The Princess of Southern Border danced three dances in succession. The last one was so hot and bold that she was just one step away from throwing herself at the emperor.
The way she shook her chest in front of the emperor made Queen Xie's face turn as black as coal. It also reminded Yi Qing of the seductive dances of some girl groups in a certain country.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. So this kind of thing already existed in ancient times! I wonder if that country will rush to claim it as their intangible cultural heritage.
Everything was in place, and Yi Qing trusted Xiao Tian to handle things well. So now she could sit back and enjoy the show.
Queen Xie really loved the emperor deeply. She was jealous of anyone who got close to him.
You're the queen! Can't you be a bit more tactful? I've already done a good deed like Lei Feng and got rid of Concubine Xue, who was stupid enough to provoke me. Who's going to help you next time?
With such low emotional intelligence, it's really lucky that you've managed to survive until now.
After Xue Ci fell from grace, Xiao Tian thought the emperor would treat Queen Xie better in the future. But Yi Qing had said at that time that the hope was slim.
— It's a man's weakness that he won't admit he's favored the wrong person, even if he really has.
Queen Xie must have been quite happy to see Xue Ci go from being the emperor's favorite to disappearing quietly.
But if the emperor were to dote on her right away, wouldn't it mean he was admitting that he had wronged Queen Xie before?
No, he would never admit it, even if he thought so in his heart.
So the emperor would dote on new concubines. At the same time, he would find other reasons besides the framing of Concubine Xue to prove that his attitude towards Queen Xie was right.
The situation might improve slowly later, but looking at Queen Xie's emotional intelligence, Yi Qing thought it would be quite difficult.
Zisu watched Yi Qing sitting there calmly, took a deep breath, but still felt uneasy.
Baozi reached out under the table and grabbed her hand. But he didn't lower his head. Instead, he kept staring at the two people.
Zisu felt a warm feeling in her heart and held his small hand back.
Yi Qing, who witnessed all this: "..."
If it weren't for the big age difference, Zisu might really have seduced her son, this ultimate warm - hearted boy.
Fortunately, although the King of Zhen had shouted that he was coming, no one paid attention to him. So he was still in his mansion recuperating. Otherwise, he might have been jealous of Baozi.
The emperor got up to change his clothes. Zisu knew it was Xiao Tian who had summoned him, and her heart tightened again.
A moment later, the emperor returned to his seat. There was still a smile on his face as he toasted with the ministers, just like before.
And Xiao Tian quietly returned to his original position and stood there, as if he had never left.
Sure enough, the Princess of Southern Border came to toast the emperor. Her voice was as gentle as a warbler's song.
Yi Qing thought that the Southern Border must have gone to great lengths to find such a "princess".
The emperor took the wine cup with a smile. Standing up in full view of everyone, he raised the cup and said, "Rather than saying this cup of wine is from you to me, it's more like a toast from the Southern Border to the Central Plains..."
At first glance, this sounded a bit overbearing. But this time the Southern Border had sent a woman - and a princess at that, at least in name - to the emperor. This was a sign of submission. So no one dared to find fault with the emperor's words.
When Yi Qing thought of this, she suddenly felt that Xiang Beizheng might not have come. Even if he had, he wouldn't have shown up on this occasion.
Such a proud man would never submit to others.
Then the emperor said, "I'll accept this cup of wine, and so will all the ministers present and all the common people in the Central Plains."
He slowly walked down from the high platform. The gold threads on his dragon robe glistened under the lamp, and his tall figure was bathed in a faint light.
For a moment, Yi Qing actually thought that the dog - emperor wasn't that bad after all. He looked quite imposing. Mainly because he had listened to her words!
Zisu looked at the emperor and then at the corner of Yi Qing's mouth that was slightly raised. She felt more and more at ease.
Sure enough, the emperor walked to the flowing water, raised the cup and said loudly, "Let this cup of wine flow with the water so that all the common people in the Central Plains can feel the friendliness of the Southern Border."
After saying that, he poured the whole cup of wine into the water.
The ministers were all stunned, but what could they do?
Of course, they shouted, "Long live the emperor! Long live! Long live!"
Yi Qing straightened up from her kneeling position and kowtowed with the others, completely ignoring that the female relatives beside her got up and curtsied.
— She was tired. She just wanted to get through this and didn't care.
This boring palace banquet. If she came again next time, she'd be a pig.
Lying in the mansion, hugging a brazier, cracking melon seeds, and teasing Xiao Tian. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Zisu whispered, "Thank you."
Yi Qing gave her a sideways look. "Go back and massage my legs."
"Let Xiao Tian do it." Zisu said with a suppressed smile. "If he doesn't listen, I'll help you beat him."
"What? You take advantage of me and still want to beat my man. You're dreaming!"
"Come on, stop joking." Zisu laughed. "I see someone coming. It seems he's here for you?"
"You're kidding. Who do I know?" Yi Qing looked up. Then, seeing the person coming, her eyes widened suddenly.
Dressed in the regular clothes of a prince, with a smile on his face, walking calmly step by step, who else could it be but Chu Ning, the King of Qi?
The King of Qi was the sickly young man who had offered a huge reward to ask Yi Qing to go to Licheng to "wait for the flowers to bloom".
"Tsk, tsk," Yi Qing looked up at him. "Your Highness, the King of Qi, is looking in good health!"
The King of Qi seemed very steady, but when he came in front of Yi Qing, he showed his true colors - winking and smiling playfully.
"You've had good luck," the King of Qi said. "The wife of a general?"
As he spoke, he looked at Baozi again. The latter stared at him intently without dodging his gaze.
"It's okay. I should really thank Your Highness, the King of Qi, for your accidental help. If Xiao Jinghan were still alive, I'd invite you to a thank - you banquet with him."
"Can't we do it now?"
Yi Qing smoothed her hair at her temples. "I'm a widow now. It's not convenient."
The King of Qi laughed loudly. "You're so heartless. Don't you know I've been waiting for you? And now you've put on the phoenix crown and embroidered robes of a first - rank official's wife. What am I supposed to do?"
Xiao Tian said coldly, "Your Highness, the King of Qi, if you're drunk, go back and rest early. Do you really think there's no one in the General's Mansion? Teasing a first - rank official's wife won't do you any good, even in front of the emperor!"
"Oh, who's this?" The King of Qi, who was always so unruly, sized Xiao Tian up and down.
"My lover," Yi Qing said. "So you see, you don't have a chance in this matter. Give up."
The King of Qi laughed even louder. "You're still as interesting as ever!"
He looked down at Baozi. "Hey, Baozi, I know you."
Baozi said expressionlessly, "Your Highness, please behave yourself."
Hearing such words come from such a young child, the others were okay, but the King of Qi was completely stunned.
"Stinky kid. The last time I saw you, you were over two years old and still couldn't call your mother. Now you're so capable?"
Yi Qing felt the gazes from around her and gritted her teeth. "If you don't want me to be drowned as an adulteress, stay away from me. If I die, and you get sick again, you'll have to come down and find me."
The King of Qi said, "Fine. This isn't the right occasion today. I'll visit you tomorrow."
"Don't come. There are taboos for a widow's house."
"Then come out and talk?"
"I'm afraid you'll kidnap me."