On New Year's Eve, the Capital City, which usually had too many people bustling about, was empty except for the patrolling soldiers. The night banquet in the Palace had started at this time. Tao Ran got on the carriage with Xuanyuan Yan, and then went to the palace.
The prince’s carriage was naturally not an ordinary carriage; four same colored, horse-drawn carriage was not small at all, and took up a lot of space on the path. There were snow-white, wolf skin cushions inside, and the table heaters and compote snacks were all available. Tao Ran was eating an orange, and only felt that the atmosphere in the carriage was strange.
Xuanyuan Yan sat across from him expressionlessly. This kind of situation was rare. Based on Tao Ran's understanding of Xuanyuan Yan, she could not be in this way, either she could not speak, or she succumbed to evil. In this situation, Tao Ran felt the second scenario was more likely.
There was the sound of horse hooves outside. Tao Ran couldn't bear the atmosphere and asked: "Um... where do I sit in the palace?"
Hum can't help it, right? Are you finally going to apologize to this King for mercy? Xuanyuan Yan almost couldn't hold back her smile, she coughed lightly, and then said solemnly: "Do you want to sit with this King? If you ask this King, this King will..."
Before he finished speaking, Tao Ran's eyes lit up and said, "So I can't sit with you?"
Xuanyuan Yan: "..."
The expectation in Tao Ran's eyes was too obvious, and Xuanyuan Yan couldn't deceive herself. He was deliberately angering her. She stared at Tao Ran angrily for a while, and then said: "You must be with this King and want to go to another place? Keep dreaming."
Tao Ran frowned silently, wondering what kind of evil was brewing in Xuanyuan Yan.
When they arrived at the palace, a court lady immediately greeted them and said: "Greetings, Your Highness, King Yue."
Xuanyuan Yan was in a bad mood, so she nodded casually, and the court lady said: "The concubine Lian is waiting for Young Master Ye Tan to come over, and shall this servant take Young Master Ye Tan?"
Xuanyuan Yan originally didn't want to agree, but Tao Ran had said before that he didn't want to sit with her, she was furious. So regardless of Tao Ran, she walked inside by herself. Regarding the King’s attitude, the palace maid naturally did not dare to have any opinions, and took Tao Ran to Gu Yinglian.
Xuanyuan Yan walked inside alone, the people attending the banquet had not all come yet, there were only a few Imperial Aunts and Imperial Sisters. As soon as Xuanyuan Yan entered, a young Imperial Aunt immediately laughed and said: "Look, who is here?"
"Isn't this the flirtatious and amorous Old Seven."
"Why did Old Seven come here alone?"
"How can you not know this?" The royal senior laughed, "Our old seven is still a bachelor."
"Ahahahahahaha ......"
The corners of Xuanyuan Yan's eyes twitched and she sat down in her seat, then looked at them with a cold face.
She was embarrassed to make jokes, and her Elder Six said: "Old Seven why such a face, it's just a few sisters joking what's wrong."
Xuanyuan Yan suddenly asked: "How can we make a wild man become soft and gentle?"
All of them were silent for a moment, and then a royal aunt asked: "Old Seven, did you meet a wild man?"
"What's so difficult about that?" The oldest one, who thought she was experienced, said: "No matter how wild a man is, tie him to the bed and spoil him once. If once isn’t enough, then you can do it a few more times. When he's comfortable, he'll still be tender as water?"
The sisters glanced at each other, and then let out a tacit laugh: "Ahahahaha..."
The sadness on Xuanyuan Yan's face was not reduced, and her heart was telling her to pamper him more to convince him? But more bedsports, in the end only she kept getting convinced, not him.
Xuanyuan Yan sighed with loneliness and helplessness, and then took a sip of wine to relieve her sorrow. Everyone had heard about Xuanyuan Yan's situation, and the Old Six sitting beside her whispered, "Old Seven you are too much, Gu Yinglian is now Her Majesty's person, no matter how much you like him, you have to suppress it in your heart, our Majesty is not good at letting go."
Xuanyuan Yan rolled her eyes and said: "What is wrong with your eyes? You look at Gu Yinglian, do you think he is a wild man?"
"Uh." Old Six froze for a moment and asked: "So you've found a newcomer?"
Xuanyuan Yan drank sadly and didn't intend to say anything about her anger at Tao Ran. A King, pining for her own male concubine, being angry and hurt was already very humiliating, really if everyone knew, simply she would have no face to go out to see people. If there was bitterness in heart, a woman should suffer in silence.
Xuanyuan Yan drank wine through the vicissitudes of life, and saw an unknown man sitting next to Aunt Yuhuang. The man was wearing the Imperial concubine's court clothes, and sitting beside Aunt Yuhuang with a pale face. It was not known what Aunt Yuhuang had spoken, but he had a solemn expression on his face.
Xuanyuan Yan took a glass of wine and leaned towards Old Six and asked: "Is that the royal concubine of Aunt Yuhuang? How can he be so timid?"
"Timid? Old Seven, you are still too naive." Old Six said with a smile on her face about her Imperial Aunt's gossip, "Don't look at him now with a charming and pitiful look, but in fact he is fierce. He married the Imperial Aunt less than a year ago and tossed out the Imperial aunt's backyard concubines, now pretending to look so pitiful for whom I wonder."
"No wonder Aunt Yuhuang treats him that way." Xuanyuan Yan thought for a while and said strangely: "Aunt Yuhuang just doesn't care about it? Did she try to understand what he did?"
