Chapter 16 Background
After saying that, Liu Xi pulled Liu Yu and walked straight ahead, leaving Liu Yan standing there bewildered.
He probably still had his sister in his heart, hoping that he would make something of himself so that they could enjoy wealth and honor together.
Liu Yan gave Liu Xi's retreating figure a disdainful laugh.
At the entrance of Shou'an Palace, Aunt Wen looked back and forth between Liu Xi and Liu Yu with some difficulty.
Liu Xi quickly spoke up, "Aunt, Seventh Brother was imprisoned by the palace servants and fell ill as soon as he was released. If I hadn't forced him to return to the palace to rest, Seventh Brother would probably have knelt before the Empress Dowager to express his gratitude that very day."
Taking advantage of the Empress Dowager's slight guilt towards Liu Yu, she was able to hear the Empress Dowager's voice of compromise inside the palace.
"It's cold outside, come on in."
Liu Xi gave Liu Yu a wink; if the boy was any smarter, he would understand Liu Xi's hint.
Upon entering the palace, Liu Xi immediately ran to the Empress Dowager and knelt down before her.
"My seventh brother begged me for half a month. I had no choice but to reluctantly bring him here."
The Empress Dowager gently stroked Liu Xi's nose with her finger.
"I don't believe your clever words that try to fool me."
Despite saying that, the Empress Dowager still beckoned to Liu Yu, signaling him to come forward.
Liu Yu's background was a secret that was not allowed to be discussed within the palace, but the Empress Dowager knew the truth behind it.
She stared at Liu Yu's features, which were becoming increasingly similar to Princess Ning'an's, and couldn't help but reach out and stroke his brow bone with her finger.
No one knew that Princess Ning'an had given birth to a son before her marriage alliance, and no one knew who the father of this child was.
Liu Yu carries the weight of a royal scandal, and the fact that he was allowed to stay in the palace and be raised until now is already a testament to the Emperor's immense leniency out of consideration for the Empress Dowager.
As Liu Yu grew older, his presence became increasingly undeniable. The guilt that had accumulated in the Empress Dowager's heart over the years was enough to bring tears to her eyes when she faced Liu Yu.
After all, it's the child born to his own daughter.
Liu Xi was unaware of all this.
She never expected things to go so smoothly; after just a few glances, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but show affection for Liu Yu.
Liu Xi couldn't help but stare at Liu Yu several times.
Could it be that Liu Yu was born with a pleasing face?
No wonder I felt an urge to help him out of his predicament the moment I met him.
Liu Xi sighed inwardly, realizing that she had underestimated the importance of appearance.
"Grandmother, my seventh brother says he has never attended a palace banquet before. Today is a grand court assembly. Will he be able to attend with me?"
A fleeting awkwardness crossed the Empress Dowager's face.
If Liu Yu didn't look so much like her Ning An, or if Liu Yu had never suffered any hardship growing up, then she would definitely be able to harden her heart without hesitation and say no.
"Your Majesty, surely you haven't summoned the Seventh Prince to Longding Steps to receive the envoy?"
Liu Yu nodded and obediently spoke, mimicking Liu Xi's description.
"Perhaps it's because my grandson is not well-liked, and Father is worried that I will embarrass him."
With an innocent and naive face, this sentence became the final blow that shook the Empress Dowager.
"Then you shall accompany me to the court assembly."
After saying this, the Empress Dowager turned around and patted Liu Xi's palm.
"You little rascal, sit down here too."
Liu Xi quickly used a playful voice to whine in the Empress Dowager's arms, and for a moment, Shou'an Palace was very lively.
The Empress Dowager had Aunt Wen fetch a belt hook that she had treasured for many years from the storeroom and personally put it on Liu Yu's belt.
Some emotions, if suppressed for too long, will become uncontrollable once the slightest sign of loosening occurs.
Inside the Taiping Hall, all the envoys and guests were seated. The Imperial Concubine, dressed in magnificent attire, was comparable to the Empress of a country and sat to the side of the main seat.
Before taking her seat, she gave Liu Yan a thorough dressing-down.
He had put in so much effort to pave the way for Liu Yan, but that idiot Liu Yan couldn't even meet the slightest expectation of his.
This really frustrated Liu Yan. He hadn't seen a nice face all day, and he was seething with anger with nowhere to vent it.
Of course, the Imperial Concubine wasn't in a much better mood either.
In her eyes, Liu Yanwen was not as learned and refined as the Third Prince, nor as strong and powerful as the Second Prince. She even began to examine herself, wondering why she had ever taken a liking to such a good-for-nothing and thought he could be her hope.
Unbeknownst to the imperial concubine, what initially attracted her was actually Liu Xi's unique wit and boldness.
The emperor took his seat, and the banquet officially began.
Musicians and dancers began their performances one after another, and the atmosphere was filled with laughter and joy as guests mingled and toasted each other.
As the song ended, the eunuch at the door shouted.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived! The Fourth Princess and the Seventh Prince have also arrived!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Empress Dowager held Liu Xi's hand with one hand and Liu Yu followed by the other, and the three of them walked to the center of the hall, one in front and one behind.
With everyone around kneeling before the Empress Dowager, they were forced to kneel before Liu Xi and Liu Yu as well.
Liu Xi looked in Liu Yan's direction and saw that his eyes were full of jealousy and hatred.
She turned her head casually, and by sheer coincidence, her eyes met those of the Imperial Concubine.
