Chapter 186: The Banquet

“Fourth Prince… Here comes Fourth Prince…”The girls’ loud cheers rang again. Murong Xue raised her head and saw Ye Tianqi who wore a violet robe and a tourmaline-inlaid belt around his waist, looking handsome, debonair and noble. The faint smile on his face was like a breath of fresh air making people feel refreshed.

“This prince is a good catch. But he was born in the royal family. So, girls should think twice before they decide to pursue him…” Yuan Fangfei remarked in a low voice, as she shook her head and sighed.

Murong Xue raised her eyebrows, and was about to speak when a joyful female voice rang out, “Prince Jing… Prince Jing is coming… Prince Ouyang… Prince Ouyang is coming too…”

Murong Xue looked up to see Ye Yichen and Ouyang Shaochen coming closer. They were both handsome, tall and elegant. All the young ladies around were enchanted by their graceful bearing with hearts beating widely. The girls were standing or sitting about in small groups, talking excitedly…

“Murong Xue, these girls are all crazy about your boyfriend. You should be careful…” Yuan Fangfei warned Murong Xue with a smile, a trace of dark pleasure flashing through her eyes. ‘It seems not a good thing to have an outstanding boyfriend…’ she thought.

Murong Xue glanced at her and said lightly, “He’s not my boyfriend. Actually, we are just good friends.”

“Ah?” Yuan Fangfei was dazed for a second, then looked at Murong Xue with her eyebrows raised questioningly. “Are you kidding? You and Ouyang Shaochen rode in the same horse-carriage on the way here. Aren’t you two lovers?”

Murong Xue frowned. “Only lovers can take the same carriage?”

“Not exactly…” Yuan Fangfei shook her head. In her view, Ouyang Shaochen and Murong Xue were more than friends…

“Here comes His Majesty and Her Empress!” A shrill voice specially belonging to the eunuch rang. The noisy square quietened down at once. All the officials and their family members went down on their knees and kowtowed respectfully. “Long live Your Majesty. Long live Your Empress…”

The Emperor in a bright yellow dragon robe walked slowly to the center of the high platform and smiled, “Rise!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” The officials and their family members got up and took their seats.

Murong Xue sat down and looked up at the Emperor on the high platform. He was almost forty years old, with a tall, handsome figure, a good set of features, a gravity mingled with regal dignity imprinted on his countenance.

The Empress was in her thirties. She was wearing a long red dress embroidered with a phoenix and some mythical birds, a phoenix-shaped waistband around her waist, with a beautiful nine-tailed phoenix hairpin in her fine chignon. She had a beautiful face and was as graceful as a swan. Her deportment was dignified and graceful. She was worthy of the title of the motherly model of the nation. When she was standing by the side of the Emperor, they two looked like a good match…

“Today’s banquet is held in honour of our arrival at the Mountain Resort. You guys don’t have to be overcautious,” said the Emperor. He cast piercing looks to each one of the officials.

“Thank you, His Majesty!” the officials answered with one voice. Then they began to enjoy the fruits and wine on their tables.

Murong Xue picked up the silver wine pot and poured herself a full cup of wine. The aroma of wine filled her nostrils and made her feel comfortable. It was really good wine. Murong Xue couldn’t repress a sigh of admiration.

She held up the wine cup and was about to drink. Suddenly, an invisible strong wind hit at her wrist. Her hand gave a quiver, and most of the wine in the cup was spilled. Angrily, she raised her head and saw Ouyang Shaochen’s handsome face.

His obsidian-like eyes were like bottomless black pools, as if to say, ‘You are injured. You shouldn’t drink.’

Murong Xue curled up her lips with disapproval and glared defiantly back at him, as if to say, ‘I want to drink. It’s none of your business!’

‘Are you sure?’ Ouyang Shaochen arched an eyebrow and looked at Murong Xue with a meaningful smile, seeming to say, ‘You can have a try, but I hope you won’t regret it.’

Murong Xue’s eyelids twitched involuntarily, and she got an uneasy sense of foreboding. ‘What do you want to do?’

‘Take a sip of wine, then you will know what I will do.’ Ouyang Shaochen’s eyes were cold and authoritative. Murong Xue sensed a touch of danger in his voice, as her eyelids kept twitching. She put down the wine cup with reluctance. Since Ouyang Shaochen expressed that he didn’t want her to drink, she’d better take his advice; otherwise, he would punish her. Murong Xue sensibly gave up this cup of wine and decided to drink another day…

Murong Xue and Ouyang Shaochen communicated silently with eye contact and gestures. All the officials and their family members didn’t notice it, except for Ye Yichen and Su Nanxiang. Ye Yichen kept his eyes fixed on Murong Xue. Now his face clouded with rage. ‘They are sitting far away from each other, but they still tried to communicate with each other by sending speechless messages with their eyes. It seems that they two like each other very much…’ he thought to himself.

Su Nanxiang, who kept staring at Ouyang Shaochen, also saw their communication, her eyes burning with anger. ‘How dared Murong Xue seduce Prince Ouyang in public! She’s such a hateful, shameless woman. I’m going to give her a hard lesson…’ she thought.