Xie Lang was startled. Hearing this, he got up and forced a smile, saying, "There's... there's no need for this. If Her Highness finds out, I might not even be allowed into my own room."
A few suppressed chuckles immediately echoed through the banquet hall.
Xie Lang knew that Shen Mingyuan had ill intentions, but he never expected the man in front of him to be so despicable and his methods so base!
He actually wanted to send Xie Lang a dancing girl to sow discord between him and Shen Mingzhu. How shameless!
Seeing Shen Mingyuan squinting at him slightly, Xie Lang cursed in his heart while pretending to be terrified as he knelt down, trembling.
Looking at the man kneeling on the ground, Shen Mingyuan felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. He felt a wave of disgust and said, "I never thought the consort, who seems so dissolute on the surface, is actually hen - pecked."
Hearing this, Xie Lang cursed Shen Mingyuan even more vehemently in his heart.
Sure enough! Shen Mingyuan's mind was truly venomous! Since he couldn't get Xie Lang to give in, he actually resorted to using reverse psychology!
"Well..." Xie Lang showed a bit of a smile and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He said to Shen Mingyuan, "Your Majesty is joking. I really don't dare to go against Her Highness's orders."
As he spoke, Xie Lang kept scratching the back of his head and smiling, looking so spineless that it was hard to bear looking at.
Shen Mingyuan: "... Hmm."
"The consort is right. I really didn't think this through."
Saying this, he waved to the people beside him and said, "The consort's loyalty to the princess is truly commendable."
"The consort is twenty - one this year, isn't he?" Shen Mingyuan said, subconsciously sighing. He continued, "In that case, the consort can first enter the Imperial Academy and learn from the senior officials there."
Sure enough, Shen Mingyuan was no good!
Xie Lang continued to curse in his heart, but on the surface, he immediately showed an expression of panic mixed with unexpected joy. He pointed at himself and said, "Your Majesty is serious? You want me to enter the Imperial Academy?"
Shen Mingyuan clearly had ill intentions. The Imperial Academy was the domain of the Zhou family. Everyone knew that Zhou Chengyu, the eldest son of the Zhou family, was infatuated with the eldest princess. Sending a good - for - nothing like himself, the consort, to his rival was simply going too far!
While cursing in his heart, Xie Lang didn't miss a beat in his acting.
"Well..." Xie Lang smiled, and his pride was completely undisguised. "This... isn't quite appropriate, is it?"
How shameless!
Several ministers sitting at the banquet exchanged glances. They all saw the undisguised contempt in each other's eyes, as well as a hint of regret.
If they had known that His Majesty just wanted to restrain the eldest princess instead of despising her, who wouldn't want to take this great opportunity? Not to mention the astonishing dowry, there was also the power behind the eldest princess.
Entering the Imperial Academy without passing the imperial examinations was like a pie falling from the sky! It was not only a huge leap forward but also a sign of His Majesty's attitude towards the eldest princess!
"Your Majesty!" General Xie was the first to speak. He knelt on the ground and said gravely, "My son is incompetent. If he enters the Imperial Academy, I'm afraid he'll cause a lot of trouble for the senior officials there!"
"General Xie need not worry," Shen Mingyuan said. "Since the eldest princess thinks highly of the consort, I'm sure he must have some talent."
General Xie was already sweating profusely.
As his father, how could he not know what kind of person his son was?
The situation stalled for a moment. Xie Lang gritted his teeth and looked proud, General Xie trembled nervously, and Shen Mingyuan's smile didn't reach his eyes.
On the surface, it seemed that the monarch and his ministers were in harmony, but in fact, there were undercurrents surging.
"Scholar Zhou Chengyu of the Imperial Academy has arrived—"
Hearing the announcement, everyone turned to look at the door.
After being summoned by Shen Mingyuan just now, Zhou Chengyu was led by a palace servant to change into clothes suitable for the banquet, which was why he was a bit late.
With a smile on his face and a gentle aura around him, he bowed to Shen Mingyuan and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty. I'm late."
