Chapter 315:
He had only returned to the capital city at the end of the year, and in just a few days, the New Year’s Eve Palace Banquet arrived.
This was Xie Wanning’s first New Year after returning to the capital city, and also her first palace banquet appearing as the Empress.
The grandeur of it could be foreseen.
Fourth Rank and above officials brought their families, imperial clan relatives came, and almost all the meritorious prominent families with hereditary titles attended.
Even people from Duke Pei’s Mansion, whom everyone was closely paying attention to, had come.
It was well known that Duke Pei’s Mansion was the Empress’s husband’s family before, and Young Lord Pei had once been the Empress’s husband.
Secret gambling dens in the capital city had been set up countless times.
Betting on whether the Emperor would find some pretext to make Duke Pei’s Mansion disappear.
Even, with His Majesty’s bloodlust, he might not even need a pretext.
So what if she was his blood-related aunt?
Kill her and be done with it.
However, unexpectedly, Their Majesty did make a move, but he only targeted the Eldest Branch of the Pei Family, with the charge of colluding with external enemies, directly wiping out all the bloodline left by the Duke’s blood-related elder brother.
The Empress’s true former husband’s family was unscathed.
Even at such a grand event today, Duke Pei’s Mansion had actually attended.
Was His Majesty… meaning to let bygones be bygones?
This didn’t quite match his usual disposition.
Below, people harbored various thoughts, while Xie Wanning sat side by side with Lu Ziyan at the head seat.
She also saw the people from Duke Pei’s Mansion.
Princess Duanyang, Duke Pei, and Pei Yuqing… all had come.
After four years, seeing Pei Yuqing again, Xie Wanning slightly lowered her gaze, trying her best to appear nonchalant.
Yet her wrist was gently gripped.
The man in a dark dragon robe beside her tilted his head toward her with a chilling smile, “Don’t look around, Wanwan. My tolerance isn’t that great.”
Xie Wanning: “…”
She raised the hand not held by him and poured him a cup of wine, saying irritably, “Even a prime minister’s belly can hold a boat. You’re the sovereign—don’t be so petty.”
Lu Ziyan smiled without speaking, raised his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp.
Xie Wanning poured him another. “Alright, no more jealousy.”
“Don’t you know? I like you the most, I only like you, just you alone.”
She casually coaxed him with exceptional skill, finally making the Emperor beside her no longer emit such a chilling aura.
The palace maids and eunuchs standing behind the two all kept their eyes downcast, having grown numb over time after hearing it so often—from initial shock to now.
Throughout the palace banquet, Xie Wanning behaved very naturally, neither deliberately avoiding Duke Pei’s Mansion nor being overly warm and intimate.
As if she had never been a woman of the Pei Family, nor had any past connection with the Pei Family’s eldest legitimate son.
Pei Yuqing was equally composed, not even glancing up once extra.
In everyone’s eyes, that meant the two of them had let go of each other.
After three rounds of wine, Lu Ziyan seemed slightly tipsy. He propped his jaw with his hand, tilted his head to look at the young lady beside him, and suddenly said, “How about arranging a marriage for him?”
They both knew exactly who this “him” referred to.
Xie Wanning’s hand pouring wine paused slightly as she raised her eyes to look at him.
Lu Ziyan did not avoid her gaze.
Their eyes met—perhaps for an instant, or maybe several breaths passed.
Xie Wanning looked away first. She set down the wine pot and said indifferently, “Arrange it if you want to. No need to ask me.”
Her slightly cold tone suddenly brought a dull ache to Lu Ziyan’s chest.
His mind abruptly recalled Pei Yuqing’s cold words when he had first intervened between them.
She had said that the old man was cleaner than him, better-looking than him.
That was exactly what she liked.
So even though the old man was eleven years older than her, she had gladly consented to the marriage.
Lu Ziyan took a deep breath, raised his wine cup, drained it, and set it down heavily.
