Inside the magnificent hall, there were numerous desks and cushions, and all the ministers and princes took their seats in turn.
The emperor had not arrived yet, and everyone in the palace was having a great time chatting with their acquaintances.
Pei Zheng was sitting leisurely at his desk. Qi Changyi stood up quietly, moved slowly to his side, and knelt down obediently.
Pei Zheng only needed to slightly turn sideways, and his tall figure could block Qi Changyi's body. From the opposite angle, only General Zhao Litang, who was sitting right in front of Pei Zheng, could see the movements of the two clearly.
Zhao Litang stared at Qi Changyi, who was kneeling beside Pei Zheng with his head lowered. The cup in his hand was suddenly crushed by him, and the wine in the cup exploded, mixing with blood and soaking his dark robe.
He seemed unaware and hid his hands under his wide sleeves.
Pei Zheng noticed the fiery gazes cast at him, but the little fool next to him kept his head down, as if avoiding something.
Qi Changyi's lowered eyebrows made Pei Zheng's eyes even colder. He deliberately moved closer to Qi Changyi and sniffed, then whispered in his ear, "Why does it smell so good? Did you put on rouge and powder?"
The face of the person in front of me is whiter and more flawless than before, and her lips are red and tender, tempting to pick.
"Apply, apply some."
Pei Zheng reached out and rubbed behind his ear, and sure enough, some white powder was left on his fingertips, causing the little guy to tremble.
"Why are you using women's stuff?" Pei Zheng glanced at the other side, "Who are you trying to dress up for?"
Qi Changyi didn't quite understand the sarcastic tone in Pei Zheng's voice. He raised his head with aggrieved look, and his eyes met with Zhao Litang who was standing opposite him.
The disbelief and grief in Zhao Litang's eyes made Qi Changyi want to lower his head again.
Pei Zheng directly put his hand on his chin, forcing him and Zhao Litang to look at each other. Qi Changyi's chin was already left with finger marks from being pinched, and now he felt the pain instantly, and his eyes were wet.
"What? The person you think about day and night is back, but you don't even want to take a look at him?" Pei Zheng's breath sprayed on Qi Changyi's cheek, but it was extremely cold.
Qi Changyi tried hard to turn away, but he couldn't break free from the restraints.
"Brother Pei..." he shouted with difficulty.
Pei Zheng snorted coldly and let go of his hand.
Qi Changyi quickly lowered his head, tears dripping onto his robe, and he quickly reached out to wipe them away.
The anger in Zhao Litang's eyes opposite him was about to burn over. Pei Zheng curled the corners of his lips in satisfaction and patted Qi Changyi's neat black hair.
"Your Highness, please take a seat as soon as possible. The Emperor will be here soon. If he sees you sitting so close to me, I'm afraid he will think too much."
As he was speaking, the eunuch chief Zhang Ying's soft voice sounded in a long drawl, "The Emperor has arrived, and the Empress has arrived."
Qi Changyi was so frightened that he quickly stood up, hunched over and quickly returned to his seat. As an unpopular prince with a very weak sense of existence, he was placed in a lonely corner far away from his heart.
His Highness and the others knelt in unison on the ground, bowing their heads in performance of the most respectful ceremony.
Qi Changyi just knelt down the moment the emperor stepped in, and his knees hit the ground heavily. He could only endure the severe pain and lie down to salute.
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
The emperor is over fifty years old and spoke in a gentle voice.
The banquet officially began at this time. The emperor asked some questions about the situation on the southwestern border. Zhao Litang stood up, walked to the center of the hall and knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, the southwestern barbarians recently launched a third large-scale invasion. Although they have been repelled by our army, this is not a long-term solution. I think we should take the initiative to attack and annihilate them in one fell swoop to prevent future troubles."
Just as he finished speaking, before the emperor could say anything, a voice rang out from below the seat.
"General Zhao is so arrogant. You want to annihilate them in one fell swoop?" Pei Zheng spoke coldly. He walked to the center of the hall, stood in front of Zhao Litang, and looked down at him.
"General Zhao, do you know how many people there are in the barbarian tribe? Do you think we should kill them all?"