Love Lock

Chapter 62: Completely bewildered

The hall was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and the clinking of cups and the exchange of toasts. This urgent shout interrupted the laughter and chatter, and all the sounds instantly fell silent.

A guard hurriedly entered the hall, clutching an urgent report from the border, his expression grave.

He walked straight to Emperor Jing's throne, knelt down on both knees, and held up an urgent report.

Emperor Jing took the urgent report, opened it, glanced at it quickly, and frowned.

Everyone in the hall held their breath, watching Emperor Jing intently. They wondered whether the news from the northern pass at this New Year's time would be good or bad.

After a while, Emperor Jing put the urgent report into his sleeve. He sighed, slowly stood up, and glanced at the ministers present before finally fixing his gaze on Prime Minister Wei. He said in a deep voice, "Prime Minister Wei, please come with me to the Imperial Study."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

Wei Cheng responded, quickly put down his wine cup, and rose to follow the emperor. The two, one in front of the other, walked through the lively banquet and out of the main hall.

The emperor is gone, why bestow a marriage upon him?

Zhao Zun looked at Han Lei, his face showing great embarrassment.

Han Lei didn't seem to care. She shrugged playfully at him and chuckled, "No need to rush. Let's attend the palace banquet first and talk about it when His Majesty returns!"

"Ok!"

Zhao Zun nodded, then pursed his lips.

After bowing to the Empress, the two walked hand in hand to the seats prepared for them and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, Han Lei felt two unfriendly gazes.

Following her instincts, she looked around and, in the middle of the men's section, she spotted a familiar man—the same young master Wei who had been brutally beaten up by her and Zhao Zun at Tengyun Tower the day before.

Yesterday, she heard from Zhang Hanlin that Wei Chengchao was the son of Prime Minister Wei, a complete scoundrel. She never expected that they would meet again so soon at a palace banquet.

At this moment, although Wei Chengchao was dressed in fine clothes and exuded wealth, his cheeks, which had been beaten, were still swollen and bruised.

He was staring at Han Lei with his annoyingly narrow eyes, his gaze sinister.

Why would Han Lei be afraid of him?

Han Lei ran her thumb across his small nose, then slowly clenched her fingers, responding with a fierce yet adorable expression and a waving fist.

She looked exactly like a landlady, which made Wei Chengchao so angry that he quickly looked away and refused to look at her again.

After Han Lei threatened Wei Chengchao with her aura, she could no longer sense the other unfriendly gaze.

Han Lei glanced around, but couldn't find the source of that gaze. Inside the main hall, the banquet continued, but the atmosphere was no longer as pleasant as before.

Seeing this, the Empress smiled and rose to take charge of the situation.

"My esteemed ministers, His Majesty and Prime Minister Wei have important matters to discuss. Let us continue to enjoy this rare feast. Come, let me toast you all!"

The Empress raised her glass in acknowledgment, and the ministers rose to respond, but in their hearts they were all speculating about the contents of the urgent report, and had no heart to enjoy the banquet any longer.

With the departure of the emperor and Prime Minister Wei, the New Year's Eve banquet gradually became the domain of the women.

At the suggestion of some ministers' wives, the noble ladies present began to compete in beauty and elegance.

They took turns walking to the center of the hall, some playing the zither and singing, some dancing gracefully, and some wielding their brushes and ink, each displaying their talents in the center of the hall.

As they performed, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became lively again.

The Queen sat high on her throne, watching their performance with a smile on her face, occasionally offering her comments.

These noble ladies were using the palace banquet as an opportunity to showcase their talents and beauty, hoping to win the favor of a handsome young man and thus find a suitable husband.

Han Lei sat in her seat, watching with great interest. This was her first time seeing ancient people perform live, so she was naturally very interested.

Zhao Zun, standing to the side, gazed tenderly at Han Lei, a doting smile playing on his lips. He picked up a wine jug, poured a glass of wine, and swirled it under Han Lei's nose.

