Chapter 51: Whose Heartbeat Was Knocked Off Balance by Fear?
With the Empress Dowager’s arrival, the birthday banquet began.
Today was both the Empress Dowager’s birthday and the Mid-Autumn Festival, so large, round tables for ten were set up in the open air before the gates of Kang’an Hall, allowing guests to feast while admiring the moon.
The seating at Xiao Li’s table was quite interesting. Prince Chen and Liu Xueyin, Prince Wei Xiao Jingyi, Xiao Li, Lu Yanzhi, Chen Pingting, two unmarried little princesses, and the son and daughter of some unknown prince had all been seated together.
Since they were all of the same generation, there was no issue of fighting over dishes. However, Prince Chen wore the face of a block of ice, Liu Xueyin’s eyes were red, Lu Yanzhi looked dazed, and Chen Pingting was so restless she might as well have been sitting on nails.
The atmosphere was so uncomfortable that the two little princesses, both around ten years old, just kept looking left and right. A feast of delicacies was laid out before them, yet they didn’t dare take a single bite.
The other pair, a brother and sister, were slightly older, around fifteen or sixteen. They clearly didn’t know anyone well, keeping their lips sealed and saying nothing.
Xiao Jingyi leaned slightly toward Xiao Li. "Those are Uncle Duan’s children. Their mother, our Imperial Aunt, is ill and couldn’t come. Uncle Duan is sitting with the older generation, so our Imperial Sister-in-law arranged for these two to sit here."
Xiao Li nodded to show she understood.
As they spoke, someone moved their chopsticks. A fish ball appeared in Xiao Li’s bowl, placed there by Lu Yanzhi.
When Xiao Li looked over, he pursed his lips into a smile. "Princess, you should eat first."
The smile was practically dripping with guilt.
Her gaze shifted to Chen Pingting, who was poking at her bowl so hard with her chopsticks she nearly broke it.
’There’s no way I can eat this meal.’
Xiao Li picked up her bowl and, under Lu Yanzhi’s watchful eyes, stood up and walked toward Liu Xueyin.
You could feel someone was so scared they were holding their breath. Then, Xiao Li placed the bowl in front of Prince Chen, a chilling smile playing on her lips. "Brother, have a fish ball."
THUMP, THUMP... Someone’s heart was pounding out of rhythm in fright.
Prince Chen frowned. "What are you playing at?"
Hearing this, Xiao Li let out a short laugh. "Brother, I’m not one of your women. Don’t use that tone with me, or you’ll be asking for a beating. I suggest you eat it. After all, it’s a sign of respect from my Prince Consort."
Her words were heavy with insinuation.
While Prince Chen was still gathering his cold fury, Lu Yanzhi could no longer sit still. He hastily stood up and reached for the bowl. "It was my mistake. I forgot the Princess doesn’t like fish balls. Please don’t be angry, Princess."
Xiao Li dodged his hand and, in the next moment, casually tipped the fish ball into Liu Xueyin’s bowl. "If my brother won’t eat it, it’s all the same if my Imperial Sister-in-law does."
She leaned in close to Liu Xueyin’s ear, her smile like a viper flicking its tongue. "My Imperial Sister-in-law would never refuse the Prince Consort’s kind gesture, would she?"
Xiao Li’s hand, which she had placed on Liu Xueyin’s shoulder, squeezed hard in a clear threat.
Looking utterly aggrieved, Liu Xueyin picked up the meatball in front of everyone and ate it.
In that instant, the delicate atmosphere at the table dropped to a freezing point. Oh, and a certain scumbag finally, belatedly, understood what was going on.
After finishing, Liu Xueyin let a single tear fall. Lu Yanzhi sank back into his seat, powerless. Chen Pingting snapped her chopsticks in her hand.
Only Xiao Li returned to her seat with unhurried grace, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat as if the little incident had nothing to do with her.
The bright moon hung high in the sky. The gentle music of strings and flutes drifted through the air. Cups were raised and toasts were exchanged in a scene of perfect harmony.
