Arlie performed the proper envoy's salute, then looked up. The moment he laid eyes on Qi Junmu, he was visibly startled. This was his first time seeing Qi Junmu, and he had not expected the Emperor of Da Qi to be so strikingly commanding—with brows and eyes as sharp and cold as the rare flowers that bloom high in the snowy peaks, beyond anyone's reach.
When Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow slightly, Arlie realized he had been staring. He recovered at once, placing his right hand over his chest and bowing his head slightly in apology. "Arlie did not expect His Majesty the Emperor of Da Qi to be so majestic. I have been terribly rude."
Qi Junmu paid no attention to his words. He simply said flatly, "Take your seats."
Before sitting down, Arlie presented the gift list from the King of Western Di. The offerings were lavish, clearly prepared with care. Arlie added that his king's wish was for Da Qi and Western Di to remain brothers forever.
Qi Junmu smiled faintly at that but said nothing.
As envoys, Arlie and his party were seated quite close to the Emperor—though still behind the imperial relatives: Qi Junyan, Qi Junzhuo, and Prince Ying. Their seats were directly opposite the Left Chancellor.
After Arlie was seated, Qi Junmu first delivered a speech of blessings, prompting the officials to rise and express their gratitude with great emotion. Only then did he declare the banquet officially open.
Palace maids placed food and drink on every table—wine and dishes, with the Emperor's spread naturally the most lavish, while everyone else's was identical. Qi Junmu raised three cups of wine—one to heaven, one to earth, and one to the departed—then everyone resumed their seats. The Ministry of Rites had prepared a dance performance to open the festivities.
The dancers had been carefully selected, and the dance itself was composed to praise the Emperor's benevolence and the peace of the land—a truly celebratory spectacle.
As cups clinked and wine flowed freely, Qi Junmu turned to Shen Nian, who was standing by his side, and said, "Come, sit beside me."
"This..." Shen Nian hesitated. "Your Majesty, that would be against protocol, would it not?" Even the nominal Empress, though seated near the Emperor, was known to have a separate seat—just placed closer. Everyone knew that.
Qi Junmu smiled and offered the excuse he had prepared long ago: "Protocol matters not. You are Marquis Zhenbei, a hero of Da Qi. If you remain standing, some short-sighted fool might mistake you for a mere palace guard. Then I would have to waste breath explaining things."
Shen Nian knew full well this was just an excuse. Since the Emperor had already put it that way, he did not hesitate. He lifted the hem of his robe and sat down.
Beneath the sound of flutes and strings, everyone could see the Emperor whispering with Shen Nian, but no one knew what they were saying.
It was only when Shen Nian sat that the crowd seemed to snap out of their daze.
The officials exchanged complicated glances. Some couldn't help but think: Shen Nian's unbelievable luck still hasn't run out, has it?
It had been so long, and yet the Emperor still valued him so highly. Just thinking about it was infuriating.
Even Lin Xiao cast a few extra glances upward.
Some officials, meanwhile, looked toward Qi Junzhuo. The Emperor's coldness toward him was quite evident. Qi Junzhuo had not attended court for days and had grown visibly thinner—clearly, he had not been faring well.
Qi Junzhuo glanced at the interaction between the Emperor and Shen Nian, then lowered his gaze silently.
Qi Junyan, being more straightforward by nature, wore a very sour expression at the sight.
Though others had not heard the conversation between the Emperor and Shen Nian, Wen Wan had.
Her focus was different from others'. She always felt that the Emperor's attitude toward Shen Nian was somewhat strange. She could not pinpoint exactly what was odd, but she felt that the Emperor treated Shen Nian exceptionally well.
This was a feeling she had never had before. In the past, whether it was the Wen family, other people, or even herself, everyone had believed that the Emperor was merely using Shen Nian. But now, she felt that the truth was not quite that simple.
This thought made Wen Wan's heart flutter with unease. But what exactly was going on, she could not say.
The banquet proceeded smoothly in its early stages. Amid the singing and dancing, the Emperor would occasionally exchange a few words with those present, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Arlie and his people were the type to eat big chunks of meat and empty their cups in one go. Many Da Qi officials looked down on such behavior, finding it crude and boorish, and their eyes unconsciously showed a hint of contempt.
Arlie noticed this, of course, but he did not care. This was simply the custom of Western Di; there was no need to change to please others.
So after emptying his cup once more, Arlie rose to his feet.
The music and dancing stopped. Qi Junmu looked at Arlie but said nothing.
Unruffled, Arlie said, "Your Majesty, the wine cups of Da Qi are far too delicate. The drinking is not satisfying enough. Could Your Majesty have larger ones brought?"
Some people's contempt climbed from their eyes to their faces. They found the Western Di people boorish and insolent.
Qi Junmu set down his silver chopsticks slowly and gave a faint smile. "In Da Qi, we observe the principle that guests follow the host's lead. The host provides what he will, and the guest uses what he is given."
Arlie had not expected Qi Junmu to refuse. He paused, but recovered quickly.
He poured himself a cup of wine, raised it, and said, "Arlie has been presumptuous. This cup is to offer my apology."
After downing it, he poured another and said, "Arlie toasts His Majesty. May Da Qi and Western Di remain eternal allies."
Qi Junmu did not raise his cup. He said calmly, "This cup, I cannot drink. First, Da Qi is a land of rites. Since ancient times, it has been the custom that when a parent passes away, one observes three years of mourning. Though I, as the Son of Heaven, am permitted to shorten the period on account of my duties, my reverence for my late father is so deep that I wish to observe the full three years."
"Second," he continued, "if the King of Western Di truly wishes to be an eternal brother and ally to Da Qi, then why did Western Di secretly bribe our general on the West Frontier? And why hold private meetings with Prince Rui of Da Qi? Could it be that in the King of Western Di's eyes, 'brothers' are meant to be stabbed in the back?"
When the Emperor spoke of the mourning period, some officials had been nodding along in approval, thinking that while the Emperor might not actually observe it fully, he certainly would not lose face in principle—and they silently cursed the Western Di as uncivilized barbarians with no sense of propriety. It was deeply satisfying.
But when the Emperor moved to his second point, everyone was stunned.
The Emperor was bringing the Chang Sheng and Prince Rui affairs into the open—was he settling accounts now?
Qi Junyan's face was very ugly. He looked at the calm-faced Qi Junmu and felt a chill run down his neck.
Arlie was taken aback once more. He glanced at Qi Junyan, then at Qi Junmu. After a moment of hesitation and inner struggle, he set down his cup, clasped his hands, and said: "Regarding General Chang Sheng, our king was unaware of the matter. It was arranged privately by people at the border. When our king learned of it, he was greatly angered and has already punished the officers involved. As for the private meeting with Prince Rui—our king had only heard that Prince Rui was His Majesty's brother, and sent an official to meet him simply to inform Prince Rui that Western Di had not violated the alliance treaty. There was no other intent."
At these words, a commotion broke out among the ministers in the hall.
Arlie's implication was clear: Prince Rui had indeed met privately with Western Di officials.
What was Prince Rui trying to do? Collude with foreign enemies to rebel?
Arlie remained composed. "Since Your Majesty is aware of this and disapproves, Arlie hereby offers his apology to Your Majesty."
Qi Junyan shot to his feet, his face flushed red with rage. He turned on Arlie and spat out a string of curses.
Qi Junmu looked at Qi Junyan and said, "What? Is Arlie's account inaccurate? Or did Prince Rui never meet privately with Western Di officials? Was I mistaken?"
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