The empress dowager had long known that Emperor Tianhui would make a fuss over the birthday banquet to make things difficult for the Duke of Qin. She supported his decision as well. But the banquet had just begun. How was she supposed to celebrate if things went on like this? She was still waiting to receive her congratulatory gifts! Moreover, Emperor Tianhui had been too impatient to let the matter go from the start. He'd lost his bearing as a ruler.
"Emperor, six jugs of wine is quite a lot. Let the Duke of Qin rest. If Grand Concubine Yi sees this, she'll feel distressed," the empress dowager's benevolent expression made those who didn't know better think she doted on Long Fei Ye.
Emperor Tianhui calmed down and realized that he'd been too impatient and lost his bearing.
He smiled and said, "Muhou is just biased. Erchen never said the Duke of Qin should keep drinking. Six jugs of wine as punishment … Zhen has a good reason to send out troops!"
Emperor Tianhui purposely emphasized the words "a good reason to send out troops." Six jugs of Drunken Flower Wine wasn't enough to make Long Fei Ye drunk. He had even prepared more ruthless moves to play with!
This time, he wasn't here to celebrate the empress dowager's birthday, but to use this chance to crush Long Fei Ye in front of all of Tianning's power and Western Zhou's crown prince.
He wanted the world to know that Tianning's imperial power wasn't to be challenged. Even Long Fei Ye had to submit to him.
Eunuch Xue's matter was nothing more than Long Fei Ye's one-sided show of force!
Long Fei Ye allowed the empress dowager and Emperor Tianhui to echo each other without saying a word. Soon enough, he sat back down with a cold expression.
Seeing this, the empress dowager wanted to say a few more words, but stopped. Even though it was Long Fei Ye who'd been punished, they didn't feel any satisfaction at all. Instead, they felt like their hot faces had been pressed against someone's cold butt.
The empress dowager shot a look at Emperor Tianhui. She didn't care what he planned to do, but she wasn't planning to let Long Fei Ye off this time, either.
Let Long Fei Ye be arrogant for a bit longer. Soon enough, she'd show him who's boss!
Although Long Fei Ye was not drunk, Han Yunxi was still worried. She secretly watched him for a while before she was sure that he was really not drunk.
She couldn't help but guess how good this guy's alcohol tolerance was. Had he ever been drunk in his life? What was it like to be drunk?
After the congratulatory words were sung, the solemn ceremonial music turned into festive and lively music. Singers and dancers went on stage, and the hall became lively all of a sudden.
At this time, the birthday celebration officially began. The first person to attend was naturally the Emperor.
The Empress Dowager naturally looked forward to the gift from her son the most. At this moment, she was waiting with a smile. It was rare for her to smile so sincerely.
She saw the eunuch carrying a lump of something, which was covered by a large piece of red silk cloth.
What was that? He could tell that the situation was not simple.
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but laugh, "Emperor, are you still playing riddles with me? What is this? "
Emperor Tianhui personally undid the red silk. "Muhou, erchen found this to relieve your boredom. I wish you good fortune, longevity, and good health!"
The object in the eunuch's arms was none other than a small Persian kitten with snow-white fur and mysterious blue eyes.
It wasn't strange at all to Han Yunxi, but it was one of the rare animals in Cloud Realm Continent.
As soon as the eunuch carried the kitten out, many of the people present began to exclaim in surprise and praise. This was definitely a good chance to flatter Emperor Tianhui and make the Empress Dowager happy.
Even Western Zhou's crown prince, Duanmu Baiye, spoke up. "I heard that this object came from overseas. It's something that only Emperor Tianhui could ask for."
The Minister of Appointments, Lord Xu, quickly added, "Isn't that so? I heard that Northern Li's emperor once offered a large reward for this object in order to make the empress happy. It's something he could only ask for."
"His Majesty's filial piety is a model for all of Tianning's citizens!" someone from the Ministry of Rites spoke up as well.
"Esteemed Empress Dowager, His Majesty's filial piety is your good fortune. It's a great fortune for all of Tianning's citizens!" Marquis Pingnan followed up with flattery.
… …
If Han Yunxi was listening to all this flattery, she'd probably laugh coldly. But right now, she was doing her best to press Lil Thing into her sleeve so it wouldn't poke its head out.
Ever since she'd returned to the Duke of Qin's estate, especially the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion, Lil Thing had grown more and more timid. It often hid itself to sleep and didn't dare to come out.
What was Lil Thing so excited about in such a grand occasion?
Han Yunxi's expression didn't change, but her hands kept pressing and pressing. In the end, she had no choice but to reach her sleeve towards Long Fei Ye.
In an instant, Lil Thing quieted down and didn't move at all.
Long Fei Ye was its natural enemy!
Lil Thing curled up in her sleeve with a foul expression. It'd finally caught a whiff of the cat's scent and wanted to take a peek. How could its master be so bad?
Fine, it could only remember this place and come back another day to steal the cat!
The Empress Dowager picked up the Persian cat and liked it very much. She cradled it in her arms and stroked its fur. "Emperor, you're so considerate! So considerate! "
She'd wanted such a plaything for a long time but couldn't find it. She was about to give up, but the Emperor really found it for her.
"Excellent, excellent!"
The Empress Dowager was in a good mood. This first gift was a big surprise, making her look forward to the following gifts even more. As the Empress Dowager, she could have anything she wanted, but she just had to enjoy the surprise of receiving gifts.