After three rounds of drinks, a group led by Prince Duan rose to offer birthday wishes, followed by the presentation of certain special gifts before the entire court.
There were many rare treasures, but even more astonishing were the live animals: a peacock with brilliant plumage, a majestic and fierce lion, and a fluffy snow fox, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.
But just as the banquet reached a fever pitch, disaster struck.
The iron cage holding the lion was suddenly bashed open by the beast itself. Enraged from its confinement, the lion leaped out almost instantly.
For a moment, it was as if the world had been paused. All sound vanished.
"ROAR!" With a beastly cry, the lion pounced toward the crowd.
Joy turned to sorrow in the blink of an eye.
"AHHH... The lion’s out! Run!"
The once-beautiful banquet descended into chaos in an instant. Everyone scrambled backward in terror, tripping and crawling over each other.
"AHHH, it’s coming over, it’s here!"
"AH! Help me, help!"
Just moments before, these people had been using every majestic word they knew to praise the lion. Now, truly experiencing its ferocity, not a single one of them could manage a smile. They fled in a pathetic, terrified mess.
Of course, Xiao Li couldn’t help but be afraid too.
’Without a gun in hand, there was no way I could act tough in front of this apex predator.’
She glanced down at her sleeve. When the lion first broke free, Xiao Jingyi had immediately pulled her toward the high platform. ’He’s got some conscience after all.’
"ROAR!"
The Imperial Army rushed forward, but despite their numbers, they were at a loss against the ferociously strong lion. The main problem was that the beast had already charged into the middle of the crowd, obstructing the soldiers’ attacks.
From the high platform, the Emperor roared,
"Quickly, surround it! Kill it on sight!"
The lion was mauling someone when another person saw an opportunity and brought a sword down on it.
"ROAR!" The lion roared in pain from the wound, then turned and killed the one who had injured it with a single bite.
The moonlight and lanterns illuminated the scene with brilliant clarity, clearly revealing the lion’s blood-red, terrifyingly fierce eyes.
The soldiers were terrified. In the instant they faltered, the lion leaped and pounced again.
There were already casualties on the ground, and blood was splattered everywhere.
Almost everyone was staring at the battlefield, tense with anticipation, hoping for the lion to be killed.
"Ah!"
The sudden shriek was especially piercing.
Liu Xueyin, who had been standing on one side of the high platform, somehow suddenly fell off, instantly drawing everyone’s attention—including that of the blood-crazed lion.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
The lion killed the soldier in front of it with one bite and charged madly in their direction, its target clearly Liu Xueyin.
In such a tense moment, however, Xiao Li glanced back. Sure enough, behind the spot where Liu Xueyin had just been standing, a palace maid was staring at the scene with a triumphant expression.
Although she had never seen her before, Xiao Li was certain this must be Jiang Yu’er, the one who came to avenge Gu Ling.
Jiang Wan’er’s worries hadn’t been misplaced. Jiang Yu’er was indeed planning to stir up trouble, but she had worried about the wrong target. Jiang Yu’er was after Liu Xueyin.
"Princess Consort!"
"Xue Yin!"
Prince Chen and Lu Yanzhi rushed forward at the same time.
Prince Chen snatched a sword and engaged the lion directly in combat, while Lu Yanzhi quickly pulled Liu Xueyin back to safety.
Liu Xueyin was scared stiff, and Lu Yanzhi was reeling with lingering fear. At that moment, neither of them cared if they were being watched; Lu Yanzhi pulled Liu Xueyin into a tight embrace.
’Poor Prince Chen. His wife is in another man’s arms, and he’s still over there fighting for his life.’
’Prince Chen’s martial arts are superb. He’s fighting the lion all by himself. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the male lead’s time to shine.’
SLASH... Prince Chen took a swipe from the lion’s claws. Blood sprayed a great distance—it looked painful just watching.
’Mm, this is normal. The aesthetic of a battle-damaged hero. The male lead gets hurt, the female lead’s heart aches for him... it’s the perfect opportunity for their feelings to deepen.’