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After Qi Ming walked in, Nan Qiao’s gaze remained fixed on him.
He could see a calculating look in Xiao Bao’s eyes.
Nan Qiao stepped in front of Xiao Bao, blocking Qi Ming’s line of sight.
Seeing Nan Qiao’s cold and mocking gaze, Qi Ming silently turned his head away.
Xiyao’s words were right. Nan Qiao’s bugs were hard to guard against, and he had to be careful.
Nan Qiao looked at Qi Ming turning away from Xiao Bao, his eyes filled with sarcasm. He had thought Qi Ming was so formidable, but it seemed he was nothing special after all.
“Brother Yu, you’re so slow,” Nan Qiao said disapprovingly as he looked at Su Yu and the others who arrived late.
“We’re late because we stopped to talk to someone. Did you cause any trouble?” Su Yu raised an eyebrow and asked Nan Qiao.
Nan Qiao immediately put on a cute and innocent look, while also looking very innocent as he gazed at Su Yu. “Brother Yu, how could I, being so well-behaved, possibly cause you any trouble? It’s just that some people lack experience and still want to show off their knowledge here.”
Su Yu followed Nan Qiao’s gaze and saw the person, then smiled lightly. “What did you have to talk about with a stranger?”
Qi Ming watched the interaction between Su Yu and Nan Qiao, his expression somewhat unpleasant. Especially surprising was Nan Qiao’s address to Su Yu.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he walked over to Su Yu, standing not far away. He spoke, “We’ve known each other for so long, but I’ve never heard that you know the young prince of Nanchuan?”
To someone who didn’t know, the familiar tone might have suggested a close relationship between the two.
Nan Qiao looked displeased as he gazed at Qi Ming, who seemed to have a close relationship with Su Yu. “Brother Yu, do you have a good relationship with the Prince of Qi Empire?”
“Not really,” Su Yu shook his head.
Nan Qiao raised an eyebrow and looked at Qi Ming, who had come over to join in, and asked with a sly smile, “Brother Yu said that he doesn’t have a good relationship with you. Why are you trying to act familiar with him?”
“Yeah, don’t try to get close to Brother Yu,” Luo Yan, with a hoarse voice, chimed in.
He was considering whether he should send a few fireworks to Qi Ming if he dared to upset Su Yu.
Su Yu looked at Luo Yan’s pensive expression and knew exactly what he was thinking without having to guess.
“Luo Yan, don’t do anything reckless.”
“Okay,” Luo Yan responded, but it was unclear whether he had taken Su Yu’s words to heart.
Su Yu rubbed his forehead, hoping that Qi Ming wouldn’t do anything foolish today, or else he wouldn’t be able to protect him.
Qi Ming looked at the other three people beside Su Yu and remarked, “You bring some irrelevant people to attend the palace banquet? It seems that the Emperor of Xuan Empire is really good to you, good enough to make you go back on your word.”
For Qi Ming, Su Yu’s previous promise not to enter the court as an official was his commitment to himself.
Now Su Yu was indeed breaking his own promise.
Nan Qiao looked at Su Yu curiously. “Brother Yu, what promise is he talking about?”
“He asked me to help him in Qi Empire before, and I said I wouldn’t enter the court as an official.”
Bai Qi frowned at Qi Ming. “Brother Yu, you haven’t entered the court as an official. You’ve just become a prince.”
Wang Jinhe watched their conversation with interest. Bai Qi’s words were well put—Su Yu hadn’t become an official, but a prince.
Before Qi Ming could say anything, Xuan Feiran arrived with the Empress Dowager and the Queen.
After everyone arrived, the New Year’s Eve banquet officially began. Wang Jinhe was in charge of eating, and Su Yu helped her prepare some of her favorite dishes.
As Wang Jinhe ate, she listened to Xuan Feiran and King Zhenbei engaging in a lively conversation, which she found quite interesting.
When they had finished eating, the formal proceedings finally began.
The Vassal Kings and envoys from Qi and Ling Empires had been in Xuan Empire for almost a month, and since the first banquet, they had not gathered publicly again. There had been no news of Xuan Feiran meeting with the representatives from Ling and Qi Empires.
Today, with so many people together, it was the perfect opportunity for them.
Wang Jinhe, only half full, looked at the people across from her. She was very curious about them, but she didn’t know who would be the first to speak.
King Zhenbei and Yan remained silent, despite Ling Xiaoye having spoken once before.
In the end, only Qi Ming was left.
It remained to be seen whether Qi Ming would be the first to break the silence.
After a short while, Qi Ming couldn’t sit still any longer. He was eager to rid himself of the poison.
Xiyao had told him that the more the poison was suppressed, the stronger the rebound would be when it couldn’t be contained anymore. He didn’t want to go through that unbearable pain again.
“I heard that the Imperial Prince Yu has some very skilled medical guards. I wonder if that’s true,” Qi Ming was the first to speak, and what he said had nothing to do with high-yield crop varieties.
Xuan Feiran raised an eyebrow and smiled at Qi Ming. “I wonder why Prince Qi is asking about this.”
“For treatment.”
“Oh?” Xuan Feiran pretended not to understand, just looking at Qi Ming.
“I am severely poisoned, and I heard that the Imperial Prince Yu has experts in this field. I dare to ask today if Your Majesty of Xuan Empire could help me to ask the Imperial Prince Yu to borrow their expertise,” Qi Ming said, frowning as he spoke, seeing Xuan Feiran pretending to be clueless.
Since he wanted to play dumb, he might as well be straightforward about it. Let’s see if Xuan Feiran could continue to play dumb.
“The Prince of Qi probably approached the wrong person. The people under Xiao Yu’s command are not easy to get along with. If you want help with detoxification, you should approach them directly or ask Xiao Yu. Coming to me for help is futile,” Xuan Feiran said helplessly, as if it were really the case.
Only then did Qi Ming turn his gaze to Su Yu and asked, “Can I borrow one of the people under your command?”
“Hmm? You want Wan Gu to detoxify you? You can ask him yourself if he’s willing to help you,” Su Yu said without even looking up.
Before Qi Ming could respond, the King Zhenbei spoke up, “Prince Yu, the Prince of Qi is a guest. It’s not right for you to be so petty. As a prince of Xuan Empire, you shoulder the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Isn’t this behavior sowing discord between the two Empires?”
The King Yan also agreed, “That’s right. It’s just borrowing a skilled medical practitioner from you. Prince Yu, you’re being too petty.”
Instead of getting angry, Su Yu nodded with a smile. “Yes, you’re all right. I am indeed petty. As for someone who wants to take my life, what does it matter to me whether he lives or dies?”
The Xuan Empire officials looked at Su Yu in astonishment. Did he and Qi Ming have such a grudge between them?
Qi Ming didn’t expect Su Yu to lay it all out like this.
“Su Yu, I never expected you to misunderstand me like this,” Qi Ming looked at Su Yu with a disappointed expression, seeming genuinely hurt and disappointed by Su Yu’s actions.
Seeing Qi Ming’s disgusted expression, Su Yu chuckled. “If you want to call it a misunderstanding, then so be it.”
The nonchalant response left Qi Ming at a loss for words.