"Young Prince of Nanping seeks audience!"
Xue Xingyue raised her head, watching a figure slowly enter from outside. Tall and slender, clad in a dark robe that enhanced his mysterious aura, his face was exceptionally stern, perfectly matching his pair of deep, dark eyes.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Qi Yuze stepped forward, bowing slightly with his hands clasped.
"Young Prince of Nanping is too kind. Ta Xue, offer him a seat!" Xue Xingyue said.
Ta Xue quickly brought a chair and placed it behind Qi Yuze. "Young Prince, please be seated!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Qi Yuze replied.
Once he was seated, Xue Xingyue finally spoke, "I presume the Emperor of Qi informed the Young Prince of Nanping of the conditions for the return of the two princes before your arrival."
Qi Yuze nodded. "Yes, my Emperor has informed me. His Majesty is willing to exchange Mingxia Pass for the return of the two princes. Do you have any other demands?"
"Demands? I have none. As long as the Young Prince is not a man who goes back on his word," Xue Xingyue said.
"That would naturally not happen," Qi Yuze replied, looking at her as he spoke.
"Since the Young Prince has come all this way, why not stay for lunch before departing?" Xue Xingyue invited him to stay.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuze stood up and bowed. "Your Majesty, my Emperor misses the two princes dearly. He has instructed me to bring them back to the Qi Kingdom immediately upon seeing them, to alleviate His Majesty's longing."
Xue Xingyue let out a soft laugh. "There's no need to rush this moment. Or does the Young Prince believe I would refuse to release them?"
Qi Yuze chuckled softly. "Your Majesty's word is as good as gold. Would you tarnish your reputation over this matter?"
"You speak the truth. So, why is the Young Prince in such a hurry? Ta Xue, prepare the meal."
Qi Yuze's gaze deepened, and he said calmly, "Then I shall respectfully accept your invitation."
When lunch was ready, Xue Xingyue gestured to the dishes. "Young Prince, please don't be modest."
As she spoke, she picked up a dish and placed it before Qi Yuze. "Try this."
Qi Yuze, finding it difficult to refuse the hospitality, could only take a symbolic bite.
"Young Prince, are you not satisfied with my hospitality?" Xue Xingyue asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your Majesty misunderstands," Qi Yuze said quickly.
Xue Xingyue poured a cup of wine and handed it to him. "Then, let this wine be my apology!"
Qi Yuze was slightly taken aback, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
He could only pick up the wine cup and drink it down, his head held high. The wine was strong and spicy, unlike anything he had ever tasted. He felt like spitting it out, but he could not, so he forced himself to swallow it again. He felt the Empress's gaze on him and instinctively looked up, meeting her misty, enigmatic eyes.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"Young Prince, how is my wine?"
Qi Yuze suddenly froze, looking at the smile gracing her beautiful face. A voice within him told him she had done this deliberately.
"I did it deliberately," she whispered to him the next moment.
"Your Majesty, you..."
"Secretly meeting my minister, Young Prince of Nanping, have you brought the same tactics you used at Mingxia Pass here? But you forget, that was the former me. The me of today, having experienced so much these past few years, is no longer the me of the past."
Qi Yuze stood up and pointed at her. "You... you poisoned me."
Xue Xingyue heard him and smiled, leaning closer. "What is this called? This is called 'treating someone in the same way they have treated others.' Does the Young Prince not know?"
Qi Yuze slumped onto the table with a thud, letting the shattered plates scatter on the floor and the colorful petals fall upon his face. Never before had he felt so utterly humiliated.
Suddenly, he remembered why it felt so familiar. It was because Zhao Yanluo had gotten Meng Jiangming drunk last night, which made him feel it was a recurring scene.
A jolt of realization cleared his head slightly. Did the Empress already know?
Every move he had made, every word he had spoken since entering, now felt like a joke.
He tried to stand, but his body was weak. He could only watch helplessly as the Empress approached him, her usually elegant face radiating an unprecedented allure, her eyes gleaming with a captivating intensity.
He clenched his fists tightly, only to sink into darkness.
"Ta Xue," Xue Xingyue called out.
Ta Xue, who had been waiting outside the door, hurried in. Seeing the scene, her expression changed slightly. She glanced at the Empress, whose face was a little pale. "Help him up and escort him to the prepared room."
Ta Xue could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, must we really do this?"
Xue Xingyue nodded. "He has delivered himself to my doorstep. How could I possibly let him leave?"
Ta Xue and another servant then escorted Qi Yuze to a room that had been prepared in advance, and ordered palace maids to attend to him.
Ta Xue returned to report. Xue Xingyue rubbed her forehead and asked, "Is everything ready?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured. The palace maids chosen are all beautiful. The Young Prince will surely be unable to resist them."
Xue Xingyue nodded. "That is good. You may all leave now. I am tired."
Ta Xue nodded and exited.
Lying on the bed, Xue Xingyue found herself inexplicably recalling the look in Qi Yuze's eyes as he had last looked at her, so much like Ji Wuran from the past.
She turned over, pushing thoughts of him away. Since he had chosen to leave, he should never return.
Qi Yuze's eyes snapped open, startling the two beautiful palace maids who were helping him change. Just as they were about to cry out, he had already incapacitated them with acupoint pressure.
He sat up. Fortunately, he had sensed something was amiss and had secretly used his internal energy to expel the wine. While he was not in peak condition, it was not easy to scheme against him.
He placed the two palace maids on the ground and lay back down on the bed. He could not leave tonight, otherwise, the Empress would surely suspect that his plan had failed. Tomorrow, he would see exactly what the Empress intended to do.
The next day.
Xue Xingyue, along with Meng Jiangming and the other ministers, arrived at Qi Yuze's sleeping quarters. The palace attendant opened the door, and Meng Jiangming was the first to step inside.