Before the sky had completely darkened, the palace was already lit with lamps, and court ladies carrying the lights led the way at the front.
The palace was not as free as the world outside; it was full of rules, big and small. Wei Zheng did not put his arm around his waist as he had done before entering the palace gate, but instead walked properly side-by-side with him.
Along the way, Wei Zheng would lean over from time to time to whisper into his ear, meticulously instructing him on the rules he would need to follow later, acting entirely like a man who feared he would offend someone by not knowing the etiquette, while also putting on a complete display of intimacy.
Wei San wanted to reply several times, but whenever the words reached his lips, he remembered the Master’s instruction not to appear too enthusiastic and to keep his attitude cold, so he had to force himself to endure.
In this way, the words that needed to reach those with ulterior motives should have been conveyed, and the hall stone of the Taihe Hall was already in sight.
The two had left late, and the outskirts of the capital were far from the imperial palace, so by the time they entered the Taihe Hall, almost all the ministers had already arrived.
The moment they walked through the hall doors, they attracted everyone’s attention. The previously noisy palace fell instantly into a silence so profound one could hear a pin drop.
Wei Zheng scanned the room and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you all staring at me?”
The ministers looked at one another, as if they had just woken from a dream, and one after another, they rose to salute him. As for Wei San, who stood by his side, the ministers collectively and tacitly ignored him.
The Grand Tutor, who sat with the Prime Minister while holding his hands, immediately frowned and darkened his face the moment he saw Wei San beside him, a flash of disgust appearing in his eyes.
Who would have thought that even after the Prince of Xian’s brain illness was cured, he would still be this preposterous? At a palace banquet meant for the ministers, he had actually brought along a disgraceful male favorite.
The Grand Tutor endured it for a moment, but couldn’t help himself. Just as he was about to open his mouth to rebuke Wei Zheng, Prime Minister Zhao, who saw through his intentions at a glance, reached out and pressed down on his shoulder.
“Grand Tutor, would you be willing to honor this old man with a drink?”
He poured a cup of wine and pushed it in front of the Grand Tutor, giving him a look that signaled him to remain calm and composed.
The Grand Tutor clenched his fist. “Since the Prime Minister offers such a warm invitation, how could I not accompany you?”
The two smiled at each other and began to exchange cups.
With the Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister taking the lead, the ministers who had been watching from the sidelines slowly began to open up, gathering in twos and threes to drink and talk.
A court lady led Wei Zheng to his seat. When he sat down, Wei San subconsciously moved to stand behind him. Wei Zheng grabbed his wrist and gave a light pull. “If you aren’t staying with me, where do you want to go?”
Wei San was caught off guard and lost his footing, nearly falling directly into his arms, which would have made a fool of him.
He steadied his posture and slowly sat down as directed. He didn’t forget that he had to keep up his aloof appearance; he said nothing, was silent, and did not respond to Wei Zheng.
His attitude of ignoring him only stoked the urge to conquer. The more aloof he acted, the more Wei Zheng wanted to flirt with him, eagerly pouring tea for him. When he saw he wouldn’t drink, he coaxed him with good words.
After much effort on the part of the Prince of Xian, the cold and proud beauty finally gave him some face, reluctantly taking a sip before putting the teacup back down.
Even though he maintained a haughty and dismissive attitude, the Prince of Xian was happy enough to smile.
Their interaction fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives who were secretly observing; to them, it looked like this male favorite and the Prince of Xian were at odds in both appearance and heart, yet the Prince of Xian was insanely obsessed with him.
This male favorite might just be a very good breakthrough.
Everyone had different thoughts in their hearts. On the surface, things were peaceful, but underneath, the currents were surging.
Zhao Fu walked out from the back hall, flicked his horsetail whisk, and sang in a high voice: “His Majesty arrives!”
The old Emperor walked in leisurely, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, followed by the Empress, the Crown Prince Wei Heng, the Fifth Prince Wei Yan, and the Eighth Prince Wei Yan.
The Ninth Prince was not favored and did not appear.
The group of officials rose in succession to salute: “We respectfully welcome His Majesty and the Empress.”
