Phi-Fic Chapter 377
Chapter 377
They toasted each other, exchanging cups back and forth in a lively atmosphere.The military officials played drinking games, their voices rising higher and higher, while the civil officials were much more refined, composing poetry and matching couplets... It would have been even better if the poems these people were quoting weren't the ones Yue Fuguang had "created" during the Emperor's Birthday Banquet.
When she heard You Mingmin, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, raise his wine cup to toast the Western Qiang delegation while reciting the line, "I urge you to drink one more cup of wine," Yue Fuguang subconsciously picked up the fruit juice in front of her and took several gulps.
Awkward, it was truly too awkward!
[Master, there is something even more shocking. You see, Chancellor Wei rejected Bei Ji's courtship multiple times because he actually loved someone else in his heart. However, due to their statuses, the two could not be together.]
"Oh, a woman who could catch the eye of the previous generation's Number One Young Master of Northern Li must be extraordinary. Little Zhu, quickly tell me, who exactly is Chancellor Wei's first love?"
Not just Yue Fuguang, even Emperor Mingxi and his officials noticeably lowered their voices from their poetry and drinking games. Even those pretending to be drunk subconsciously rolled over, perking up their ears so as not to miss a single word.
The famous Chancellor Wei was of their generation, and they also wanted to know what the woman he loved looked like!
Only the two brothers, Bei Ye and Bei Yue, reacted differently. One snorted the wine he had just drunk out of his nose; Bei Ye quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, using the act of wiping to hide his flushed cheeks.
His imperial father and Chancellor Wei?
Then did he and Qingyi count as a continuation of their affection? It was a pity that Chancellor Wei did not know what was good for him. Not only did he reject his imperial father's courtship, but he also secretly fell in love with another woman!
Bei Ye thought about what would happen if Wei Qingyi treated him like this... He instantly felt the sweet fruit wine in his mouth turn bitter.
When Bei Yue heard his imperial father's romantic history, the corners of his mouth subconsciously curled into a mocking smile. His hand unknowingly rubbed the jade pendant he had worn at his waist for over three years, tracing the carved silk tree flowers on it over and over again.
He seemed unable to hear the heavenly voice anymore; his ears were filled with the sounds of his imperial father doting on him in public, only to repeatedly scold him in private for straying from the right path and being unrepentant!
Only today did he realize that the wrong path his imperial father kept calling a heresy was one he had walked himself!
Not only had he walked it, but he had also been rejected by his beloved!
Bei Yue took a large gulp of wine. Unfortunately, his father had feelings, but Chancellor Wei had no interest. How... pathetic!
Bei Yue even maliciously wondered if his imperial father was jealous that he could attain his lover!
[It is the Empress of Nanzhao, Lan Qiying. When Chancellor Wei was young and followed his father on a diplomatic mission to Nanzhao, he met Lan Qiying, who was still the Crown Princess at the time. Wei Yuqing fell in love with the beautiful Lan Qiying at first sight and was completely captivated upon their second meeting. He even considered marrying into Nanzhao. This describes how deeply infatuated Chancellor Wei was back then.]
When Lan Xuan'er heard the heavenly voice suddenly mention her imperial mother, and alongside the Prime Minister of Northern Li no less, she felt her blood rush to her head, her face turning completely red.
She was so shocked that she felt nailed to the spot, unable to move an inch. She had a secret in her heart that she had never spoken of to anyone.
She had known for a long time that she was not her father's child; she was simply given to her father to raise after her imperial mother gave birth to her.
Lan Xuan'er did not dare to look around. She always felt that the mystery of her birth, just like Xi Ling, was a scar that none of them wanted to uncover.
"Did Bei Ji know about this?" She did not need to elaborate on how strong the desire for control and possessiveness was in a man, especially an emperor.
[Of course he knew. That was why he was going crazy with jealousy at the time. It was also him who secretly allied with Old Man Wei to stop it, which was why Wei Yuqing failed to go to Nanzhao.
However, Chancellor Wei did not know any of this, because Bei Ji had not yet ascended the throne at that time. Although the Wei family secretly supported him, his grand cause had not yet been achieved, so the Wei family was still a target he needed to win over.
Therefore, even though he discovered his feelings for Chancellor Wei, he had to hide them for various reasons.
It could not be discovered by outsiders, especially Chancellor Wei's father, Old Man Wei, so everything was done in secret.
The funniest part is that Chancellor Wei at the time, known as the Number One Young Master of Northern Li, considered himself a confidant of Bei Ji. Having nowhere to express his deep love for Lan Qiying, Bei Ji became his sole listener!]
"Hahaha, hahaha!" Yue Fuguang's laughter echoed throughout the banquet hall, steadily overpowering the light melodies being played by the musicians.
Emperor Mingxi and his officials forced themselves not to rub their slightly aching ears. It could be said that when it came to acting, through years of accumulation, they were all professionals.
Unlike the few in the delegation, who were just short of covering their ears!
"I finally know why, when looking through the chronicles and unofficial histories of various countries, I saw multiple records and speculations about the discord between the Emperor of Northern Li and the Emperor of Nanzhao.
The official history analyzes it based on politics, interests, and other factors, but the folk unofficial histories are much more exciting, entirely filled with the love-hate entanglements between the two.
It turns out this entanglement is real, just that the target was wrong. It wasn't that the two loved each other but couldn't have each other, but rather that they both loved the same person and couldn't have him!"
Lan Xuan'er's hand holding the teacup trembled, and the warm tea spilled onto her hand, leaving a faint stain.
From the corner of her eye, she caught Bei Yue looking at her. Their eyes met, and then they quickly looked away.
Just as she was wondering if today's banquet was dragging on for too long, she heard the heavenly voice suddenly change the subject. [Master, look at the third dancer on the left in the center.]
Yue Fuguang looked over as told. It was a rather tall dancer wearing a thin beaded tassel veil, with a pair of fox-like eyes that naturally exuded charm when looking at people.
Although her face could not be seen clearly, just by looking at those eyes, one could tell she was a beauty.
"What's wrong with this dancer?" She didn't think the system would specifically bring her up just because she looked good.
[Master, he is a man. Not a ladyboy, but a man cross-dressing as a woman. The hairpins on his head are all concealed weapons.]
Without the system needing to say more, those who heard it had already guessed his identity.
The Great Yan monarch and officials all breathed a sigh of relief. The stage had been set for so long, and they had finally waited for the main character to perform.
Hearing this, Yue Fuguang couldn't help but take a few more glances at the person.
Just looking at that figure, graceful and lithe, like a tender willow sprouting in early March, soft yet possessing a nascent resilience.
And the way he looked at the guests... Yue Fuguang clicked her tongue in her heart. It was like the lingering threads of a broken lotus root, clinging and seductive!
With this charm that completely crushed the other dancers, if the system hadn't spoken up, who would have thought he was a genuine man!
Hearing that there was an assassin, the people in the delegation visibly relaxed. They finally didn't have to be forced to listen to their parents' love stories anymore!
Although they had heard a lot of seemingly useful information from it, without verification, they would not completely believe the words of the heavenly voice.
Gan Tang and Lan Xuan'er huddled together, eating pastries and whispering to each other, while the delegations from Northern Li and Western Qiang began to toast each other.
Only Yan Ji and Oshima, who had been out of the loop and couldn't hear anything, were still oblivious. Unaccustomed to the alcohol of Great Yan, the two had been thoroughly intoxicated during the first half of the banquet and had not yet sobered up.
[Master, look at the lead dancer again.]
"Is she also a man cross-dressing?"