Long Tianqing's disdainful snort left everyone dumbstruck.
Nobody expected him to be so arrogant. Leaving aside the fact that he'd give the empress dowager and Emperor Tianhui some face, his soft snort of "praiseworthy courage" was the greatest show of support for Emperor Tianhui!
As for His Highness Duke of Qin, it was the greatest provocation.
Silence fell upon the crowd. It wasn't clear what they were thinking, but Han Yunxi was full of admiration for this fellow. He really had guts!
Even she didn't dare to treat Long Fei Ye with such disdain.
To treat someone with disdain, one had to be more outstanding and stronger than them. Otherwise, what could they use to justify their disdain?
Emperor Tianhui's lips quirked up into a smile as if he was satisfied with the second imperial son's actions. The empress dowager grew interested as well.
Long Tianqing only gave a soft snort before continuing to walk forward. He was dressed in icy blue palace robes and had an imposing appearance. His steps were vigorous and vigorous, and he was in high spirits.
However, everyone's focus wasn't on him, but Long Fei Ye.
What would Long Fei Ye's reaction be?
Under everyone's gaze, Long Fei Ye's expression was cold as he stood unmoving. His deep, dark eyes were as calm as a pool of frozen spring water, making it impossible for anyone to see through him.
Despite knowing they couldn't see through him, many people still stared at him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face or his eyes.
While everyone was focused on Long Fei Ye, Long Tianqing had almost reached the empress dowager.
But for some reason, he felt a sudden pain in his foot. He lost his footing and fell forward, crashing to the ground with a loud crash as the things in his hands clattered to the ground.
This time, he finally became the focus of everyone's attention!
The high-spirited imperial son was now sprawled on the ground, his face to the ground with his limbs spread wide apart. He was in a sorry state.
Over a hundred people were sitting around looking at a man sprawled on the ground. It was easy to imagine the scene.
Long Tianqing quickly scrambled to his feet and opened the gift box on the ground, only to see that the precious porcelain inside had long been smashed to pieces.
"Who tripped me! Accompany me with a congratulatory gift! "He was flustered and exasperated, vexed and fierce. His nose was covered in dust as he stomped his feet, truly looking like a clown.
It would have been better if he hadn't said that. Once he said that, Han Yunxi immediately laughed out loud. Han Yunxi's laughter immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Other than Long Fei Ye, who else could it be? Was Long Tianqing really that dumb, or was he just pretending to be dumb?
It didn't matter if he was pretending to be a fool or if he was really a fool. This kind of childish behavior was really unbecoming of a prince.
Amidst the laughter, Long Fei Ye glanced at Han Yunxi but didn't say anything. If he had really made a move, would it have been as simple as making Long Tianqing fall?
Everyone thought it was him, but in fact, it was Han Yunxi's doing.
Hearing the laughter, Long Tianqing finally realized that he had lost his composure. The wisest thing for him to do was to stand up and continue walking forward without opening the gift box!
He'd only prepared one gift this time, an extremely precious piece of ancient porcelain. Now that he'd broken it, where was he supposed to find a second one?
What should he do now?
If he kept walking forward, he wouldn't have a gift!
At this moment, a sweet and gentle voice spoke up. "Second Imperial Prince, don't worry. Even if you don't have a gift, esteemed empress dowager won't blame you as long as you're sincere."
Following the source of the voice, they saw a woman in her early twenties. She was as delicate as a flower and as delicate as jade, gentle and dainty. Her full smile was especially gentle and beautiful.
This woman was none other than Baili Yuanlong's youngest daughter, Baili Mingxiang.
Although she was the youngest, she wasn't young anymore. She'd long reached marriageable age and had countless suitors, but she refused to marry.
If this was before, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But now that the Duke of Qin and Baili Yuanlong hadn't brought a gift, it was the greatest insult to Long Tianqing!
See, even Emperor Tianhui and the empress dowager were glaring at her. Han Yunxi looked over as well and discovered that this woman's beauty was different from the others. Her eyes were filled with intelligence.
She was gentle and magnanimous, like a needle hidden in silk floss. Compared to the other noble ladies, she was definitely outstanding.
"Baili Mingxiang, there's no need for you here …"
The second imperial prince was about to explode when Emperor Tianhui cut him off. "Enough, why aren't you withdrawing yet?!"
"Imperial father …" Long Tianqing grew anxious.
"Withdraw!" Emperor Tianhui was furious.
Long Tianqing was very unwilling, but he had no choice but to withdraw. But when he came back, he gave another light snort at Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi.
This time, it wasn't a disdainful snort, but one meant to vent his anger.
Finally, Long Fei Ye looked straight at Long Tianqing. A single glance was enough to make Long Tianqing feel the temperature drop around them.
He'd already thrown caution to the wind. After today's birthday banquet, his imperial father and the Duke of Qin would definitely be irreconcilable. Naturally, he'd use his father's favorite method to express his stance.
But now that he saw the Duke of Qin's eyes, he began to regret his decision.
Long Tianqing fled back to his seat. As soon as he sat down, the Left Prime Minister, Xiao Zhengxin, stood up and raised his cup to congratulate the empress dowager. "This old official congratulates Esteemed Empress Dowager on her birthday. May Esteemed Empress Dowager's phoenix body be in good health!"
