Chapter 994: Refusing a Toast Only to Drink a Forfeit

PS: Thanks to book friend "Masked Rider of Mercury" for the book coin tip, thanks for the support!

Main Text:

"Are there any requirements when meeting the Empress, such as etiquette or any taboos?"

In the corridor, Luo Quan asked Ji Qingyue about the precautions.

Although the Saint Tang Heavenly Dynasty was not a purely feudal society, the Empress was still an existence higher than the heavens. If she accidentally offended her, who knew if she would be dragged out and locked in the Heavenly Prison.

However, she hadn't seen anyone punished for offending the Empress on the internet, so she didn't know if it was because she had a good temper or because everyone knew the rules.

"The Empress has a bold personality and doesn't stand on ceremony. There are no special taboos; just grasp the relationship between monarch and subject."

Ji Qingyue's answer made Luo Quan feel a little more at ease. Since she had such a personality, she naturally wouldn't blame those below her for some inexplicable reasons.

"Speaking of which, how have Miss Bai's parents been lately?" Ji Qingyue moved the topic to Bai Xingwei as they walked.

"They haven't been home for a long time, but they contact me every once in a while. Looking at their complexion, they should be doing quite well."

Bai Xingwei said in a flat tone. Usually, she rarely mentioned her parents to outsiders, but Ji Qingyue's status was special, so she answered.

"Palace Master, do you know Xingwei's parents?" Luo Quan became curious, then as if remembering something, she quickly added: "If it's any classified information, you don't have to say it; I'm just asking."

"There isn't that much classified information." Ji Qingyue smiled slightly. "Miss Bai's mother and I were colleagues; we worked together for a period of time and have some friendship. Speaking of which, it's been nearly fifty years since I last saw her after she left the Martial God Palace."

Hearing "fifty years," Luo Quan almost exclaimed, "How old are you?"

But then she remembered that the lifespan of people in the Universe was generally over two thousand years, and practitioners could easily break through ten thousand years. A mere fifty years really didn't count for much to them.

"After leaving the Martial God Palace and entering the palace, Miss Bai's mother gained the Empress's trust. She can be described as having a smooth official career, rising to become the Deputy Commander of the Empress's Guards, commanding eight hundred thousand Imperial Guards. If she takes one more step, she will be the youngest Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards in the history of the Saint Tang Heavenly Dynasty. This favor is something that many of her former colleagues in the Martial God Palace envy."

When Ji Qingyue said this, her eyes were also flashing; she didn't know if she envied this official career or the Empress's favor.

Luo Quan felt it was probably the latter. After all, the Empress's prestige was so high. Don't look at Palace Master Ji as usually being quite cold and imperial; she would probably turn into a little fan girl in front of the Empress.

"Then what about your dad?" Knowing the aunt's job, Luo Quan asked about the uncle's job.

"He is the Right General of the Dongshan Military Camp." Bai Xingwei looked at Luo Quan's ignorant expression and chose to change the phrasing: "You can understand it as the third-in-command of the Eastern Military Region of the Saint Tang Heavenly Dynasty. The first-in-command is the Empress, and the second-in-command is the Eastern Extreme King of Azure Clouds."

"I understand your father's job, but who is this Eastern Extreme King of Azure Clouds?" Luo Quan smiled awkwardly. Arriving in a new environment, many new concepts popped up one after another.

Bai Xingwei was not impatient at all, but patiently explained to Luo Quan: "Dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons of the Saint Tang Heavenly Dynasty are as numerous as the stars in the sky, but there are only five hereditary kings with different surnames, namely:

Eastern Extreme King of Azure Clouds, Yun Feipeng.

Southern Extreme King of Longevity, Xu Tianheng. Xu Zimo, who came to find you before, is his son. I don't know if you still have an impression.

Central Extreme King of Profound Heaven, Luo Tao. Fifty thousand years ago, he should have been in the same family as you.

Northern Extreme King of Demon Exorcism, Li Daoxin.

Western Extreme King of Departing Phoenix, Ji Huangyue..."

Speaking of this, Bai Xingwei glanced at Ji Qingyue, slightly hesitant.

Luo Quan reacted almost instantly and turned her head: "Palace Master, you also have the surname Ji. Could it be that you are in the same family as this Western King?"

"To be precise, it's the King of Pacifying the West." Bai Xingwei corrected Luo Quan's mistake. "King of Conquering the East, King of Suppressing the South, King of Pacifying the West, King of Protecting the North; only the one in the middle is the Central King."

"That's exactly right." Ji Qingyue smiled and nodded. "I am indeed the younger sister of the King of Pacifying the West, Ji Huangyue, but I left the family a long time ago. The two sides can be said to be completely estranged."

"How come everyone has a bad relationship with their original family?" Luo Quan muttered in her heart.

