Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 203 Tacit understanding
He had a virtuous wife and beautiful concubines, and they got along well, maintaining a dignified and harmonious relationship.

Who wouldn't envy that?

All the guests praised the prince for his upright family traditions and the princess for her kindness and virtue.

The male guests looked at Li Huan with envy, especially Li Yan, whose concubines in the inner quarters were constantly vying for his favor, causing chaos and exhaustion. They couldn't help but secretly admire the Prince of Duan's shrewd methods.

Ruihe tried several times to provoke Xue Yuechen with conversation, but Xue Yuechen brushed it off lightly with trivial family matters.

She discovered that this inner quarters were so secluded that not even a needle could be inserted...

Ruihe clenched her handkerchief, feeling very annoyed as she thought of Ping Le's inflammatory words.

After downing a glass of wine, Li Yan chuckled twice, thinking, "I'm just looking for trouble."

"Seeing my second brother surrounded by fragrant flowers, enjoying the bliss of having two wives, it's truly enviable..."

Suddenly, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Zhao, saying, "I wonder when Your Highness will select concubines and expand your harem, so that we may broaden our horizons..."

This was clearly retaliation for Li Zhao embarrassing him in public earlier.

Li Zhao lowered his eyes and fiddled with his wine cup, his expression indifferent, his face expressionless, and his words scathing.

"My third brother has racked up so many romantic entanglements in brothels and theaters, yet he still has the leisure to worry about me?"

Li Yan's expression froze.

He hadn't expected Li Zhao to be so harsh.

Xue Sui's eyes darkened; she wanted to laugh, but didn't, covering her mouth with her handkerchief...

All the guests smiled but remained silent.

Li Zhao lit the fire, but acted as if nothing had happened. He picked up his wine glass very slowly, the amber liquid concealing the dark undercurrent in his eyes, a cold and desolate look. But when his eyes met Xue Sui's, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his eyes and drank it all in one gulp.

He said no more.

Xue Sui observed everyone without making a sound, when suddenly he felt a warmth on his knees.

She looked down and saw that Li Zhao had gotten up and was walking over, the silk handkerchief in his sleeve inadvertently falling onto her knee.

"Thank you."

She picked it up and handed it to Li Zhao.

"Your Highness, you are welcome."

Li Zhao took it and left his seat without saying a word.

Without pausing or showing the slightest ripple on her face, she went straight out to change her clothes.

The warmth of the handkerchief lingering on her fingertips felt like a small flame quietly flickering, making her feel itchy and flustered.

She touched her chest, where it felt faintly hot; she couldn't tell if it was from the poison or the burning sensation of his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand.

The sound of orchestral music gradually rose from the room.

Everyone has their own thoughts.

After a short while, Li Zhao returned to his seat with a normal expression, without giving Xue Sui another glance.

Li Huan narrowed his eyes, then smiled faintly and looked away, exchanging toasts and engaging in lively conversation with his guests.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in Xiefang Garden became even more intoxicating.

King Wei's cheeks were flushed from drinking, whether from the effects of the alcohol or from the humiliation he had just suffered, he looked at Gu Jie in front of everyone.

"I heard that Lord Gu recently had a son, and the child's features bear a striking resemblance to mine when I was young. Is that true?"

The people at the table looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

Whispers began to rise, and even the music and dance seemed to fade.

The Xue family members' expressions had changed.

Gu Jie gripped his wine glass even tighter, as if a piece of burning coal was stuck in his throat.

He desperately wanted to throw the wine glass in his hand at Li Yan's smiling face, but he could only clench his fists under the table, his knuckles turning white, unable to utter a single syllable.

Li Huan's face darkened: "Third Imperial Brother is drunk."

Li Yan realized he had gone too far, chuckled dryly twice, and waved his hand.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong, wrong again. Today is the Emperor's family banquet, and Consort Xue's joyous occasion. We should not be making such jokes."

Grandma Cui frowned but remained silent.

Gu Jie was indignant, but it was inconvenient for him to clash with the Prince of Wei at the banquet in the Prince's mansion.

After all, family scandals should not be aired in public. Letting people in the capital know about those disgraceful things would only damage the reputation of the Jingyuan Marquis's mansion.

Xue Sui smiled softly in silence, then suddenly looked at Li Yan.

"Your Highness, why are you joking like this? I've seen that child before, and he looks exactly like my fourth brother-in-law back then—even the little mole on his forehead is exactly the same. Does Your Highness perhaps have some connection with my fourth brother-in-law?"

Isn't this a veiled insult that the King of Wei wasn't of royal lineage?

Everyone at the table tried to suppress their laughter, but couldn't help but chuckle.

Li Yan suddenly became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Why exactly is Xue Liu opposing him?
It seems Xue Yueying was right; she was arrogant and disrespectful because of Prince Duan's favor.

The embarrassing incident at the villa last time must have been related to her.

"If Consort Xue says they look alike, then it must be. After all, Consort Xue and Lord Gu were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little, and she almost became the young mistress of the Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion. There's no way she could be mistaken..."