Of course, the gifts had to enter her eyes. Even at the birthday banquet, she didn't accept all the congratulatory gifts.
It was also because of this that the people who came to congratulate her made many preparations to deal with all kinds of situations.
Amidst the flattery, Qinwang Rong stood up. "Esteemed Empress Dowager, this subject brother wishes your phoenix body good health and happiness as great as the East Sea."
"Qinwang Rong, quickly rise!"
The Empress Dowager personally stood up to support him. Qinwang Rong was the previous Emperor's good brother and had doubts about the Duke of Qin's background. Between the Emperor and the Duke of Qin, he had to choose the Emperor. However, the Empress Dowager hoped that he could support the Crown Prince.
Qinwang Rong presented a brocade box and said with a smile, "To express my sincerity, I wish Esteemed Empress Dowager good health and happiness as great as the East Sea."
The Empress Dowager opened the box and saw a large luminous pearl inside. She needed both hands to hold it.
Everyone was stunned at the sight. Luminous pearls were already rare objects, much less such a large one.
The Empress Dowager was extremely satisfied. She held it in her hands and exclaimed in surprise, "Warm as jade, bright as the moon, and as nimble as water. This is the head of all luminous pearls!"
"Exactly. This is the 'Moonlit Luminous Pearl,'" Qinwang Rong said with a smile.
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager was even happier. She'd received two such rare gifts in a row. It looked like she'd have plenty of surprises today.
According to seniority, it was time for the Duke of Qin and Qin Wangfei to attend the birthday banquet. This was not only the Empress Dowager's most anticipated arrival, but everyone else present as well.
Since Emperor Tianhui and Qinwang Rong had presented such a large gift, wouldn't it be a loss of face if the Duke of Qin didn't present something rare? His Highness Duke of Qin had always been generous with his gifts. What kind of treasure would he bring out this time?
Judging from the current situation and Emperor Tianhui's attitude, the Empress Dowager wouldn't let them off so easily even if His Highness Duke of Qin did.
Here comes the show!
Qinwang Rong hadn't even sat down before everyone's gazes rested on Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi. Han Yunxi's mouth twitched. Actually, she had no idea what the Long Fei Ye would present. She assumed it was the Medicine Fan, but he told her to fan herself instead.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's expectant gaze, Han Yunxi really wanted to take out the Medicine Fan to fan herself and show off.
She was hesitating over whether or not to take it out when Long Fei Ye stood up. She quickly rose to her feet as well.
Was he going to present a gift?
Unexpectedly, Long Fei Ye personally poured two cups of wine, one for himself and one for Han Yunxi.
What was this?
"May the Empress Dowager's phoenix body be in good health." This was Long Fei Ye's toast!
He raised his cup in a toast and drained it in one gulp, then … then he sat back down. There were only words of congratulations, but no gift!
For a moment, silence fell upon the scene. Everyone was stunned and gaping in disbelief. How could Long Fei Ye do something like this?
Both the Empress Dowager and Emperor Tianhui's faces had turned black.
Everyone was anticipating his gift, including the empress dowager. After all, the empress dowager had even prepared an excuse to refuse. She wanted to seize the chance to humiliate Long Feiye, but Long Feiye didn't give her anything. He wasn't even willing to say any congratulatory words. Was' the phoenix body in good health 'enough to send her off?
This was the rhythm of rejecting others before being rejected!
Could it be that Han Yunxi hadn't returned his congratulations yet, so he didn't present his gift?
Han Yunxi had become the hope of many people. Even the empress dowager's shrewd gaze rested on Han Yunxi. She refused to believe that Long Fei Ye had the guts or the skills to make her look bad in front of everyone.
It had to be known that making her look bad was making the emperor look bad!
What exactly did Long Fei Ye want to do? With his strength, could he really contend against the emperor? Did he grow his wings?
Did he not cause enough trouble with Eunuch Xue? Did he have to continue causing trouble?
Actually, Han Yunxi was as surprised as everyone else. She didn't know what the consequences of Long Fei Ye doing this would be, but she liked this method too much! It was ruthless and sincere enough!
He really didn't want to give anything.
This fellow did beautifully!
Under everyone's gaze, Han Yunxi's smile was resplendent. She copied Long Fei Ye and raised her wine cup, gracefully wishing the empress dowager a happy birthday, "May the Empress Dowager's phoenix body be in good health!"
When the husband sang, how could the wife not follow? After she finished speaking, she was just like Long Fei Ye, gracefully sitting back down.
Just like that, the birthday congratulations were over, but there was no gift!
The stillness in the hall grew even more pronounced. A sinister look flickered past the empress dowager's eyes as she felt humiliated at being played for a fool. Even if no one here dared to laugh at her, she couldn't tolerate Long Fei Ye's impolite provocation and humiliation!
Her hands, which had been resting on the armrest, clenched into fists. If she didn't get her revenge, how was she supposed to establish her authority in the imperial clan?
Naturally, she wouldn't question Long Fei Ye on the spot. That would be the same as asking for a gift, which would be shameful. She looked towards Emperor Tianhui, wanting to tell him that he could make his move now.
Currently, Emperor Tianhui was staring at Long Fei Ye with narrowed eyes.
Long Fei Ye was simply here to show off his power. Wasn't he thinking too highly of himself?! He'd given him 30% out of courtesy, but if he thought that 30% was enough to deal with 70%, then he was too naive!
Emperor Tianhui was about to launch an attack when a prominent and influential figure stood up …
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