Bai Xingwei was like this, and Palace Master Ji Qingyue was also like this. Sure enough, people with complicated backgrounds often have stories.

"What are you thinking about?" Ji Qingyue asked softly, seeing Luo Quan stop talking.

Luo Quan smiled and said: "Nothing, I just think there are so many interpersonal relationships to remember in the Saint Tang Heavenly Dynasty. Maybe the Shenyou Federation will have to come again in the future. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt."

Ji Qingyue's mouth turned up slightly: "As the Dawn Saint Mother, you will inevitably have to enter various noble and even royal banquets in the future, and you will inevitably have to deal with all kinds of big shots. Just take it as adapting in advance."

As they spoke, the three had walked out of the long corridor.

This corridor seemed to have a teleportation effect as well. Although there was no obstruction in front, Luo Quan opened her eyes wide but couldn't see the scenery at the end of the corridor.

With her eyesight, this situation shouldn't have happened.

And after leaving the corridor, what came into view was a door that was slowly opening.

Four maids who could be described as national beauties were guarding the door. Seeing the three, they immediately bowed and saluted: "Welcome, Palace Master Ji, Princess Xingwei, Saint Mother Luo."

"Saint Mother Luo..." Hearing this title, Luo Quan almost fainted.

The first two titles sounded quite good, why was hers so awkward? If you listened quickly, you would think it was Los Santos from Grand Theft Auto.

Saint Mother is Saint Mother, there is no need to add a surname in front.

However, in public, Luo Quan couldn't point out anything, so she had to pinch her nose and accept it.

After Ji Qingyue came in, she looked at the platform at the highest point. There was a luxurious and exquisite red jade throne, but there was no one on the seat, and four guards wearing masks stood behind it.

Looking at the bulge of the armor on the chest, Luo Quan guessed that these should be female guards.

"Her Majesty the Empress hasn't arrived yet, let's eat first." Ji Qingyue said, walking toward familiar colleagues, leaving Luo Quan and Bai Xingwei looking around in this magnificent hall.

However, their appearance also attracted the attention of many guests at the banquet.

Some of them looked at Luo Quan openly, with surprised expressions in their eyes.

Some were hindered by their female companions and only dared to look secretly from the corner of their eyes, but soon the anomaly was discovered.

If this weren't the Empress's banquet, the couple would probably have started arguing immediately.

And Luo Quan, who caused this situation, didn't notice anything. She was scanning the sumptuous delicacies on the long wooden tables with affectionate eyes.

The Empress's banquet was a level higher than the Universe Feast at Bai Xingwei's house; you could tell just by smelling the aroma.

And there were many dishes in the banquet that she hadn't seen before. It seemed that the Universe Feast Bai Xingwei ate before was not the complete version.

Although she was not a good foodie, the delicacies on the table did radiate a huge temptation, making her unable to help but pick up a plate.

"Are you going to start eating already?"

Bai Xingwei smiled when she saw Luo Quan's movements, then took two cups from the passing maid: "This is the good stuff, don't you want to drink a cup to whet your appetite first?"

"What is this?" Luo Quan put down the plate and stretched her neck to look over.

The cup was filled with dark green liquid. Although the appearance wasn't particularly good, it had an exotic fragrance that could occupy the entire sense of smell. It was truly appropriate to describe it as refreshing.

"This is the national brew that can only be drunk in the Empress's Palace—Fairy Jade Dew, made entirely from Fairy Fruit. The Fairy Fruit tree blooms once every ten years and bears fruit once every ten years, and one fruit can only brew ten drops. The yield is outrageously low. So this kind of fairy brew can only be drunk at the banquet held by the Empress. Usually, there is almost no way to smell its unparalleled fragrance."

As Bai Xingwei spoke, she couldn't wait to look up and finish the Fairy Jade Dew in the cup, then let out a fragrant wine hiccup, and her cheeks were also stained with a touch of pink.

Bai Xingwei, who finished the wine, smiled happily: "The best part of Fairy Jade Dew is that although it goes to your face, it won't make you drunk to death, it will only make you in a state of slight intoxication. Your reason is still there, but it's like a dream, like a lucid dream. It's a beautiful thing."

"Since it's such a good thing, then you should drink more." Luo Quan said, pouring her share into Bai Xingwei's cup.

"You're not drinking?" Bai Xingwei widened her eyes in astonishment. "So I introduced it for nothing?"

"It's not that I don't drink."

Luo Quan smiled helplessly, then leaned into Bai Xingwei's ear and whispered: "My constitution is born unable to touch alcohol. Just one sip, and I'll fall after drinking it, the kind that won't wake up until the sun is high the next day."

"So exaggerated." Bai Xingwei showed a wicked smile. "Then if someone makes trouble and lets you secretly drink a sip, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they want?"

