A life of ups and downs is pure joy

Chapter 286 Hongmen Banquet?

Su Jin sat upright on the main seat in the front hall of the palace, her beautiful eyes slightly fixed, quietly watching a group of people slowly walking towards her.

As they gradually approached, Su Jin couldn't help showing surprise, and his eyes subconsciously turned to Gong Kou Shi who had stood up beside him to greet the guests.

It turned out that the guest Gong Kou Shi had been talking about all day was actually the Sixth Prince of Dasheng! Among those who came with the Sixth Prince, besides the famous young master of the Xiao family, there were also several unfamiliar faces.

What exactly are these strangers? Su Jin wondered in her heart.

All I heard was Gong Kou Shi speaking in a low but powerful voice.

"Your Highness the Sixth Prince has arrived. I am truly sorry for not welcoming you."

Su Jin listened carefully to the voice and found that compared with the usual conversations with her, not only was the volume much higher, but the tone also seemed stronger and more powerful.

This difference made Su Jin curious, and she couldn't help but stand up, wanting to get a good look at the group of uninvited guests in front of her.

After Ning Sijue greeted Gong Kou Shi with a smile, he suddenly set his eyes on Su Jin who was standing behind Gong Kou Shi.

The woman in gorgeous clothes and dignified manners turned out to be Empress Zhuang who was supposed to be in the palace!

The smile on Ning Sijue's face froze in an instant, and a strange look flashed across his eyes like lightning, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Isn't this Madam Zhuang?"

Xiao Fan looked at the woman walking slowly towards him from a distance and couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

Ning Sijue's eyes were fixed on the woman, as if he wanted to see her true identity through her appearance.

"Mrs. Zhuang?"

Gong Kou Shi, who was standing by, heard Xiao Fan's whisper and turned her head curiously, while at the same time casting her gaze at Su Jin, who also had a bewildered look on her face.

"She is not some queen, but a first-rank princess of the Great Yan Kingdom, with the title Jianing."

Gong Kou Shi smiled and said.

Su Jin nodded instinctively at first, but soon as if hit by something, a look of realization and embarrassment appeared on his face.

Indeed, she is not a queen yet, just a princess.

At this moment, Lin Mo, who was standing not far away, was shocked when he heard everyone mention the three words "Empress Zhuang".

She quickly opened her eyes wide and shot straight at the strange woman like two bolts of lightning.

Then he began to examine the other person carefully from head to toe. The more he looked, the more he felt that the woman's figure was extremely similar to his sister Lin Qinghuan, as if they were carved from the same mold.

However, when her eyes moved to the woman's face, she found that there was no connection between the two.

As Su Jin gradually walked towards them.

Upon seeing this, several people quickly calmed down, walked forward, and respectfully bowed and greeted the woman.

After the ceremony, Lin Mo's gaze involuntarily fell on the birth flower on the woman's forehead again.

Suddenly, her face turned pale, and her hand subconsciously clenched tightly around Xiao Qiannan's hand.

"Ouch!"

Xiao Qiannan, who was concentrating on observing Su Jin, suddenly felt a powerful force coming from her hand. She frowned in pain, raised her head and looked at Lin Mo with a puzzled look on her face, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Although she also felt that the princess's figure was very similar to that of her deceased sister-in-law, her face was not as pretty as her sister-in-law's.

After all, there are many people with similar body shapes in the world, so there is nothing strange about it.

Lin Mo frowned slightly, shook his head slowly at her thoughtfully, and then sat down gracefully with Xiao Qiannan.

The two of them also had a tacit understanding and no longer communicated with each other about Lin Mo's strange behavior just now.

Su Jin, who was sitting on the side, looked at the two women sitting below with a seemingly nonchalant look.

Her eyes first lingered briefly on the young and lively one, and then fell more on the older woman who kept frowning as if she was in deep thought.

Somehow, when Su Jin saw this woman, a strange and indescribable feeling arose in his heart.

At this moment, Lady Feng's song ended, and the lingering sound made people intoxicated.

Then, Gong Kou Shi, with a smile on her face, lightly raised the exquisite cup in her hand and gestured to Ning Si Jue who was standing opposite her. Ning Si Jue saw this and quickly raised the glass in front of him, and the two of them lightly clinked their glasses in the air.

