Su Xiaoqi had already figured out what she wanted to do, but unfortunately, the sound of uniform footsteps echoed from the side hall.
Listening to the momentum, it must be Emperor Yongxing who arrived.
As expected, the voice of a eunuch soon sounded outside: "The Emperor has arrived."
Alright, everyone returned to their positions, and Zhao Xiaohua quickly took the opportunity to sit back down.
Only a pair of eyes, gleaming with an unspeakable cold light, kept staring at Su Xiaoqi.
Very good, Su Xiaoqi, in her first face-to-face confrontation, she had already failed.
But it didn't matter, she would reclaim the lost face.
She would also get her revenge.
Zhao Xiaohua's mind was full of schemes.
If it weren't for King Zhou pulling her back, she would have almost lost her composure and shown disrespect to the Emperor.
Zhao Xiaohua awoke as if from a dream, and when she came to her senses, Su Xiaoqi was smiling at her from across the table.
At first glance, the smile was gentle and beautiful, but upon closer inspection, it was entwined with layers of coldness.
It made her shudder.
"Su Xiaoqi!" Zhao Xiaohua almost gritted her teeth.
Her bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at Su Xiaoqi.
Since she wanted to court death, Zhao Xiaohua would no longer be polite.
She gave a subtle glance to the little maid behind her.
The little maid hesitated for a moment, but still went out.
Su Xiaoqi had been watching her the entire time.
She saw her actions clearly.
However, it was a pity that she had not given the little maid any specific instructions just now, only a glance.
Therefore, Su Xiaoqi truly did not know what Zhao Xiaohua intended to do.
However, she had always been on guard and was not afraid of any last-minute trouble.
After Emperor Yongxing took his seat on the throne, he bade everyone rise and then the feast began.
Everyone immediately resumed a peaceful demeanor.
As if the previous conflict had never occurred.
"My wife, are you alright just now?" Shen Yun asked Su Xiaoqi with concern.
Su Xiaoqi blinked, indicating that she was fine.
She looked towards the top.
Her gaze immediately fell upon Consort Li.
She was dressed in magnificent imperial attire, adorned with a flamboyant and noble bearing.
Sitting beside Emperor Yongxing, she indeed possessed the aura of an imperial consort.
In contrast, another consort sat on Emperor Yongxing's other side.
She was born delicate and enchanting.
But beneath her goose-yellow palace dress, her belly was slightly distended, clearly showing that she was carrying the Emperor's child.
Su Xiaoqi understood her identity at a glance.
Upon entering the palace, she was first bestowed the title of Pin, and after becoming pregnant, she was promoted to Consort Ming.
Previously, she had complained to Shen Mingzhu about her name, which also happened to be Mingzhu.
However, this Mingzhu, being so favored in the palace, was naturally more dazzling and captivating than Shen Mingzhu.
But all of this was just a facade.
Besides seeing happiness and respect on her face, Su Xiaoqi also saw worry and fear.
Moreover, her fear only appeared when she looked at Zhao Xiaohua.
Su Xiaoqi frowned. She gestured subtly to Shen Yun, pointing out what she had observed.
Shen Yun glanced upwards.
Then he indicated that he couldn't tell.
But he chose to believe Su Xiaoqi.
Therefore, he quietly kept a close watch on the interactions between Consort Ming and Zhao Xiaohua.
Unexpectedly, he managed to catch a fleeting exchange of glances that others couldn't perceive.
"She is indeed somewhat afraid of Zhao Xiaohua," Shen Yun whispered.
At the same time, his thoughts wandered.
This should not be the case.
Consort Ming was someone they had arranged in the imperial palace.
When he arranged for her to enter the palace, it was because Consort Li, obeying the words of Princess Yi Jiang of Southern Yue, insisted on interfering with his marriage.
To give Consort Li something to occupy her time, he arranged a love rival for her.
Initially, Shen Yun had not held much hope for this arrangement.
But unexpectedly, the Mingzhu who entered the palace was exactly to Emperor Yongxing's taste.
