Chapter 39: A Banquet Full of Smiling Snakes
[The Emperor barely even looked at us.] Lin Xueyi thought. [I wonder what Rong Shuyan talked about with him and the other Princes earlier.]
She couldn’t deny it that after that brief meeting, Rong Shuyan looked even less interested in attending the banquet.
He rarely showed his emotions on his face, but after spending time with him, Lin Xueyi had learned to notice even the smallest changes in his expression. A slight twitch of his eyebrows or the faintest shift in his gaze was enough for her to guess what was on his mind.
She was even convinced that his decision to stay behind and take care of her had simply been a convenient excuse to avoid coming to the banquet in the first place.
On the other side, the Emperor slowly swept his gaze across the grand hall before raising a hand. "You may all be seated."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The nobles and officials respectfully returned to their seats. The Emperor picked up the jade cup beside him and smiled faintly.
"Today is my birthday banquet. I have invited all of you here not only to celebrate another year of my life, but also to enjoy this occasion together."
His calm voice echoed throughout the hall. "Over the years, many of you have served this empire with unwavering loyalty. Some have defended our borders on the battlefield, while others have worked tirelessly to ensure peace within the capital."
He raised his wine cup slightly. "For your hard work, I offer my sincere gratitude."
Everyone immediately lifted their own cups. "We dare not claim such credit, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor chuckled. "Enough formalities. Tonight is a celebration. Eat well, drink well, and enjoy yourselves."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As music began to play and the palace dancers stepped gracefully into the center of the hall, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
But Rong Shuyan had been unusually quiet ever since. He simply stared blankly at the cup of wine in front of him, as though he had lost interest in everything around him.
"What’s wrong, Your Highness?" Lin Xueyi asked softly.
"Nothing," Rong Shuyan replied without hesitation. "I can’t drink wine. It will interfere with my medicine."
"Then how about tea?" Lin Xueyi reached for the teapot to pour him a cup. But the moment she noticed Rong Mingze looking their way from across the hall, she immediately put the teapot back down. "Or maybe we should just pretend to eat and drink."
"Maybe," Rong Shuyan replied in a flat tone.
[It’s not impossible for that smiling tiger to have poisoned the tea in this pot!] Lin Xueyi screamed inwardly. [Oh, heaven! Why is everyone in this palace so obsessed with poisoning each other?]
Her gaze slowly shifted to the Empress, who was seated beside the Emperor. She sighed. [Of course... she’s their role model.]
It wasn’t surprising that the Empress would do everything she could to protect her position by making sure one of her sons became the next Crown Prince.
Lin Xueyi could understand that much. If a woman had a bitch husband who kept bringing more and more women into his harem, she’d probably question her own sanity too.
But—she wanted to make this very clear—that didn’t give the Empress the right to kill or sabotage the sons of the concubines while they were still children.
The Emperor had at least five concubines.
Four of them had one or two sons each, while the Fourth Concubine had no children at all. Ironically, in the novel, she turned out to be the luckiest because she never got involved in the palace’s endless schemes or political games.
The concubines were always trying to bring each other down. Some secretly mixed appetite-enhancing pills into another concubine’s food so she would look greedy in front of the Emperor. Others spread nasty rumors to ruin each other’s reputation.
The First and Second Concubines were the most ambitious. The Third Concubine wasn’t nearly as ambitious, but if the opportunity presented itself, she would take advantage of it without hesitation. In that sense, she was more of an opportunist than an innocent bystander.
The last was the Fifth Concubine, Yun Fei.
She was Rong Shuyan’s mother and had once been the Emperor’s favorite because of her stunning beauty and gentle nature.
Back then, the Emperor even would choose to spend the night with Yun Fei instead of following his usual rotation among the other concubines.
Naturally, the others grew jealous, especially after she gave birth to a son.
However, Rong Shuyan’s birth was seen as a disaster because only a week after delivering him, Yun Fei fell seriously ill and eventually passed away.
From that day on, the Emperor despised Rong Shuyan, believing him to be a cursed child who had taken the life of his favorite concubine.
Even so, Rong Shuyan never escaped the palace’s political schemes because his very existence was still seen as a threat.
The Empress had even poisoned him once, though not enough to kill him.
After Yun Fei died and no one was left to protect the young prince, the Empress secretly mixed poison into Rong Shuyan’s milk, slowing his growth and damaging his body.
Fortunately, he eventually overcame those limits as his Qi grew stronger and flowed more powerfully through his body.
[The Empress must have taught her sons, Rong Zhenyu and Rong Mingze, to carry on her work by poisoning Rong Shuyan again.] Lin Xueyi clicked her tongue inwardly. [Such a loving family.]
She stole another glance at Rong Mingze. The Second Prince wore a warm smile as he chatted with a few officials nearby. Every now and then, he gracefully lifted his wine cup, looking every bit like the perfect prince.
Anyone who didn’t know him would probably think he was kind, gentle, and easy to approach.
On the other side of the hall, the First Prince, Rong Zhenyu, was busy flattering every noble who met his gaze. His compliments came one after another, making the nobles around him laugh with satisfaction.
"Your Highness," Lin Xueyi said softly, "don’t you think... this banquet is a little boring?"
Rong Shuyan glanced around the lively hall before answering in a calm voice. "It’s not a little boring," he said. "It’s really boring."