My enemies became my companions

Chapter 374 Shura Battlefield
Yuanchun Hall is quite large. It is not only the main hall for banquets, but also has a number of side rooms where people can change clothes, wash, stay overnight and have fun.

In one of the rooms.

Behind the screen with a painting of a fairy scattering flowers, Xiaochan held up the skirt for Miss Donggong. The bra seemed to be made small and tight on purpose, and most of the round and tender thing was squeezed out unwillingly. Thinking back to the time when the melon seeds were exposed, Miss Donggong felt even more ashamed and wanted to cry but had no tears.

The melon let him know how big it was...

Can you let her go now?
Donggong Ruoshu's cheeks were flushed red, with shame, anger, and sadness mixed together. The expression on his face looked like he was about to commit suicide by taking poison.

Seeing this, Xiaochan comforted her and said, "Miss, it's okay. You're going to marry Qianhu anyway, so it doesn't matter if you take a look."

Donggong Ruoshu couldn't hold back after hearing this and kept saying, "I can't have a real wedding night with him..."

"He has seen it all..."

"This, this... I can't even look at it." Miss Donggong said anxiously: "At worst, I can look back."

Xiaochan covered her mouth and chuckled, slowly preparing a spare skirt for Donggong Ruoshu.

Donggong Ruoshu lowered her head. Although the skirt still squeezed out half of the melon, it was obviously much more fitted and loose.

Noticing this detail, she couldn't help wondering, "Xiaochan...how come this skirt fits so well?"

Before Xiaochan could answer, a voice that sounded intimidating without being angry was heard from the room.

"The last skirt was deliberately ill-fitting."

Who else could have spoken the word except the one in Jingren Palace? When Donggong Ruoshu peeked out from behind the screen, she saw a lady wearing a brocade dress with gold-thread peony and phoenix patterns, a phoenix bun, a jade hairpin and blue and gorgeous ornaments, and golden flowers. The lady was graceful and beautiful beyond words.

She was in her thirties, an age when she would have had no idea how many children she had in a wealthy family's mansion. However, the empress dowager still had fair and delicate skin and was extremely beautiful. She walked in gracefully, followed by another woman besides Su Xin.

The woman had her hair sparsely tied up in a bun, and because of her huge volume of hair, there was still a thick layer of hair hanging down her back. She had a lot of jewelry, but as if to avoid the empress dowager's attention, she only had ebony hairpins, white jade hairpins, and silver flowers.

It was none other than Concubine Dong.

Dong Gong Ruoshu, who had changed his clothes, stood in front of the Queen Mother. Not knowing what was going on, he asked directly:

"My queen said...deliberately not fitting, what does that mean?"

Queen An glanced at Chen Dian, who was almost the same size as her, and smiled:
"If you don't show him, how can he know your weight?"

This person has always been the one who feeds you.

Donggong Ruoshu's face turned red. She knew that the Queen Mother did it on purpose. She pursed her lips, not because she didn't dare, but because she was too embarrassed to speak.

Queen An looked at her daughter-in-law with admiration:
"Ruo Shu, didn't you agree to marry him?"

"But this..."

Donggong Ruoshu didn't dare to say that he wanted to marry by fraud.

Queen An said in a gentle tone: "I am granting you marriage, not to mistreat you, but to reward you. He is young and will be made a marquis soon. Think about it, is there a more suitable husband than him?"

Donggong Ruoshu was still a little hesitant, and then said: "But this, this... the people around him don't seem to like me."

She found an excuse in desperation.

"There are many wives who are envied by their concubines."

"Not only the concubine, but also that...Mrs. Lin." Donggong Ruoshu muttered.

"She?" Queen An raised the corner of her mouth and smiled, "She will help you."

Donggong Ruoshu was stunned. She had just had a quarrel with Lin Wanhang.

After all this time, she is my teammate?

Empress An saw something in her eyes, smiled and said softly, "Don't you think about why she, a widow, was invited here by me? And don't you think about why he, as a thousand households, was appointed with high rank, and why he didn't take her in? Forget it, it's normal that you don't know about these twists and turns."

Donggong Ruoshu nodded blankly, then remembered the important matter and said:
"But... Madam, I, I'm really not suitable. When I wanted to marry him, I thought he was a gentleman..."

Seeing that Miss Donggong still wanted to refuse, Queen An said coldly:

"The imperial decree has already been drafted, so don't joke."

