Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 205: Palace Banquet

Chapter 205: The Palace Banquet

Shangguan Yuzhe was not good at socializing, but he was nervous at this moment. His expressionless and unresponsive appearance scared away many people.

Even though they were resentful, they had no way to express it and could only keep it to themselves, waiting for the day when they could finally vent.

His gaze swept left and right before settling directly on the wine glass in front of him. The wine was fine, and the glassware was exquisite; it could certainly fetch a hefty price if sold.

He stared blankly at the wine pot, secretly plotting something. Those around him, watching him, couldn't help but speculate, "Is this kid possessed? He's staring at that wine pot, laughing and crying at the same time."

"I think he's drunk too much and his brain's gotten waterlogged."

Another person chimed in, but he was lost in thought and didn't hear much, nor did he bother to pay attention. When he finally snapped out of it, he glared at them fiercely before finally turning his gaze away with satisfaction, and then focused intently on the martial arts demonstration in front of him.

Many of those offering toasts at the banquet were from the Prime Minister's side, their intentions clear: to win him over. But Shangguan Yuzhe wasn't interested; he only wanted to go home and rest after it was over.

As they sipped their drinks, his consciousness gradually became hazy. He no longer cared what the people on the stage were saying; he squinted and admired the dance.

Fortunately, Xun Hua was still listening. When he suddenly heard that the emperor was going to arrange a marriage for him, he was stunned. Looking at Shangguan Yuzhe, who was still blissfully unaware of his own happiness, he suddenly felt a surge of anger.

Taking advantage of the maid coming to exchange wine, she put something into the wine in the pot in front of her, and then had the maid deliver it to her.

This person is too drunk; he needs to sober up. Otherwise, if something really happens, who will care?

As expected, Shangguan Yuzhe's eyes widened. Having sobered up a bit, he looked around and saw the furious Xun Hua, and lowered his head guiltily.

"Yu Zhe?" the emperor called out to him kindly. He hesitated for a long time before answering, looking at the emperor's face and then lowering his head to wait for his next words.

What do you think of the daughter of the Prefect of Cangzhou?

After he asked that question, Shangguan Yuzhe immediately understood what he meant. When he thought about the girl again, he had no recollection of her at all.

Looking up at the emperor's face again, she hurriedly said, "Gentle and skillful, she is a good girl."

"How about I bestow this fine girl upon you in marriage?"

Shangguan Yuzhe felt a tightness in his heart. He searched the area with his eyes for a moment, but seeing Xun Hua's disappointed look, he quickly looked away.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness." He agreed, even though he knew what the outcome would be. He didn't even look at her expression, knowing that she looked terrible.

"Then it is bestowed upon you; you must cherish it!"

He chuckled twice, and the people below joined in. They all congratulated him on his upcoming marriage to his beautiful bride, and thus, they drank quite a bit more wine. He began to get drunk again.

"That idiot!" she said, gently patting the table, somewhat unwilling to accept it.

As soon as the banquet ended, she immediately chased after him.

She tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Why did you agree?"

“If I don’t agree… what else can I do?” he retorted, looking at the girl in front of him and unable to help but laugh. This only made her more annoyed. She rolled her eyes at him and walked forward with him.

"The Emperor summoned me back for this very reason. A kite that flies too far is hard to retrieve; that's the logic he was thinking. Besides, the eldest daughter of the Prefect of Cangzhou is indeed a gentle and virtuous girl. I haven't lost out; it's kind of the Emperor to go to such lengths for me."

“He’s you now, the next one will be our Prince’s Mansion.” Xun Hua buried his head in thought, then gave a bitter smile: “This time it’s you, so next time it’ll be me. Where do you think I’ll be sent?”

"you……"

"People in the royal family have no say in anything. If Anping hadn't suddenly agreed to the marriage last time, I might be the one over there now. She's clever; she's so far away that the emperor can't see her."

"So what are your plans?"

"What else can we do?" She rolled her eyes at him. "There's no other way but to just find a scion of a prominent family like you did."

"You have quite a broad mind." He chuckled twice, and the two of them left the palace gate together.

Xun Hua suddenly stopped, looked at the person in front of her, and smiled, "Where's Ji Meiqing? How did you handle her matter?"

“I knew it was you who revealed my whereabouts to her.” He didn’t blame her at all. Instead, he said, “I think she’s not bad. If she were to marry, she might be useful to me.”

"You'd better give up your lustful thoughts as soon as possible." She shook her head, her face full of disdain. "A person like her is not suitable for this palace. Besides, I, the princess, will still be useful in a critical moment."

"I knew you wouldn't be so kind." He shook his head helplessly, then looked at the bright moon and said wistfully, "The imperial decree for the marriage will probably be issued tomorrow."

"Pretty much. I wonder what the daughter of the Prefect of Cangzhou will look like. I'm quite looking forward to it." She pondered for a moment, thinking about what he had just said, and couldn't help but add, "If she's a blockhead, it won't be fun."

"Have mercy, don't ruin my queen."

"I know, I know." She became impatient, which surprised him, but no matter how surprised he was, he could only laugh it off in the end.

The imperial edict for the next day had been calculated, and it arrived. Shangguan Yuzhe received the edict in his place, then looked at the eunuch, and after the eunuch finished reading it, he said, "When you get back, please put in a good word for me. Could you perhaps bring my future princess to meet me?"

"This servant will inform His Majesty immediately." The eunuch replied without changing his expression, and then left with his men.

The young pageboy overheard this and only rushed over to his master after everyone had left. "Your Highness, what should we do?"

"What do you mean, what should we do?" He slightly raised his eyelids, looking at his little page who was even more anxious than himself, and found it quite amusing.

The young page recounted the marriage arrangements and then added, "The prefect of Cangzhou is nothing but a bunch of scoundrels. If you become a family, and the prefect causes trouble for the princess, wouldn't that be making things difficult for you?"

"That's the emperor's true intention. He wants to take back all the power, but it's not that simple." He gently patted his head a few times before slowly returning to the backyard to drink.

He had already considered everyone's concerns; he couldn't openly refuse. So, he could only put the girl in a difficult position.