Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 155 Sharp Words

Gao Sui immediately cupped his hands in a polite response, "Your Majesty is too kind. The arrangements in the meeting hall are quite good, and all of us, including myself, are very pleased."

"Then I am relieved." Zhao Xingjin nodded, and then looked to the side, "This is Lord Xie. I suppose you have already met him. You can ask Lord Xie for help with any problems you may have in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingshen stood up and bowed to Gao Sui.

“If Prince Yi needs anything, he may come to me at any time.”

"Don't worry, Lord Xie. I'm always easygoing and won't stand on ceremony with you," Gao Sui said with a smile.

However, he was still young, and Xie Mingshen didn't take him seriously at all. So, he wasn't very enthusiastic about Xie Mingshen's jokes and just nodded slightly before sitting down.

This caused Gao Sui's eyes to darken slightly, but he did not show it on his face, and simply calmly withdrew his gaze.

But Shangguan Yi, who was sitting next to him, was not as amiable as Gao Sui. He glanced at Xie Mingshen and then spoke.

"We heard that Lord Xie's wife recently passed away. We have not yet paid our respects to her. If we have the opportunity in the future, we will definitely visit to offer our condolences. It is only inconvenient for Lord Xie to have such a major event in his family and still have to attend to affairs of state. These two must be your son and daughter-in-law. They are the younger generation. They do not need to observe mourning."

These words were rather sharp, but before Xie Mingshen could reply, Shangguan Yi continued.

"Or is it that the customs of Dajing are different from those of our Xichi Kingdom? I am somewhat confused, and I would appreciate it if Lord Xie could enlighten me."

Upon hearing his words, Zhao Xingjin, who was sitting at the head of the table, gradually lost his gentle demeanor.

He had already sensed that this man named Shangguan Yi was not someone to be trifled with when he privately received this group of people yesterday. He never expected him to speak like this in front of everyone today.

While seemingly asking Xie Mingshen why his younger family members were not observing mourning and were attending such a state banquet, the real purpose was to criticize the Xie family for disrespecting the deceased and for their unfilial behavior. It was also a veiled criticism of Zhao Xingjin for being unreasonable, arguing that an official should not be released from his family after such a major tragedy and should instead remain in court to handle official business.

"Lord Shangguan has come to pay homage to our court, yet he hasn't even bothered to learn about our customs and traditions. That's rather unacceptable. Could it be that Lord Shangguan doesn't want Xichi to establish friendly relations with our Great Jing, and therefore hasn't put much effort into this mission?"

Before Xie Mingshen could speak, Xie Weihu spoke first.

As everyone's gaze turned to him, Xie Wei stared straight at Shangguan Yi and said in a deep voice.

"My mother passed away unexpectedly, and my father was deeply grieved. My wife and I were also overwhelmed with sorrow. However, my father had served as an official in the court for many years, and he was loyal to the emperor and loved the people. He was always concerned about the affairs of the court. Although my mother lived in seclusion in the inner quarters, she was influenced by what she saw and heard and was always concerned about the situation of the court and the peace of the people in Dajing. She did not want her death to delay my father's hosting of this meeting between the two countries."

He paused after speaking, a hint of coldness appearing on his face.

"My father mustered his spirits to attend the banquet for the sake of establishing friendly relations between our two countries. Our family is enduring our grief and sitting here hoping that the state banquet will go smoothly. But we never expected that Lord Shangguan would treat us with such an attitude of reopening old wounds. Is this Xichi's sincerity?"

Xie Mingshen was surprised that Xie Wei would speak up for him, and that Xie Wei's words were even sharper than Shangguan Yi's.

Shangguan Yi hadn't expected Xie Wei to so bluntly block him out and accuse him of such a serious crime.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit awkward, Zhao Zaiyan, the deputy of the Xichi Kingdom delegation, immediately tried to smooth things over.

"It's a misunderstanding, Lord Xie, you've really misunderstood." Zhao Zaiyan said gently. "Of course, it's a matter of the two countries becoming friends. The purpose of our visit to Dajing is that Lord Shangguan was just concerned about your family's affairs and wanted to express his condolences."

Having said that, Xie Mingshen immediately followed suit, nodding gently. "The most important thing at this meeting is to establish friendly relations between our two countries. If it is convenient for you, Lord Shangguan, please come to my residence for a short visit. I, Xie Mou, will certainly treat you with the utmost hospitality."

Zhao Zaiyan didn't want this to happen before the serious negotiations even started, so he naturally nodded in agreement.

Seeing that they had finished talking, Zhao Xingjin, who was sitting at the head of the table, raised the small golden cup beside him and spoke with a smile.

"Alright, that's well said. The most important thing is for our two countries to be on good terms. Come, let me toast you all."

He started the conversation, which meant he wanted to move on from this topic.

Although Shangguan Yi was unhappy, Xie Wei's sharp words just now made him dare not act too recklessly, for fear of really causing trouble. So he could only drink the wine with Zhao Zaiyan and the others.

Xie Jiu observed all of this and thought to himself that none of it was simple.

After that cup of wine, as the music of string and bamboo instruments filled the hall, the dancers from the Jiaofangsi, dressed in purple dance costumes, drifted into the hall like lilac blossoms.

This was a newly choreographed dance for the palace banquet. The Empress personally sent people to oversee it, and the Imperial Music Bureau dared not neglect it in the slightest, so the effect of its performance at this moment was excellent.

Everyone present cheered.

The Empress noticed this, and her smile widened even more.

She had meticulously planned everything, so naturally she hoped to receive better feedback.

At this moment, the banquet began, and the imperial kitchen staff also started to work hard. Palace maids filed in through the side gate of the main hall, carrying red platters and delivering dishes to each seat.

Those present had no expectations for the dishes at the palace banquet, since these dishes were subject to strict regulations and there was little room for innovation; they were always pretty much the same.

But to everyone's surprise, the dishes attracted a lot of attention when they were served.

Not only are the dishes visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious, but they are also fresher than before.

Even the Empress noticed the clever design in the state banquet dishes and couldn't help but glance at Xie Jiu, who was not far away.

She didn't think Xie Jiu could come up with anything new, but to her surprise, he actually developed new dishes, almost all of which were new to everyone.

"Mother, the dishes prepared by the Imperial Kitchen today are truly fresh. I've never seen these dishes before, but they taste quite good. It's clear that the kitchen has put a lot of effort into them," Princess Yushu said softly.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager smiled kindly, "This time, Consort Xie has indeed put a lot of effort into developing these new dishes while in charge of the Imperial Kitchen. She is a clever person. In the past, I rarely got to eat a bite at palace banquets, but this time I really think they are quite good."

Having received such praise from the Empress Dowager, Xie Jiu could no longer remain silent as a background figure. He immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty flatters me. I was just thinking of coming up with some new ideas to make the banquet more enjoyable. They are just some trivial little thoughts."

"This is no small matter. The affairs of the kitchen require meticulous and thoughtful people to arrange them properly. It is evident that you have put in a lot of effort. Today, I would like to offer you a toast."

Zhao Xingjin suddenly picked up the conversation.