Chapter 7 Attending the Palace Banquet
"Ye Zi, what's wrong with you?" Shengxia asked with concern.
"Young Master, you have suffered a lot these years." Ye Zi felt very distressed when she saw the scars on Shengxia's body.
"It's all over. It doesn't hurt at all now." Shengxia said as she patted it hard.
Ye Zi was amused by Shengxia's boldness, and stepped forward to wipe Shengxia's body, but she used less force when touching the scars.
Xia Yanjing copied Buddhist scriptures for a whole day and his hands were sore, but in order to be able to leave the ancestral hall smoothly in three days, Xia Yanjing did not relax for a moment.
At night, Xia Yanjing was very sleepy. "In order to be in better spirits tomorrow, I'd better have a good sleep," Xia Yanjing comforted himself.
Xia Yanjing was so tired that he fell asleep quickly. In his dream, he saw a young man in armor riding a horse towards him, but no matter how he moved forward to meet him, they seemed to be very far away.
This person was none other than Shengxia, whom he had only caught a glimpse of. Xia Yanjing woke up and helplessly held his forehead. In his dream, he had been running all the time. He felt as if he was more tired than not sleeping.
Time passed, and soon it was the day of the palace banquet. Sheng Yuan was also among the invited guests. Because Sheng Yuan had difficulty walking, the emperor specially sent palace servants to carry Sheng Yuan into Baohe Hall.
Countless eyes fell on the two of them along the way. Sheng Yuan clenched his fists with a gloomy expression. He had brought shame to his brother. A waste like him should not drag anyone down.
Shengxia was still thinking about what she was going to do tonight, and didn't notice the gazes of the people around her, nor did she notice Sheng Yuan's strangeness.
Until they arrived at Baohe Hall, the two were seated as arranged by the palace servants, and their seats were very close to the emperor's main seat.
Although the emperor might have wanted to show his respect for the meritorious officials of the Wei Dynasty, but being close to the emperor, Shengxia was also close to the crown prince and the third prince. Seeing the two of them, Shengxia couldn't help but roll her eyes in her heart.
"Isn't this the great hero of our Wei Dynasty?" The third prince looked at Shengxia and said with false praise.
"Your Highness, thank you for your kind words. I am not worthy of being called a hero." Shengxia did not want to have much interaction with the Third Prince, but he could not be so rude in front of so many people, so he replied indifferently.
"Oh, isn't this our Minister Sheng from the Ministry of War? Long time no see. You've been staying at home for four years, and now you're finally willing to go out. It's really rare. Oh, by the way, I forgot that Minister Sheng has difficulty walking. Blame it on me, blame it on me."
Shengxia was at the height of her popularity, and the Third Prince couldn't do anything for the time being, but he could still make fun of Sheng Yuan and disgust Shengxia.
Sheng Xia looked at the smug look on the Third Prince's face and wanted to punch him, but was stopped by Sheng Yuan, who shook his head imperceptibly.
"Thank you for your concern, Third Prince. You are very busy with many things every day. Please do not worry about these trivial matters of mine."
Although the Third Prince is already eighteen years old, he has always been incompetent in his work. His Majesty has not yet assigned him any substantial tasks. Anyone with a discerning eye would know that Sheng Yuan is making fun of the Third Prince.
"It's so lively here. If you don't mind me joining in the chat, I'd be happy." The person who came was the tenth prince, Wei Rong.
"What does it have to do with you?" Seeing Wei Rong coming over to talk to him, the third prince seemed to have a place to vent his anger. When he saw Wei Rong, he spoke in a very aggressive tone.
"I have heard that the two brothers of the Sheng family fought for the country and defended the territory. They are indeed great heroes who defend the country. I would like to express my gratitude. I hope that my Third Brother will not refuse."
Despite facing the Third Prince's rebellious attitude, Wei Rong remained humble. The ministers around who were secretly watching the fun were also secretly laughing at the Third Prince in their hearts, feeling that the Third Prince was not mature and steady at all.
Looking at Shengxia's murderous eyes, the third prince felt a little timid. After all, today was Shengxia's welcoming banquet, and his father had repeatedly warned him not to cause trouble. If he had a conflict with Shengxia, his father would only think that he was out of line and would not assign him any tasks.
"Hmph, this is what they should do. What is there to thank them for?" The third prince couldn't help but roll his eyes, threw down these words, then returned to his seat and drank a glass of wine in annoyance.
"My Lords, I would like to offer you a toast in advance to thank you for your contributions to the Wei Dynasty."
After he finished speaking, the palace maid beside Wei Rong tactfully brought three glasses of wine. Sheng Xia and Sheng Yuan naturally would not refuse and drank it in one gulp.
Wei Rong wanted to say something, but seemed to have seen something and left in a hurry.
Shengxia and Sheng Yuan looked in the direction Wei Rong was looking, and then Shengxia silently cast a secret glance at Sheng Yuan.
The person who came was Wei Yang, the third prince of Wei Dynasty. Wei Yang was Wei Rong's biological brother. Five years ago, Shengxia remembered that his elder brother asked him to help deliver a letter to Wei Yang.
Although he didn't know what was written in the letter, nor what relationship his elder brother had with Wei Yang, it was just that four years ago, his elder brother returned to Beijing seriously injured, and a month later Wei Yang married Zhao Qiang, the second son of the prime minister.
Wei Rong saw Wei Yang's face change slightly, and then he pulled Wei Yang to a place with fewer people. The two seemed to have some disputes, but soon they returned to normal and returned to their respective positions.
Sheng Yuan's eyes were always on Wei Yang. He found that compared with four years ago, Wei Yang seemed to have become thinner and his face looked paler. Could it be that he had not lived a good life these years? Although he had resentment towards Wei Yang, he hoped that he could live a good life.
Wei Yang followed Zhao Qiang and sat down. He couldn't help but look in the direction of Sheng Yuan. For a moment, their eyes met. Wei Yang was so shocked that he quickly lowered his head, his heart beating wildly.
Because of this, Wei Yang did not see the resentful look in Zhao Qiang's eyes beside him.
The moment the two looked at each other, Sheng Yuan only hated himself for being incompetent. Why was it that after four years, when he saw Wei Yang again, what he felt in his heart was not hatred, but an uncontrollable heartbeat.
Wei Yang was already married, and Sheng Yuan knew that it would be rude to continue looking at her, so he forced himself to look away and no longer look at Wei Yang.
Shengxia witnessed everything that had just happened, and naturally did not miss Zhao Qiang's eyes. After four years in the army, Shengxia had already developed the ability to judge people.
Shengxia looked down at her brother, her ears red, and then looked at Wei Yang who was also looking down. Shengxia felt that the two of them must have had a story in the past, but it was all too late. Wei Yang was already married, and there was no possibility for the two of them.
As the delicacies were served one by one, the banquet was about to begin. After a quarter of an hour, the emperor and his concubines arrived at Baohe Hall.
"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, and a thousand years of long live the empress." The ministers saluted in unison.
"My dear ministers, please stand up. Today we are welcoming General Shengda. There is no need to be formal tonight." The emperor said cheerfully.
Just one day before the banquet, the barbarians sent a letter of surrender, expressing their willingness to become a vassal state of Wei and pay taxes and tributes every year.
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