“Ministers, rise.”
The old Emperor waved his hand to signal them to rise, then sat in the main seat with the Empress, while the other princes took their seats.
Thus, the banquet officially began. Because the Emperor was present, the ministers were not as casual as they were at the beginning; they sat on pins and needles, their expressions serious, watching the Emperor’s face even when eating or drinking.
Wei San felt tired just watching those ministers. As an ignored, accompanying little male favorite, he was actually the most relaxed. He didn’t feel hungry, only because Wei Zheng had let him eat some snacks before leaving the house to pad his stomach, saying the palace banquet wouldn’t be enough to fill him up—it seemed his Master had foresight after all.
He pretended to eat a few bites before putting down his chopsticks. Just as he was about to take a sip of tea to cleanse his palate, the person beside him suddenly leaned over and whispered intimately into his ear.
“Aren’t you going to feed me? You’ve eaten your fill, Sui Yun, but I’m still hungry.”
Wei San: “…”
Prying gazes were cast from all directions, even the Emperor and Empress in the main seat looked over. Wei San curled his fingers uncomfortably; he didn’t know whether to pick up the chopsticks again or not.
Wei Zheng, relying on the Emperor’s favoritism, was used to being casual. Regardless of other people’s gazes or thoughts, he raised his eyebrows and urged him to be quick.
One could not disobey the Master’s words, so Wei San had to bite the bullet. Under the eyes of dozens of people, in full view of everyone, he picked up a slice of crystal fish for him.
Wei Zheng was thick-skinned, actually taking the fish slice directly from the chopsticks, and after finishing, said in a leisurely manner: “Delicious, continue.”
What a disgrace to refinement! A disgrace to refinement!
The ministers were speechless, their expressions filled with an inability to bear watching.
The Grand Tutor gritted his teeth in secret, hating that the iron wouldn’t become steel. The Prime Minister cleared his throat and drank a cup of wine to suppress his shock.
The Empress knit her delicate brows, about to rebuke him for being preposterous, but was stopped by a look from the old Emperor.
The Crown Prince was calm and composed, while the Fifth Prince, Wei Yan, kept his probing gaze darting between the two. Only the Eighth Prince, the least calculating of them all, was buried in his food.
This banquet was said to be for Wei Zheng, but the old Emperor made no statement, merely inviting the ministers to let them have a face-to-face meeting with the Prince of Xian.
At the banquet, the Prince of Xian and his male favorite were flirting without regard for others. The Emperor not only didn’t stop them but was rather indulgent. No one could guess what he was trying to do, not even Wei Zheng.
The banquet left everyone feeling tired. Eight hundred thoughts churned in everyone’s minds, but the result was that no one achieved their goal.
After sitting for less than two quarters of an hour, the old Emperor claimed to be feeling unwell, telling the ministers to eat and drink freely before rising and leaving.
The Empress followed closely behind.
With the Emperor and Empress both gone, the ministers looked at one another; for a time, the atmosphere became cold.
Zhao Fu stepped forward and said with a smile, “My lords, please continue, please continue.”
The musicians resumed playing, the dancers resumed their light movements, and the atmosphere gradually eased. With the Emperor and Empress gone, the ministers were able to open up more.
With the main figures who were worth watching gone, Wei Zheng couldn’t be bothered to continue acting. He tugged on Wei San’s sleeve and said, “Let’s go back.”
Wei San had been waiting for these words for a long time. Now that he finally had permission to leave, his attitude was even more proactive than Wei Zheng’s.
The two rose to leave, but someone didn’t want them to go.
Wei Yan, who had been observing them for a long time, walked toward them with a wine kettle in one hand and a cup in the other.
He ignored Wei Zheng entirely, his probing gaze landing on Wei San’s face, a flash of awe in his eyes.
“This must be Young Master Sui Yun, who is rumored to have captivated my seventh brother so completely?”
“Everyone says Young Master Sui Yun is of celestial quality; I thought it was just idle gossip. Now that I see you, those people were truly not wrong.”
