Chapter 393

His tone suddenly turned harsh, as if he were acting coquettishly.

"After returning to the palace, tell me which lowly wretch you gave it to—I'll make him pay."

"All right, the gift for Xiao Qi—how could I give it to anyone else?"

Jin Chen chuckled twice, soothing his hot-tempered wife, "No one gave it away; it's just been kept nicely in the Purple Imperial Palace, though perhaps it won't stay fresh after we go back."

"Even if it's not fresh, it's still mine—no one else may covet it."

Xuan Che snorted, pinning Jin Chen's cheeks, "Your Highness, you're doing this on purpose to annoy me—you're terrible."

The red at the corners of his eyes hadn't faded yet, a smile already welled up as he leaned into Jin Chen's embrace, playfully tussling.

Autumn wind blew in through the window, making the curtains by the table flutter; Jin Chen watched his lively, uninhibited appearance, his heart turning to water, and he leaned in to lightly pinch his chin and kiss him.

The slender arm that had been poised to strike his shoulder froze midair, then slowly wrapped around Jin Chen's back; Xuan Che exhaled a soft breath from his throat, closed his eyes, and savored this extraordinarily gentle kiss.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 35!】

——

The two simply had dinner at a tavern before returning to the palace.

The flowers in the Purple Imperial Palace had indeed begun to wither, no longer as lovely as when Jin Chen had plucked them at noon.

Yet Xuan Che still treasured them, gathering all the flowers and forbidding anyone to touch them.

Feng Zhu also finally arrived at the palace, again clinging to Jin Chen's leg and weeping bitterly; upon discovering the relationship between His Highness and the Superintendent Duke, he was so frightened he ate two extra bowls of rice.

How frightening—His Highness is just too impressive, having only just entered the palace not long ago and already being involved with such a major figure.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Jin Chen and Xuan Che's relationship obviously improved considerably.

While preparing the banquet, Xuan Che would also go out with Jin Chen, making it obvious to anyone how special his feelings for Jin Chen were.

Over time, even the fawning, obsequious servants in the palace became much more courteous toward Jin Chen.

Soon, the welcoming banquet arrived together with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the entire imperial palace was filled with joy.

The banquet was set up in the main hall commonly used to receive honored guests, with Emperor Yong Qian seated high above, no consorts accompanying him.

Over the years, the imperial harem had always been sparsely populated; Emperor Yong Qian listened to the slander of diviners, believing that frequent visits to the harem would ruin his cultivation physique, and so he simply stopped going altogether.

Fortunately, there were still three princes, and they had all become Xuan Che's men in court, so no one dared to stop him.

After a few years passed like this, the imperial harem had become a mere formality, with no new people entering, and the old ones withered away in despair.

To the left of the main seat was Xuan Che's place; upon closer inspection, his seat was even more luxurious than Emperor Qian Yong's, and even if anyone wanted to say something, they dared only to fume in silence.

By rights, the left side is the place of honor, and honor is ordered by age; further left should be the seat of the eldest prince, yet the officials on the right found that seated beside the Supervisor was actually the Third Prince, Jin Chen.

For a moment they exchanged glances, each weighing the matter in their heart.

They also received the news released by the Eastern Depot; since the Supervisor already had a favored heir apparent, they would shift accordingly.

As Minister of Personnel, Cui Yu naturally attended this banquet as well.

He knew his grandson had recently grown close to the Qi family's young man, and it was said to be thanks to the Third Prince's efforts; originally he would think that if the civil and military families intermarried, they would be wary of Xuan Che, but today…

Seeing Jin Chen and the other person secretly holding hands across from him, Cui Yu felt he really didn't need to worry.

No wonder Jin Chen was so tense that day upon learning of Xuan Che's early-middle-year cold poison; it turns out they share such a relationship.

He shook his head and stroked his salt-and-pepper beard.

I'm an old bone; I've seen all kinds of storms, so it's easy to accept; moreover, with Xuan Che as his backing, Jin Chen is practically a sure bet for the throne, and perhaps the Cui family will also rise with the tide.

I just don't know how my elder brother far away in Jiangnan would react if he learned that his grandson had some connection with the Eastern Depot's seal; he might be so angry he'd fall over.

"Grandfather, what are you thinking about? You're not even drinking your wine."

Cui Bingping noticed his grandfather spacing out, thought he was unwell, and hurriedly turned to ask.

Qi Yiqiu beside them also looked over with concern.

"It's fine, it's fine, I just thought of something," Cui Yu said, waving his hand with a smile, indicating they should drink their own and not mind him.

"If you have a moment later, remember to toast the Third Prince; it wouldn't be in vain of his help in breaking that layer of window paper for you."

Qi Yiqiu's face flushed slightly, recalling what happened that day, and he nodded along with Cui Bingping.

When he noticed the Crown Prince's gaze coming his way, he frowned, avoided it, and shifted slightly toward Cui Bingping's side.

After a deep conversation with his father, he only then learned that the earlier friendship of Jin Hua Xuan was merely an attempt to win over the Qi family, to get his father to support him as crown prince.

But now the Cui family has openly declared support for the Third Prince, and his father is still considering it; he feels even more that he shouldn't continue contacting the Crown Prince.

A friendship born of interest feels strange no matter how you think about it.

The undercurrents here surged, and likewise were noticed by others.

Jin Changyou looked at the now completely unrelated Jin Hua Xuan and Qi Yiqiu, feeling strangely odd; seeing Qi Yiqiu and Cui Bingping interact made his brows furrow even tighter.

The situation had gradually slipped out of his control…

What exactly is the variable behind all this happening?

Little did he know, while he was observing others, he too was being observed.

Jin Chen coldly glanced toward the direction Changyou was looking, and seeing that after Changyou saw Cui Bingping and Qi Yiqiu together his expression turned ugly, he became even more convinced that this person was not simple.

"Your Highness, what are you looking at?"

Xuan Che had just finished dealing with others' pleasantries with a cold face, then turned his gaze and saw Jin Chen intently staring in Changyou's direction, and couldn't help but ask in puzzlement.

"It's nothing; I've noticed this person has been restless since the start of the banquet, his eyes darting about, unable to sit still, fearing he might do something."

Jin Chen glanced back, gave a light laugh, and said casually.

The next second Xuan Che's expression changed; he glanced at the guard standing behind him, who immediately understood and quietly withdrew.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I won't let him cause trouble."

Xuan Che reached his hand under the table, secretly took Jin Chen's hand, and shook it playfully.

Although he doesn't much like such crowded, false occasions, after all it's a holiday he spent with Jin Chen, which he values greatly, and he doesn't want any mishap to disturb it.

Jin Chen nodded, and with his other hand poured him a cup of tea, saying, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it; just enjoy the dance."

Here, the two people held hands under the cover of the dancer's skirt, the atmosphere warm and tranquil.

Until the dancer in the middle dispersed, Xuan Che knew that next he should formally introduce the three princes to the civil and military officials; just as he was about to let go, Jin Chen pulled his hand back again.

"Your Highness… let go quickly."

"I won't, even if someone sees it, it's fine."

Jin Chen was righteous and confident.