Nan Chaoyin walked between Yu Chengxuan and Nan Yuan'er, blocking Yu Chengxuan's gaze towards Nan Yuan'er. He made a gesture of invitation to him again: "Seventh Prince, this way, please!"
Yu Chengxuan did not reject him this time. After nodding slightly to Nan Chaoyin, he strode towards the banquet hall.
Although the banquet was held at the Nan residence, the person seated in the highest position would undoubtedly be the one with the highest status. Therefore, as soon as everyone entered, they saw Ji Jinmo, Nan Shiying, and... Mu Xiaoxiao seated at the head of the table.
Wang Qiancheng and a few others had already taken their seats, leaving the lively crowd behind.
Mu Baiyu was also there. He was currently sitting in his seat, drinking tea. Mu Xiaoxiao, under Ji Jinmo's murderous gaze, was chattering beside Nan Shiying, recounting her recent experiences.
She had never seen the Princess on the streets of the capital and assumed she rarely left the residence. Therefore, she chose to share only the most interesting anecdotes to make Nan Shiying happy. Mu Xiaoxiao, for some unknown reason, just liked Nan Shiying, and even when she saw her smile, she would involuntarily smile along.
Nan Shiying raised her hand and petted Mu Xiaoxiao's head. Ji Jinmo's already gloomy expression had now turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Others might not know, but he certainly did.
This Mu Xiaoxiao was the male alter ego of his wife, who had always harbored feelings for him!
This was flirting with someone right in front of him, completely disregarding him, the legal wife... oh no, completely disregarding him, her husband!
Ji Jinmo leaned down and lifted the hand that was ruffling Mu Xiaoxiao's head.
Nan Shiying blinked and turned her head to look at him.
Ji Jinmo deliberately did not turn his head, leaving only his profile for Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him.
His nose was particularly well-defined, with a high bridge. Yet, even so, she could still see the eyelashes on the other side.
Nan Shiying raised her hand, pinched Ji Jinmo's chin, and turned his face towards her.
"Clang~"
Liu Cheng's wine cup fell to the floor. He stared at the scene before him in dumbfounded shock. If it weren't for his fear of the Prince's might, he would have rushed forward to kowtow to the Princess!
Princess, you are my god!
In the entire world, besides you, no one else dares to treat the Prince like this!
Yu Chengxuan's steps into the hall faltered for a moment, but then, as if nothing had happened, he waved his fan and strolled in leisurely.
Everyone walked to their seats and sat down.
Nan Chaoyin sat below Yu Chengxuan, while Liu Shi and Nan Yuan'er sat below Hui'an.
The envoys from Dali sat in the central seats on the right side of the hall.
After everyone was seated, the maids entered in an orderly fashion, clearing away the fruits and tea, and serving fine wine and delicacies.
Normally, for such a banquet, the host would say a few words before it began. However, with Ji Jinmo, the Regent of Linyuan, present, Nan Chaoyin did not get the chance.
Ji Jinmo waved his sleeve, too lazy to say more: "Alright, let's begin!"
He was not willing to put on even a pretense of decorum.
Nan Chaoyin clapped his hands, and the singers and dancers appeared in sequence. As the music began, the banquet officially commenced.
Most of the officials' wives had not yet recovered from the bloody scene they had just witnessed. Their hearts pounded with the drums, dong dong dong. After drinking several cups of wine, they finally suppressed the sense of panic and unease in their hearts.
Liu Cheng leaned over to Wang Qiancheng and whispered, "What do you think if I volunteered myself?"
Wang Qiancheng glanced at him and said, "If you're not afraid of Lord Liu breaking your leg, then go ahead. But if you ask me, what's a broken leg? With your quality, if you can marry this princess, even if you spend the rest of your life paralyzed in bed, it would be worth it!"
"Get lost, you!"
Liu Cheng cursed loudly. Although Hui'an was extremely beautiful, how could he give up the whole forest for one tree? If his legs were broken, how would he go to the brothel? Would he have to ask Princess Hui'an to push him there?
It wasn't worth it, not worth it!
Liu Cheng shook his head and quickly dismissed the thought.
Qin Mo actually felt that marrying Princess Hui'an wasn't impossible. He had no intention of entering officialdom anyway, so it wouldn't make much difference.
Wang Qiancheng looked at Liu Cheng, then at Qin Mo, and guessed that there would be quite a few people with similar thoughts after seeing Hui'an's beauty.
Hmph, they were hesitant before, but now that they saw her beautiful appearance, they wanted to marry her?
Bah, a bunch of perverts!
Mu Baiyu drank wine cup after cup, occasionally glancing at Hui'an. However, he felt that her appearance in Linyuan attire was not as unrestrained as when she wore Dali attire.
Even though she had covered her face with light gauze at the time, Mu Baiyu felt she was exceptionally beautiful.
After drinking a few cups of wine, the atmosphere finally livened up. People, in twos and threes, raised their cups and walked towards familiar faces to drink and chat.
Mu Xiaoxiao still wanted to find Nan Shiying, but upon seeing Ji Jinmo's occasional glances and remembering his ruthless and cold-blooded demeanor when he killed Qin Yushan, she wisely did not dare to approach.
She really didn't know what Nan Jie liked about him!
Mu Xiaoxiao pouted, and as if to vent her frustration, she picked up a piece of meat and threw it into her mouth!
Chewing vigorously!
After the wine had been served halfway, the singers and dancers slowly retreated. Nan Chaoyin gave Nan Yuan'er a look.
Nan Yuan'er was unwilling to go, but she had no choice!
She held a wine cup and walked towards Hui'an, respectfully toasting her: "This humble maiden toasts the Princess!"
Hui'an picked up the wine cup and gave a slight lift, as a response. She gave Nan Yuan'er so little face that she didn't even make a pretense of drinking it. Nan Yuan'er didn't understand why this Dali princess detested her so much. Later, she remembered that Hui'an had stayed at the Prince's residence for a long time, and Nan Yuan'er was no longer angry.
She figured Nan Shiying must have said a lot of bad things about her to Hui'an!
Nan Yuan'er pretended not to see the disdain in Hui'an's eyes. Smiling, she sat down: "Princess, you have been in Linyuan for some time. Do you have someone you favor?"
Hui'an let out a cold laugh: "Although I have been in Linyuan for some time, I have either been staying at the posthouse or the Prince's residence. Someone I favor? Miss Nan, do you think I have been secretly meeting with an outside man?"
Nan Yuan'er's heart sank. She hadn't expected Hui'an to be like that hateful Nan Shiying, always eager to accuse people and frame them. She quickly waved her hands to explain: "This humble maiden absolutely did not mean that. It's just that my father is unable to appear in person, so he asked this humble maiden to inquire. If the Princess already has someone she favors, we will not force a marriage. However, since the Princess does not have someone she favors, how about we let the handsome young men of Linyuan show their grace?"
Since it was a political marriage banquet, it was natural to allow the two parties to get acquainted. However, there was only one princess from Dali, so the process seemed a bit unusual, giving a sense of choosing a concubine.
"Whatever!" Hui'an said.
Nan Yuan'er snorted coldly in her heart. Hearing Hui'an say that, she turned and nodded to Nan Chaoyin, then, not wanting to stay another second, turned back to her seat.