C257

Inside Qing He Hall, the yufei was seated around a stone table in the courtyard, escorted by a few concubines. She did not know what Bai Yuqi had just said, but she covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

The Hall of Clear Harmony was the emperor's sleeping quarters. It was a pavilion with many flowers blooming, adding on countless flowers that made the garden even more beautiful. When Xue Fu walked in, he saw that all the consorts were surrounding the yufei with fawning smiles on their faces. They did not miss the opportunity to curry favor with him.

This was the second time Xue Fu saw Xie Fei. She was still depressed, and sat on the stone chair by the sea quietly. Her gaze calmly rested on that field of flowers, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

Following palace rules, Xue Fu bowed towards yufei and Empress Xie. She didn't go around to curry favor with yufei like the other concubines. Instead, he casually found a chair and sat down. The warm sunlight shined on her body. It was so comfortable that it made her feel drowsy. However, she had to be extremely vigilant, not even daring to touch the armor on her fingertips.

yufei looked at Xue Fu who was dressed in pink palace attire and dressed gracefully. Her heart suddenly sank. She discovered that simplicity also had a simple beauty. She discovered that this Xue Fei always knew how to grasp the situation and find an attraction for herself. Her pride had always been something she could not tolerate!

Golden sunlight enveloped that jade-like skin, sparkling and translucent, so bright that it could be broken by the wind. When he mixed with the pink peony and looked at it for a long time, he felt pain in his eyes. yufei looked away hatefully and did not look at her again.

Not long after, Yue Ye came in from outside the hall. All of the imperial concubines hurriedly went up to greet her, courteously bowing, "Chenqie pays their respects to Your Majesty, your majesty is extremely blessed."

Yue Ye halted her steps, glancing at the beautiful concubines beneath her feet, before saying calmly: "You may rise."

"Thank you, your majesty." After everyone thanked him, the yufei smiled and raised his head to say to Yue Ye, "Your Majesty, on behalf of my sisters, I thank Your Majesty for the banquet. My concubine and my sisters will definitely serve Your Majesty well in the future, wholeheartedly loving Your Majesty."

Xie Fei's heart skipped a beat and she quickly glanced at yufei. Anyone could hear the meaning behind her words. Everyone knew that there was a man in Empress Xie's heart, but he wasn't the emperor. And with the election coming soon, yufei didn't forget to do something to her. She didn't really care what yufei said about her, because she didn't care even more about Yue Ye's indifference to her.

My beloved concubine, you're too kind. Everyone, please take your seats." Yue Ye said with a faint smile. When her gaze swept past Xue Fu, it paused for a split-second, but only for a split-second. Perhaps it was the plum blossoms at her temples that had caught his attention, reminding him suddenly of the time three years ago when he had placed a pear blossom on a hairpin for a woman.

After Yue Ye's words, the Eunuch Li instructed the servants to prepare for the banquet. There were a total of eight people who came to Qing He Palace to receive the banquet, all of them being second rank imperial concubines and above. The first rank imperial concubine yufei and the second rank imperial concubine Empress Xie naturally sat on Yue Ye's left and right side. Xue Fu was the last to sit, facing Yue Ye. This person wasn't what she wanted, because … Yue Ye raised her head slightly, and could see her. She felt guilty, and her fingertip began to ache inside her armor.

Yue Ye didn't expect that she would really listen to Master Lin Zhen's words, inviting all the consorts to eat together. Looking at the group of fat and thin beauties before her, she couldn't help but feel excited. Smelling the fragrance of the powder, he, who should have been in a good mood, felt depressed.

Very soon, all sorts of delicacies filled up the table. Everyone sat around the round table, looking at each other. They were all thinking about how to get the attention of the emperor. But everyone only dared to think that, since they didn't dare to snatch yufei's limelight, after the delicacies were served, yufei raised his wine cup and was the first to fawn on Yue Ye, "Your majesty, today's rain has cleared up the sky, the weather is good, the emperor's mood will definitely be very good. Your consort wants to toast your majesty, and wish Your majesty good health and well-being."

Yue Ye didn't decline, smiling as she accepted the cup of wine, raising her head and gulping it down. yufei covered her face with her sleeves, gracefully drinking a mouthful. Her eyes were filled with happiness. Nothing could be happier than for the Emperor to accept her blessing.

Bai Yuqi had never been one to show off. He also brought his wine cup around to Yue Ye's side and said with a smile, "Your majesty, this is the first time this humble concubine is eating at the same table as you. This humble concubine should toast to you to show your gratitude."

"Beloved concubine is kind." Yue Ye still didn't reject him, the smile on her face gave people a very warm feeling as she slightly raised her head to drink the wine in her cup, Bai Yuqi's face filled with joy as he returned to his seat. Seeing that, Xue Fu's heart started beating even faster. Today, Yue Ye's awareness was extremely weak, and it was a good opportunity for her to make a move. She should have been happy, but her heart was filled with a wave of panic. Could it be that she still had feelings for him? When Liu Li and Bai Yining were hurt so badly by him, was she going to show him any more mercy?

