C33

The banquet was set up in the imperial garden, and many people had already been invited. They were the princes and princesses of the aristocratic families, as well as those who often went to visit, such as princes and princes.

As soon as He Lan Xue arrived at the venue, she was surrounded by a group of people. Her lover was squeezed to the side, watching as the men toasted her while gossiping.

The empress had already personally come to the site and sat on a high platform set up in the garden. She was elegant and refined, leaning over to say something to the person beside her.

The person beside him was also listening attentively. His beautiful face was filled with the proper respect and reservation.

Seeing her picturesque appearance, she was actually somewhat similar to Pei Ruochen. Then, he guessed her identity: she must be the woman Yi Lin had been nagging at earlier, Pei Ruolan, Imperial Concubine Lan.

Seeing her lover, Rong Xiu nodded politely towards her, then glanced at He Lan Xue from the corner of her eyes. Her expression was calm, as if everything that had happened just now had never happened before.

Houlan suddenly felt wronged, and then she thought of what Houlan had told her: "Everything is what Houlan is willing to do."

He didn't ask for response and understanding, and she couldn't help it.

More and more people gathered, and the trees whose leaves had completely disappeared were once again dyed with multicolored silk. Brilliant lanterns hung up, illuminating the imperial garden as bright as day, silver snakes dancing chaotically.

After He Lan Xue's appearance, there was a commotion at the entrance to the garden. When she turned her head to look, she saw Pei Ru Chen in casual attire, hugging He Lan Lu who was wearing a cloak.

Pei Ruochen was the same as the Pei Ruochen from before. She had seized the glory of the entire garden the moment she appeared.

As for He Lanlian, he was probably a newlywed. His face was rosy and joyous as he stood next to Pei Ruochen. His beauty and beauty were in no way inferior.

Her lover thought back to the time when Eleven had said that her appearance was undesirable in the heavens.

Compared to the healthy and energetic Helian Lu, his words were true.

Her husband's heart was filled with sorrow, but his gaze never left Pei Ruochen. It was just clear and clean, without the 'resentment' or 'anger' that those who cared too much about it would feel … Something like that.

After Pei Ruochen had circled around the crowd, she soon noticed her and lightly smiled at her.

He Lan Lu, who was standing beside Pei Ruochen, caught her husband's gaze very quickly. She also saw her husband's wife. She withdrew her gaze and then leisurely walked over to Pei Zi Yun.

Her lover didn't mind at all as he watched her approach. He completely didn't have the awareness of meeting his' love rival '.

The entire venue inexplicably quieted down. The people who were harboring malicious intentions or gloating stopped what they were doing and curiously looked at the 'short battle' of Heaven's First Gossip.

He Lan Xue was standing far away. Upon seeing this, she originally wanted to lean over to save her lover, but when she lifted her foot, she gently put it down.

He suddenly thought of something.

"You're my lover?" He Lan Lu looked at the woman in front of him and asked politely.

Although the person in front of him was quite adorable, he wasn't outstanding at all. On the contrary, his face, which hadn't been exposed to the sun for years, and his baby fat, as well as his eyes that were too big made him seem strange, even silly.

However, such a person was actually the sister of Sky Dynasty's number one beauty, Eli. It was the woman that Pei Ruochen liked, and the consort that her third brother kept warning her not to touch.

The beautiful imaginary enemy in Houlan's mind suddenly fell to the ground.

"You're my lover?" He Lan Lu looked at the woman in front of him and asked politely.

Her lover nodded honestly.

"This scarf is very beautiful." He Lanlian suddenly changed the topic. He stroked the fur on her lover's neck as he pointed out, "I didn't think that third brother would give it away."

"Is it expensive?" Seeing that both Rong Xiu and Hailan noticed the scarf at the same time, Yi Ren asked in an angry tone.

She had initially been ready to fight, but because of her lover's absolute weakness, she had disappeared without a trace.

Back then, her husband probably felt sympathy for such a vulgar woman.

"Ten thousand gold is hard to come by." He Lan laughed, "It was even given to third brother by the Queen of Ice back then."

"The Ice Queen?" His wife had always ignored the court and government, but today, she did not know that there were other kingdoms in this world.

"Yeah, she's a great beauty. "Back then, when I almost got married to the Heavenly Court, Third Brother politely rejected." He Lan Lang said a few simple words and then ignored her. He walked towards the stage where Rong Xiu was.

She was utterly contemptuous of her lover.

Her lover was completely oblivious to the situation. She simply leapt over He Lan and rushed towards Pei Ruochen, who was not far away from her.

Pei Ruochen did not avoid the topic. She smiled and looked at her, "I received the portrait. It was very lifelike. Thank you."

"You're welcome. You look good in red." "Yes," the woman replied.

Then, both parties nodded, smiled, and brushed past each other.

They liked each other, but they were magnanimous. They never hurt each other, nor did they deliberately hurt each other.

Those who were waiting to see a good show were disappointed.

His lover lowered his eyes, the smile still on his face, but in his heart, he felt as if the dust had settled.

It's the best ending, isn't it?

Just like what Pei Ruochen had said, she could not give him what he wanted.

