Ji Zhen shook her head in her heart, her eyes swept over Li Yuanying who was sitting below Li Yuanzhen and drinking happily, and secretly complained:

This Princess Royal probably doesn't know that her good third sister Li Yuanying has already established contact with the people of Yan.

As for the Northern Di and Western Rong, they dared not show their heads because she was in charge of the northwest. Now that the empress has detained her in the capital, and the recruitment of soldiers in the northwest is progressing slowly, I am afraid that those guys have been ready to make a move.

And what can this beloved Beidi husband beside her bring to her?

Ji Zhen sneered silently, pulled the corner of his mouth, and bowed respectfully to Li Yuanzhen:

"Wei Chen dare not."

"Ji Zhen!"

Li Yuanzhen's voice was a little louder, attracting the attention of Li Yuanying who was standing beside her.

"What's wrong with you, sister? Is it because Qingyan's food and wine are not good and not to your liking?"

Li Yuanying filled another glass for herself, took a sip, and raised her glass to Ji Zhen with a smile, saying:

"Qingyan, you usually look like a wooden man, who only knows how to fight and kill, but I didn't expect you to know how to enjoy life! I like this waterside pavilion and this wine! It would be even better if it could be accompanied by beautiful women and music to liven up the atmosphere!"

Ji Zhen raised his eyebrows, picked up his wine cup, drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, and said with a smile:

"How not?"

After that, he raised his hand and clapped three times, called the servants, and whispered something. Soon, a huge stage rose in the middle of the three waterside pavilions. When the water was drained, twenty men in white robes and red armor, holding long swords and holding red silk, descended from the sky, stunned all the guests.

The sound of drums and music suddenly rose, and the men on the stage began to dance to the music. The long swords in their hands gently twisted and plucked, creating sword shadows that formed pairs on the vast lake.

Li Yuanzhen recognized Jiang Yan on the stage and his expression became even uglier.

"Ji Zhen! You actually used the people I gave you to entertain the officials?"

Ji Zhen burst out laughing as if he had heard something funny, and slowly poured himself another glass of wine, and said to Li Yuanzhen:

"In ancient times, Lao Laizi dressed in colorful clothes to entertain his parents. Now, I, Ji Zhen, have ordered the people sent by Your Highness to perform dances to entertain Your Highness. How come Your Highness doesn't like it?"

After saying that, Ji Zhen leaned forward slightly, approached Li Yuanzhen, lowered her voice and chuckled:

"Your Highness is really discerning. If one does not have a solid foundation in swordsmanship, one may not be able to perform the sword dance I taught him even after three to five years of study. But the men Your Highness selected are different. Within three days, they have all learned it well, which shows how profound their skills are."

When Ji Zhen said this, Li Yuanzhen's face was already very ugly. She glanced coldly at Ji Zhen's drunken face and said:

"Qingyan, you only need to keep them in your house for ten days. After ten days, send them to the hands of the little princess of Zhao State, and you will have nothing to do with them. For the sake of your life, I hope you will not pry into things you should not know."

Li Yuanzhen's words were full of warnings, but unexpectedly, Ji Zhen raised her hand, as if she didn't hear her words, drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, then gently put the wine glass on the table, turned sideways, and bowed to Li Yuanzhen with extreme respect and obedience:

"Your Highness is right. Even so, after sending these twenty people away in ten days, I will return to the northwest. Your Majesty still hopes that Your Highness will help me."

"You want to go back to the Northwest? No." Li Yuanzhen blurted out.

"Why?"

Ji Zhen drank a few glasses of wine, and her face turned light pink, looking very bright and beautiful. She tilted her head and whispered in Li Yuanzhen's ear:

"Your Highness asked me to send 20 assassins to the little princess of Yan State, and you won't let me escape. Are you planning to use me as a scapegoat after you dirty your hands for your Highness?"

Li Yuanzhen frowned slightly, looked at Ji Zhen thoughtfully and said softly:

"You know it all?"

Ji Zhen sat up straight under Li Yuanzhen's gaze and sneered:

"Your Highness, if you have nothing to do, you should come to the palace more often, so as not to be misled by villains and believe the rumors outside the palace. I am not an impatient fool like Your Highness Xian Yao."

Li Yuanying, who was absorbed in the beauty on the stage, didn't hear anything else, but heard Ji Zhen faintly say the word "fool". She immediately felt that Ji Zhen was scolding her, turned her head and glared at Ji Zhen, cursing:

"Ji Zhen, what bad things are you saying about me secretly? Don't think I can't hear you!"

Ji Zhen smiled and curled his eyes, then stood up with the wine cup in hand, beckoned to the attendants to continue serving wine, and then said to Li Yuanying:

"Why would I scold you for no reason? I just want them to bring more wine so that you can enjoy it."

After that, he picked up the white jade wine pot, filled his own wine cup, walked to Lu Ziyan's side, glanced at Li Yuanzhen, and said slowly:

"I can't drink much. If I drink with Master Lu, I'm afraid I'll get drunk and won't be able to find my way home. I can only drink three cups with you. I hope Master Lu will forgive me."

Li Yuanzhen thought Ji Zhen was just playing dumb because of the alcohol, and she was a little angry, frowning. Just when she was about to get angry, she saw Lu Ziyan raising his glass to Ji Zhen and said only one word:

"please."

The voice was completely different from his appearance, even a little rough. Ji Zhen raised his eyebrows and glanced at him. Their eyes met in the air. Ji Zhen narrowed his eyes, raised his hand slightly, and drank three glasses of wine.

With a bang, she turned the wine glass upside down on the table and looked at Lu Ziyan deeply. Lu Ziyan's blue eyes had been staring at Ji Zhen from a while ago. His cold gaze, like a polished gem, passed over Ji Zhen's face inch by inch, and then fell from her slender and fragile neck into her unobservable neckline.

Ji Zhen felt as if she was licked by a poisonous snake. She shuddered for no reason and was the first to look away.

She stood up, excused herself to the guests at the table, and left, holding a new wine cup to go to the next pavilion to toast.

When Ji Zhen came to the waterside pavilion where Zhao Youqing was holding a wine cup, two red clouds had already appeared on her face, and she looked extremely bright and beautiful.

The people sitting in the pavilion were all officials who came with the princes and nobles, both men and women. Since they were all officials in the court, there was no distinction between men and women, but only according to the size of their official positions and the order of seniority, they were seated at tables.

Ji Zhen held a wine glass, stood only an arm's length away from Zhao Youqing, and said to everyone:

"Thank you for your hard work. Today's banquet follows the rules of the capital and lasts for three consecutive days. Please enjoy yourself and don't be restrained. Please!"

After saying that, he was the first to drink a glass.

The officials were a little reserved at first, but seeing Ji Zhen toast so readily, they also let go and took turns toasting with her. When they finished drinking, only Zhao Youqing had not toasted yet, Ji Zhen walked towards him, raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Why, Master Keqing doesn't drink, do you think the wine in my house is not to your liking?"

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