It is said that people are in high spirits when they are happy, but Liu Xi only slightly raised the corners of her mouth, which the Imperial Concubine interpreted as a provocation. It was truly frustrating.
Thinking this, Liu Xi almost burst out laughing.
When the emperor saw Liu Yu, his expression changed slightly.
Since most of the people present were foreign envoys, he didn't want to arouse suspicion, so he could only maintain his facade.
The list presented by the Imperial Concubine did not include Liu Yu's name, so the palace servants naturally did not prepare a seat for him.
Liu Xi whispered instructions in Liu Yu's ear.
"See that empty seat at the end of the princes' seats? Go and sit with your brothers."
"What about my sister?"
Liu Xi winked at him, "I have my own way."
A new batch of dancers entered the hall to the sound of music, and everyone's attention was once again drawn to the lively scene in the center.
Liu Xi walked to the Empress Dowager's side and took the wine pot from the maid. Aunt Wen understood and stepped aside.
When the Empress Dowager saw Liu Xi busy around her, she glanced at the princes' seats and saw that they were packed with people, leaving no room for Liu Xi.
She sighed, and soon realized it was Liu Xi who had quietly given her seat to Liu Yu.
"Your Majesty, please create a seat for me. It's not right for the princess to stand and serve me all the time."
Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but glance at the imperial concubine.
"How can you not even prepare a seat properly? You're making a laughing stock of foreigners."
The imperial concubine confessed her guilt in a low voice, afraid that her voice would be too loud and could not be covered up by the singing and dancing.
The palace servants quickly brought up a chair and placed it next to the Empress Dowager's seat.
Liu Xi's ability to dine and drink wine at the same table as the Empress Dowager inevitably drew curious scrutiny from the envoys and women of the harem.
Despite being the center of attention, she remained calm and composed, which truly pleased the Empress Dowager.
Looking at Liu Yu's side, his sudden appearance made the princes feel somewhat uneasy.
To be honest, they had almost forgotten that they had such a younger brother, and what they didn't expect was that the Empress Dowager, who had never been close to the princes, would actually bring him into the palace with her.
The Third Prince Liu Ji was a smooth and cunning fellow. After thinking it over, he picked up his wine cup and took the initiative to start a conversation with Liu Yu.
"It's been a long time since I've seen my seventh brother. Upon seeing him again, you've made a name for yourself. You truly amaze me, my seventh brother."
Liu Yu hardly interacted with anyone other than Liu Xi, but some of his abilities seemed innate. He smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Liu Cheng, appearing completely at ease.
Liu Yan, who had witnessed everything, was so angry that he almost crushed his wine glass.
His chest heaved violently, and the anger he had been suppressing was on the verge of exploding.
Fortunately, Liu Yan still had his senses. He made up an excuse to get up and leave his seat, ignoring the warning in the Consort's eyes, and strode out of the inner hall.
Liu Xi subtly gave Zhi Xiang a signal behind her, signaling her to quietly follow.
Meanwhile, Liu Xi noticed that there were also several restless women in the seats of the imperial concubines, who were eager to make their move.
Liu Xi almost forgot that her father's harem was never short of troublemakers.
On the surface, they all appear to be refined and aloof ladies from wealthy families, but in reality, the methods they use behind the scenes are more vulgar and despicable than the last.
Although Liu Xi rarely participated in the power struggles among the women in the harem in her previous life, she had still heard some of the exciting stories.
If Liu Xi remembers correctly, a concubine will soon be drunk and go to the garden to sober up, only to be drugged and locked in a room, where she will have an affair with a courtier.
Liu Xi thought to herself, it seems that even without her today, there will still be plenty of excitement to watch after the palace banquet ends.
A short while later, Zhixiang quietly returned to Liuxi's side.
"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has gone to the lakeside in the garden to drown his sorrows."
"Just drowning his sorrows in alcohol?"
That simple?
Knowing her younger brother as she does, Liu Xi knew he would definitely do everything in his power to belittle and ridicule Liu Yu.
"Have Xia keep a close eye on his movements, and tell me immediately if anything seems amiss."
The Empress Dowager observed Liu Xi's every move out of the corner of her eye, and the smile on her lips became more and more obvious.
Halfway through the banquet, the Empress Dowager called for Aunt Wen to help her up.
"I am a little tired and will take my leave first. Your Majesty, there is no need for you to rise and see me off."
Before leaving, she specifically mentioned that Liu Xi could continue to stay in her position.
Aunt Wen, supporting the Empress Dowager, couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty, you are very satisfied with the Fourth Princess."
The Empress Dowager kept shaking her head, but the smile on her face did not diminish in the slightest.
"This girl is really clever and cunning. She can come up with an idea in the blink of an eye."
"Just wait and see, this girl is not someone to be trifled with."
Liu Xi sat at her seat for a while, feeling bored. Zhi Xiang, who was serving her food, noticed Xia waving outside and quickly put down her chopsticks.
She relayed the information Xia had gathered to Liu Xi in detail, which made Liu Xi both laugh and angry.
"That's why I say my brother is stupid."
"He might even think he's incredibly clever for using this scheme to kill someone with a borrowed knife."
Liu Xi propped her head up with her hand and quickly came up with a solution.
"Have Xia do it secretly, knock the person unconscious, and stuff them into the house."
"Using someone else to do the dirty work? I'll teach him what it means to die by your own hand."
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