“Something unusual must be going on, Your Highness. Be careful, illness can come from what you eat.” Ji Fengyao casually covered her lips with a handkerchief and used telepathy to warn Shang Xiye.
Shang Xiye reached over from under the table, took her small hand that had just drooped down, gently squeezed it, and turned his head to give her a reassuring and gentle smile.
That smile, as if brought by a spring breeze overnight, was like a thousand flowers in the eye, incredibly beautiful.
This was the first time Princess Zhaoping had been so close to Shang Xiye. She was initially overjoyed and excited, but now, seeing Shang Xiye and Ji Fengyao being so intimate and affectionate, the blow she received was multiplied.
The extreme tenderness on Shang Xiye's face was clearly visible, but it had nothing to do with her;
She sat beside them like a large, conspicuous signboard of a discarded woman, utterly humiliated and inescapable.
Princess Zhaoping felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and tears welled up in her red-rimmed eyes.
But the banquet had only just begun, and she couldn't even find an excuse to leave.
She could only drink one glass of wine after another in silence. The wine burned her mouth and stomach, making her feel physically uncomfortable, but it made her feel less uncomfortable emotionally.
After a round of toasts, singing, and dancing...
Wen Jiyan, who had little interaction with Shang Xiye, suddenly raised his glass to toast Shang Xiye: "Congratulations to the Ninth Prince on his great victory and return to the capital. Including Xidan, this is the fifth small country that you have conquered. Your bravery is truly unparalleled in the world."
Shang Xiye held his wine glass, but did not touch it.
Everyone was curious. Wen Jiyan had always kept his distance from the Ninth Prince. What was he up to today?
As expected, Wen Jiyan changed the subject, his smiling eyes sweeping meaningfully over Ji Fengyao's face, and said, "However, the Ninth Prince's expedition to the west has brought back the title of 'bandit army,' which I imagine will cause doubts among the officials and people of the world. It's not that we don't trust you, Ninth Prince; you are a great hero of the Great Zhao Dynasty, and with just a word from you, people will naturally still be on your side."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall, including the emperor, changed color.
Wen Jiyan's words were extremely vicious:
If Shang Xiye doesn't explain, it means he's guilty and admits it. His marriage to a bandit is evidence of the origin of the term "bandit army."
If Shang Xiye were to explain, it would be that he was trying to win people's hearts.
Whom do the people's hearts belong to? It can only be the emperor.
For a prince to be so eager to win over the hearts of the people is tantamount to openly declaring to the world that he harbors rebellious intentions.
"Your Highness, who is this person again?" Ji Fengyao asked Shang Xiye with a curious and eager-to-learn expression.
"Minister of Personnel, Lord Wen Jiyan," Shang Xiye said expressionlessly, his tone cold and hard.
Anyone could see that he was already angry at Wen Jiyan's sinister intentions.
"Wen Jiyan? Why does that name sound familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..." Ji Fengyao looked around for help, her face full of confusion.
Xi Que was also deep in thought when suddenly her eyes lit up and she said, "That's right, Miss, when we went to war with the young master, didn't we encounter many assassins?"
One of the assassins seemed to have mentioned that their powerful backer was the Second Prince, and that the Second Prince's maternal uncle, Lord Wen, had countless disciples and deep-rooted influence in the court. Could this Lord Wen be Lord Wen Jiyan?
"Oh, I remember now, it's that incredibly arrogant fool who even boasted that if he could bring down the Crown Prince, he could help the Second Prince ascend the throne as the Emperor of Da Zhao?" Ji Fengyao looked at Wen Jiyan with a look of sudden realization: "Oh, so the Lord Wen they were talking about is you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