Xiaochan also chimed in: "Yes, yes, Miss, didn't you agree very readily?"

Miss Donggong wanted to say something: "But..."

Seeing this, Empress An said calmly, "The Wuyong Building has just cleaned up the mess, and it is a critical time to rebuild. However, the matter of the Demon Cult will cause endless troubles. It may collapse tomorrow."

Donggong Ruoshu was choked. If Wuyong Tower really collapsed, she would have no chance to stay in Dayu.

So even though she had the master's sword intent in her, she didn't dare to resist rashly. What's more, she had already agreed to this matter, and she would be in the wrong if she regretted it.

Seeing her expression, Queen An grasped her weakness and continued:

“He’s not a gentleman, so what?
Men cannot resist the influence of your pillow talk the most. It won't be long before they change because of you. The worst that can happen is that you give birth to a few more children to keep his heart tied to you.

After all, you've already agreed to get married, haven't you? "

Dong Gong Ruoshu felt a chill in his heart when he heard those hurtful words. Actually, if he thought about it, it made sense. He wanted the other person to be a gentleman who would not touch him, but he also coveted the other person's big Lizhu. Is this appropriate?

Donggong Ruoshu decided to accept his fate and deal with it first, and nodded reluctantly:

"Well, then I'll try..."

Concubine Dong, who was watching this scene, laughed secretly.

Her attendance at this private banquet was naturally arranged by the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother wanted her and Lin Wanheng to cooperate with Dong Gong Ruoshu to bring Chen Yi into the gentle embrace of these three women.

If she hadn't known Chen Yi before, Concubine Dong might have panicked, not knowing how to respond, and would have just gone with the flow. But now... after having had a brief romance, the situation is completely different.

She can have fun!
She had a premonition that she would have to laugh next.

...............................

...............................

On New Year's Eve, the laughter of the concubines lingered throughout the imperial city. They toasted each other and smiled sweetly. After being trapped in the deep palace for a long time, they gathered together tonight. There were endless things to say and do. Where there are people, there will be circles. On normal days, they don't interfere with each other, but the world is unpredictable and there are always times of noise.

Avoiding the joyous activities of the concubines, Chen Yi and Lin Wanheng walked into Yuanchun Hall one after the other. As if to avoid suspicion, Lin Wanheng kept a considerable distance from him.

The two of them were silent along the way. Lin Wanheng didn't know what to say. Moreover, due to etiquette, a woman like her shouldn't talk too much. Chen Yi didn't bother her either, and was concentrating on the upcoming banquet.

Entering Yuanchun Hall, one sees Empress An and Concubine Dong facing him. They stand on the main throne of Yuanchun Hall, like fairies. Behind them is a mural depicting Buddhist allusions - the Shura Battlefield.

On the wide dining table, maids brought dishes one by one. A woman who looked like a female official held a plum-blossom celadon bottle and slightly opened the lid of the wine, and the mellow aroma overflowed. The female official in charge of ceremonies assigned seats and poured the best girl's red wine into each wine cup. The meaning of this can be imagined.

Chen Yi's thoughts about the one in Jingren Palace could not be described as simple, nor complicated. He just had some thoughts. At this moment, he sat down under the guidance of the female official Suxin, and found that he was separated from Yin Weiying. On both sides of him were Donggong Ruoshu and Yin Tingxue. Yin Weiying sat next to Lin Wanheng. As for the Empress Dowager and the Royal Concubine, they were seated on the main seat.

Everything in the palace was done with etiquette, starting with the tea-serving ceremony. The female official Su Xin took the lead in serving tea, and everyone followed suit by raising their cups to serve tea to the queen. After Queen An returned the toast, she drank the tea in one gulp.

After Chen Yi tested the tea and found it was non-toxic, he drank it all.

After serving tea, it was normal for the emperor to kowtow to express his gratitude, but the empress dowager said, "Today is a private banquet, no need for courtesy," so the kowtow was omitted.

The private banquet had begun, but Chen Yi was not in a hurry to pick up his chopsticks. He looked around and saw that after the empress dowager had picked up her chopsticks, Miss Donggong was the first to stretch out her chopsticks. She picked up a large piece of braised lamb leg. As she was a little far away, she had to stand up half of her body, and the candlelight outlined her round figure. When she sat back, she bounced a little due to the recoil.

Chen Yi couldn't help but recall the time when her skirt broke and melon seeds burst out.

