Wu Ying never intended to let Chu Ling go. When he heard Ji Fengyao say that he had accidentally killed her with a single palm strike, he was secretly pleased: "It's alright, Your Highness. I will return them to the Emperor and Empress Dowager right away. Just like you said, even if the sky falls, the Emperor and Empress Dowager will hold it up. It's not our fault!"
Ji Fengyao pointed at Wuying and grinned mischievously: "Hey, little brother, you have good awareness and a bright future."
"Hehe," Wuying scratched his head sheepishly, but he wasn't modest at all: "Of course, it's a must when I'm with the Prince and Princess!"
Wu Shang: "..."
Wuying, you've changed! You little bastard, you've started to lick your master's boots and flatter him!
"However, we can't just send them back like that. I still need to give each of them a few acupuncture treatments."
Ji Fengyao, with a mischievous grin, held the silver needles and, amidst the terrified gazes of the eight maids in red, knocked them unconscious one by one, erasing their memories for the next two hours.
Although there were many incidents early in the morning, they were mostly minor squabbles between women, and had little impact on the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.
At noon, a banquet was held on the Wanhe Lake in the Imperial Garden, and as always, it was a lively and bustling affair with elegantly dressed people.
The Empress Dowager had composed herself and sat in the central pavilion with the newly dressed Princess Zhaoping. Her kind smile made her look just like an old celebrant celebrating her birthday.
The emperor sat with the empress on his left and Consort Yin, who hadn't appeared for several days, on his right. All three wore impassable, businesslike smiles.
When Ji Fengyao and Shang Xiye, whose face was cold and gloomy, arrived at night, the banquet had just begun and the performance on the stage had just started.
When the emperor and empress dowager saw Shang Xiye, their businesslike smiles froze.
Ninth Prince?
Shouldn't he be with the princess of Gaoqi Kingdom right now? Why is he here with this bandit, and why does he look like he's about to erupt like a volcano?
Judging from the fact that he was holding hands intimately with the bandit, it was clear that his anger did not come from the bandit.
Did he know he had been drugged and take his anger out on the princess of Gaoqi Kingdom?
"Send someone to Zhegui Palace to take a look," Shang Xiche instructed Eunuch De in a low voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Eunuch De curtsied in response.
Not long after Eunuch De left, a young eunuch with an imperial badge hanging from his waist came to serve wine in his place.
Seeing that he was a bit unfamiliar with him, Shang Xiche glanced at the nameplate on his waist and saw that he performed the procedures of testing poison and food in a standardized and skillful manner, so he didn't say anything.
It was common for palace maids and eunuchs to be replaced, but Eunuch De would usually inform him in advance. Perhaps he had forgotten this time because it happened so often.
After two cups of wine, Eunuch De returned, and the unfamiliar young eunuch quickly withdrew with the half-empty wine pot.
Eunuch De glanced at him suspiciously: This person wasn't his apprentice, could he be a new addition to the imperial kitchen?
"How is it?" Shang Xiche's anxious question interrupted Eunuch De's thoughts.
Eunuch De hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, there is no one in Zhegui Hall. They asked around briefly, and everyone said that the princess of Gaoqi Kingdom entered Zhegui Hall and has never come out since."
"No one came out, and there's no one inside. How could a person grow wings and fly away?" Shang Xiche said angrily in a low voice.
As they were talking, he suddenly felt dizzy and reached up to touch his forehead.
Seeing that his face was flushed, Eunuch De kindly suggested, "Your Majesty, are you drunk? This place is close to Wuying Palace, why don't you go there to rest for a while?"
"Alright," Shang Xiche said, feeling unwell and realizing that it was inappropriate to say many things here, so he took the help of Eunuch De to get up.
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