"Hey, which main wife and princess do not deal with the backyard concubines?" Old Six shook her head and said: "Aunt Yuhuang was willing to give him a face, as long as it was not too much, she would let him go. But she did not know that he reached out to the Imperial Aunt's favorite concubine not long ago. While the Imperial Aunt was away on business, the concubine broke his leg and threw him into the mountains, and when he was found, he had been gnawed by wolves and was left a skeleton."
Xuanyuan Yan was a little shocked. She used to think that men were weak and pitiful and needed careful care. She didn't expect them to be so cruel and ruthless. She couldn't help but think, Ye Tan is a person who won't be submissive, and if the King hadn't spoiled him, she wouldn't know how pitiful he would be now. If she ever married a concubine as her main wife, and if the main wife did not like Ye Tan, then she would make sure she never went away, else when she came back, Ye Tan might be only a skeleton…...
Oh, I don't want to, I can't think about it.
Xuanyuan Yan asked: "Isn’t it better to just not marry a wife, and just raise the concubines in the backyard like me? This way life is worry free."
"Hahahaha..." The Old Six had a good laugh and said in harmony: "You make sense, but who knows? No big wedding, can not imagine the horror of the big wedding."
Xuanyuan Yan made up her mind, she didn't have any lofty ambitions as an idle prince, and it didn't matter whether she married a concubine or not. It was better to just let it go, now life was pretty good.
After talking for a while, people were almost there. Xuanyuan Mo's harem also came, and Xuanyuan Yan saw Gu Yinglian holding Tao Ran's hand, letting him sit with the male spouses.
The sound for salute sounded, the Empress appeared and then as soon as Xuanyuan Mo appeared, everyone stood up and saluted her.
Xuanyuan Mo smiled and said: "All those who are here today are family members. You don't need to be polite, please sit down."
After sitting down, she first had the waiter bring a soup in front of Gu Yinglian. The eyes of the people all felt that the Emperor was really too favorable to Consort Lian, Gu Yinglian did not have the slightest self-consciousness that he was envied and hated, he happily said: "Your Majesty understands what this concubine likes."
Xuanyuan Mo smiled gently and said: "You are pregnant, so you need to eat more."
The two showed their love openly and honestly, infuriating the Empress sitting at the side with smoke coming out of his head.
Tao Ran couldn't help but sigh, Xuanyuan Mo's such a show of affection, was she really sure to protect Gu Yinglian so well?
In fact, a large part of the reason Xuanyuan Mo did this was because Xuanyuan Yan was also here. Whenever Gu Yinglian and Xuanyuan Yan were there, she couldn't help but want to show her affection for Gu Yinglian. This feeling is so unpredictable, but she couldn’t help feeling it.
Xuanyuan Yan was still looking at Tao Ran, the thing (Ye Tan) really had no conscience at all, first he didn't go with her, and then he didn't even look at her when he came in now. She really raised a white-eyed wolf, so angry...
Tao Ran felt Xuanyuan Yan's gaze, and saw that Xuanyuan Yan was looking here with a gloomy expression. Tao Ran and Gu Yinglian were sitting together. He thought that Xuanyuan Yan still couldn't let go of Gu Yinglian. Her expression was so bad due to the show of love by Xuanyuan Mo.
This scene was clearly seen by Xuanyuan Mo. Xuanyuan Mo remained silent, but her left hand swayed slightly behind her. The main palace maid understood the directive and left quietly. A short while later, someone passed on, "Prince Tana of the Jewel Country presents a pair of rubies, wishing my emperor long live in peace and prosper."
There was a country called Jewel? How rich in gems they must be? Tao Ran inwardly spat, Xuanyuan Mo happily said: "Since the prince has a heart, please invite the prince in to celebrate the New Year together."
Then they saw the palace maid leading a young man in exotic costumes in. As soon as Prince Tana came in, he knelt on the ground to give Xuanyuan Mo New Year greetings.
Xuanyuan Mo laughed and said: "According to the custom of our country, I have to give red envelopes when you pay respects to me. What do you want? Feel free to mention."
Prince Tana smiled shyly and said: "I don't want anything, I just want to follow my father's order and fulfill my wish to make peace with your country."
"The prince is so beautiful, but being idle is not worthy of the prince." Xuanyuan Mo suddenly pointed at Xuanyuan Yan and said: "Just in time, my Seventh Sister is getting older and has not married yet, I think you are very suitable."
Tao Ran felt that this is fine, it's best if Prince Tana made a lot of trouble. In this case, Xuanyuan Yan would be busy with her concubines in the backyard and not think about Gu Yinglian.
Just when he was thinking about the beauty, Xuanyuan Yan's complexion changed drastically, and she hurriedly walked out and knelt on the ground and said: "Emperor Sister, no, this sister can't marry Prince Tana."
Xuanyuan Mo's face turned dark, and she asked solemnly: "Why?"
“It's just because this sister has already vowed not to marry a main wife in this life, and I request the Emperor Sister to fulfill it."
Xuanyuan Mo's eyes were unpredictable, she thought that Xuanyuan Yan was still thinking about Gu Yinglian, so she would rather resist the decree than get married. She said: "You don't want to get married even if you die?"
As soon as this remark came out, all the Princes present felt cold. Was this killing intent?
Xuanyuan Yan knew that Xuanyuan Mo wouldn't kill herself because of this, otherwise her image that she has been operating in for years will be ruined, so Xuanyuan Yan said loudly: "This sister would rather die than have a big marriage."