Chapter 33: Palace Banquet Storm (3)

Looking toward the front of the Great Hall, Lou Xiyan sat upright at his table, whispering from time to time with the guards behind him, his face still wearing that faint, warm, gentle smile. Her heart began to beat wildly and uncontrollably once again. Looking down at the moist, emerald-green jade bracelet on her wrist, Yan Ruxuan bit her lip, lifted her feet, and prepared to walk in the direction of Lou Xiyan.

Fortunately, Xiao Lian was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; she grabbed her hand and pleaded, "My good mistress, just watch from here. If you go any further, you will be discovered!"

After struggling several times, Xiao Lian still refused to let go. Yan Ruxuan's face darkened, and she said coldly, "This Princess has words for him. You wait here."

"Yes..." The Princess was already angry. Knowing it was impossible to persuade her, Xiao Lian could only gently release her hand.

Watching the Princess walk along the side of the palace toward Lou Xiyan, her beautiful figure like a fluttering pink butterfly, Xiao Lian sighed. Prime Minister Lou was a raging fire, and the Princess would still throw herself into it...

Entering the hall, Zhuo Qing was truly eye-opened. The spacious palace was nearly as large as a football field and was entirely of wooden structure; every beam and pillar was at least over a meter in diameter. The hall was divided into three levels. In the middle of the Great Hall, a ten-meter-wide golden silk long-pile carpet was laid directly from the hall entrance to the highest level; its dazzling gold color was many times more luxurious and imposing than an ordinary red carpet.

On the highest level sat a gold-flow chair inlaid with dragon heads—one look and it was clear it was where the Emperor sat. On the second level were ten long tables exquisitely carved from rosewood. Lou Xiyan and Su Ling had both walked up to the second level, the two of them sitting on the left and right, closest to the dragon chair. Just looking at the arrangement of these seats, one knew the hierarchy of status. On the third level, there were probably over a hundred more seats, though those sitting at the very back probably didn't even know what the Emperor looked like...

Lou Xiyan took his seat, and Zhuo Qing stood behind him. Because there was a distance of nearly twenty meters in between, Zhuo Qing finally dared to look again at the sharp and dangerous General Su opposite them. It was a rare opportunity to witness an ancient great general, so Zhuo Qing whispered in admiration, "This General Su is truly worthy of his reputation."

Lou Xiyan did not turn his head; he raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, "How so?"

"He has a pair of firm, persistent eyes, a posture of being able to advance to attack and retreat to defend, and a charm that conquers everything." Perhaps this was also the charm bestowed upon him by this era. Of course, Zhuo Qing did not say the last sentence out loud.

Lou Xiyan picked up the wine cup on the table in a leisurely manner, and while sipping and tasting it, he said with a smile, "So you are very satisfied with this brother-in-law?"

Brother-in-law? Zhuo Qing came back to her senses and replied with a sheepish laugh, "No, I was evaluating his status as a general. As for whether he is qualified as a husband, I have no right to evaluate." She wasn't that capable yet, able to tell at a glance whether a man was a good man. She could only say that his robust physique was a bit frightening; it felt like with just one exertion of force, he could crush her~

Was "husband" a Haoyue dialect? Faintly able to guess the meaning of the word, Lou Xiyan held the wine cup, turned to look at Zhuo Qing, and asked with interest, "Then what about me?"

"You what?" The light in his eyes was somewhat strange, and Zhuo Qing faintly felt that something was wrong...

Sure enough, toying with the wine cup in his hand, Lou Xiyan asked with a half-smile, "As a Prime Minister, am I qualified? As a... husband, am I qualified?"

Lou Xiyan asked casually, but his eyes were fixed straight on hers. In his slightly narrowed eyes flowed emotions that Zhuo Qing dared not and was unwilling to guess. Her face felt inexplicably hot; she, who had always been eloquent, actually didn't know how to answer for a moment...

Patience had always been one of Lou Xiyan's important virtues. If she didn't speak, he would never rush to force her, but such a deep gaze was a torment for Zhuo Qing at this moment. Fortunately, Heaven heard her request; a palace maid walked over slowly holding a tray and knelt halfway before Lou Xiyan's long table.

Lou Xiyan raised his hand slightly and said, "No need for you to serve, withdraw." During the palace banquet, every table would have a palace maid serving wine and food, but today he did not want to be disturbed.

Who knew that the palace maid not only did not leave but instead calmly poured another cup of wine for Lou Xiyan. Only after gently presenting the wine to Lou Xiyan did the palace maid slowly raise her head and ask with concern, "Is your body feeling better?"

The gentle female voice rang out softly. Lou Xiyan's brows furrowed involuntarily. Looking at the woman dressed as a palace maid, Lou Xiyan said in a deep voice, "Princess, you should not have come here."

Zhuo Qing, who had been rejoicing that she didn't have to face Lou Xiyan's awkward question, felt a sudden jolt in her heart. She stepped forward involuntarily to look closely at the woman's features: willow brows, starry eyes, a rosy face, and lips pursed slightly. Her quiet temperament made people feel very comfortable. Zhuo Qing raised her eyebrows slightly; it seemed she wasn't the only one who had come in disguise tonight. Lou Xiyan's charm was not small!

Feeling that standing there eavesdropping on others was very boring, Zhuo Qing turned and retreated to Mo Bai's side. Using his tall figure as cover, Zhuo Qing leaned lazily against the pillar nearby and yawned, deliberately avoiding looking at Lou Xiyan in front and scanning the hall instead. There were already many people in the hall, but those who could get onto the second-level platform were still just those few. The three seats next to Su Ling were empty, and the person in the last seat sat silently, not exchanging pleasantries with other officials. Zhuo Qing looked over curiously; this person looked very familiar, it seemed to be that Criminal Justice Official Dan Yulan. Being able to sit there, his official rank was not low either.

Lou Xiyan's obviously cold voice made Yan Ruxuan's heart ache. Suppressing the grievance in her heart, Yan Ruxuan replied softly, "I heard you fell ill again, and I was very worried and wanted to visit you, but the Empress Dowager does not allow me to leave the palace often."

"This subject is already fine, Princess need not worry too much." Seeing Zhuo Qing retreat to Mo Bai's side, Lou Xiyan couldn't describe the feeling in his heart right now. She was so "sensible," why did he feel uncomfortable? Could it be that he expected her to do something?! His thoughts were somewhat disturbed, but his mind would never let people guess easily.

Lifting her hand slightly, a moist, bright green jade bracelet on her wrist shone brilliantly. Yan Ruxuan's heart was beating like a drum, and she asked with full expectation, "Did you choose this bracelet yourself?" Last year, he had someone send a purple-gold hairpin, and she was ecstatic and wore it every day, only to find out later that he had let the steward choose it on his behalf. From then on, she never wore that hairpin again.

So it was Jing Sa who sent the bracelet. How could he be so muddled as to send such an intimate item! Meeting Yan Ruxuan's expectant eyes, Lou Xiyan only replied with a faint smile, "Does the Princess like it?"

"Anything you send, I like." She didn't care at all what he sent, but she cared whether he had put thought into preparing it for her!

"As long as you like it. The palace banquet is about to begin, Princess should return first."

Lou Xiyan's perfunctory answer made Yan Ruxuan's face dim. As clever as she was, how could she not know that this bracelet was not chosen by him! What exactly was she insisting on? Suddenly finding herself ridiculous, Yan Ruxuan stood up with a face like dead ashes. At this moment, high-pitched voices rang out from far to near: "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress has arrived!"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====