The sight of all those fire trees and silver flowers, all the magnificence and elegance in the garden, all these were not what she wanted, but what he wanted.

Helian You and Pei Ruochen had already arrived in front of Rong Xiu. They bowed in greeting and answered her routine questions. Then, he sat down.

"His Majesty is arriving soon. Everyone, please take your seats." After a while, Rong Xiu stood up and said.

Those who walked back and forth, talking and laughing with each other, returned to their seats in an orderly fashion. The seats for He Lan Xue and her husband were on the right side of the seat of honor. Opposite them was an empty seat that had originally been arranged for He Lan Qin.

This was a palace banquet, not a court discussion. Prime Minister Pei Limpu, Grand Preceptor Rong, and Marquis Zhennan, Xia Ru, weren't present, but the son of Marquis Zhennan, Xia Yu. Today, they had arrived in the capital and were standing behind He Lan Lu, conversing privately.

They were cousins, so they were naturally more amiable than the others. Furthermore, the Xia Clan had always crowded outside the garrison and rarely returned to the capital. The people Xia Yu knew weren't many, so she could only pester her cousin He Lan You and her husband, Pei Ruochen.

As for the others, they followed the routine except for He Lan Xue, who seemed to have her own thoughts, drinking one cup after another without stopping.

Houlan looked at him curiously and said, "Esteemed wangfei, ever since you came to my house, the chick has not paid respects to her sister-in-law yet. This toast is considered a form of apology."

She was He Lan Xue's little sister, so naturally, she had to call He Lan Xue's wife sister-in-law. But since He Lan Xue had many wives and concubines, He Lan Lu didn't dare to agree with her, so she rarely called them sister-in-law.

This time, he probably didn't have any good intentions.

In the end, she could not swallow the matter of her husband's wedding being stolen away.

She didn't even notice as she quickly picked up the cup and gulped it down without a second thought.

The wine in the palace was as light as rice wine. Although she used to be a otaku, her capacity for alcohol was not small. To her, this amount of alcohol was akin to that of a beverage.

Drinking the beverage was naturally gulping it down.

He Lan You Ben only took a sip, and when he focused his eyes, his lover had already gone dry.

Her expression immediately changed, and the others looked over as if watching a good show.

Her lover was at a loss.

He Lan Xue lightly shook her head, turned her head and whispered, "Do you want to challenge Sister You?"

"What challenge?" The man looked at him in confusion.

"She toasts you with wine. If you finish it, you will look down on her and compete with her in terms of alcohol tolerance." He Lan Xue has already gotten used to her lack of common sense. After explaining it, she prepared to stop the matter for her. The Crown Prince Xia Yu, who had been standing behind He Lanlian, could no longer hold it in. He walked up to his fiancé in a huff, seeking justice for his cousin.

"Hey, don't be so arrogant. If you have the ability, then fight me first." She still couldn't get rid of her tender voice. She was still filled with anger and was extremely adorable.

The girl looked up curiously at the "little shota" in front of her. Judging from its age, it was probably only 14 or 15 years old. Although it was good-looking, its domineering look really made it look like a spoiled child from his previous life.

"Crown Prince." He Lan Xue was just about to settle this matter peacefully, but unexpectedly, her lover suddenly smiled. He didn't think much of it and said, "Okay."

She was thirsty.

Xia Yu acted as if she had been offended and puffed up even more. She picked up the wine cup in front of her and poured a cup for herself. Then she raised her head and drank it.

When her lover saw him take someone else's things without asking, she couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. After looking around, she conveniently took down He Lan Xue's cup and poured herself a cup before drinking it.

Good drink, pure natural, colorless, and sweet.

Xia Yu was not to be outdone, so she drank another cup.

Her lover naturally had good intentions in accompanying her.

Xia Yu had appeared on behalf of He Lan Lu. This time's match, in addition to the previous incident of her stealing the bride, suddenly gave off an ambiguous feel.

Pei Ruochen tried to speak up several times to stop him, but she did not.

Thus, the two of them drank cup after cup, and in the blink of an eye, two pots were finished. Xia Yu's small face was already flushed red, but her lover still had an angered expression on his face.

Xia Yu was greatly provoked. She waved her hand and said, "Another pot!"

Her lover was still sighing over the taste of the rice wine, so she naturally did not object.

They were in the middle of a duel, but Eunuch Zhu's gentle voice could be heard, "The emperor has arrived —"

The venue instantly turned quiet. Her lover touched his slightly hot face and looked in the direction of the emperor.

The previous time they met, although they heard the Emperor's voice, they were covered by layers of curtains and were unable to catch a glimpse of his true appearance.

At this moment, Yi Yuan was the first to not see He Lan Chun.

She had seen He Lan Qin, He Lan Xue, and He Lan Lu, and thought that as the Emperor, He Lan Chun must be a handsome man that was rarely seen in a hundred years, but the man in front of her, although he had a godlike presence, did not have the outstanding spirit of the other people in the He Lan family.

He looked so ordinary, a lot of them on the long street.

However, the arrogance and gloominess on his face was something that no one else on the street had.