Wanyan Yuan's hands trembled as he lifted the wine cup. His movements were extremely slow, as if the wine cup in his hand was extremely heavy. Just as it was about to reach his mouth, it stopped and his face revealed a look of struggle.
Soon, everyone else in the hall realized that something was wrong and looked at him in surprise. Some of the more observant people even began to speculate that there was something wrong with the wine.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became extremely strange. Seeing that Wanyan Yuan didn't drink, Wanyan Xue's anger rose again. He coldly snorted, "Why doesn't Changsheng Prince drink?"
Wanyan Yuan's expression made it seem as if he had made a great decision. He placed the wine cup on the table and replied, "Reporting to Imperial Brother, I have been feeling unwell recently. The physician has instructed me to refrain from drinking. I hope Imperial Brother will forgive me."
"Unwell?" Wanyan Xue coldly laughed. "Someone, summon the imperial physician to examine Changsheng Prince. Let's see what illness he has."
Wanyan Yuan broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "I have been suffering from insomnia and night sweats and nightmares. The physician has instructed me to rest well and refrain from drinking. There is no need to trouble the imperial physician." After all, he had been in a high position for a long time and wasn't a complete coward. In the nick of time, he had come up with a plausible excuse. Even if the imperial physician arrived later, he wouldn't be afraid. As long as he insisted that there was something wrong with his brain, even the most brilliant imperial physician wouldn't be able to tell if he was lying or not.
"Is that so?" Wanyan Xue didn't comment and quietly sized him up. Just as the officials were beginning to worry that he would fly into a rage, he smiled and said, "Since Changsheng Prince is unwell, we won't urge you to drink."
"Many thanks, Imperial Brother!" Wanyan Yuan hurriedly thanked him, but his heart was cold. He knew his elder brother too well. The happier he smiled, the more murderous he was.
The banquet continued, but after Yang Guo's refusal to marry and Wanyan Yuan's refusal to drink, the officials had a strange look in their eyes.
After staying for a while longer, Wanyan Yuan knew that it was too dangerous to stay any longer. He had been able to deal with the poisoned wine, but if the Emperor made another move, he might not be so lucky. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Very quickly, he used the excuse of going out to pay his respects and left. Wanyan Xue narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. He waved his hand, indicating that he should leave quickly.
After Wanyan Yuan left, there was a brief silence in the hall until a eunuch hurriedly ran in to report, "Your Majesty, Changsheng Prince said … said …"
"What did you say?" Wanyan Rui furrowed his brows.
"This servant … this servant doesn't dare to say." The eunuch was sweating profusely, and his entire body was shaking like a sieve.
"Bastard! I told you to speak! " Wanyan Jue slammed his palm down on the dragon throne. "If you keep stuttering, do you believe that we won't skin you alive?"
"Changsheng Prince said that he … said that he wasn't feeling well, so he excused himself and has already left the palace." The eunuch's words caused an uproar in the hall.
Not to mention that today was the Emperor's birthday, even on a normal day, an official entering the palace to see the Emperor was not allowed to leave without the Emperor's permission. Changsheng Prince's actions were tantamount to openly despising the throne and completely breaking off all pretense of cordiality with the Emperor.
"Clang!"
Wanyan Rui threw all the wine jugs and blankets on the table to the ground. "Come on! Who's going to catch this bastard for me? "
All the officials in the hall looked at each other in dismay. They all knew that the battle between the Emperor and Changsheng Prince had reached a climax. Although it seemed that the Emperor had the upper hand, Changsheng Prince was also quite powerful. Until the last moment, who knew who would emerge victorious?
Those who could sit in the hall were all wily old foxes. The reason why they didn't dare to express their opinions was that they were worried that Changsheng Prince would make a comeback, but more importantly, this was a matter between Changsheng Prince and Changsheng Prince. Who knew if the Emperor would suddenly make peace between the two brothers? Those who had expressed their opinions in advance were immediately met with tragedy. In history, many people had worked for the Emperor, only to be betrayed by him. Such things happened one after another, and none of these wily old foxes were willing to take this risk.
"If no one is going, do you want me to go myself?" Not receiving a response for a long time, Wanyan Rui suddenly became angry.
"I'm willing to go." Yang Guo suddenly stood up.
Song Qingshu was secretly shocked. Since when did Yang Guo become so enthusiastic about the Jin Kingdom's court battles?
Wanyan Rui's anger turned to joy. "I've heard that Binde is highly skilled in martial arts, so this task is most suitable for you. Take fifty guards and 'invite' Changsheng Prince back. If he objects on the way, I allow you to use force."
"Okay." Yang Guo coolly said, then turned and walked out.
Then everyone in the palace started whispering to each other. They were all discussing whether Yang Guo's actions meant that the King of Zhao's faction had completely broken off from the Changsheng King. But Song QingShu could tell from the expressions of the officials in the King of Zhao's faction that they were also kept in the dark.
The banquet continued, but no one was interested in watching the dancing palace maids. Everyone's eyes unconsciously drifted in the direction of the entrance of the hall.
Song Qingshu inwardly shook his head. With so many things happening and the current strange atmosphere, it was better to end the banquet early. Staying here was simply too torturous.
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the hall. All the officials turned to look, only to find that only the leader of the guards who had followed Yang Guo had returned. Everyone couldn't help but reveal a puzzled expression.
Wanyan Rui frowned. "Where's Changsheng Prince? Where's Bing De? "
"Your Imperial Majesty, Lord Bing De, he … he …" The guard wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, as if thinking of how to phrase his words. "The moment Lord Bing De left the palace, he used his lightness kung fu and disappeared without a trace. We chased after him with all our might, but we couldn't find a trace of him."
Wanyan Rui was so angry that he laughed. "Good, very good. My two brothers are doing very well!" He didn't wait for anyone to react. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left.
Song Qingshu couldn't help but laugh. Yang Guo was really capable of doing something like this. Being forced to marry by the Emperor, he decided to simply leave. He really had a character.
Not far away, a clattering sound could be heard. It turned out that Pucha Qiucao couldn't hold the cup in her hand and it fell to the ground. However, at this time, no one had the time to pay attention to her. Everyone was gathered in groups of twos and threes, whispering to each other. They all felt a storm brewing.
Just like that, the banquet ended on bad terms and everyone left the palace.
"This time, Imperial Brother is really angry. I don't know why Second Brother is in such a bad relationship with him." After returning home, Ge Bi said worriedly. Although she and Wanyan Yuan didn't share the same mother, they were still brother and sister. Naturally, she didn't want to see her siblings kill each other.
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