Chapter Sixty-One: The Threat

Gunnaro glanced at Lu Jue, who paid her no mind, and another idea flickered across her mind.

“Ahem.”

She feigned a cough, then walked slowly toward the door with a smile, raising her voice as she spoke.

“Well, since you won’t speak to me, I’ll just go find Her Majesty. It’s the perfect chance to discuss the gift you prepared for her.”

Her words made Lu Jue, who had been absorbed in his work, suddenly freeze. He spun around to look at Gunnaro, his expression twisting with urgency and anxiety.

“Please, Princess, you mustn’t do that!”

Clearly, Gunnaro, ever so clever, had already guessed the purpose of Lu Jue’s creation.

“Oh? What am I doing?” Gunnaro’s lips curled into a mischievous smile as she watched Lu Jue hurry over to stop her, her bright eyes glimmering with mischief.

Seeing her expression, Lu Jue realized he had been teased again. Fuming, he tossed out a curt remark and turned away, ignoring her entirely as he busied himself once more.

“If you want to go, then go.”

Gunnaro had not expected that Lu Jue would truly give up trying to stop her. Left standing alone, watching Lu Jue busy at work, she suddenly found it all terribly dull.

After watching him for a while, she pursed her lips in boredom, tossed out a petulant retort, and left.

“He really is a block of wood!”

A few days later, Feng Yewu’s birthday banquet arrived. Lords and nobles from every region flocked to present their gifts.

Feng Yewu sat upright outside the palace, gazing at the long crimson carpet as officials from all over approached in succession.

“The Prince of Pingyi arrives! Presents a pair of jade ruyi!”

A eunuch, tasked with recording the offerings, announced the gift in a loud voice.

Upon hearing this, Feng Yewu’s eyes turned cold, and she spoke with disdain.

“Prince of Pingyi, you do keep yourself busy, don’t you? Such a convenient gift for my birthday.”

Her words dripped with sarcasm, making no effort to hide her dissatisfaction with the prince’s offering.

The Prince of Pingyi had not expected to be mocked so openly by Feng Yewu in front of the entire court. His face reddened in embarrassment.

Around him, the other ministers began to whisper among themselves. After all, for the ruler of a nation, a mere pair of jade ruyi seemed woefully perfunctory. Even an ordinary family in the capital would consider such a gift for a birthday and nothing more. For the Prince of Pingyi, a lord in his own right, to offer such a token was unacceptably dismissive.

Some even noticed that this particular style of jade ruyi was commonly sold in the city’s major jade shops. This realization only fueled the murmurs further, and before the prince could defend himself, he was already the object of ridicule.

There was a time when the Prince of Pingyi was the most sought-after ally in the realm, his connections the envy of all the other lords. Now he stood humiliated before the court.

Feng Yewu watched the prince’s discomfort and anger with deep satisfaction. This banquet was her chance to lay bare the conflicts with the three lords, and she had no intention of letting the source of discord be traced back to herself. She had worried about finding the right moment, but the Prince of Pingyi had handed her the perfect excuse.

She seized the opportunity with relish.

“I wonder which jade shop you purchased these from, Prince of Pingyi. They do look quite nice. Since you seem to like them so much, perhaps next time I’ll have Hanyue bring you a few more.”

Her frosty smile left no doubt of her contempt.

The Prince of Pingyi’s face darkened. In such a public setting, he could do nothing but endure the ridicule. Anger shook him to his core.

A chilly breeze seemed to pass outside the hall as the weather shifted. The Prince of Beichang, ever genial, tried to smooth things over, suggesting the Prince of Pingyi select a new gift to present later to Feng Yewu.

Though furious, the Prince of Pingyi was in no position to refuse. The situation left him thoroughly embarrassed.

Feng Yewu glanced at the Prince of Beichang, who was playing the peacemaker, and sneered inwardly. She knew exactly what he was up to. The tension between her and the Prince of Pingyi had become the talk of the capital. If not for the intelligence she had received from Lu Jue, she might have been deceived by Beichang’s facade.

The Prince of Beichang saw the Prince of Pingyi’s predicament and understood it well. Yet with Feng Yewu’s power growing by the day, if the lords failed to truly unite, the reduction of their domains was inevitable.

Now, Feng Yewu’s control over the court extended to the three most critical departments. The various factions found the situation in the capital increasingly beyond their grasp. In just a few days, with the involvement of the Court of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments, arrests and investigations had swept through the city, sending a clear warning to all.

To every faction, these were unwelcome developments.

With all this in mind, Feng Yewu left the scheming pair behind.

The gifts from these nobles were almost all ordinary trinkets, and some were simply items regifted from others.

“Your Majesty, these lords are growing more and more insolent,” Hanyue muttered as she scanned the list.

“Hmph, they’re only testing my resolve,” Feng Yewu replied, watching the guests exchange pleasantries across the banquet hall. Her thoughts involuntarily turned to Lu Jue. He was probably still sparring with the barbarian princess.

Feng Yewu looked around but did not spot the princess, which only confirmed her suspicion.

“This gathering is nothing more than a stage for the factions to probe each other. Nothing remarkable,” Feng Yewu scoffed, stepping aside.

Not far away, the Prince of Pingyi sat alone, swallowing his anger. Despite the bustling crowd, not a soul came to greet him. He remembered a time when his side was never short of company. Now, loneliness and a touch of sorrow settled over him.

At such a grand banquet, everyone was busy seeking their own advantage—some hoping for office, some for promotion, others to see rivals demoted.

As time passed, the Prince of Pingyi could no longer bear it. He stood and decided to find another seat.

Just then, a palace maid approached, poured him a cup of tea, and stood quietly beside him.

“Hm?” The prince looked up impatiently to see who it was.

“You! What are you doing here!”

To his shock, Zhao Xiyan had somehow infiltrated the palace.

“Do you realize how dangerous this is?” he hissed.

“I understand, Your Highness. Please don’t worry,” Zhao Xiyan replied quickly, keeping her eyes respectfully lowered.

“You—” The prince saw her obedient demeanor, but she always managed to bring him unexpected trouble.

“What do you understand? If you’re caught, both of us are finished! How can I possibly not worry?”