Noticing Chen Yi's gaze, Donggong Ruoshu's cheeks flushed and she raised her hand to cover her suddenly exposed spring light.

Chen Yi pretended not to care and looked away, then turned around and saw Yin Tingxue's somewhat resentful face.

He smiled and sent a message into the secret passage:

"I told you not to let me rub you more."

Yin Tingxue widened her eyes, looked around, her face flushed, and said hurriedly:

"There are a lot of people here, don't, don't say such things."

Chen Yi didn't care. Not to mention that he was transmitting the message in secret, it wouldn't matter if someone heard it, as there were no outsiders at the private banquet.

Once you pick up your chopsticks, you'll drink. There's girl's red wine in the wine cup.

Thinking of what the Queen Mother said before, Donggong Ruoshu gritted his teeth, raised his glass, turned around and said, "Qian Hu, Ruoshu toasts you tonight."

Chen Yi raised his glass, clinked it lightly and said, "Okay."

Then, he drank the wine in the wine cup in one gulp. It was mellow and rich, which was the best. The Queen Mother saw the two toasting each other and smiled. Then she said to Yin Tingxue:
"Tingxue, you are so close, why don't you toast to your husband?"

Yin Tingxue hesitated for a moment, then stood up with an "oh oh", raised the wine glass and toasted Chen Yi.

Chen Yi and Little Fox held the cup and saw her sipping the wine in the cup with some distress. After a while, she only drank one-third of it, then she had a bitter face and couldn't drink any more.

Although she had drunk alcohol before, that was only during sacrifices and worshipping gods. As the daughter of King Xiang, she had to drink. This was the first time she had drunk alcohol with Chen Yi.

While the little fox was toasting, Queen An waved her hand and asked the female official Su Xin to come to Lin Wanheng, and Su Xin whispered something in his ear.

Along with Suxin's persuasive words,
Lin Wanheng's expression changed slightly. He was struggling with something, but in the end he nodded.

Before long, she stood up and raised her glass to toast Chen Yi.

Chen Yi would not refuse.

The wine continued to fall to the ground, giving me a feeling of being infuriated.

At this moment, Queen An raised her wine cup and said with a smile:
"Qian Hu is my savior, and I have always regarded you as my son. We should toast tonight."

Since the Queen Mother had spoken, Chen Yi naturally could not refuse. He raised his glass and toasted the Queen Mother. Then, at the Queen Mother's signal, he toasted Concubine Dong.

Yin Weiying felt strange when she saw this toast. She was far away from Chen Yi, so she had to take a long detour to toast. Even Lin Wanheng was closer to her.

Now everyone in the circle clinked glasses with him and drank, why is it that his wife...

Left behind?
And now Chen Yi is toasting the Queen Mother. According to the rules of etiquette, Yin Weiying cannot raise his glass to toast. You must know that the later you are, the higher your position will be. How can you, a daughter of King Jing, be higher than the Queen Mother and the Royal Concubine?

With no other options, Yin Weiying could only drink silently and let the bitter wine go down his throat.

Chen Yi felt a little dizzy at the moment, and he used his breathing to get rid of the drunkenness. For a moment, he did not notice Yin Weiying's subtle movements.

There must be entertainment during banquets. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, there are only women at the table, so it is inconvenient to play around, so the entertainment is drinking games.

The so-called drinking orders are a way to liven up the banquet. One person acts as the host, also called the order officer, and the others follow his orders and take turns reciting poems or making couplets. Those who violate the orders or lose the game will be punished by drinking.

In addition to setting questions and issuing orders, the command officer also has to liven up the atmosphere. Therefore, this task certainly cannot be performed by the Empress Dowager. Concubine Dong stood up and took the token.

The drinking order this time is a poetry order, with the order official giving the first couplet of a poem, and then taking turns to give the second couplet. Those who cannot come up with an answer, or who give the worst answer, will be punished by drinking a drink.

Titled Life and Death.

"Death is like a dream, and life is like a pain."

Donggong Ruoshu stood up first, speaking with an elegant smile.

Then it was Chen Yi's turn. The order was naturally arranged by Queen An, probably to enhance the relationship between the two.

But the problem is...

Chen Yizhen can't write poetry.

He sat there for a long while, just like when you meet a relative during the holidays whose name you don’t recognize and don’t know how to address, but who is still very welcoming to you!

Imperial Concubine Dong's eyes curved, and she said in a charming voice:
"Qian Hu can't... make it wrong, right?"