"If you don't say it, no one will know, and others won't force me to drink if they don't know." Luo Quan glanced at Bai Xingwei. "I trust you, so I explained the reason to you. You must not let others know."

"Am I that kind of person?" Bai Xingwei put her hands on her hips. "Rest assured, my mouth is the tightest. It's just a pity that you can't drink such delicious wine."

After speaking, she drank the second cup of Fairy Jade Dew in one gulp.

After drinking, Bai Xingwei smiled even more happily.

Although she was very curious about what the wine tasted like, Luo Quan also knew that she couldn't enjoy this blessing, so she should honestly eat the food on the table, it wouldn't be much different.

However, just after Luo Quan gnawed two bites of a chicken leg of an unknown breed, a very tall man walked in front of her.

This man was at least two meters one. Luo Quan was one meter seventy-five barefoot. She hadn't met anyone she needed to look up to before, but today she finally met one.

However, although this man was tall, his figure was not burly. He belonged to the slender type. His appearance was standard, not ugly or good-looking, but he had a special momentum.

"Miss Luo, I've heard of you a long time ago, and I've been yearning for you for a long time. I didn't expect you to be even more beautiful in person than in the livestream."

The tall man said, taking out a box from his arms: "I am Li Tinghao, the eldest son of the King of Protecting the North. A small gift is not a tribute, I hope Miss Luo can accept it."

However, Luo Quan waved her hand quickly: "We are meeting for the first time, how can I be embarrassed to accept your gift? Mr. Li... Little Prince, please put it away first. I appreciate your kindness, why send gifts to make friends."

"But my rule is to send gifts first to make friends." Li Tinghao looked at Luo Quan with a smile. "And the gifts I send out have never been taken back."

This sentence made the atmosphere suddenly subtle. Bai Xingwei frowned and was about to come out.

Li Tinghao laughed: "However, for Miss Luo, this prince can break the rule this time. The gift will be kept first, and it won't be too late to give it to you after we get to know each other. As for now... how about this, I'll toast you a cup."

As he said, Li Tinghao took two cups of Fairy Jade Dew from the tray held by the maid nearby.

"Oh, it's killing me."

Luo Quan saw this situation and called it a big disaster. Fortunately, Bai Xingwei stood up in time: "Prince Li, Luo Quan is not good at drinking, why don't you change the way to drink."

"Can't drink alcohol?." Li Tinghao looked puzzled. "This is the Fairy Jade Dew bestowed by the Empress. You can't meet such a good wine easily."

"Indeed, I can't drink." Luo Quan answered helplessly.

"It won't be that you can't drink with me?"

Li Tinghao saw the empty wine glasses on the side of the two people at this time, and suddenly sneered: "Clearly, I just drank a cup, and I didn't see much on my face. This is not good at drinking? Refusing to accept gifts, refusing to drink toasts, it seems that Miss Luo really looks down on me. But it doesn't matter, you'd better drink this cup of wine I toast today, otherwise the consequences will be very serious."

"Prince, you misunderstood." Luo Quan sighed helplessly. "My glass of wine was drunk by Xingwei, I didn't touch a drop."

"Why explain so much to him, if you don't drink, you don't drink, what do you want?"

Bai Xingwei had a violent temper. Hearing Li Tinghao speak like this, she exploded immediately. If it weren't for the banquet, she would probably have raised her hand to hammer him.

"What?" Li Tinghao's smile became colder and colder. "I don't need to say who I am. None of those who have provoked me have had a good end."

"Then what is the specific end?" Luo Quan asked seriously.

Even a clay figure has three points of temper. She is not a soft persimmon that can be bullied. This prince who feels good about himself and has an overflowing sense of self-consciousness seems to be unable to get along well.

Since that's the case, she is too lazy to pretend to be a gentle lady.

And just when Li Tinghao was asked by Luo Quan's question, his eyebrows were upside down and he was about to attack, the maid at the door made a sound:

"Saintess Fafreya of the Dawn Church has arrived!" ===== CHAPTER 995 =====

Bai Xingwei had a fiery temper; hearing Li Tinghao speak like that, she immediately exploded. If they weren't at a banquet, she would have likely raised her hand to strike him right then and there.

"How about it?" Li Tinghao's smile grew colder. "I don't need to say who I am. No one who has provoked me has ever had a good ending."

"And what is that specific ending?" Luo Quan asked with a straight face.

Even a clay figurine has a bit of temper; she wasn't a pushover who would just swallow insults. It seemed that this young master, who thought so highly of himself and had such an inflated sense of self-importance, was already impossible to get along with properly.

Since that was the case, she couldn't be bothered to keep pretending to be a gentle lady.

And just as Li Tinghao's eyebrows stood on end from Luo Quan's question and he was about to lash out, the maid by the door made an announcement:

"Her Holiness, Saintess Fafreya of the Dawn Church, has arrived!"