Within a few days of entering the palace, she was promoted and was granted the grace of accompanying the Emperor daily.
And Consort Li found herself drinking vinegar daily, hating Consort Ming to death, yet unable to get rid of her.
Consort Ming's favor and her quick pregnancy were unexpected.
However, with her in the palace, Consort Li's previous sole dominance was completely extinguished, providing much convenience for Shen Yun and his associates.
Therefore, Shen Yun had to pay close attention to this piece on the chessboard.
If the truth was as Xiaoqi said, that Mingmei feared Zhao Xiaohua,
Then, given Zhao Xiaohua's status as the wife of King Zhou, she would certainly help King Zhou, and perhaps this move with Consort Ming would be ruined.
The couple's main focus throughout the banquet was on Consort Ming and Zhao Xiaohua.
This allowed them to capture many things they had previously missed.
The astute Su Xiaoqi even sensed a hint of conspiracy.
She shared her suspicions with Shen Yun, who immediately took them seriously.
He never doubted Su Xiaoqi's intuition.
Because every time she had a premonition, it would come true in various ways.
As Shen Yun pondered this, he immediately seized the opportunity when he went out to arrange matters, dispatching people to specifically monitor Zhao Xiaohua and Consort Ming.
The palace banquet, it could be said, had abundant dishes and exquisite music and dance.
Everyone wore smiles on their faces, appearing extremely happy.
But in reality, these delicious and visually appealing dishes, having been prepared too early, were already cold.
The braised pork knuckle, steamed until soft and tender, looked golden and fragrant.
But when poked with chopsticks, it was completely immobile.
A thick layer of oil protected it.
Su Xiaoqi frowned.
With the dishes like this, forget about eating, even looking at them made her lose her appetite.
She couldn't eat, but fortunately, Shen Yun had experience and had prepared some pastries for her in advance.
So, she faced the exquisite pork knuckle while eating her osmanthus cake.
As she ate, the music and dance continued, with lutes and zithers playing,
The time quickly passed.
But at this moment, Consort Ming, who was sitting next to Emperor Yongxing, suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed to the side.
Fortunately, Emperor Yongxing was quick-witted and supported her.
"Consort Ming, Consort Ming," Emperor Yongxing was anxious. She was carrying the Emperor's child.
"Someone, summon an imperial physician, the imperial physician," Emperor Yongxing said loudly, his brow furrowed.
King Zhou stepped forward at the opportune moment to remind him:
"Your Majesty, there are imperial physicians present at this banquet.
However, their medical skills are likely not as good as Princess Anqi.
Consort Ming is of noble birth and is carrying the imperial child, so the best doctor must be invited to examine her."
Emperor Yongxing immediately summoned: "Yes, yes, yes, Princess Anqi, quickly come forward and examine Consort Ming."
Su Xiaoqi rose to go, but Shen Yun firmly held her hand.
He did not want her to go.
Su Xiaoqi glanced helplessly at Shen Yun.
Had the plot begun?
If possible, she truly did not want to go.
But since the other party had already made their move, she had no reason to refuse.
She gently pried open Shen Yun's hand, broke free from his restraint, and slowly walked forward.
Meanwhile, at Consort Ming's request, Emperor Yongxing had already ordered her to be escorted into the side hall.
She was an imperial consort, and at this moment, suffering from abdominal pain, it was impossible to have her examine her garments in front of everyone.
Su Xiaoqi understood this point.
She followed them into the side hall.
Shen Yun, uneasy, wanted to follow, but was stopped by the palace servants.
Because only the palace maids were allowed to enter, and as a man, it was truly inappropriate for him to be present during the examination of a consort and matters concerning children.
Shen Yun was filled with unease.
Su Xiaoqi gave him a look, pointing to Zhang Yu beside her, signaling him to relax.
Their silent exchange, seen by Zhao Xiaohua not far away, made her heart ache.
Although she was now a princess, what of it? The man beside her was not the one she desired.
The man she desired treated her as if she were a fierce beast, with no affection between them.
Of course, she did not like a man like him.
She merely wanted to use his status to achieve her goals.