Chen Yi picked up the wine cup and had to admit:

"I can't write a poem that is too sparse."

"Oh, so affectionate, Ruo Shu~"

As the official in charge, Concubine Dong drew out her voice, and the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became filled with ambiguity and laughter. Dong Gong Ruoshu's cheeks became hot, and he glanced at Chen Yi and immediately looked away.

Yin Weiying's expression turned a little colder.

She drank in silence.

Unable to come up with a poem, Chen Yi had to drink. His wine cup was empty again, and a palace maid behind him refilled it.

The palace maid was very close to Chen Yi, as if she was deliberately arranged to be there so she could refill his wine at any time.

After Chen Yi, it was Yin Tingxue's turn. She thought for a long time and said softly to Ling:
"I carry my blood with me, but we are thousands of miles apart."

Family members, thousands of miles, and all the hardships they have experienced… Chen Yi heard these words and suddenly felt a little melancholy.

This sentence is about him and Qin Qingluo...

On the day of separation, she rode past on horseback, her weapons and spears disappeared between heaven and earth, and the journey to southern border was thousands of miles away.

Turning to look at the little fox, Chen Yi's eyes were slightly surprised. It turned out that she saw all his disappointment.

Shi Ling immediately came to Lin Wanheng.

The young lady from the Lin family was dressed in plain clothes. She had deep brows and glanced sideways at Chen Yi, with countless emotions flowing through her mind.

She was about to jump into the lake, but he stopped her, which made her see the love in her heart more clearly, which made her extremely panicked...

To say that she didn't hate him was definitely not true. Lin Wanheng was struggling in her heart, like a person who was committing suicide by jumping into a lake. She wanted to sink because she wanted to die, but she also wanted to float up because she wanted to live.

The love was hard to break, and she didn't know where it came from. She thought of "The Peony Pavilion" many times, and sometimes she felt a little courageous.
but,

After all, she was going to be a widow.

Lin Wanheng chanted softly:
"We may not grow old together, but we can die together..."

Expressing one's feelings through poetry is the last bit of courage one has.

He...can't he understand what I'm saying?
After the poem was finished, Chen Yi's pupils shrank slightly, his lips trembled for a while, and thousands of emotions flowed through his heart like a stream. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

At this time, Concubine Dong smiled and held her face in front of Lin Wanheng.

She smiled sweetly and said:

"I heard that Madam has been a widow for a long time. I wonder who Madam wants to be with?"

Lin Wanheng subconsciously touched the sachet in her arms, but she never expected that... the sachet she embroidered herself was gone.

"It's just a little poem, a boring complaint from the boudoir, don't take it seriously."

The young lady from the Lin family forced herself to smile and responded appropriately.

Having just had a quarrel with Lin Wanhang, Yin Weiying's face now became even gloomier.

Everyone knows that Lin Wanheng's words are just excuses. How could the sentiments in the poem not be known to others?
Even Chen Yi could hear it, so how could she not hear it?
Yin Weiying was unhappy with the previous toast and the current poetry, but he did not get angry. Instead, he took over the poem:
"When I feel sad, I just indulge in wine, without tears to look at you."

The poems were all matched, which showed that the women at the table were extraordinary. They toasted each other, and the tokens were passed between their hands. The woman in the phoenix robe laughed out loud.

Queen An waved her hand and the female official Su Xin came forward with a brocade box. When the lid was opened, a golden hairpin with a phoenix facing the sun could be seen. The ruby ​​was crystal clear and sparkled like tears in the candlelight.

"Since there is a loser in the poetry contest," Queen An glanced at Chen Yi, then looked around at the ladies at the table, and said leisurely, "There must be a winner. The winner's poem must be better than everyone else's. In this case, why don't we let the loser give the hairpin to the winner?"

After he finished speaking, Chen Yi's eyes widened.

The female official Su Xin came in front of him holding a golden hairpin.

And the next moment, all the women at the table turned their heads almost at the same time, and all four pairs of eyes fell on him.

Hairpins have always been a token of love.
Moreover, once the Queen Mother spoke, the hairpin would be given to the woman who was better than the other women.

"So tonight...

I wonder who Captain Chen is going to give it to?"

.....................

On the mural, Asura King and Indra are fighting each other, the setting sun is blood-red, and the strong wind is whimpering and howling.

The sun and moon have no light, the sky is dim and the earth is dark.

Is for…

Shura battlefield.

The second round begins now.


(End of this chapter)