The instant his question fell, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
Several ministers everywhere lowered their heads obediently, sparing no effort to appear as if they didn’t hear it. But Huo Yuyan has always been alert and sensitive. Even so, he was still keenly aware of the inquisitive eyes from all corners.
He gritted his teeth.
People should have a foothold in the court, and learning to speak euphemistically was the most basic accomplishment. But obviously, Jingwang utterly lacked such quality.
He really couldn’t understand why the former Emperor Jiang Shunheng, who loathed him to the core, didn’t correct his problem for so many years.
Huo Yuyan gnashed his teeth and tried to force out a calm smile.
“Jingwang must be joking,” he parted his lips breezily and gently debunked Jiang Suizhou’s allegations.
Then, he withdrew his gaze. Without looking back, he walked to the top and sat down in front of the main seat.
“Tonight is the full moon of the 15th of the month. Although it is not August, it is worth reuniting. Today’s banquet is just a family feast. At a family banquet, we don’t need to talk about the affairs of the court anymore.”
He glanced at everyone in the room with a gentle smile, raised his glass, and continued, “Everyone, don’t be polite. Help yourself.”
After his speech, he took the lead in drinking the wine in his glass.
This was to circumvent the hurdle that Jiang Suizhou purposely raised and to announce the start of the banquet.
Huo Yuyan maintained a pleasant smile, put down his wine glass, and picked up his chopsticks.
Unfortunately, at this juncture, he heard Jiang Suizhou’s voice once more.
“Is the issue regarding Miss Lou not a family matter for Your Highness?” He sarcastically blurted out next.
Huo Yuyan looked at him with a furrowed brow.
“Jingwang.” His voice dropped a few degrees colder, taking on a bit of displeasure. “It’s just a rumor. The reputation of the lady should not be tarnished at will.”
Jiang Suizhou laughed carelessly when he heard this.
In an instant, an ambiguous flavor filled the banquet hall and permeated throughout the feast.
Those ministers who had picked up their goblets and spoons unconsciously stopped moving.
“Jingwang, what do you mean by that?”
Now, the smile on Huo Yuyan’s face was taut
Still, Jiang Suizhou raised his eyes impassively, but with an unmistakable sneer and a trace of mockery on his face.
“Miss Lou has already prepared her dowry, so why is it a rumor?” he said. “If Your Highness really doesn’t want to ruin a lady’s reputation, you should have married her back home earlier.”
After pointing this out, he withdrew his gaze, and picked up the glass of wine on the table.
“I’m just curious. Is the 300,000 soldiers for Your Highness’ escort? It’s rather numerous for an escort.”
This time, anyone could hear the undertones in his words.
Especially Huo Yuyan.
He knew that Jingwang was now domineering, but only because of Huo Wujiu standing behind him. Huo Wujiu was his backer, so the 300,000 troops that have surrendered to Huo Wujiu were naturally his backers as well.
He had been relying on these to reach his present circumstances. Perhaps knowing that the 300 thousand soldiers were about to fall into someone else’s hands, he was more anxious than anyone else.
Huo Yuyan found it ridiculous, but a tangled expression surfaced on his face.
He glanced at Huo Wujiu.
He found that Huo Wujiu remained seated, but his expression stank a bit now. He was resting his hands on his knees and staring at the bowl on the table with a frown. After a while, he looked sideways at Jingwang next to him, as if to warn him.
However, Jingwang seemed to have not noticed it.
He looked at Huo Yuyan provocatively, as if he was sure that he would be shamed and left without an argument tonight.
This gave rise to some thoughts deep in Huo Yuyan’s mind.
He remained silent for a while, and seemingly due to his own upbringing and magnanimity, he slowly calmed down, and let his voice soften, as if trying to reason with Jiang Suizhou.
“Jingwang, all land belongs to the ruler in the kingdom, and all men are servants of the ruler in the kingdom. For one thing, the soldiers can’t be counted as a dowry. For another, the soldiers in the world are not anyone’s property, but the Great Liang’s, ” he said.
As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Suizhou and gently smiled.
Despite this, Jiang Suizhou sneered a couple of times ungratefully.
“That’s not something I’ve heard before.” He said, “I’ve only heard that if you win a relationship with your beauty, it will never last long. Your highness, don’t you think so?”
Huo Yuyan’s face instantly went cold.
…He dared to sarcastically say that he won a relationship by his beauty?
When such words were shot toward a dignified Crown Prince like him, it simply made him a great laughingstock. Nevertheless, his statement firmly stepped on his sore foot.
“You…” His face turned white.
But on cue, Huo Wujiu interrupted him.
“Have you had enough?”
His voice sounded cold and low, packed with displeasure. It gave off the impression of the wind sweeping through the tower, heralding his wrath.
When he said this, his eyes were locked on Jingwang.
Huo Yuyan instantly saw how Jingwang froze and shifted his gaze to Huo Wujiu.
When their eyes met, the smug look on Jingwang’s face instantly stiffened, and a trace of fear surfaced on his face.
“General…” Jingwang’s tone instantly weakened.
“I asked, have you had enough?” The cold hostility in Huo Wujiu’s tone, however, worsened a few degrees.
Jingwang shrank his neck and put his hands on his knees. He looked at Huo Wujiu timidly and did not dare to speak.
The banquet hall also remained quiet.
Huo Wujiu spoke again.
“Take a look,” he ordered, “The man on the seat is both the Crown Prince of the Great Liang and my brother. Remember?”
Jingwang froze for a second and nodded reluctantly but fearfully.
“Then what should you do?” Huo Wujiu frowned, seemingly a little impatient.
Jingwang stared at him for a while longer, then raised his head and spoke reluctantly.
“…Your Highness.” His tone wilted. “That was uncalled for.”
——
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