"Scholar Zhou is here?"
Hearing Shen Mingyuan's words, Zhou Chengyu sensed the strange atmosphere around him and was immediately startled. His expression became even more respectful.
"I intend to let the consort enter the Imperial Academy. I wonder what Scholar Zhou thinks?"
Xie Lang stood to one side, watching the two of them play their parts. He almost sneered and had to lower his head to hide his disdain.
"Absolutely not!"
Before Zhou Chengyu could speak, his father, Prime Minister Zhou, had already stood up with a displeased look on his face. He bowed to Shen Mingyuan and said, "Matters of the state cannot be treated as a joke!"
"I know that Your Majesty and Her Highness the eldest princess have a deep sibling bond, but the consort..." As if he couldn't find the right words for a moment, Prime Minister Zhou paused and then continued, "I implore Your Majesty to think it over carefully!"
As soon as Prime Minister Zhou made a move, the civil officials led by him immediately knelt down in unison, shouting, "I implore Your Majesty to think it over carefully!"
A hint of anger flashed across Shen Mingyuan's face. "What if I insist?"
Prime Minister Zhou suddenly raised his head, looked at Shen Mingyuan, and repeated, "I implore Your Majesty to think it over carefully!"
Xie Lang had his head down. Hearing this, he suddenly looked up at Prime Minister Zhou and then lowered his head fearfully under his menacing gaze.
What a good show.
What was supposed to be a show of authority had turned into a game between several parties. Xie Lang gloated and even wished they would start fighting.
However, Shen Mingyuan was quite interesting. Did he really just want to sow discord between Shen Mingzhu and himself? Or was he trying to kill two birds with one stone, using this "playboy" to stir up the muddy waters?
"Think it over carefully?"
Shen Mingyuan stood up and suddenly smiled. Looking at the civil officials kneeling below, he said, "What if I insist?"
Seeing the real anger and ruthlessness in Shen Mingyuan's eyes, the people below suddenly fell silent. The music from the silk and bamboo instruments stopped at some point, and the dancing girls knelt on the ground, burying their heads deeply and not daring to move.
"I'm just joking. My dear ministers, there's no need to be so tense."
Shen Mingyuan laughed, then waved his hand and sat down. "The consort is the consort. If he really wants to serve in the court, why not?"
"Of course, if any of you dear ministers still have objections, feel free to speak up."
"I know that all of you dear ministers are doing this for the good of everyone, right?"
With each word Shen Mingyuan said, the smile on his face deepened.
Xie Lang looked at him and was really a bit curious.
There was no doubt that today's show was extremely wonderful. If Xie Lang hadn't been forcibly dragged into it, he would definitely have bought some melon seeds to watch the show.
Why was Shen Mingyuan such a complicated person? It seemed that he had married off Shen Mingzhu, but in fact, he was balancing the forces of all parties. People said he was power - hungry, but he wasn't completely heartless towards Shen Mingzhu. At least he had never had any improper thoughts about her again. Instead, he kept targeting him, the consort.
He was really a contradiction.
Seeing that the matter was coming to an end, the ministers returned to their seats one after another. A hint of gloom appeared on Prime Minister Zhou's face, but he was dissuaded by Zhou Chengyu beside him. Then he raised his glass and drank it in one gulp.
After finishing the wine in his glass, he looked over at Xie Lang, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
Xie Lang shrank his neck in a timely manner, showing a bit of fear. Then, as if he had just remembered what had happened, he showed a bit of the smug look of a small - minded person who had achieved success, making everyone present grit their teeth in annoyance.
...
Shen Mingzhu didn't know that Xie Lang had been caught up in the political whirlpool. He had emerged unscathed and even reaped some benefits, becoming the only beneficiary at the scene.
She had attended the palace banquets countless times. No matter how they changed, they all followed the same pattern.
"Your Highness," seeing that Shen Mingzhu was really bored, Chuntao beside her said, "Why don't you go out for some fresh air?"
Shen Mingzhu nodded.
Seeing this, a woman sitting in the lower seat whispered a few words to her maid.