Chapter 145 alludes to the Sixth Prince

Chapter 145 alludes to the Sixth Prince

Today we are all family, and male and female guests are seated separately.

The male guests were seated inside the Harmony Hall, while the female guests were seated in a side hall, scattered around.

Shen Nanzi sat together with the Fifth Imperial Concubine and some of her brothers' wives.

Shen Nanzi's position allowed her to see the situation in the outer hall.

The Emperor and the Imperial Concubine sat at the head of the table, followed by several of the Emperor's uncles.

Xie Yan, Xie Yu, and the Fifth Prince Xie Heng, as juniors, sat a little below.

Just as Shen Nanzi was about to ask Qinghe where Cheng'er should sit, she saw Cheng'er being carried to sit in the empty seat next to Xie Yan.

Seeing the father and son sitting together, Shen Nanzi felt somewhat dazed.

Over the years, I have attended countless banquets.

Xie Yanke has never paid any attention to Cheng'er. He has recently become so different that Shen Nanzi can hardly believe it.

I don't know his purpose in doing this. Does he really want to be a good father?

Shen Nanzi has been unable to understand him lately.

Once the banquet begins, toasts and drinks are inevitable.

Shen Nanzi has a decent alcohol tolerance, and today's wine is even fruit wine with a hint of jasmine fragrance.

She was thinking about the imperial edict. Could it be that the emperor had already written it?

Whose name was on the will?

She had to pass this message on to her brother and let him figure out a solution...

However, the imperial edict was kept secret, and the emperor retained the ultimate power to depose and install emperors, as well as his supreme authority.

Announcing it in advance would make the crown prince a target of public criticism and other forces, and could even endanger his life.

Furthermore, it could lead to the formation of a "crown prince faction," causing instability in imperial power and other chaotic situations.

This is also why the emperor has been hesitant to appoint an heir apparent.

The Emperor's health is now failing, which means he must have been established as emperor.

Xie Yan is a man with many secret agents and is extremely sensitive to inside information, which makes Shen Nanzi very worried.

Meanwhile, in the outer hall, the Emperor had already drunk two cups of wine, and Consort Wei was worried about his health.

He then whispered a dissuasion, "Your Majesty, please don't drink it."

The Emperor won two games of chess against Xie Yu today, both of which were due to a subtle foreshadowing that led to a dramatic comeback.

The Emperor was overjoyed and ignored Consort Wei, instead asking Xie Yu, "Sixth Prince, are you convinced or not!"

Speaking of how his father's efforts were ultimately thwarted, Xie Yu remained unconvinced.

“Father, your actions make me look foolish. I will have to eat again after we finish eating, otherwise I will lose face.”

"You brat, you're still not convinced? Come on then, you're going to lose today!" The Emperor was very pleased.

In my excitement, I drank another glass.

The Emperor pointed at the group of people and said, "None of you are allowed to leave. Watch the game and see how I deal with him, hahaha."

"Yes, Your Majesty," everyone raised their cups in agreement.

Consort Wei was pleased to see the father and son, so she followed the Emperor's lead.

Seeing this scene of fatherly love and filial piety, Xie Yan picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup.

Cheng'er listened to the sound of wine being poured, her gaze drawn to the sound.

Xie Yan felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at the curious gaze, and asked, "Would you like to try some?"

Cheng'er thought for a moment and shook her head.

Xie Yan picked up the wine cup and held it to Xie Chengze's lips. "A real man should drink. You're young, so don't drink too much. Just lick it with your tongue."

Cheng'er hesitated.

Xie Yu suddenly turned his body and whispered, "Third Brother, Cheng'er can't drink alcohol. He gets rashes all over his body when he drinks."

Xie Yan was startled; it was just like him when he was a child, and he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of blood ties.

He also put down his wine cup, stared at the table, and said through gritted teeth, "Sixth Brother, you really care about Cheng'er!"

I felt very guilty.

It's his fault for not paying attention to Cheng'er's growth.

Xie Yu's involvement also caused some annoyance.

His emotions were so mixed that he felt a pang of jealousy, and he could even hear the jealousy in his own voice.

Xie Yu chuckled: "This is something you, as a father, should know. You have no right to criticize me."

Xie Yan knew he was in the wrong, but he was still upset and jealous of Xie Yu during the time he misunderstood Shen Nanzi.

She took up the time that Shen Nanzi and Cheng'er spent together day and night, and even quietly took his place as their father.

I dislike his unreasonable behavior, so I don't want to argue with him; that would only make me feel worse.

He then picked up a piece of crab roe with his chopsticks and gave it to Cheng'er, who immediately pinched his nose and pushed the bowl away.

Xie Yan asked in confusion, "What? Don't you like it?"

I suddenly remembered when I was little, "You're also afraid of fishy smells?"

Xie Chengze nodded, covered his mouth, and hummed in agreement.

Xie Yu looked at Xie Yan and said, "He has a keen sense of smell and won't eat fish or shrimp that have a fishy smell."

Xie Yan felt powerless, as if he had entered a battlefield and Xie Yu had reached the end, but he couldn't even tell which way was which.

He summoned a maid and said, "Remove all the fish and shrimp, and serve the two children's favorite dishes instead."

He asked Xie Chengze with some shame, "What kind of dishes do you like to eat? Father will have the kitchen staff make them for you."

Xie Chengze shook his head.

“He loves pearl meatballs. Give him three, but not more. Give him a little chicken and two vegetable stalks.”

Xie Yu's words, when they reached Xie Yan's ears, felt like a series of slaps to his face.

Especially seeing Xie Chengze eating the dishes Xie Yu had mentioned.

Xie Yan was both angry and annoyed.

...

After the birthday banquet, the Emperor insisted on playing chess and wouldn't allow anyone to leave.

They even moved the chessboard into the main hall, and the father and son played a game of chess.

Everyone could see that the Emperor was already a little drunk, and his speech was somewhat slurred.

"You all watch, today I'm going to make the sixth prince lose three games in a row, no, four, five." The emperor held up five fingers, his cheeks flushed with a hint of drunkenness.

No one dared to spoil the emperor's mood, and since it was still early, they all sat together.

The game of chess begins, and time passes by little by little.

"Yu'er, that was a skillful move." The Emperor chuckled.

"My sixth son is quite capable; he drove his father into a corner!"

"My dear Yu'er, as expected of my favorite prince, you're truly ruthless! How many of my white stones have you taken!"

Everyone around was looking at the emperor, who was drunk and dazed. At that moment, it seemed that only Xie Yu existed in his eyes, and the other princes did not exist.

"Father, you are drunk today!" Xie Yu looked at the emperor, who reeked of alcohol. "Your son's victory was not honorable."

"Where did you win?" the emperor asked, straining his eyes.

Seeing that the Emperor was about to lose, and fearing that he would be unconvinced and try again, Xie Yu had no choice but to make a wrong move, saying, "Father, I have lost, look!"

The emperor saw that they had indeed won and laughed heartily.

She stood up and threw herself onto Xie Yu across the chessboard.

"Stop playing, go to sleep, Yu'er, help your father."

The surrounding princes watched this scene with dismay, and they awkwardly withdrew their outstretched hands.

Xie Yu had no choice but to step over the table and help the drunken emperor to his feet. "Father, are you happy with your victory today?"

The Emperor closed his eyes, rested his head on Xie Yu's body, and whispered in his ear, "You are my favorite child. I am about to die, and I want to leave this empire to you!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Consort Wei quickly said, "His Majesty is drunk. Please help him inside to rest."

The Emperor was quickly helped away by Consort Wei and Xie Yu, leaving behind a crowd of astonished eyes.