The First Marquis of Leisure

Today, Zhao Tianhe personally issued an imperial decree to host a banquet for Bai Xinghe!

He also demanded that all officials of the seventh rank or above in Beijing be present to accompany him!

Such an honor can only be compared to the daytime triumphant return of officials, when they kneel to welcome him.

In the morning, Bai Xinghe had just woken up from his sleep when he learned the news from the servants of the Marquis's residence.

He didn't refuse, after all, it was only reasonable.

In any case, he was Zhao's savior and Zhao Tianhe's benefactor.

"Young Master, do you require our personal protection when entering the palace today?"

Several of the Marquis's personal guards asked.

Bai Xinghe pondered for a moment and said, "You've all worked hard protecting me these past few days, so you don't need to accompany me to the banquet at the palace today!"

After tidying up, Bai Xinghe left the Marquis's residence and headed towards the palace.

At this moment, many eunuchs in the palace were making preparations in an orderly manner.

By noon, almost all officials of the seventh rank and above had arrived.

Bai Xinghe arrived unhurriedly, and everyone stood up and greeted him with smiles as soon as they saw him.

Emperor Zhao Tianhe also came over personally and greeted him warmly, "Xinghe, you've arrived! I'm personally hosting a banquet for you today, and I've requested all the officials to accompany you. After the banquet, I will reward you handsomely."

Bai Xinghe shook his head, feeling somewhat disdainful.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite. It is my duty as a subject to do my part for the Great Zhao."

Zhao Tianhe chuckled, took Bai Xinghe's hand, and said, "Xinghe, you're not young anymore. I was careless and betrothed Feishuang to you. Fortunately, you didn't get married. Now, you can choose any princess of the Great Zhao!"

Bai Xinghe was speechless. In this era, it was normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines.

But deep down he was still a modern man, and besides, he always thought of Princess Zhao Sisi, but he was too embarrassed to bring it up.

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, marriage has been arranged by parents and matchmakers. But I believe that in matters of the heart, happiness and fulfillment can only come from mutual affection."

Zhao Tianhe paused for a moment, then pulled Bai Xinghe forward without saying anything more.

All the princes and ministers took their seats, arranged in order of their official rank.

As he passed the first few tables, Bai Xinghe immediately spotted Li Taibei's numerous henchmen.

But what puzzled him was that Li Taibei was not on the list.

He didn't care too much; with his current prestige, Li Taibei couldn't possibly shake him in the slightest.

"Your Majesty, I have some minor matters to attend to!"

"Xinghe, speak freely. I will grant any request."

"Alright!" Bai Xinghe smiled coldly, looked at Chen Feng, and walked over.

Chen Feng immediately sensed something was wrong and felt extremely panicked.

"Young Master Bai, what brings you here?"

"Instructions?" Bai Xinghe sneered. "Lord Chen, you have quite a forgetful memory. Do you remember what I said during yesterday's competition?"

Chen Feng knew, of course, that Bai Xinghe meant to kill his son Chen Ping and the remaining scions of powerful families.

But he now has the confidence, because the Prime Minister's residence had been plotting all night, and today's banquet is the perfect time to make his move.

Li Taibei deliberately feigned illness to avoid being present, but was actually plotting behind the scenes, preparing a decisive blow with the Yan Kingdom's shadow guards.

So now all he needs to do is stall for time and buy some time for his son.

"Young Master Bai, my son was ignorant and offended many people before. Now that you are a great hero of Zhao, please be merciful and spare my son!"

"Heh, Chen Feng, do you think I'll kill Chen Ping just because of those words?"

"Young Master Bai, even if you intend to kill my son Chen Ping, you should wait until after the banquet. I'm begging you!"

Chen Feng adopted a very humble attitude, which Bai Xinghe found somewhat strange, as if it defied common sense.

Just as he was pondering, Zhao Sisi, Zhang Zhi, Xiao Changqing, and a few others walked over.

"Young Master Bai, let it go. His Majesty has ordered all officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital to attend the banquet today. It's not too late to make a move after the banquet ends," Zhang Zhi advised from the side.

Bai Xinghe pondered for a moment and finally agreed.

He glanced at Chen Feng and threatened, "If you want your son to have a quick death after the banquet, you'd better make him come to the Marquis's mansion himself."

Soon, the banquet officially began!

Zhao Tianhe personally raised his glass, urging the emperor and his ministers to unite and celebrate together.

The atmosphere quickly ignited, and although Bai Xinghe didn't particularly like the feeling of being the center of attention and being fawned over, he couldn't refuse.

He had no choice but to stand in front of Zhao Tianhe and repeatedly express his gratitude.

"Father, I have a suggestion."

At this moment, Crown Prince Zhao Xing stepped forward.

"What suggestion?"

Zhao Xing smiled and said, "Today is a joyous day for our Great Zhao. It is rare to have so many civil and military officials present. Father, you must be happy too."

"Your Majesty, I would like to personally don armor and perform a sword dance with the palace warriors, and also have a beautiful lady from the palace play a piece of music to add to the merriment. What do you say?"

"good!"

"Your Highness's suggestion is excellent; I agree!"

As soon as Zhao Xinggang made the suggestion, many ministers echoed his sentiments.

Zhao Tianhe, immersed in joy, didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

Zhao Xing then left without anyone noticing anything amiss.

Bai Xinghe just felt something was strange, as he had never had any dealings with Crown Prince Zhao Xing.

But I've also heard that this person is extremely cunning and has once snatched the crown prince position that should have belonged to Zhao Feng.

But he didn't think much of it and went to greet the Eighth Prince, the Third Prince, Zhang Chunqiu, and even Ling Wu, the Left Route General whom his father had promoted before his death.

After a while, Crown Prince Zhao Xing was seen walking over in perfect unison, dressed in black armor and carrying a long sword, followed by a large group of fully armed soldiers.

Seeing this, everyone just felt that he had an extraordinary demeanor and didn't think much of it.

Bai Xinghe found it increasingly strange; even if it was just a sword dance for entertainment, there was no need for so many armored soldiers.

Just as he was wondering, Zhao Xing had already arrived beside Zhao Tianhe.

He pointed his long sword at the armored soldiers and ordered, "All troops, form ranks! Prepare!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The armored soldiers responded in unison, their spirits high, their movements perfectly synchronized, exuding a chilling aura.

"Indeed, His Highness the Crown Prince is majestic and extraordinary; he truly possesses the demeanor of a future ruler!"

"The soldiers of our great Zhao are equally extraordinary, mighty and valiant!"

Many ministers drank wine while looking at the group of stern-faced soldiers and offered their praise.

Bai Xinghe instinctively sensed something was wrong, because he felt a strong killing intent emanating from the group of armored soldiers.

"Third Prince, where did these armored sword-wielding warriors come from? Do you recognize them?"

Zhao Xing, unaware of anything amiss, casually replied, "I suppose they're the Crown Prince's palace guards. What's wrong, brother?"

Bai Xinghe shook his head, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

However, the Crown Prince is the future heir apparent and does have the power to establish his own government and maintain a certain number of armored guards.

Just then, Zhao Xing suddenly shouted to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have something to announce to everyone!"