"Girl, have a taste. The imperial wine in the palace is much better than that in the North Pass. See if it suits your taste."

Han Lei turned her head, took a small sip from Zhao Zun's hand, and said in a low voice, "Hmm, it's alright! When Tao Qing and the others send over their wine, you can try it; it'll definitely taste better than this."

Zhao Zun chuckled and gently touched Han Lei's nose with his wine glass. "Hehe, you're the best at it."

The two of them were engrossed in whispering and commenting on the 180-yuan cup of Imperial Jade Liquor, completely unaware that a venomous gaze was coldly fixed on them.

Sitting not far away, Princess Chang Le bit her lower lip, her hands clenched into fists, her neatly trimmed nails almost digging into her palms.

Watching the intimate interaction between Han Lei and Zhao Zun, the resentment in her heart surged like a tidal wave.

She resented Han Lei for stealing the heart of her beloved, and was even more jealous that Han Lei possessed Zhao Zun's gentle gaze and affectionate smile.

It was all Han Lei's fault; she ruined the perfect love that should have been hers.

Princess Chang Le was secretly pondering how to humiliate the woman who had stolen her beloved in front of everyone, and make that annoying smile of hers disappear completely in front of everyone.

She wanted everyone to know that Han Lei was nothing but a lowly woman. Without her noble status as a princess, she was utterly unworthy of someone as outstanding as Zhao Zun.

Perhaps, heaven sensed her thoughts. Soon, the opportunity arrived.

"Changle, the New Year's Eve palace banquet is all about having a lively and joyful time. All the other daughters of officials have taken turns performing their talents. As a princess, shouldn't you also perform one?"

The Empress smiled dignifiedly, but her words carried a hint of expectation and implication.

The Empress suddenly spoke, her gaze shifting between Zhao Zun and Princess Chang Le, seemingly conveying some subtle signal.

Upon hearing this, Princess Chang Le smiled smugly, her heart filled with joy. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

"Yes, Chang Le obeys."

Princess Chang Le spoke, trying hard to suppress the smile that was about to spill from the corners of her mouth, and gracefully walked slowly to the stage in the center of the hall.

Stepping onto the stage, Princess Chang Le glanced at Han Lei provocatively, as if to say, "Just you wait and see, I'll show you what real humiliation is."

As a melodious zither tune began to play, Princess Chang Le started to dance gracefully.

Dancing was her forte, and she was confident that she could win Zhao Zun's heart with a single dance.

With each dance move she made, her eyes involuntarily drifted towards Zhao Zun, as if she had come on stage today solely to please him.

Her dance was light and graceful; every movement perfectly showcased her gentleness and nobility.

The guests in the main hall cast admiring glances and exclaimed incessantly.

After the dance ended, the entire hall erupted in applause.

The only pity was that only Han Lei, that "country bumpkin" who had traveled from another time, seemed to enjoy this ancient court dance. Zhao Zun, who was completely uninterested, only glanced at it indifferently.

His gaze shifted between admiring Han Lei's "naive and unworldly" demeanor and anxiously looking towards the palace entrance. He was thinking: Why hasn't His Majesty returned yet?

Princess Chang Le was very satisfied with her performance. She bowed slightly and looked at the Empress with a smug smile on her face. The Empress nodded almost imperceptibly.

Princess Chang Le understood and gracefully walked off the stage to Han Lei's seat.

She looked down at Han Lei, a hint of provocation and disdain flashing in her eyes, but with a polite smile on her face.

"I've heard that Miss Han is exceptionally talented. Since you have the honor of attending this palace banquet today, why don't you also go on stage and give a performance?"

"Ok?"

Han Lei, who was chatting with Zhao Zun, was stunned when she heard this, and looked up at Princess Chang Le with a blank expression.

Please, big shots, give me some monthly tickets!
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(End of this chapter)