Wei Yan had a violent temperament and was indifferent to gender, and usually loved collecting various kinds of beauties, but this was the first time he had seen someone like Wei San, who was both cold and proud, with a temperament that was pure and clean.
“I wonder if Young Master Sui Yun would be willing to honor me with a cup?” He shook the wine kettle, his eyes filled with worldly desire and suggestion.
Seeing Wei Yan flirting with his man right to his face, Wei Zheng’s expression darkened instantly. He grabbed Wei San’s hand and stepped forward, hiding the man behind him, then said with a cold, mocking smile to Wei Yan: “Fifth Brother, this is someone I finally managed to snatch away. Are you trying to snatch someone from me?”
Wei Zheng didn’t give him any face, tearing the facade right off. The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly became tense.
The ministers stopped what they were doing and watched from the sidelines, looking curious as if they were waiting for a good show.
Even the Crown Prince, who had been preparing to leave, shook his robes and sat back down, watching the show with a wine cup in hand, not showing any emotion.
Wei Yan acted as if he had only just noticed Wei Zheng, pretending to be stupid. “Seventh Brother has misunderstood. Fifth Brother was just thinking that although this male favorite has no status, strictly speaking, he can be considered a younger brother’s wife. Shouldn’t a younger brother’s wife toast me, the older brother, with a cup?”
His demeanor was hazy as he spoke, already quite drunk, as if he were truly just babbling nonsense due to intoxication, not realizing how shocking his words were.
The Fifth Prince acknowledging a minor male favorite as a “younger brother’s wife”? Then how would the future mistress of the Prince of Xian’s manor be expected to conduct herself? Even if that Princess of Xian was a later arrival, it would inevitably affect her reputation once spread; who knew how those official wives would disparage her in secret.
The Princess of Xian couldn’t compare to a male favorite who had received recognition first? What noble daughter could endure such a grievance?
Wei Yan’s drunken babble was truly vicious.
What Wei San cared about most was that he was hindering his Master’s future marriage. He could no longer hold back and coldly interrupted Wei Yan, who was still spouting nonsense: “Fifth Prince, please do not talk nonsense. This lowly person is but a commoner; I am unworthy of being called your ‘younger brother’s wife’.”
Hearing him refute him, Wei Yan became even more interested. He asked aggressively: “Are you not the Seventh’s male favorite?”
Wei San wore an expression of resentment at being humiliated. Gritting his teeth, he brushed his sleeves and said, “This commoner is indeed currently under the protection of another, but that is not my wish.”
Many of the officials heard this and felt that this Young Master Sui Yun was rather pitiful. Their initially contemptuous attitudes softened a little, which naturally included the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor thought for a moment and realized it too. This Young Master Sui Yun had been snatched away by the Prince of Xian; he was powerless, had no supporters, and no one to lean on in the capital, so even if he wanted to resist, he could not. But seeing his scholarly integrity, he must surely be unwilling to submit in his heart.
A forced melon is not sweet. It seemed he would have to find an opportunity later to have a good talk with the Prince of Xian and tell him to set the man free.
If it were someone else, they might have been moved and stopped giving him a hard time, but Wei Yan was looking for trouble under the guise of drunkenness. He sneered, “Regardless of whether you are willing or not, the fact that you are the Seventh’s male favorite is a reality, so you should toast me.”
“Even if we set aside the identity of a male favorite, you are but a commoner. When you see me, the Fifth Prince, and I ask you to toast me, should you not?”
In his words, it was clear that Wei San had to drink this cup of wine.
Wei San frowned, his expression looking unhappy. He didn’t know how to drink at all, because as a death-sworn guard, one had to remain absolutely clear-headed at all times, otherwise, one wouldn’t know how one had died if one lost one’s life.
The Fifth Prince’s wine cup was already held out before him. If he continued to refuse, it would appear that he looked down on the Fifth Prince.
Just as he was about to raise his hand to take it, he saw Wei Zheng suddenly press down on Wei Yan’s wrist.
“Royal Brother, it is fine that you do not like me, but there is no need to make things difficult for Sui Yun like this because of me, is there?”