The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 150 Empress Dowager's Birthday Banquet
Ye Jingnian, who was writing a memorial, glanced at Zhixing and asked, "What?"

Zhi Xing raised her hand to cover her chest, and with her other hand she calculated with her fingers, saying, "Your Highness, that Golden Crow Feather Spirit... has dissipated."

Ye Jingnian sneered, put down the wolf-hair brush, and said, "Behave yourself from now on. If you act on your own again, I will not let you off easily."

Zhi Xing pursed her lips and said, "Yes."

A month later, the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was held.

The nine-tiered palace was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. A hundred-foot-long red carpet stretched out to the outside of the palace, and gilded palace lanterns hung high, illuminating the interior with a magnificent golden glow. Even the golden scales of the coiled dragons on the palace pillars shone brightly.

The twelve glass screens are embroidered with the grand scene of the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet, reflecting the rising incense smoke in the hall, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

In the center of the hall, seventy-two dancers, dressed in flowing robes, danced gracefully to the clear tones of the chime bells. Their wide sleeves fluttered, and the gold-embroidered bird patterns shimmered and shone, as if a hundred birds were paying homage to the phoenix.

The musicians played the ancient music "Nine Shao," with the zither and lute playing in harmony, and the sheng and xiao resonating in cadence, their lingering notes echoing in the air.

The Empress Dowager sat on the phoenix throne, wearing a crown with nine phoenixes holding pearls and a bright red robe embroidered with gold. A dot of vermilion on her forehead added to her dignified and noble face, making her even more majestic.

The palace maids on either side held peacock feather fans, gently waving them and creating wafts of fragrance.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully wish you boundless happiness and longevity!" The civil and military officials chanted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the palace.

The master of ceremonies chanted congratulatory words, while eunuchs presented rare and precious treasures from various regions on gilded trays: pearls from the South China Sea, wines from the Western Regions, and sable furs from the Northern Frontier—a dazzling array that left the audience overwhelmed.

Sheng Yunqing sat upright at the table, wearing a brocade dress with a sky-blue cloud pattern, and only a single mutton fat magnolia hairpin in her hair, exuding elegance and nobility.

At the opposite seat, the dark gold dragon pattern on Ye Jinchen's black python robe was faintly visible in the candlelight. A guard walked up to him, placed a gilded wine pot on the table, bowed to him, and said, "Prince Zhan, the Prime Minister knows that you love to drink Qianqiu Zui, so he specially presents it to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guard opened the bottle, and a rich fragrance filled the air, intoxicating all who smelled it.

Ye Jinchen smiled slightly, nodded a little, and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister."

Suddenly, exclamations came from outside the palace. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw thousands of fireworks blooming in the deep blue night sky, illuminating the entire imperial city.

The most eye-catching sight was a golden peony that lingered in the air for a long time before finally transforming into the four characters "Long Live the Emperor," drawing cheers from the entire audience.

"Excellent!" The Empress Dowager clapped her hands and laughed, her eyes crinkling with joy. "Who arranged this?"

Ye Jinfeng, seated on the dragon throne, rose with a cup in hand, his eyes filled with an inscrutable smile: "Your Highness specially invited a fireworks craftsman from Nanyue, just to make Mother Empress smile."

"The emperor has a heart."

The hall was immediately filled with laughter and chatter, with cups clinking and toasts being exchanged. The music grew increasingly lively, and the dancers changed formations, forming the character "寿" (longevity), which drew repeated praises from the Empress Dowager.

Sheng Yunqing lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, but the moment she looked up, her eyes met Ye Jinchen's. However, as she turned her head, a pot of wine appeared on his table.

A golden glint flashed in the girl's eyes as she saw the secret within the wine pot. Her heart skipped a beat, and she gently shook her head at him.

Seeing that Sheng Yunqing's hand was unconsciously gripping the brocade cloth on the table, Su Lan, who was standing to the side, noticed her unease and asked in a low voice, "Fairy Sister, what's wrong?"

Sheng Yunqing tilted her head slightly and said, "There's something wrong with Ye Jinchen's wine."

As she finished speaking, she looked at Ye Jinchen again, only to see that he still had a smile on his lips, leisurely turning the thumb ring on his index finger, as if he had already made a plan.

Sheng Yunqing glanced around, and seeing that he had already noticed, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. On the other side, Bai Muling, with her slightly protruding belly, wore a dazzling bright red robe embroidered with gold phoenixes, and the golden phoenix hairpin in her hair jingled with her movements.

She deliberately sat down next to Ye Jingnian, her nail-painted fingers gently resting on the Crown Prince's arm, and said in a sweet voice, "Your Highness, do you think my outfit is pleasing to the eye today?"

Ye Jingnian casually hummed in agreement, subtly moved his arm away, and downed the wine in his glass on the table.

Bai Muling caught a glimpse of the figure standing behind Ye Jingnian, and a playful smile appeared in her charming eyes.

Today, Zhi Xing wore only a plain blue dress and a wooden hairpin in her hair, as quiet as a shadow.

But Bai Muling wouldn't let her off the hook, suddenly raising her voice: "Oh my, these grapes are so sweet, Zhixing, why don't you try some?"

She picked up a grape, as if to hand it to him, but "accidentally" let go when Zhixing reached out, and the purple grape rolled to the ground, covered in dust.

"My hand slipped." Bai Muling covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes full of smugness. "But Miss Zhixing shouldn't mind, right? After all..." She touched her belly meaningfully, "I'm carrying two people now."

Zhi Xing pursed her lips and silently squatted down. Just as her fingertips touched the grapes, a black brocade boot suddenly stepped on the hem of her skirt.

"Get up." Ye Jingnian's voice was as cold as ice. "My people are not for others to order around."

Bai Muling's smile froze on her face.

Zhi Xing swallowed hard and softly replied, "Yes."

She withdrew her hand, slowly stood up, gave Bai Muling a polite smile, and then returned to her original position.

Bai Muling's face darkened, and she clearly sensed a hint of provocation in that faint smile.

She gave a cold snort and turned her face away.

Ye Jingnian watched as Ye Jinchen finally poured a cup of wine from the wine pot, and only then did his thin lips curl slightly.

Sheng Yunqing was also staring at the wine in Ye Jinchen's cup. She watched the fine wine flow from the wine pot, paused for a moment, and then her tightly furrowed brows relaxed instantly.

Watching Ye Jinchen down the wine in one gulp, Ye Jingnian secretly sneered.

“No…” Zhi Xing spoke softly.

Ye Jingnian raised an eyebrow, a bad feeling creeping into his heart: "What's wrong?"

Zhi Xing quietly bent down and whispered in Ye Jingnian's ear, "The wine in Prince Ye's cup is not poisoned."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingnian frowned and tapped his fingers on the armrest a few times.

The Duke of Bai, who was not far away, understood and exchanged glances with the guards hiding in the shadows. Then he raised his hand and tapped on his armrest.

The poison was clearly put into the wine pot.

He rolled his eyes in confusion. Could it be... that Sheng Yunqing was behind this again?
"Your Highness." Just as he was thinking this, Ye Jinchen called out to him from the side.

Ye Jingnian snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to see Ye Jinchen holding a wine glass.

With a playful smile, Ye Jinchen said to Ye Jingnian, "The Qianqiu Brew from the Prime Minister's residence is truly delicious, much more intoxicating than the fine wine from your Crown Prince's residence. Pei Xuan, pour a cup for the Crown Prince to try."