"Sixth Prince, I was busy with trivial matters at home recently and I really didn't take good care of you! Today, I specially held a banquet here to make amends. I will drink a glass of wine as a token of my apology."

Gong Kou Shi opened his red lips slightly, and after he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, showing his bold and unrestrained side.

When Ning Sijue heard this, he quickly responded with a smile.

"Your Highness, what are you talking about? Please don't be so formal."

After he finished speaking, he picked up the wine glass without hesitation and drank it all.

After drinking a glass of wine, Gong Kou Shi still had her signature smile on her face and continued to ask.

"That day, I heard you mentioned wanting to meet my royal brother. I wonder what that was for?"

Her eyes moved between Lin Mo and Xiao Qiannan, filled with complex emotions.

Ning Sijue smiled slightly and replied softly, "My young master, my two sisters have come from afar just to see an old friend and confide in him our longing for you."

His tone was gentle and his words were sincere.

"Sixth Prince, there's no one else here. If you really want to see my brother, and you can't be honest and tell me the truth right now, then this dinner party would be meaningless!"

After hearing this, Su Jin slowly raised his head and looked around at everyone present.

However, at this moment, she suddenly found that the older woman was still staring at her intently, so she raised the corners of her mouth slightly and showed a faint smile to her.

Xiao Fan on the side seemed a little anxious at the moment. He looked at Ning Sijue from time to time, thinking secretly in his heart how to deal with the current situation.

On the other side, Jia Xu was also feeling uneasy. He stared intently at the young prince who seemed to be able to see through everything and was sitting in the upper seat. There was even a layer of fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Finally, under the expectant gazes of everyone, Ning Sijue took a deep breath and stood up. He first bowed to the people around him, and then spoke with a serious expression.

"Now that the prince is so sincere, I will no longer hide it. I came to the palace to see him just to save one life."

As soon as the words fell, Xiao Qiannan, who had been listening with her ears perked up, couldn't wait to open her mouth to speak, but her action was stopped in time by Lin Mo beside her.

Lin Mo gently pulled Xiao Qiannan's sleeve and slowly shook his head at her, hinting to her with his eyes that it would be more appropriate to let the Sixth Prince handle this matter in person.

"Oh? To save someone? Could it be that someone else has committed a grave crime that requires my brother to pardon their crime?"

As Gong Kou Shi spoke, she cast a sharp, knife-like gaze directly at Lin Mo, who was staring at her. The cold, oppressive look instantly made the already nervous woman's heart tremble.

"Young Prince, your Majesty's medical skills are truly extraordinary, bringing people back to life with his miraculous hands! We have come all this way specifically to seek his help. Otherwise, why would my two sisters have traveled so far to come here?"

Ning Sijue explained the purpose of this trip to the young prince in front of him with a sincere face.

Gong Kou Shi nodded slightly, then said:

"Since that's the case, why not tell me in detail? You should know that our Great Yan Kingdom has countless famous doctors, such as the renowned Tang, Bu, and Tao families, all of whom are highly skilled in medicine."

"Oh, by the way, I wonder if there are any descendants of the Guan family, the once highly respected head of imperial physicians, still alive today. Perhaps they could be of help!"

Gong Kou Shi slowly looked at the older woman sitting below as she spoke word by word. Suddenly, the cup in Lin Mo's hand seemed to lose control and slipped from her hand involuntarily, falling on the table with a "bang". The wine in the cup that had not been finished yet splashed out instantly, wetting a large area of the table.

Lin Mo's face was full of horror. He suddenly raised his head and looked straight at Gong Kou Shi, as if he had heard some extremely terrible news.

Ning Sijue, who was unaware of the situation, continued speaking.

"Dayan does have many renowned doctors, and I'm well aware of that. However, the condition my patient suffers from is truly rare, and currently, only Your Majesty has the ability to cure it. That's why we're forced to trouble His Majesty time and time again."

Although Jia Xu, who was sitting opposite them, was usually careless, at this moment, he also keenly noticed that there seemed to be some deep meaning hidden in Gong Kou's words.

So he looked worriedly at his wife who was sitting opposite him, his eyes full of concern.

"Who is it that is sick? And what kind of strange disease is it? Perhaps I can help, so there is no need to trouble my royal brother."

