Weiyang Palace. This was the place where Xiahou Qing had chosen his wife. Every step in front of the palace gate had traces of him and Ning Shu walking side by side. In just a few short months, things had changed. The previous emperor's favorite Taiping Flowers had already withered. Not a single petal was left. Only the green leaves were left under the scorching sun.
There were no stars or moon tonight. The sky was dark. However, tens of thousands of lights were lit around Weiyang Palace. The green glazed tiles looked like they were on fire. It was grand and bright like a celestial palace. The side hall opened. Music and dance came in. It was dazzling with gold and jade and red muslin. The officials were like the moon. They placed the Emperor and Empress at the head of the table with smiles and respect.
In contrast to the apprehensive mood of the officials, the Heaven's Choice Emperor had swept away his previous dispirited and sickly state. His body was covered in golden silk and his face was flushed red. He looked exceptionally radiant as he happily chatted with the officials. The atmosphere between the ruler and his subjects was harmonious.
"Hehe, my dear subjects, tonight is supposed to be a family banquet for me and my beloved subjects to admire the moon and enjoy the flowers. So many formalities would instead make us seem distant. Zhao Bin, why aren't you helping my beloved subjects up?"
Cao Hou sat next to the Emperor with a smile. She considerately poured wine for the Heaven Choice Emperor and reminded him to drink slowly to avoid harming his body.
The Heaven Choice Emperor waved his hand. "It's rare for zhen to sit with zhen and drink. Empress, don't be a downer."
Cao Hou helplessly shook her head. She let him be. She waved her hand and called for the palace servants to prepare tea in case the Heaven Choice Emperor needed it. The Heaven's Choice Emperor smiled and pinched the back of her hand. The harmony between the Emperor and the Empress could be clearly seen. On the contrary, the younger and more impudent Zhou Fei was given the cold shoulder.
Cao Hou tilted her head and said, "Zhou Fei, why are you so dispirited? This Hibiscus Chicken Shredded Lotus is not bad. It's your favorite. Why don't you try it?"
Zhou Fei had been sitting at the side with her head lowered, holding a wine cup. When she heard Cao Hou's summons, she suddenly trembled, almost shattering the wine cup in her hand. With a forced expression, she said, "This concubine, this concubine's appetite hasn't been very good recently. I think it's because of the summer heat. Many thanks for the Empress's concern."
"So that's how it is. Sister, you must take good care of yourself so that you can serve His Majesty well for a long time."
"Yes … This concubine will follow Your Highness's instructions."
Cao Hou nodded his head like a smiling Buddha, then turned his head and continued to chat and laugh with those noblewomen. No one noticed that Zhou Fei's drooping face was deathly pale, as if she had fallen into the path of a ghost.
After a few rounds of toasts, as the smell of alcohol filled the air, the banquet visibly relaxed. Even some of the old officials, led by Tan Shiyuan, who had been given two rounds of wine by His Majesty, couldn't help but feel dizzy. They didn't understand the purpose of tonight's banquet. On the dragon throne, the Heaven Choice Emperor, who had been smiling benevolently and amiably, used the smell of alcohol to sweep his eyes over everyone. He said with a smile that was neither light nor heavy, "Zhen heard that recently, there were many rumors outside that Zhen is sick. Moreover, Zhen's illness is incurable and won't live for long. Dear officials, look at Zhen's complexion today. How many more days can Zhen live? "
This one sentence was like cold water being poured into a pot of oil, causing an explosion. Immediately, everyone in the chaos broke out in a cold sweat. They sobered up and knelt down one after another, "This humble official doesn't dare. His Majesty's good fortune fills the heavens. His Majesty's life is as long as the heavens. His Majesty will definitely live for thousands of years!"
The Heaven Choice Emperor found it funny and leaned over, "Don't dare? Then who was the one who spread those rumors? A few days ago, who was the one leading the people to kneel at the Meridian Gate? " The wine cup in his hand smashed onto the ground and shattered into pieces with his thunderous anger, "All of you are doing this. Isn't it because you want Zhen to die? If Zhen dies, could it be that you can do whatever you want? You can take away my Xiao Family's country and sit on the throne?! You all have dog guts! "
A large group of people quickly knelt on the ground. Their faces were pale as they tried to defend themselves, swearing that they had no dog guts.
Looking at the officials who were scared out of their wits, the Heaven Choice Emperor suddenly slapped the table and laughed, "Hahahaha, Zhao Bin, look. Zhen said that the play you showed Zhen was very interesting. If Zhen followed it, Zhen would be able to scare a large group of people. Look, my dear officials are all scared out of their wits. Get up, get up. Zhen is just playing with you. Dear official Zhao, don't shake your clothes. Be careful of peeing on your robes. You won't be wearing your court robes tomorrow morning. "
"Quickly get up. Whoever is the last to get up, Zhen will punish them for having a guilty conscience."
The frightened officials scrambled to get up from the ground, causing the Heaven Choice Emperor to laugh again. Beside him, Cao Hou, who was watching him cause trouble in his old age, shook his head helplessly and called out, "Your Majesty …"
Only then did the Heaven Choice Emperor stop messing around.
After the joke, the Heaven's Choice Emperor wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes. Suddenly, he thought of something and his dragon eyes scanned the crowd. Then, he found an unmoving figure in the corner. "Zhen said there was someone missing. After looking for half a day, you were there. Qing 'er, quickly come over. I heard that you have been sick recently. Quickly let Zhen see if you have lost weight. "
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