nycdaug Chapter 94 First Meeting with the Male Lead
Chapter 94 First Meeting with the Male Lead
When the eldest princess arrived, all the officials knelt down to pay their respects.
The eldest princess was personally appointed by the late emperor and is the current emperor's legitimate younger sister.
According to the laws of Emperor Yao, when a subject meets a princess, he only needs to stand and bow, not kneel.
The eldest princess was the only princess of Emperor Yao who required him to kneel in respect.
The princess took her seat, and the room quieted down considerably.
Qin Wanying hurried over and greeted the princess.
"Your Highness, I received a token from you, but due to being busy with many matters, I was unable to visit you in the palace. Please forgive me." Qin Wanying apologized as soon as she stepped forward.
The eldest princess smiled and pretended to be angry.
"You little rascal! You knew I was going to scold you, so you came to apologize first!"
The two then began to talk.
The others couldn't hear what Qin Wanying and the Princess were saying, but they could tell that the two had a very close relationship.
Chen Ling Shuang curled her lips. This little girl from the Qin family has even managed to curry favor with the eldest princess!
Yan Yuelan was also somewhat displeased.
Qin Wanying returned to her seat, and then heard someone announce, "The War King has arrived—"
Everyone rose and knelt in worship.
The War King is a prince-level official; not all princes are granted the title of king.
The War King holds a very high position.
[The male lead is here! The male lead is finally here!]
All the Qin family members turned their attention to the War King.
This wasn't the first time Qin Yezhong and Qin Xingyuan had met the War King.
However, after hearing from my younger sister that the War King is the male protagonist and will rebel and wipe out the entire Qin family, this was the first time I had ever met the War King.
There was a strange look in his eyes.
Qin Wanying had waited so long, and she was finally going to meet the male lead in person.
As I stood up and looked up, the person in front of me was exceptionally handsome, with sharp features and an aura of authority that commanded respect without a hint of anger. There was even a touch of menacing intent in his eyes.
As for the male lead, it's normal for him to be good-looking and have a good presence.
Xiao Dongqian turned his gaze to Qin Wanying.
The two looked at each other.
Qin Wanying showed no fear in her eyes; instead, she returned a smile.
Xiao Dongqian looked at the woman. Was this Qin Wanying, the youngest daughter the Marquis's mansion had found?
Indeed, he possesses an extraordinary demeanor.
Was she the one who framed the Yan family and the Empress Dowager?
A hint of coldness appeared in Xiao Dongqian's eyes.
Today, I will certainly not let you stay.
Qin Wanying felt the coldness in Xiao Dongqian's gaze, and even a hint of murderous intent.
She had a vague feeling that today's Hundred Flowers Banquet was not simple.
At banquets, the villains are usually the ones who cause trouble.
However, she just couldn't see what the other party was planning to do.
She couldn't see any of Yan Yuelan, Yan Danyang, or Xiao Dongqian's past or future.
She can't see anything about herself.
However, she had a feeling that they were going to do something to her.
"The Queen Mother is here—"
As soon as the Empress Dowager arrived, everyone knelt down and kowtowed.
Qin Wanying frowned.
Has the Empress Dowager come too?
She looked up at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager wore a dark blue long dress, with heavy gold hairpins in her hair. Her temples were gray, and she had a dignified demeanor. Every gesture she made exuded nobility.
So this is the Empress Dowager. The one who almost killed my fourth brother.
Qin Wanying clenched her fists.
As expected, Qin Wanying had no idea what the fate of the Empress Dowager, a major villain, would be.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the Ninth Prince have arrived!"
Upon hearing this voice, all the officials prostrated themselves in worship.
The Emperor slowly walked in and said, "All of you, rise." He then sat in the main seat at the banquet.
The crown prince sat to his left.
Qin Wanying glanced at the three people who had entered last.
[The emperor is just as described in the book; he's too thin, mainly because he's been bedridden for many years, and has only recently begun to recover somewhat.]
The crown prince's eyes darkened slightly.
Who is it? Who is speaking!
How dare you make a scene at the Hundred Flowers Banquet and even say that my father is thin?
However, the prince noticed that no one around him reacted.
What's going on? Is he hallucinating?
He asked his attendant if he had heard any sounds, and the attendant said he had not.
The crown prince glanced at his father again, but his father didn't react, probably because he hadn't heard him.
The crown prince began to doubt himself.
Could it be that he's been so busy with official duties these days that he's hallucinating?
The Ninth Prince, who was sitting not far away, also heard the sound and reacted exactly like the Crown Prince.
Just when I thought I had misheard, the voice rang out again.
However, both the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince are quite handsome; as main characters in the book, they are both pleasing to the eye.
The crown prince was taken aback.
No, it's not a hallucination, it's definitely not a hallucination.
Hallucinations may occur once, but not twice.
He was certain that he had just heard a woman's voice.
Moreover, only he could hear the woman's voice.
No, is he really the only one who can hear it?
He fixed his gaze on the Ninth Prince.
The woman's voice just now also mentioned Ninth Brother.
The Ninth Prince and the Crown Prince exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's intentions.
The other party can most likely hear this sound as well.
So, were they the only two people who could hear this strange sound during the entire banquet?
Furthermore, who exactly made the sound? Is someone sitting at this banquet?
The two remained calm and continued to observe.
Don't let the Ninth Prince's sickly appearance fool you; he's actually perfectly healthy, he's just faking it.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the Qin family paused and secretly glanced at the Ninth Prince.
Was the Ninth Prince's illness feigned?
Everyone knew that the Ninth Prince was frail and sickly from a young age.
I never imagined the illness was all an act. Why?
The Ninth Prince's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He tried to suppress his astonishment and drank the tea in his mouth.
This person actually knew I was faking illness!
How did she know!
Who made that sound? I wonder if she told anyone else about it.
I must find this person!
The crown prince was also astonished.
He knew that his ninth brother was faking illness.
But apart from him, his father, and his ninth brother's personal servants, no one else knew.
How did this woman know?
Could it be that there's a traitor among Ninth Brother's men who betrayed him?
Wait a minute, the woman said they were characters in a book.
According to this woman, are they all characters from a storybook?
The Crown Prince carefully observed the expressions of the Empress Dowager and the War King.
They seemed not to hear at all.
The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief.
If they find out, it won't be a good thing.
[This poor Ninth Prince, his mother was murdered by Consort Xian. To eliminate any future threats, Consort Xian even wanted to kill the Ninth Prince. Fortunately, the Ninth Prince pretended to know nothing and feigned illness, lowering Consort Xian's guard. Otherwise, he would have been dead long ago.]
The Ninth Prince felt a chill run down his spine.
He secretly discovered that Consort Xian had killed his mother.
But apart from him and the Crown Prince, probably no one else knew.
He dared not let Consort Xian know that he knew about this matter, and he was always respectful to Consort Xian whenever he saw her, so as not to let her find out the slightest clue.