Gong Kou Shi casually glanced at the spilled wine on Lin Mo's exquisite sandalwood table. The wine slowly flowed down the edge of the table, forming a small puddle on the ground. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly, revealing a playful smile.

"Young Prince, please, please let us go see our second brother... no, the Lord, okay? We really just want to seek medical help, we have absolutely no other intentions!"

At this moment, Xiao Qiannan, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly stood up anxiously, twisted his hands together unconsciously, and spoke in an earnest tone.

"It was indeed my reckless behavior that day that offended Your Highness. If you still hold a grudge against me, then punish me alone. Please bring Sister Mo to the palace to seek medical treatment!"

After saying that, her big watery eyes looked at Gong Kou Shi with anticipation, as if she would be able to breathe a sigh of relief as long as the other party nodded in agreement.

Gong Kou Shi stared quietly at Xiao Qiannan standing below, her eyes becoming a little blurry, as if through this slightly anxious woman in front of her, she saw the happy and carefree times when she had laughed and played with her royal brother.

Those beautiful images flooded her mind like a tide, making her feel a pang of sadness. These joys should have belonged to her.

Su Jin listened to their conversation silently and finally understood the whole story. It turned out that these people were so eager to see the Lord because they hoped that the Lord would help them.

Thinking of this, Su Jin thought to himself: No wonder, your Majesty's medical skills are unparalleled. If he had not become the emperor, he might have become a hermit doctor by now!

Su Jin saw that Gong Kou Shi remained silent and everyone was very anxious. He thought that she must be desperate and that was why she was begging in such a humble manner. He couldn't bear it and spoke.

"Your Majesty, the King has a kind and righteous heart. If he knew about this, he would definitely help these distinguished guests who have come from afar."

Ning Sijue heard the long-lost voice, the gentle and familiar tone. The knuckles of his fingers that were gripping the wine cup turned white from too much force, and the heart deep in his chest was about to burst with excitement.

Lin Mo covered his mouth in disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes uncontrollably. Jia Xu was so shocked that his forehead was covered in sweat. The Xiao brothers and sisters were also stunned.

Xiao Qiannan couldn't help but whisper "Sister-in-law."

However, Su Jin did not notice the reactions of the crowd. She just looked at Gong Kou Shi with anticipation.

"Sister, do you want me to help them?"

Gong Kou Shi glanced at everyone's reactions, then looked at Su Jin and asked.

"The prince will be marrying Princess Dasheng soon, which will mark the beginning of friendly relations between the two countries. If Your Majesty can also cure the relatives of this distinguished guest, wouldn't that be double joy?"

Su Jin guessed that since the legitimate prince of Dasheng Kingdom came to seek medical treatment in person, this patient must be a noble relative of the royal family.

"Sister has already interceded for you. If I still refuse, it would be too inhumane."

After Gong Kou Shi finished speaking, Ning Sijue and the others felt relieved. When they were about to express their gratitude, they saw the young prince continue speaking.

"However, since I have been so frank, I hope you will tell me the truth about who is suffering from what disease. Then I can take you to find my brother with peace of mind."

"My brother is seriously ill."

Ning Sijue thought for a moment and replied.

"The Sixth Prince's brother's brother, let me think about it. Now the Third and Fourth Princes are the only ones left. However, it is not reasonable for you to seek medical treatment for them both."

Gong Kou Shi paused, looked at the Xiao brothers and sisters again, and then grinned coldly.

"The Xiao family is so anxious. I guess the brother that the Sixth Prince mentioned is only one left. If my guess is correct, could the seriously ill person be Xiao Yi, the eldest son of the Xiao family?"

Xiao Fan looked at Ning Sijue uneasily, but saw that he was very calm and composed, smiled slightly, then nodded and said.

"The young prince is extremely intelligent, and we have nothing to hide."

Su Jin didn't know who they were talking about, but she saw the Xiao brothers and sisters looking at her strangely.

"What's wrong with him..."

"Sir...Sir...why are you here?"

As Gong Kou Shi finished speaking, she heard the panicked voices of Bu Ran and Chi Lian Snake coming from the main hall door, as well as the sound of broken cups and plates falling to the ground in panic all over the yard.

Then he saw Bu Ran open the door, and Gong Heyu, dressed in casual clothes, walked over the threshold, followed by Qi Ye.