185 Zhen shall bestow on you the marriage with her Part II
Bai Yu gave Ouyang Feilong a smile, one that hid a meaning only known between them. The corner of Ouyang Feilong’s mouth slightly curled up before he turned back to start the banquet when he saw that the guests were kneeling and waiting for them. Today’s banquet was attended by nobles and their families, including young ladies and young masters who were brought to meet. Everyone wore exquisite, colorful clothing. A joyful atmosphere and bright smiles filled the room.
This was not only a banquet to commemorate not only the emperor’s reign but also the newly formed peace between Da Yang and Da Chu. In other words, the new emperor had successfully lessened the thing he disliked most as much as he could.
Bai Yu’s face was full of smiles as she enjoyed the sight before her.
The dance was not quite to her liking; instead, what entertained her the most was the gazes exchanged between the dancers and young masters in the banquet. On top of that, there were dancers who were trying so hard to make eyes with the man next to her that their eyeballs might pop out of their sockets. Still, Ouyang Feilong showed no reaction to any of them. Bai Yu was the only one to reward the dancers and musicians throughout the night.
“On this auspicious occasion, I’d like to raise a glass to Your Majesty.”
Bai Yu had heard this sentence over ten times tonight. And Ouyang Feilong raised his wine cup to drink over ten times as well. She was given an ultimatum to only drink tea so that there would be no worry about her getting drunk. If it was a toast from the courtiers or generals that were close to Ouyang Feilong, Bai Yu was certain that he would not get drunk, since those people were not too many. Most of the time, the toasts were formalities.
But if there were toasts from his ‘women,’ then Bai Yu feared Ouyang Feilong might not be able to walk straight. These women were no strangers; they were the consorts who had followed him from his Rui Wang Palace. Each and every one of them was dressed to the nines.
This banquet allowed Bai Yu to see all of Ouyang Feilong’s consorts, and that included two-second consorts whom she had met. One was Gui Fei, while the other was appointed De Fei to fit her family status. It seemed Mu De Fei still held a grudge against her from the time Bai Yu had accidentally laid a hand on her.
The women in Ouyang Feilong’s inner court all had different styles of beauty, and their wiles were not to be underestimated. Still, what felt strange to her was the fact that, from her first day as the palace’s mistress, she had not once met any of them. It was impossible that those women loved to live in tranquility, especially that Mu De Fei. Bai Yu seriously pondered the mystery without realizing that someone had been shielding her from them all along.
.....
The banquet continued pleasantly. Bai Yu enjoyed the seducing skills of Ouyang Feilong’s consorts to the point that he had to turn to give her a scolding gaze for seeing everything as a joke. On the surface, Bai Yu’s every movement was elegant and impeccable, as expected of an empress. Only a few would know how amused she was and what the cause of it was.
Xu Luanle was one of them. He had to suppress laughter by hiding his mouth behind his folding fan, while Bai Yu had to limit her smile from becoming too wide. In truth, she should be worried about these women. But she had already prepared herself for a situation such as this, so everything came off more as an amusement. Furthermore, Bai Yu was sure that no matter what color these women dressed themselves in, she would still be the only one clad in the golden robe embroidered with a phoenix.
And above all…Bai Yu trusted Ouyang Feilong.
Strangely, her injured trust, which was the result of a past betrayal, had no effect on her love for Ouyang Feilong at all. It might be because she believed in fate, and so she trusted the owner of her red string would not leave her for any other woman.
But if he wanted to leave her someday, she would not let him, no matter what the reason was.
Until that day, Bai Yu had to find a preventive measure, one which she could not think of yet… She would find a way later. Even if she sat by and did nothing, somebody might take the matter into their own hands first. Especially after she had planted the bomb on the night she talked about her past life, the decision would come much easier for that man.
Ouyang Feilong was still as mean and cold as he had always been, so there was no need for Bai Yu to worry about anything now. However, it seemed she was too unwound and forgot that there was still a troublemaker here at this banquet…
Several sets of performances had ended. It was finally time to announce the emperor’s decree to reward generals and officials who had outstanding accomplishments in the war. A chuckle escaped Bai Yu when she saw Xu Peipei’s, who had been sitting still from the beginning, face lit up when she heard Bai He was promoted to commander-general, filling the position Ouyang Feilong had left empty. Bai Yu did not know about this promotion, so she was as excited to see her brother advance in his career. She wanted to clap her hands and brag to everyone about how talented and strong her brother was, but what she could do was only slightly smile, maintaining her manner.
The position of royal-protector general became Yue Huiling’s after her grandfather had resigned. It made Bai Yu even more ecstatic, forgetting that Ouyang Feilong was going to move his next piece on the board.
That was the royal decree to reward Ouyang Mingxian. Ouyang Feilong gave him an abundance of land and property, then ended his decree with a declaration that, other than the throne, Ouyang Mingxian could ask for anything! Xu Peipei’s face instantly paled.
Bai Yu stole a glance at Ouyang Feilong. Irritation silently formed in her chest. This man, he was too bold!
He did this to allow Ouyang Mingxian to ask for a royal marriage. Though Empress Dowager Wei did not come today, Ouyang Feilong still could not be complacent and think that his mother had given up. And in order to gauge that, Ouyang Feilong intentionally created an opening for Ouyang Mingxian to struggle again, betting on Xu Peipei’s marriage life even though Bai Yu had already asked him to help her friend!
Bai Yu peered at Ouyang Mingxian, who was walking out to kneel in the middle of the stage in front of her, which was now empty. She tried to think about Ouyang Feilong’s plan, suppressing her frustration and considering it carefully. In doing this, he must have a good plan in his mind.
“Your Majesty.” A cold voice came from the man who was now her nephew. Amidst the sudden silence, Ouyang Mingxian’s moderate volume could be heard clearly by everyone in the banquet.
“Swiftly state your desire. Other than the throne, zhen can grant you anything.” Ouyang Feilong threw out a question while staring at his nephew’s lowered face. He had always been protecting him, Ouyang Hongxian’s son, the child he tried to keep safe.
If they truly had to be on opposite sides, then he was going to harm his own nephew here.
“Your Majesty, I would like to be bestowed upon marriage with a young miss.”
Disappointing…
Indeed, he asked for marriage. In the end, Ouyang Mingxian chose to play along with Empress Dowager Wei’s game by using the Xu family’s power to go against him, who had both the Bai and Yue families at his back. Ouyang Feilong closed his eyes, hopeless.
“That can be done…” The uncle’s tone was considerably colder than the nephew’s. His voice reflected the same frost that was biting in his heart. “…Which family is she from? Zhen shall grant you marriage to her.”
“Your Majesty…” Ouyang Mingxian lifted his face to meet Bai Yu’s eyes, even though he was talking to Ouyang Feilong.
Those eyes that once had used to make her heart beat fast and give her so much pain to the point of numbness. Bai Yu did not evade Ouyang Mingxian’s gaze, just as he did not look away. It was as if he wanted her to find his true feelings beneath those irises.
The eyes that once were cold and empty seemed to have changed today. “I beseech Your Majesty to grant me a marriage to the Bai family’s third miss…Bai Hua.”
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