Which pot should not be opened and lifted...

Xue Sui felt that this Prince Wei was truly spoiled by the Empress Dowager and had become somewhat arrogant and ignorant.

Having never witnessed the wickedness of the world, never tasted the coldness of human relationships, and never experienced the trials of court life, she, in her early twenties, spoke as recklessly as a child. Her lips curved slightly, “Ascending the jade steps lightly, knocking on the vermilion gate at night—that’s hardly a respectable thing—Your Highness, are you slandering me like this? Could it be that I have offended you?”

Being caught in adultery on the jade steps was the most humiliating thing in Li Yan's life.

His expression changed, and he was about to slam his fist on the table when he suddenly heard Li Huan shout.

"Third brother, how dare you speak to your sister-in-law like that? Your behavior is rude and lacks decorum! Apologize to your sister-in-law!"

The royal sister-in-law?

Many people in the room were filled with apprehension.

Prince Duan openly treated this concubine with the respect due to a principal wife, showing her special regard!
Li Zhao lowered his eyes, fiddling with his cup, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Xue Yuechen was momentarily lost in thought, then smiled again.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. The Prince of Wei was just drunk and spoke carelessly. We are family, there's no need to ruin our harmony."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Yan's face turned as purple as an eggplant.

Prince Duan's address of "Imperial Sister-in-law" was a slap in the face, showing his blatant favoritism.

He angrily rose and left his seat, deliberately knocking over the wine pot on Xue Sui's table as he passed by...

Xue Sui was speechless...

Why does this person act like a three-year-old child?

A habitual bad habit.

She rubbed her temples, got up, and went to change her clothes.

When she came out of the moon gate, she saw Gu Jie standing under the banana trees, his eyes looking at her as if he had a thousand words to say, and his face was unusually pale.

Seeing Xue Sui standing slowly, unwilling to approach, Gu Jie gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Now that you are the concubine of Prince Duan, you are still willing to help a stray dog ​​like me."

"The Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion is still standing, so how can you say it's a lost home?" Xue Sui gestured for Xiao Zhao to step back and stand guard, his gaze sweeping over the tightly clenched fist in his sleeve, giving it a cold look.

"I'm not helping you, I'm doing this for Aunt Chun."

A flicker of pain crossed Gu Jie's eyes.

"I know you no longer have any feelings for me..."

Seeing her turn away with a sullen face, as if she didn't want to hear another word from him, Gu Jie felt as if his heart was on fire.

He never imagined that ten years later, his situation would be so different from Xue Sui's...

The once dashing young man is now a frightened bird crushed in the mud.

She turned adversity into opportunity, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, soaring high into the sky...

"Sixth Sister, please wait." Gu Jie suddenly stepped forward, his voice deep and hoarse.

Once Xue Sui stopped, he slowly walked to his side. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, he took out a slip of paper from his sleeve.

"Using someone else to kill Wen Jia and frame Crown Prince Zhao?"

Xue Sui looked at the handwriting on the paper and suddenly chuckled.

"She's never failed to use the tactic of using someone else to do her dirty work. She can eliminate both her romantic rivals and her political enemies—killing two birds with one stone."

"You're not worried at all?" Gu Jie frowned. "If Wen Jia dies, there will be no reconciliation between Xiz and Daliang..."

"What's the use of panicking?" Xue Sui glanced at him, crumpled the note written by Gu Jie himself into a ball, and slowly stuffed it back into his mouth. Only after seeing him widen his eyes and swallow with difficulty did she withdraw her hand and wipe her fingertips with a handkerchief.

"But you, trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin, are more likely to have your heart and liver ripped out by its claws."

After that, he walked away.

The autumn wind swirled the yellow leaves down, landing on Gu Jie's shoulder.

He touched the edges of the crumpled paper in his throat, revealing a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

"If we could go back to the past, I would never let go of your hand."

Xue Sui did not turn around.

Gu Jie stood there, his figure appearing even more frail against the backdrop of the flowers and trees.

The once elegant young man has been reduced to this state.

But there's no medicine for regret in this world.
-
Xue Sui returned to his seat, and the garden had returned to its lively atmosphere of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

It was as if Li Yan's outburst at the banquet had never happened.

The candlelight flickered at the table, and the wine flowed freely.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard outside the garden.

A guard hurried inside and whispered in Li Huan's ear.

Li Huan's expression remained unchanged as he slowly rose, seemingly unconcerned.

"The Siz delegation was assassinated?"

"Please enjoy your drinks, everyone. I'll go make some arrangements..."

Everyone at the table was astonished.

The fact that the Xiz envoy encountered trouble at this critical juncture must mean that someone wanted to cut off any possibility of peace talks and ignite a war between Daliang and the Xiz royal court.

Xue Sui smiled slightly, her eyes meeting Li Zhao's unintentionally.

They both saw the sharp edge in each other's eyes—

Peace~~~
Li Zhao: I feel lonely and restless. How are you, gentlemen?