Xue Fu lowered his eyes, and his gaze landed on the red-roasted carp in front of him. The eyes of the burnt red carp were wide open. In order to look beautiful, the kitchen house had placed a few pieces of purple semi-orchid petals on the head of the fish. No matter how well it was decorated, it could not restore its previous happiness!

Xue Fu gloomily picked up the silver chopsticks, holding the two pieces of Violet Roland in his hands. He gave it a light sniff, and a faint fragrance wafted from the petals. But most of it was the smell of fish. That poor fish had lost its life just like that. He wondered if she would become like that after this meal … Death without rest!

Xue Fu who was in a daze suddenly felt someone hit her elbow. She immediately regained her senses and realised that everyone had quietened down and was looking at her. His heart gave a small thump, and he didn't know how to react for a moment. The one who bumped into her was none other than Imperial Concubine Hui. Seeing her at a loss, she lowered her voice and reminded her, "It's time for you to toast the emperor."

"Oh …" "Right." Xue Fu panicked. He brought the cup in front of him to Yue Ye's side and said fearfully, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your concubine was distracted just now. After a slight hesitation, he raised his head and drank the wine. A spicy feeling rose from his lips to his throat and to his stomach, as if a knife had lightly sliced through it.

Ever since she was young, she had almost never drunk a single cup of wine. Not only did this cup cause her body to feel uncomfortable, it also caused her small face to scrunch up into a frown. However, she did not back down because of this. After wiping the wine stains on the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, the servant girl indicated that she should fill the cup in her hand. The armor brushed past the mouth of the cup and her heart instantly leaped into her throat.

"Chenqie respectfully wishes Your Majesty the best in all matters." She did her best to keep her voice calm and her hand still holding the glass of wine. She believed that Yue Ye would definitely drink this cup of wine of hers, because just now he drank the wine of every concubine.

Yue Ye looked down at her, who was bowing to the ground. Seeing her as indifferent as before, it was as if the one who lured her the day before wasn't herself. Are all women really so fickle? He was suddenly unable to see through it. A mocking sneer rose at the corners of his mouth, rising shamelessly into the depths of his eyes. It was a smile that no one could read.

Because Xue Fu's head was lowered, he did not see the expression on his face. He only felt that his hands were empty and the wine cup was already in his hands. He then said in a low and mocking voice, "A beloved concubine cannot be punished, and I am not such a petty person. If there's something on my mind, it's understandable for me to occasionally walk into the gods, no?"

If you have something on your mind... Xue Fu's heart trembled once again, he naturally did not understand the meaning behind his words. Perhaps it was due to her guilt, but she was extremely sensitive to every word that Yue Ye said, every expression on her face. In order to outdo himself, he took a deep breath to maintain his composure and replied, "This concubine deserves to die. Every time I smell this scent of jade, I think of Bai Chang's mother. This kind of thing shouldn't have been done in front of the emperor and his sisters."

"It's rare for a beloved concubine to have such a filial piety, let's start." Yue Ye pinched the white jade cup full of wine with her forefinger and thumb, looking at her with a smile as she spoke. Xue Fu raised his head after thanking Yue Ye. Seeing that Yue Ye was about to drink her wine, his heart tightened. He held his breath and looked at her without moving, his face turning pale from shame.

Just as her mind was about to go blank, Eunuch Li's voice suddenly came from outside the hall, "Your majesty, the Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom, Nangong Yi requests an audience." The sound was timely.

Yue Ye moved the cup close to her lips, and her black eyes were instantly filled with an intense cold. Clearly, she didn't like this kind of information. The always considerate Eunuch Li hurriedly said, "If Your Majesty doesn't want to see him, this servant will send him off right now."

"Since you are here, you should naturally receive me." Yue Ye put her wine cup on the table, sneering. When the white jade cup collided with the table, it made a slight noise, but it was as if a huge boulder was thrown into Xue Fu's heart. It was hard to tell if she was disappointed or relieved from the pressure. He did not drink, but in the end, he did not drink this cup of wine!

Eunuch Li followed the order and left the hall. Not long later, Nangong Jue, dressed in his Northern Palace attire, walked in with steady steps. After slightly sweeping across the crowd, he cupped his hands and bowed. "Nangong Jue pays his respects to Your Majesty and the various emperors. When his gaze swept across Xue Fu, it unknowingly softened and stopped …

Xue Fu who felt pain in his heart did not feel his strange gaze, and was not even in the mood to look at him, his eyes stared straight at the white jade cup that was filled with wine. As long as he took a sip of that poisoned wine, her plan would succeed. However, at this critical moment, her plan was interrupted.

The astute Yue Ye however took in the sight of Nangong Jue's rapid transformation, her heart filled with a wave of sullen anger, but she did not express it. He then looked at Nangong Jue and chuckled: "The Crown Prince suddenly entered the Palace to see me. I wonder what business do you have?"

Nangong Jue hesitated for a moment, his face showing a pleading look, and said: "The emperor has promised to let my father return to the Northern Kingdom within a short period of time, I wonder if your words will still be valid?"