The Emperor of the Tenglong Kingdom's birthday banquet.
The Grand Princess of the Fengming Kingdom personally came to offer her birthday wishes, greatly delighting Emperor Qiao Ying, who ordered her to be treated with utmost care.
Upon learning that the former Grand驸马 was favored by Li Churuan, he did not consider his eldest daughter Qiao Ci's feelings at all, and appointed Zhao Shimei as the Left Attendant of the Ministry of Rites, specifically responsible for hosting Li Churuan.
Zhao Shimei, who had been dispirited for a long time, instantly straightened his back. He became even more attentive to Li Churuan, crossing his own boundaries as a man several times to satisfy her preferences.
Today, he also accompanied Li Churuan to the palace. His seat was further forward than his colleagues. Zhao Shimei felt that his choices were not wrong. As long as his significant other held a high position, there would be plenty of people trying to curry favor with him.
It used to be Qiao Ci, and now it's the even more formidable Grand Princess Li Churuan. His luck had always been with him.
Thinking of Qiao Ci, he couldn't help but smile sinisterly.
He really wanted to see the arrogant princess fall from grace…
"The Grand Princess has arrived."
Everyone followed the sound and looked towards the grand hall entrance.
A peerless beauty in palace attire entered the hall.
She was beautiful, her skin as fair as snow, her features like a painting, her nose aquiline, and her lips crimson. Her expression was noble and indifferent, and she exuded an aura of authority that deterred prolonged direct gazes.
Behind her was an exceptionally outstanding young man, dressed in a moon-white robe, tall and slender like bamboo. However, there was a hint of restraint in his demeanor. Yet, whenever his gaze fell upon the woman in front of him, that slight restraint transformed into a touch of shyness and admiration…
Is this the Grand Princess's new favorite?
He looks much more handsome than the former驸马, and his eyes are full of the Grand Princess, appearing deeply enamored.
Qiao Ci, with Li Su, sat down at the seats prepared for her by the palace staff. Qiao Yue, who was already seated, quickly leaned in, smiling, "Elder Sister, what good fortune, what spirit, to even bring your little male favorite to the palace banquet. Hehe, look at that unfaithful dog Zhao Shimei with his mouth twisted from anger, it's truly satisfying! Serves him right for bullying Elder Sister, hmph."
Qiao Ci knew that this sister, born of the same mother, truly wished well for the original owner. She smiled kindly at her and then pulled Li Su to sit with her.
Li Su hesitated, "Princess, is it appropriate for me to sit here?"
He saw that other older princesses were accompanied by distinguished gentlemen, presumably their驸马. Since he had no title or position now, sitting here might be inappropriate.
"What's inappropriate about it? Today, I will have Father bestow a marriage upon us, making you my驸马. No objections allowed!" Qiao Ci looked at the slightly youthful young man with a smile. He had refused to return to his biological parents for her; how could she leave him any retreat?
From now on, she would be the one to love and protect him, openly and legitimately!
"Host, look at Zhao Shimei's pathetic demeanor. It seems like there's a plot waiting for us," Little Spoon had been diligently practicing its dance. It had decided to surprise the Host and hadn't paid much attention to Zhao Shimei's side.
"Children shouldn't speak like adults," Qiao Ci recalled it lecturing her on being civilized and polite before, a hint of a smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of her eye.
"Hehe, thank you, Host, for the reminder. Little Spoon understands and will pay attention from now on~" Little Spoon quickly switched to a cute voice and continued,
"Host, you need to be careful. Li Churuan is colluding with Zhao Shimei, and you've also offended the Empress of the Fengming Kingdom. It's likely they will join forces to deal with you~"
Qiao Ci's expression remained calm and unchanged, "When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. If they go too far, they will be the ones to suffer the consequences. What is there to fear?"
"That's true, hehe." Little Spoon felt relieved and busied itself with its own tasks.
Seeing Li Su with his head bowed low, Qiao Ci picked up an orange and handed it to him, "Don't be nervous, I'm here. The feast hasn't started yet, so have an orange first."
Li Su obediently took the orange and peeled it with a lowered gaze, his voice small and weak, "You don't need to worry about me. I'll take care of myself. You focus on your business."
"Mm."
After a moment, an orange, already peeled, appeared in Qiao Ci's line of sight. Then, the young man's slender fingers broke off a segment and offered it to Qiao Ci.
Without a second thought, Qiao Ci lowered her head and ate the segment from Li Su's fingertips. During this, her rosy lips brushed against his slender fingers, seemingly unintentionally.
Feeling the warmth on his fingertips, Li Su's ears instantly turned bright red. As if trying to hide it, he quickly withdrew his fingers, looking at Qiao Ci with watery eyes, as if blaming her for her carelessness, or perhaps regretting his own deliberate action.
Zhao Shimei, who had been observing the scene, saw this and felt as if he had been cuckolded, the veins on his temples throbbing.
To be honest, Qiao Ci's appearance today was truly stunning to him. She was beautiful before, but lacked this noble aura. Now, her aura was immense, captivating him.
He leaned closer to Li Churuan and said sarcastically, "Churuan, your supposedly unseen brother is quite something. Feeding Qiao Ci oranges in public, such unrestrained behavior, is likely to bring shame upon the Fengming royal family."
Li Churuan was not like the original owner, nor did she like him to that extent. She was completely unfazed by his attempts at sowing discord. Her expression turned displeased as she looked at him, "What, are you jealous?"
Realizing his tone was off, Zhao Shimei quickly explained, "If I'm jealous, it's of you. How could I be jealous of someone I wouldn't even deign to touch? You've wronged me this time."
Although he disliked Li Churuan's overly assertive nature, he was also attracted to the confidence that came with her power. Zhao Shimei was conflicted.
Moreover, she was his best means of revenge against Qiao Ci, and he could not offend her.
"It's best that you are. I don't want my man's heart to still be occupied by other women."
"You're overthinking it. My heart and eyes are entirely on you now."
"The Emperor arrives, the Empress arrives."
The eunuch's shrill announcement echoed through the hall. The noisy discussions of the crowd immediately fell silent, and everyone sat up straight, awaiting the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.
The Emperor and Empress, clad in imperial yellow, slowly ascended to the highest seats with dignified bearing.
"Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years! Long live the Empress, a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"
"All my ministers, rise. Today is my birthday, you need not be so formal…"
After the Emperor delivered his pleasantries, he looked towards Li Churuan's direction, "I did not expect the Grand Princess of the Fengming Kingdom to attend my birthday banquet. I am overjoyed. Convey my regards to your father and mother. I hope for long-term exchanges with the Fengming Kingdom in the future, forging good relations between our two nations."
Li Churuan stood up and performed a standard bow to the Emperor, "I wish Your Majesty good health and eternal life. The Fengming Kingdom brings a small token of appreciation for Your Majesty; I hope you will graciously accept it."
With that, she clapped her hands. A beautiful woman, dressed in revealing attire, entered the hall. The sound of zither and flute music began, and the beauty danced gracefully to the melody.