So speaking, he downed his cup of wine and sat back down without offering any gifts.
His actions were so fast that everyone present, including the empress dowager and Emperor Tianhui, couldn't react in time.
After all, this Left Prime Minister Xiao Zhengxin was the second imperial prince's maternal grandfather! How could he … he's actually one of His Highness Duke of Qin's men?
That's too surprising!
Soon enough, another official stood up and raised his cup to congratulate the empress dowager, but without any gifts. This official was the Minister of Revenue, Zhao Ziling, a well-known member of the second imperial prince's faction!
Afterwards, various high-ranking officials such as Grand Preceptor Li Xiuyi, Junior Tutor Lin Botong, and Grand Scholar Ouyang Ming all rose to their seats to offer their congratulations.
The second imperial prince himself was flabbergasted, because these people were all in his faction as well!
How could this be?
Long Tianqing finally regretted his actions. He shouldn't have been so impulsive today!
Without the support of these influential officials, how was he supposed to fight against the crown prince or the other imperial princes? How was he supposed to fight for the throne?!
By now, Emperor Tianhui's face had turned completely black!
The power and connections in the hands of these influential officials and the departments they controlled were all very important, especially the Left Prime Minister.
This was not only a fatal blow to the second imperial prince, but also a great hindrance to him.
Long Fei Ye's actions were too ironic and humiliating!
He glared at Long Fei Ye, just as Long Fei Ye happened to look back. The two brothers' silent contest left everyone in the hall silent, too nervous to even breathe loudly.
But at this moment, people still stood up to offer their congratulations. Duke Jingguo, Marquis Pingbei, Luo City's Rong Clan, Ze City's Feng Clan, and so on all stood in place to raise their cups of wine. Their gifts were clearly on the table, but they refused to take them out.
Where did these people get the gall to provoke the imperial clan? Wasn't it all thanks to Long Fei Ye?!
The empress dowager's face alternated between white and green, looking as ugly as it could be. She had clearly seen these people arrive with gifts, but none of them had presented a single one. She hadn't even heard much of their words of congratulations.
A perfectly good birthday banquet had been ruined by Long Fei Ye.
This was simply a coup d 'état!
Emperor Tianhui was so angry that his chest heaved. Although there were a few high-ranking officials who had stood up to oppose the Duke of Qin and presented gifts after gifts, there were still more influential officials on his and the empress dowager's side than Long Fei Ye's.
But no amount of support could pacify his furious heart.
That was because the imperial clan couldn't tolerate even the slightest provocation.
But tonight, he'd counted a total of 27 influential officials who'd provoked him.
This was his humiliation, but also Long Fei Ye's terrifying bargaining chip.
Long Fei Ye had used facts to prove that he had the skills to oppose the imperial clan.
The birthday banquet was still going on, but most of the people were still presenting gifts. But it didn't matter who gave what anymore.
Emperor Tianhui stared at Long Fei Ye the entire time. He truly regretted that he hadn't exterminated Long Fei Ye when he was young. After all, he was almost 20 years old when his little brother was still in swaddling clothes. If he'd had the foresight back then, the late emperor wouldn't have granted him a special pardon.
But Long Feiye remained as steady as Mount Tai despite raising such a huge wave with one hand. His expression was stoic, like a high and lofty spectator who could see through each and every one of them.
Currently, he was looking at General Mu with interest. General Mu had just retreated from presenting gifts to the empress dowager. His gift was a very ordinary one that didn't offend or curry favor. It was obvious that he was a neutral party.
Han Yunxi sat quietly by Long Fei Ye's side. She finally realized that she'd underestimated Long Fei Ye's skills. Actually, he could've forced Emperor Tianhui to release Long Fei Ye even without her help when he was under house arrest.
She'd even foolishly assumed that he'd set his sights on the Medicine Fan. How stupid of her.
She stared at Long Fei Ye's chiseled profile and realized for the first time that she couldn't get enough of him. Just the side of his face was enough to make her heart pound.
Finally, all of Tianning's nobles finished giving their congratulations. Now it was time for the foreign guests.
The foreign guests who'd witnessed a smokeless battle were still in a daze.
They'd all heard of Tianning's Duke of Qin's fame, but this was their first time witnessing his skills. He really wasn't to be trifled with!
Chu Qingge's gaze hadn't left Long Fei Ye since the beginning. Beneath her icy exterior was a heart that was about to burn.
She'd always known that this man was as valiant and mighty as a god, but after witnessing his strength with her own eyes, she wanted nothing more than to prostrate herself at his feet.
"Big bro, we shouldn't give gifts either, right?" she asked in a low voice.
Big bro had been angry with her ever since he rescued her from the inn that day. He'd told her that she shouldn't have stirred up trouble in Tianning's capital city. She was full of grievances and simply refused to talk to him.
But now she couldn't help but speak up.
"That's not something we can decide," Chu Tianyin said indifferently. Chu Tianyin remarked mildly. Although he'd been stunned by Long Feiye as well, his attention was still on Han Yunxi.
His serious gaze seemed to be searching for something on Han Yunxi's body.
At this moment, Mu Ling 'er stood up from nearby.
She … had come as a representative of Medicine City.
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