang Changze: "Was what General Xiao just saying an act with my sister, or was it his true feeling?"
Xiao Ji was not a person with low emotional intelligence; someone with low emotional intelligence would not be able to hold the position of Grand General in a powerful dynasty.
Therefore, their attitude towards Shang Changze, their future brother-in-law, was very respectful, aside from his status as the crown prince:
"Your Highness, everything I said just now came from the bottom of my heart."
"Your Majesty, I am pleased with you, and you are certain of this."
Shang Changze: ?
Shang Changze understood the first sentence, but not the second.
Shang Changze has recently learned many good habits from Shang Changge, such as asking questions when he doesn't understand:
"Why is it my elder sister...?"
He stopped mid-sentence, not pressing Xiao Ji for answers, but turning to meet the gaze of Shang Changge, who was watching them with a smile, and said softly:
"Sister."
Shang Changge: "Don't ask, the answer is the truth. I like General Xiao, and General Xiao also likes me. As for anything else..."
"Aze, don't worry. My sister is very skilled and has many people with her. If anyone's going to bully Xiao Ji, it'll be me."
Shang Changze: ...
He didn't ask anything yet.
Shang Changze was worried that Shang Changge was drunk and that's why he was saying those things.
If you look closely, you can see that the older sister's eyes are clear and bright, without the hazy, drunken state she had before leaving the table.
Thus, Shang Changze came to believe that the two were truly in love.
Although some concerns remained, His Highness the Crown Prince has always been a man of discretion.
I won't interfere too much in my sister's affairs, especially in matters of the heart.
As long as my sister is happy, that's all that matters.
If the consequences are good, great; if they are bad, someone else will clean up the mess.
And, Wei Lianyi.
Inside the magnificent palace, he glanced at the perfectly matched Shang Changge and Xiao Ji from afar.
Wei Lianyi felt that all her fantasies before tonight were utterly ridiculous:
So this is what it looks like when he's in love. So this is what it means for him to smile and to cherish women.
All sorts of thoughts,
It was all her wishful thinking and unrequited love.
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