"You cannot fathom my thoughts. I hope these absurd remarks will never come from a third person's mouth again."
Su Lixia tilted her head and smiled slightly, "Then who is the other person?"
Yi Zexuan pursed his lips and said casually, "You don't need to worry about this. Hurry up and get ready, the banquet is about to start."
"Okay."
The banquet began shortly afterward.
The ministers and guests were already seated in their pre-arranged positions.
Then, the lord entered with his newlywed wife.
Upon seeing this, the ministers and guests were all taken aback and began to discuss it amongst themselves. After the two of them took their seats, the Empress entered the room.
Although the Empress was suspected of committing one of the seven grounds for divorce, her status and position were undeniable, so everyone had serious doubts about the order in which she appeared.
Finally, Su Lixia was scheduled to enter.
All that could be heard was the eunuch shouting, "Welcome, Your Highness the Princess."
With the eunuch leading the way, everyone stood up and bowed.
As she stepped forward, Su Lixia also bowed to the Lord and the Empress.
"Princess, please sit down." The master raised his hand and gestured for her to sit in his seat.
After thanking her, Su Lixia returned to her seat.
"This journey has been long and arduous. I wonder if the princess is tired from the travel or if she is feeling unwell?"
Su Lixia shook her head: "It's nothing, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
The emperor nodded and then gestured for the eunuchs to begin the song and dance performance.
The eunuch clapped his hands twice, and then the dancers went up on stage while dancing. The sound of string and wind instruments filled the air, and the dance became even more lively.
"Is that person up there your lord's new favorite?" Su Lixia asked, turning her head to look at Yi Zexuan.
Yi Zexuan simply nodded.
"She seems to have a very high status. I saw her entering the venue with your lord when I was outside earlier."
Yi Zexuan hummed in agreement.
"The Empress is so pitiful; suddenly she's no longer valued by your Emperor."
Yi Zexuan glanced at her sideways: "Haven't you already heard the reasons? Why do you still need to ask?"
"Oh dear, what I hear isn't necessarily all true. If it's what you say, then I might believe it."
Yi Zexuan snorted and said, "Then I must thank you for your trust."
"Oh, you don't need to be so polite."
Upon hearing this, Yi Zexuan paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Su Lixia, who was happily watching the dance.
"You're quite impolite," Yi Zexuan retorted.
However, Su Lixia suddenly said in a teasing tone, "Is there any need for formalities between us? What do you think, Your Highness?"
Yi Zexuan had never seen a green tea bitch before. Seeing this kind of woman for the first time and finding her somewhat popular, he couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to develop their relationship further, and whether she really valued this marriage.
Because in Yi Zexuan's eyes, Su Lixia had been looking at him with adoration lately, a feeling that Xue Yurou had never experienced.
Being in a good position, the newly appointed Lady Yue sat right next to the emperor. The two of them were all lovey-dovey, with one offering her a cup of wine and the other feeding her a grape. The empress watched all of this and couldn't help but drink her sorrowful wine.
Then, losing his balance, he accidentally knocked over the wine pot.
No one in the audience heard it, but the emperor on the side did.
"Your Majesty has had too much to drink; you should go back soon."
"I didn't drink too much; I just accidentally knocked over the wine pot."
Upon hearing this, the emperor ignored her.
Su Lixia, however, noticed this scene with her sharp eyes. She quickly nudged Yi Zexuan and said, "Look, they seem to be arguing."
"Are you just watching the show?"
"This isn't called watching the excitement, this is called gossiping."
Yi Zexuan countered, "What is gossip? I've only ever heard of it among commoners—the idea of watching others' antics."
"It's all the same. Sometimes we're just bored and happen to come across something like this, so we just watch. For me, it's like watching a show."
"But their plays are not for you to watch."
Upon hearing this, Su Lixia waved her hand and said, "Since they did this in public, it's something that others can see, so why can't they see it?"
"Then look around at the people. If anyone notices them, even if they hear the sound, they should pretend they didn't hear it."
"Ah..." Su Lixia looked at them and saw that they were all engrossed in watching the dance or chatting amongst themselves.
"Alright then." What could Su Lixia say? Of course, she would obey.
However, Su Lixia couldn't keep an eye on them, so she buried her head and kept eating, one grain of rice at a time.
Yi Zexuan glanced at her and couldn't help but smile.
After a song and dance ended, the lord suddenly said loudly, "I recently received a letter from the Central Plains saying that the Empress is pregnant and the princess's marriage has been arranged. The princess's wedding attire will be completed in about a month, so I plan to set the wedding date for the 20th of next month. That day is an auspicious day for a wedding. In the meantime, the royal palace can also make preparations."
Upon hearing this, Su Lixia was completely stunned. Wasn't she supposed to wait until the pregnancy was stable before discussing it? Did they shake me again?
Yi Zexuan stood up, and then Xiao Lian patted Su Lixia, signaling her to stand up as well.
Then Yi Zexuan said, "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty, for choosing an auspicious day for us."
Su Lixia was a beat slow, then repeated what he had said.
After the two sat down, everyone stood up and congratulated Yi Zexuan.
"This marriage will definitely be unprecedented."
"Absolutely! The scene will be incredibly grand."
Listening to their discussion, Su Lixia scoffed inwardly. How grand? Even taking a concubine would be more lively than this.
"The princess is the emperor's most beloved princess, so her dowry will probably be quite substantial, right?"
"Don't even mention it. When the princess came before, the procession was so long. All that was there was her family's wealth and her dowry. It was practically a ten-mile-long procession. If there were any more dowry items, tsk tsk, I'm afraid the prince wouldn't be able to hold his head up high. After all, she's richer than a country."
"Alright, alright, let's discuss this further when we get back."
After the banquet, everyone went to the outdoor horse farm, where guards protected the area. Several horses were on the platform below. The autumn hunt began with a few nobles releasing one hundred animals. The time limit was one incense stick's time. Whoever hunted the most animals would have one left, and they would also receive a gold badge.
The lord read out his opening remarks, and then the people below waved their flags, and the crowd galloped off on horseback, while incense was lit.
"This scene is quite grand." Su Lixia stood on tiptoe, looking in the direction they were heading.
"How come the royal horse farms in the Central Plains are not as good as this one?"
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