If she hadn't known Chen Yi beforehand, Dong Guifei might have panicked, unsure how to respond, and ultimately just gone along with the flow. However, now... after having shared a fleeting romance, things were starkly different.

She could sit back and enjoy the show!

She had a premonition that the coming events would bring her plenty of laughter.

...............…

...............…

On New Year's Eve, the laughter of the concubines echoed throughout the imperial city. Cups were exchanged, smiles charming and graceful as swallows. Trapped in the deep palace for so long, tonight's gathering offered endless words to say and countless things to do. Where people gathered, factions inevitably formed. Though boundaries were often respected during ordinary days, fate always delivered moments of commotion.

Avoiding the lively chatter of the concubines, Chen Yi and Lin Wanxiao walked one after another into Yuan Chun Hall. To steer clear of suspicion, Lin Wanxiao maintained a noticeable distance from him.

Their journey was silent. Lin Wanxiao wasn't sure what to say, and the constraints of propriety held her back. A woman of her stature ought not speak excessively, and Chen Yi didn't mind her silence, focusing his thoughts entirely on the upcoming banquet.

Upon entering Yuan Chun Hall, he immediately spotted An Hou and Dong Guifei standing prominently at the hall's main seat. They appeared ethereal and regal, akin to Divine Consort Fairies, framed by a backdrop of Buddhist-themed murals—the Battlefield of Shura.

Across the expansive dining table, maids carried dishes to their designated spots while a lady official, holding a plum-blossom-patterned blue porcelain bottle, slightly lifted the lid of the wine jug. A rich aroma wafted out instantly. The master of ceremonies assigned seats methodically and poured premium Daughter's Red into each goblet, laden with implications that were easy to surmise.

As for the one from Jingren Palace, Chen Yi held feelings neither simple nor complex—just a tangle of thoughts. Directed by Su Xin, the lady official, he sat down and immediately realized that he had been separated from Yin Weiyin. Flanking his sides were Dong Gong Ruoshu on one side and Yin Tingxue on the other, while Yin Weiyin was seated adjacent to Lin Wanxiao. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager and the high-ranking consorts naturally occupied the principal seats.

Everything within the palace adhered to strict etiquette. The first custom, as always, was the tea ceremony. Su Xin led the tea offering ritual, raising her cup to toast the nation's Empress. Following her, An Hou responded in kind, and then gracefully drained her cup in one motion.

After probing the tea to ensure it was harmless, Chen Yi also finished his cup in one sweep.

With the tea ceremony concluded, customarily, participants would kneel to express gratitude for the imperial grace. However, the Empress Dowager's declaration of "Tonight is a private feast, no need for formalities" relieved everyone of bowing and genuflecting.

The banquet began. Chen Yi did not rush to pick up his chopsticks but instead glanced around. After the Empress Dowager started eating, Miss Donggong was the first to reach for her chopsticks. She grabbed a hefty piece of braised lamb leg. Because of the distance, she had to rise halfway from her seat, the candlelight outlining her rounded figure. When she sat back down, her movements caused a slight bounce from the recoil.

This sight reminded Chen Yi of that moment—the collapse of her Hezi skirt and the melon seeds scattering.

Noticing Chen Yi's gaze, Dong Gong Ruoshu's cheeks flushed. She raised her hand to shield the exposed springtime radiance.

Feigning indifference, Chen Yi shifted his gaze away and turned to see Yin Tingxue's slightly resentful face.

He chuckled and conveyed secretly in a low whisper:

"That's what you get for not wanting me to caress more."

Yin Tingxue's eyes widened in shock. She glanced around nervously, her delicate face turning vivid red as she hastily replied:

"There are so many people here... don't—don't say such things."

Unconcerned, Chen Yi shrugged it off with an air of confidence. Even if someone overheard him, it wouldn't be an issue; the private feast involved only familiar faces and no outsiders.

Once the chopsticks were picked up, the wine followed—a fragrant Daughter's Red filling the goblets.

Recalling the Empress Dowager's earlier words, Dong Gong Ruoshu bit her lip, lifted her cup, and turned to say, "Chen Yi, tonight Ruoshu offers you a toast."

Chen Yi raised his cup in response, clinking lightly against hers. "Alright," he said.

Then, both drained their cups, the wine rich and aromatic—truly exquisite.

The Empress Dowager, noticing the pair's act of mutual toasting, smiled faintly before turning to Yin Tingxue and saying:

"Tingxue, you're sitting close by. Won't you toast your husband?"

Yin Tingxue froze briefly before awkwardly rising, stammering "Oh, oh," while holding her goblet to offer a toast to Chen Yi.

Chen Yi raised his cup to her, noticing the little fox struggling a bit to sip the wine in her goblet. After a long pause, she managed to drink about a third before setting down the cup, her expression resigned.

Though she had drunk wine before during rituals and offerings as the daughter of King Xiang, this was her first time drinking with Chen Yi.

While the little fox was toasting him, An Hou raised her hand to summon Su Xin to Lin Wanxiao's side. Su Xin leaned over to whisper something in her ear.

Accompanying Su Xin's persuasive words, Lin Wanxiao's complexion shifted subtly as she wrestled internally before finally nodding slightly in assent.

Soon after, she rose, goblet in hand, and walked over to offer Chen Yi a toast.

Chen Yi naturally wouldn't refuse.

The series of wine offerings carried an evocative quality, as each sip stirred deep emotions within.

An Hou then raised her goblet, smiling warmly and remarked:

"Chen Yi can be considered this palace's savior, and I have always regarded you as my own son. Tonight, it is only right that we share a toast."

With such words from the Empress herself, Chen Yi couldn't decline. He lifted his cup and toasted her, afterward doing the same for Dong Guifei at the Empress's suggestion.

Yin Weiyin observed the toasts with a strange feeling in her heart. Being seated far from Chen Yi, the act of offering him a toast required her to walk a long circle. Even Lin Wanxiao was seated closer than she was.

Now that everyone else had toasted and shared drinks with him, how had she—the main wife—been completely overlooked?

Considering Chen Yi had now toasted the Empress, protocol dictated that Yin Weiyin could no longer offer a toast. The ranking precedent meant that the further down the chain, the lesser the rank. Could she, a mere princess of King Jing's lineage, possibly outrank the Empress Dowager or the high-ranking consorts?

With no alternatives, Yin Weiyin could only silently drink her wine, enduring its bitterness as it poured down her throat.

Chen Yi, slightly tipsy, employed his qi to suppress the intoxication, thus failing to notice Yin Weiyin's subtle movements.

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