The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

The East Hall was used exclusively for the rest of the court officials and their families. The hall was elegantly decorated and filled with the aroma of incense.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the nobles in the palace have their own exclusive lounge, which is decorated more luxuriously and exquisitely, and every detail shows their noble status.

At this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had elegantly taken his seat, followed by the Fifth Prince, and Princess Yuanqi also came slowly, holding the arm of a palace maid.

Only Princess Yuanyi caught a cold yesterday, so the Empress Dowager specially allowed her not to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet today and to rest in the palace.

As the banquet time approached, the ministers and their families took their seats one by one.

As the co-organizer of this Hundred Flowers Banquet, Yang Qi always stood in the most inconspicuous position in the corner of the hall, checking every detail with a keen eye - from the placement of the flower plates to the brightness of the candlesticks, everything was carefully examined by her.

Suddenly, bells and drums rang out from behind the hall. The melodious bell sounds and the majestic drum beats intertwined into a solemn movement.

"The Emperor has arrived--" This loud announcement resounded through the sky, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker slightly.

Everyone immediately knelt and bowed, even breathing became cautious.

A dazzling bright yellow slowly appeared from behind the hall. The corners of the black robe with gold edges shone coldly in the sun, and the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on the cuffs was lifelike, as if it would take off at any time.

The current emperor is over forty years old, with a face as dignified as a knife. The shallow wrinkles at the corners of his eyes make him look even more fierce. Wherever his eyes go, people will hold their breath and concentrate.

"Long live the emperor!" Amid the thunderous cheers of worship, the incense mist in the mouth of the bronze crane in front of the hall trembled.

Following closely behind was the empress in a bright red phoenix gown. She had her hair in a high bun, with a nine-phoenix hairpin holding pearls glittering in her hair. The golden tassels swayed gently with her steps, reflecting a dazzling brilliance in the sun.

Her face was dignified and solemn, her features were picturesque yet not at all weak, and her every move revealed the majesty of a mother of the country.

Concubine Hua was dressed in a gorgeous crimson purple dress, with her hair in an exquisite bun. A golden phoenix hairpin with a pearl in it was inserted diagonally in her hair, and her oriental pearl earrings made crisp clinking sounds as she walked.

She had an extremely gorgeous appearance, her eyebrows were as green as distant mountains, her lips were as red as a dot, and her eyes were lazily and charming, yet they also inadvertently revealed a hint of elusive sharpness.

The three supreme beings stepped onto the jade steps side by side, their bright yellow, red and crimson purple robes interweaving into a breathtaking picture in the sunlight.

The emperor glanced indifferently at the people in front of the hall, finally stopping for a moment on the prince and nodded slightly.

Although the queen maintained perfect posture, her fingertips tightened unconsciously.

Concubine Hua smiled gently, and when her eyes swept over the prince, the corners of her lips curled up in an almost imperceptible sneer.

Yang Qi stood in the corner of the hall and saluted with everyone else.

The Hundred Flowers Banquet was about to begin, and she had keenly sensed that an undercurrent of confrontation had quietly begun in the hall.

After the emperor and his two companions took their seats, the Hundred Flowers Banquet officially began.

The palace maids came in one after another, holding colorful flower plates in their hands and displaying them one by one.

As soon as the first batch of flower plates were removed, the emperor suddenly looked around the room with a sharp gaze and said in a loud voice: "Today is a banquet of hundreds of flowers, with all the flowers competing for beauty. It is truly a grand event for our dynasty to have you all gathered here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ze, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, suddenly left his seat and walked quickly to the center of the banquet.

Yang Qi's hands hidden in his sleeves suddenly tightened, and his knuckles turned white due to the force.

When the incident between Bai Qi and Nian Chuan happened, Yang Qi was not in the palace, and had never witnessed the changes in the court. But what he saw with his own eyes today was even more shocking than the rumors.

Yang Qi raised his eyes to look at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Queen. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still calmly sipping the wine. Noticing Yang Qi's worried look, he nodded slightly.

The Empress looked calm, as if she had expected all this. Only Concubine Hua had a fleeting glimpse of pride on her face.

Yang Ze knelt down and kowtowed, presenting a memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, the border of Xihu is in danger! We have lost two cities in a row, and the situation is precarious!"

Yang Ze's report was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, and the hall suddenly fell silent.

The Huo family army has been guarding Xihu for many years and has never lost the city even in the most difficult times. Now that the prince has just pacified Jiangnan and has no worries, how could he suddenly be defeated?

Everyone held their breath, all eyes fixed on the Emperor and the Crown Prince sitting on the throne.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face as calm as water, only his deep eyes were slightly narrowed. His sharp gaze seemed to be able to penetrate Yang Ze who was kneeling on the ground, and directly penetrate the battle situation on the border of Western Hu.

He slowly put down the jade cup in his hand, and the bottom of the cup touched the gilded tray, making a crisp sound that was particularly harsh in the silent hall.

"Xihu lost two cities in a row?" The emperor's voice was low and slow, but with unquestionable majesty, "When did it happen?"

Yang Ze rested his forehead on the ground, his voice respectful but with a hint of urgency: "Reporting to the emperor, I received an urgent report at midnight last night.

Thirty thousand cavalrymen from the Western Looting tribe raided our border fortress. General Huo led his troops to resist, but the enemy was so aggressive and—"He paused, as if he was considering his words, "and our army was short of food and grass supplies. "

As soon as these words were spoken, a low gasp was heard in the hall.

The Huo family army had dominated the Western Regions for decades, and had never suffered such a disastrous defeat. It was unbelievable that they were defeated due to a lack of food and grass.

The emperor tapped his knuckles lightly on the armrests of the dragon throne, the rhythm slow and powerful, as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, he looked up at the ministers, first at the Fifth Prince, then at the Crown Prince's calm face, and asked, "Does the Crown Prince have any ideas?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince slowly standing up, his robes fluttering and his expression calm. He looked firmly at the throne and said word by word: "The barbarians from the West have always been rampant, but I have not received any emergency news from the Western Hu. I hope my father will allow me to investigate this matter.

If the Western Barbarians dare to invade Tianyuan, I am willing to lead the army to fight and repel the enemy in one fell swoop, and restore peace to our border.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

The Fifth Prince's expression changed slightly, Princess Yuanqi clenched the fan in her hand, while Concubine Hua raised the corners of her lips slightly, and a meaningful smile flashed in her eyes.

Princess Cheng An looked at the dark figure in front of her and felt her breathing becoming more and more rapid, as if someone was strangling her throat, and even her heartbeat was disrupted.

Over the years, His Royal Highness has fought against the Western Barbarians several times, and each time he was defeated. Princess Cheng'an was not worried that His Royal Highness would be defeated on the battlefield - although the Western Barbarians' cavalry was fierce, they were no match for His Royal Highness.

She was just more and more captivated by the calmness with which His Highness went into battle, as if even the wind could not catch up with the corners of his clothes, and even time had stopped for him.