My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Instead of making a ruckus like a military general, he raised the wine cup above his brow with both hands and bowed deeply.

"I am Fang Qiao, courtesy name Xuanling. To have the honor of seeing your divine countenance is truly a blessing beyond measure. You have saved the nation from dire straits and rescued it from its perilous state. On behalf of all scholars, I, Fang Qiao, offer you this cup of wine."

Fang Xuanling.

The silver knife that Li Chen was using to cut venison was suspended in mid-air.

The moment he heard that name, his memories of the Tang Dynasty's history rushed back to him as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.

Fang Xuanling was a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. He is the "Fang Mou" in the story of "Fang Mou Du Duan".

But this was not the reason for Li Chen to stop.

His mind was now flashing wildly with images of Fang Xuanling's beloved son, Fang Yi'ai, and the Tang Dynasty princess, Gao Yang, whom Fang Yi'ai had married. And... that bald monk named Bianji.

Li Chen's gaze slowly shifted away from the plate of sliced ​​venison.

He looked past the jade cup that Fang Xuanling held above his head, past that thin and composed face, and finally, his gaze landed firmly on the black official hat that Fang Xuanling wore.

The candlelight in the main hall was very bright.

But in Li Chen's eyes, the black official hat seemed to be emitting a dazzling green light.

It's too awful.

That's really tragic.

He worked hard for Li Shimin his whole life, earning a lasting reputation. But then trouble came to his backyard. His son and daughter-in-law ganged up on him, humiliating his family and making them a laughingstock for all time.

Li Chen sat there, his facial features under the mask beginning to distort uncontrollably.

He originally wanted to put on a cold and aloof demeanor like a hermit, but as soon as he saw Fang Xuanling's extremely serious and respectful face, and thought about his family history of being cuckolded in the future, he felt a sense of unease.

Li Chen's lips began to droop wildly, while his eyebrows rose uncontrollably. It was a complex look in his eyes, a mixture of extreme pity, an intense urge to laugh, and a profound sense of unease.

He held the silver knife there, staring intently at the top of Fang Xuanling's head without moving.

One breath. Three breaths. Five breaths.

The lively atmosphere in the main hall gradually shifted as people sensed something was amiss. The music slowly faded away.

Fang Xuanling bent over, holding a wine cup in both hands.

Five breaths passed, and the old immortal on the head seat neither spoke nor picked up his cup.

Fang Xuanling's arms began to ache. He looked up in confusion, only to meet Li Chen's extremely strange gaze.

That look was like looking at a terminally ill patient who was about to die but was still wearing a huge green straw hat.

Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat.

His cheek muscles twitched violently, and a chill ran down his spine.

What happened?

Why is the immortal looking at me like that? Did I forget to check the almanac before going out today? Or is my Fang family about to face a great calamity?!

Fang Xuanling subconsciously reached out and touched the sage's cap on his head.

It's not crooked.

"Immortal... Immortal Master?" Fang Xuanling's voice trembled, and the hand holding the cup began to sway slightly uncontrollably, causing ripples to spread across the wine inside. "Is it because my attire is disheveled that I have disturbed you, Immortal Master?"

Li Chen came to his senses.

He forcibly suppressed the urge to laugh, coughed twice, and tossed the silver knife in his hand onto the plate.

"Cough cough... It's nothing, it's nothing."

Li Chen picked up his wine glass and casually raised it in mid-air.

"I was just thinking about something else. It's none of your business, go drink your wine."

After saying that, he put the wine glass back on the table and continued to tear apart the lamb leg.

But Fang Xuanling could no longer drink alcohol.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and into his neck, making him look as if he had been soaking in ice water.

That look in her eyes definitely meant nothing was wrong!

He had personally witnessed the immortal create a water mirror in the imperial garden, directly predicting the terrifying future of Prince Wei, Li Tai, who would "kill his son to pass the throne to his brother"!

Whoever the immortal looks at will suffer great misfortune!

Now that gaze is fixed on me, does it mean I won't survive the night?!

"Immortal Master!" Fang Xuanling's knees buckled, and he was about to kneel down while holding the wine cup.

Li Chen frowned and lightly tapped the table with his left hand.

An invisible wave of true energy surged out along the floor tiles, firmly supporting Fang Xuanling's knees and preventing him from kneeling down.

"I already said, it's nothing." Li Chen's voice turned cold, tinged with impatience. "Go back to your seat. If you utter another word, I'm leaving right now."

Fang Xuanling was forced to stand upright by the true energy, his face ashen white. Holding the cup of wine he hadn't drunk a drop of, he stumbled back to his seat like a wandering ghost.

The main hall was eerily quiet.

Li Shimin, seated at the head of the table, put down his chopsticks.

He had seen it all clearly. The old sage's eyes, filled with pity and an eeriness, and his hesitant, dry cough.

Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin exchanged a glance, a deep sense of worry and curiosity flashing in their eyes.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian stared intently at Fang Xuanling, frantically calculating in his mind what heinous crime the Fang family had committed.

Li Chen lowered his head and gnawed on a lamb leg, glancing around the main hall out of the corner of his eye.

He saw the burning desire for gossip in Li Shimin's eyes, and he also saw the ears of Changsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin and others perked up.

"These ancient people are more curious than cats," Li Chen cursed inwardly.

The latter half of the banquet became extremely oppressive.

Everyone was distracted; no one noticed the dancers missed several beats. Fang Xuanling sat below, not eating a single bite, his eyes fixed on the wine glass in front of him, his inner garment soaked with cold sweat.

Finally, midnight is almost here.

Li Chen threw down the bone in his hand, picked up the damp cloth on the table to wipe his hands, and stood up.

"Having had a good meal, it's time for this old man to take his leave."

The old man's hoarse voice broke the deathly silence of the hall.

"Immortal, please wait!"

Li Shimin sprang up from the dragon throne almost reflexively. He strode down the steps, his face beaming with smiles.

"Immortal Master, the moonlight is perfect tonight. Fragrant tea has been prepared in the side hall. Please, Immortal Master, step forward so that the Empress and I may offer you another cup of tea. Crown Prince, Chang Le, Fu Ji, Zhi Jie... and Xuan Ling, please come with me."

As Li Shimin spoke, he gave the eunuch guarding the door an extremely sharp look.

"Bang."

The heavy gates of Taiji Palace were tightly shut from the outside by two rows of imperial guards, who then lowered the bolts.

Li Chen looked at Li Shimin, who was blocking the way down the stairs, and the several high-ranking officials following behind him as if they were about to be executed.

Fang Xuanling, in particular, had a face as white as a sheet of paper, his lips trembling, and his eyes fixed on Li Chen, as if he were about to pounce on him and hug his leg at any moment.

Li Chen sighed and tucked his hands into his gray-white sleeves.