Not long after, several palace attendants carried away the seats beside Ji Zizhao.
Ji Zizhao watched the palace attendants place the Fifth Prince's seat among those of the other princes, her expression calm, as if she heard nothing.
A moment later, Emperor Xiaochang arrived amidst resounding cheers, clad in a dragon robe.
Ji Zizhao, along with everyone else, knelt on the ground. Listening to the increasingly loud cries of "Long live the Emperor," a chill settled in her heart.
Although the Ji family had not yet been convicted, the fact that all the male members of the Ji family had perished in battle was undeniable. Yet, none of those who had sacrificed their lives to protect these people showed even a hint of sorrow for their deaths.
Even!
The Empress Dowager's birthday celebration was deemed more important than the tragic demise of the entire male lineage of the Ji family!!
The so-called imperial power...
It was truly ironic and laughable.
Emperor Xiaochang, supported by Feng Gu, took his seat at the head of the table. He swept a casual glance over the kneeling crowd, his gaze lingering on Ji Zizhao.
He had some impression of most of the female guests present, so without much thought, he could guess the identity of this completely unfamiliar face.
He had not expected Ji Zizhao to be seated separately from his son. It seemed Ji Zizhao was determined to seek a divorce from his son.
If that was the case, he would not say much.
If the Ji family were indeed guilty of serious crimes, a divorce would also be beneficial to the royal family's reputation.
"Everyone, rise," Emperor Xiaochang waved his hand.
As the crowd stood up, Feng Gu loudly announced, "Let the feast begin!"
Instantly, drums and music blared, and songs and dances filled the air.
Amidst the clinking of cups and platters, Kanghe Hall was a scene of revelry.
During the banquet, officials discussed state affairs, and some drunken princes pontificated about the Battle of Luoyi. Grand Tutor Zhao, in league with Sun Yunxiao, relentlessly criticized the male members of the Ji family, as if he wanted to grind their bones to dust to assuage his hatred.
Emperor Xiaochang, always known for his benevolent and wise rule, did not obstruct the discussions below. However, his slightly narrowed eyes occasionally flickered towards the slender figure in the corner.
Ji Zizhao sat quietly, occasionally lifting her teacup to take a sip. Her fair face was composed, her dark eyes as bright as stars, as if unfazed by the grand pronouncements in the hall, and devoid of any anger.
Precisely because of this, those who had already dismissed Ji Zizhao became even more audacious in their speech. Some even, under the influence of alcohol, began to speculate on what punishment the Ji family should receive.
The Seventh Prince, Xie Jinglin, glanced at Ji Zizhao seated opposite him and whispered to the Fourth Prince beside him, "If you ask me, that good-for-nothing from the Ji family and Xie Jingzhou, the cowardly rat, are a perfect match."
The Fifth Prince, Xie Jingzhou, hearing this, seemed displeased but dared not retort directly. He merely lowered his head, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter, and said, "Seventh, Seventh Brother, please don't speak nonsense."
Xie Jinglin smirked disdainfully, "What nonsense did I speak? One is a good-for-nothing who wouldn't even defend his family, and the other is a coward who can't even look someone in the eye when arguing. If you two aren't a perfect match, then what are you?"
Xie Jingzhou's anger flared as he looked up, but upon meeting Xie Jinglin's eyes, his spirit seemed to vanish. "You..."
"What about me? Just drink your wine!" Xie Jinglin had disliked the Fifth Prince's effeminate demeanor since childhood. When they were young and foolish, he had a disagreement with the Fifth Prince and punched him so hard that he ended up spitting blood. Just as he puffed out his chest waiting for the Fifth Prince to retaliate, the Fifth Prince ran crying to their mother, who then cried to their father for an entire afternoon. In a fit of rage, their father had him beaten ten times. If it weren't for the Fourth Prince interceding for him, he might have been crippled long ago.
From then on, Xie Jinglin never ceased to look down on Xie Jingzhou, who only knew how to tattle.
The other princes, seeing Xie Jinglin and Xie Jingzhou start arguing again, quickly tried to mediate.
Of course, most of them were biased towards Xie Jinglin, as he was fortunate enough to be raised by the Empress.
The commotion among the princes attracted the attention of the guests in the hall. Only Ji Zizhao, without diverting her gaze, observed Grand Tutor Zhao and Sun Yunxiao.
These two appeared to be at odds, even sitting with seven or eight people between them. However, from their earlier conversation, it was clear that Grand Tutor Zhao and Sun Yunxiao were in tacit agreement.
Originally, Ji Zizhao had not been certain that Grand Tutor Zhao was involved in the Luoyi incident, but now it seemed... he had likely boarded the ship with the Second Prince and Fifth Prince, just like Sun Yunxiao.
Ji Zizhao subtly withdrew her gaze, only to meet a pair of deep, inscrutable eyes.
Those eyes were dark and profound, impossible to fathom.
It was as if, at the bottom of those unfathomable depths, a faint trace of contemplation was swirling.
Their eyes met, and Xie Jinglan nodded slightly.
That gentle gaze had already seen through Ji Zizhao's heart.
While others mocked the eldest daughter of the Ji family for her indifference, they did not know that she was patiently observing the words and actions of everyone present. It seemed she had already found the answer she was looking for.
Ji Zizhao looked at those eyes, as beautiful as scattered starlight, and remained composed.
Now that she was on the same boat as him, if he were to expose her, how could he fare any better?
Xie Jinglan smiled faintly.
This composure was, in fact, full of implied threat.
"Making such a racket, what does this look like?" Emperor Xiaochang, his head aching from the clamor of his sons, spoke up with a sigh to stop them.
The Fifth Prince, Xie Jingzhou, seemed terrified and quickly rose to kneel in the middle of the hall. "Father, please forgive me. Son, son did not truly intend to argue with Seventh Brother. It is just that Second Brother has not returned for so long, and son is worried, so I could not control myself and argued with Seventh Brother for a few words."
This statement, while seemingly an apology, actually drew everyone's attention to the Second Prince.
Emperor Xiaochang raised an eyebrow slightly and asked Feng Gu beside him, "When was the last time the imperial messenger sent news?"
Feng Gu bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it has been over a month."
Emperor Xiaochang nodded. It had indeed been a long time.
Normally, the Second Prince should have arrived at the imperial city half a month after the messenger's dispatch.
"Father, our Yu Lin suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Luoyi. Could it be that Second Brother encountered something unfortunate on his way back to the city, and that is why he has not returned?" The Fifth Prince, Xie Jingzhou, knelt on the ground, his eyes welling up with tears as he spoke with emotion.
Anyone who didn't know might think he was genuinely worried about his sibling, displaying great affection and loyalty.
Hearing this, Emperor Xiaochang frowned as well.
The Battle of Luoyi had already severely wounded Yu Lin. If something else happened to the Second Prince...
Ji Zizhao slightly tightened her grip. The Fifth Prince was indeed cunning. He likely sensed that the Second Prince's delayed return might lead to unforeseen complications, and therefore wanted to attract the Emperor's attention and investigate the Second Prince's whereabouts.
However, the Second Prince was currently trapped on Phoenix Mountain outside the imperial city, and the Emperor's investigation would only lead to trouble!