Chapter 374

The King Wife saw Meng Guxue’s flustered appearance and immediately comforted her, saying:

“Snow, don’t be nervous. The Hall of Tianhe is where envoys are received, and judging by the time, it should be time for lunch.”

“You are the princess sent as a bride from the Yong Dynasty. Now that envoys from the Yong Dynasty have arrived and summoned you, it’s just protocol. There’s no need to worry.”

Meng Guxue breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

So, it’s just for lunch. Although it could potentially be a trap…

“Mother, then let me take Qiao Jiaojiao to the banquet first. You should rest well. After the banquet, I will come back to see you.”

The King Wife nodded gently. “Go ahead. Don’t worry, Yu’er must have made arrangements in the Qiu Shi Palace.”

Meng Guxue led Qiao Jiaojiao out of the main hall, where the eunuch with the decree was still waiting.

Following a winding path, they finally arrived outside the Hall of Tianhe.

Upon seeing them, the young eunuch immediately entered to report, and soon after, the summons echoed out:

“Summon—Third Empress to enter the hall for an audience.”

Meng Guxue took a deep breath, leading Qiao Jiaojiao in with dignified grace.

Qiao Jiaojiao quietly assessed the Western Zhou Dynasty with her big, round eyes. As soon as she entered the hall, she noticed the Nanli Kingdom’s monarch seated in the main position, wearing dragon robes.

Unlike the image of an old and senile man she had imagined, the King of Nanli Kingdom sat grandly, dignified in appearance, with a warm smile on his face.

Meng Guxue performed a bow with respect. The gentle voice of the King of Nanli Kingdom sounded:

“Third Empress, who is this child by your side?”

Meng Guxue immediately replied respectfully, “Father, this is Miss Qiao, the young daughter of Envoy Qiao.”

Qiao Zhongguo, who was seated below, immediately stepped forward and claimed, “Please forgive me, King. Due to various reasons, I had no choice but to bring my young daughter along.”

“My daughter is young and ignorant. I hope the King will forgive her.”

Although there had been no precedent in history for bringing a young daughter along on a mission to another country, it was currently a relatively relaxed luncheon. Moreover, Qiao Jiaojiao had been brought by Meng Guxue, so it was not a big deal.

The King smiled and waved his hand, “The child is innocent and lovely. Why would there be a need for forgiveness? Envoys have traveled from afar, and I only hope all guests feel at home.”

Qiao Zhongguo stood up to lead Qiao Jiaojiao forward, and Meng Guxue sat down next to Baili Chengyou.

Baili Chengyou glanced sideways at Meng Guxue and lightly squeezed her hand under the table.

Meng Guxue was unsure of his intentions but hesitated for a moment before lightly squeezing back.

Perhaps he was greeting her…

She needed to find an opportunity soon to tell him about what the King Wife had revealed earlier!

Meanwhile, Qiao Jiaojiao listened to the King’s diplomatic pleasantries while discreetly observing everyone present in the hall.

Seated below the King were the three princes, and opposite them were the envoys from the Northern Kingdom, led by the familiar figure of Che Hebi!

Qiao Jiaojiao glanced at each Northern Kingdom envoy, thinking to herself:

[Shen Yuanbai and Yin Zhu must definitely be in contact with Che Hebi. I even suspect that Shen Yuanbai might be disguising himself among these Northern Kingdom envoys right now!]

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhongguo’s eyes flickered slightly. He had scrutinized them earlier but hadn’t noticed anything suspicious.

However, he had already memorized the faces of these people. If a stranger appeared next time, he would surely recognize them!

The topic in the hall then shifted to the King Wife. The King appeared grateful, especially towards Doctor Zou.

Doctor Zou stood up anxiously, repeatedly expressing his humility.

Qiao Jiaojiao now knew about the King Wife’s sleep. At this moment, she immediately looked at the King’s expression upon hearing Doctor Zou’s name.

Unfortunately, the King was a seasoned old fox. It was highly unlikely that she could glean any clues from his face.

Qiao Jiaojiao thought for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the Second Prince seated at the upper end of the table.

The Second Prince was tilting his head back, drinking from his cup of fine wine. From Qiao Jiaojiao’s angle, she could only see his resolute profile.

At that moment, the monarch clapped his hands, signaling the start of the lunch.

Soon, a continuous stream of delicacies was brought in, followed by dancers swaying their waists as they entered.

Qiao Jiaojiao felt her stomach growling, when suddenly a fragrant breeze wafted by her nose. It was a dancer in light attire who came forward to personally pour wine and serve.

Glancing over, Qiao Jiaojiao saw that the dancer was nearly leaning onto her father!

Qiao Jiaojiao: ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ

[Ah ah ah! Dad! Remember your integrity as a man!]

Qiao Zhongguo caught a strong scent of makeup, feeling uncomfortable all over. He quickly raised his hand to stop the dancer.

“No need for service here, please step aside.”

Qiao Jiaojiao nodded satisfactorily at his words, then turned to look at her elder brother.

[Oh!]

Qiao Jiaojiao: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Qiao Tianjing was handsome and extraordinary. With no little baby Qiao Jiaojiao to get in the way, two dancers on either side were practically sticking to him.

Qiao Tianjing kept a stern face and repeatedly declined their advances.

The monarch, seated at the head, couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene.

“There’s no need for such formality, both Mr. Qiaos.”

Qiao Tianjing was not one to play along, respectfully saying, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I’m not accustomed to being attended to. Please forgive me.”

Seeing Qiao Tianjing’s sincerity, the monarch smiled and waved his hand.

“It seems Mr. Qiao is already blessed with a good wife and concubines at home, hence he looks down on these trivial beauties. Very well, it’s hard to force someone against their will.”

The dancers were dismissed, and both Qiao Zhongguo and Qiao Tianjing breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, at ease…

Qiao Jiaojiao looked around and noticed that aside from the Second and Third Princes, even the monarch had two beauties leaning towards him.

She suddenly realized that she had almost forgotten about the style of Nanli Kingdom.

After all, even the “Elixir of Extreme Bliss” was prevalent here, becoming a means of entertainment for royalty and nobility. It was evident that they openly indulged in desires and pleasures.

Meng Guxue observed the extravagant scene before her, coldly snorting inwardly. After thinking it over, she used the cover of the jade table in front of her to sneakily pinch Baili Chengyou!

Humph, all these big pigs!

Baili Chengyou: ?

Why pinch him? He’s not interested in the dancers!

At this point, the behavior of the eldest prince was the most exaggerated.

He seemed unabashed in front of the monarch, with three dancers surrounding him—one pouring wine, another offering fruits, and another massaging his shoulders, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The monarch glanced over and merely smiled indulgently, showing no signs of reproach or displeasure.

In stark contrast, the Second Prince had no one around him at all. It seemed the dancers knew his boundaries well and dared not approach him.

Qiao Jiaojiao watched with great interest.

[These three princes of Nanli Kingdom have distinctly different personalities. The monarch openly favors the eldest prince more, yet secretly expresses interest in the third prince to the King Wife.]

[This time, it was clearly the King Wife and the Second Prince who were falsely accused together, yet the monarch took action against the King Wife, while the Second Prince walked away unscathed.]

[The intricacies here are truly deep and alarming…]