The passers-by are vicious

"It's better to just take them as beauties. At least they won't get jealous and take it out on me."

Yuan Benchu ​​sighed and hung the flute back around his waist again, then waved his sleeves and walked towards the seat on the left closest to Yuan Xun.

During this time, he looked at Concubine Yu who was standing in the middle of the hall in a dance dress, and bowed to Yuan Xun.

"I haven't congratulated my brother on the birth of his son yet."

He just glanced vaguely at Jiang Wanwan who was sitting next to Yuan Xun and smiled meaningfully.

It seemed like a reminder or perhaps he was just happy for Yuan Xun.

Jiang Wanwan picked up the wine glass with a normal expression, and covered her lips slightly with her sleeves with a smile, then drank the glass of wine with coldness in her eyes.

Yuan Xun just raised his hand and his expression became slightly cold. He didn't look happy at all and didn't say anything.

He simply placed his hand on the back of Jiang Wanwan's hand on her leg and patted it gently, as if to comfort her.

Feeling the man's movements, Jiang Wanwan dodged his hand without leaving a trace, picked up the wine cup and poured herself a glass of wine.

While drinking, he hid his face with his sleeves and showed a sarcastic smile.

The Yuan family is really full of romantic people. She and Yuan Xun supported each other when they were young, but he was unwilling to give her a child.

If her late father had not been the former prime minister and her brother the minister of war, she would not have been able to hold on to her position as queen.

But it’s okay, it will be over soon...

She is still the queen.

Only Jiang Wanwan is worthy of being the queen of Northern Zhou.

Yuan Xun looked at the Jade Concubine who was still standing in the hall and had been ignored for a while, and asked casually: "You danced well, I will reward you with a plate of jade dumplings."

After saying that, she waved her hand and asked the eunuch to bring her the leek dumplings in the middle of the table.

It’s hard to say whether I care or not.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yu Fei was disappointed in her heart, but her face showed a slight smile of joy.

Is her dance only worth a dish?

Concubine Yu even began to doubt whether Yuan Xun really had feelings for her.

Halfway through the palace banquet, ministers sent gifts to celebrate the Second Prince.

His Majesty is the only son, so the gifts sent by the ministers are naturally extraordinary.

Concubine Yu held the Second Prince in her arms and coaxed him gently, her pretty face full of smiles.

Jiang Wanwan found it funny to see her smug look.

She didn't show any sign of it on her face, but instead appeared very happy, acting like a mother of a country.

"Your Majesty, Minister Jiang was out and couldn't come back in time for the banquet, so he asked me to deliver a gift to the Second Prince on his behalf."

Jiang Wanwan's brother Jiang Beichuan, the Minister of War, happened to go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors recently.

The petition for leave was approved by Yuan Xun, so he was not surprised.

"I thought about it and found nothing good to give, so I found a longevity lock from the storehouse and gave it to the Second Prince."

Her fair fingers lightly brushed across the gold and jade longevity lock wrapped in red cloth that Ke'er was holding in front of her, and her fingertips even paused slightly at the center of the lock.

Jiang Wanwan concealed her emotions, retracted her gaze, waved her hand and asked Ke'er to take it to Yufei.

Ke'er immediately brought the longevity lock to Concubine Yu, and before she even waited for Concubine Yu to refuse, she took it and put it around the Second Prince's neck.

"This..." Even though Concubine Yu was on guard, she couldn't take off the golden locket of longevity in front of everyone.

Yuan Xun naturally recognized the longevity lock. He pursed his lips and looked at Jiang Wanwan who looked lonely. He couldn't help but say: "Since the queen gave this lock to the second prince, then he should wear it carefully."

"Yes, thank you, Queen. I will make sure the Second Prince wears it at all times."

Even though she felt that Jiang Wanwan had ill intentions, since Yuan Xun had spoken, Concubine Yu had no choice but to let the Second Prince wear it even if she felt disgusted by the longevity lock.

"Speaking of which, the second prince hasn't been named yet. Your Majesty, why don't you give him a name today?"

Yuan Benchu, who was sitting at his seat drinking and watching the fun, occasionally glancing at the seats for the women who were raising their glasses and laughing, suddenly put down his glass and spoke.

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone present to hear.

Concubine Yu also quickly looked at Yuan Xun, as if she was expecting what name he would give their child.

"What the Qing King said is..."

Yuan Xun picked up the wine Jiang Wanwan poured for him without any emotion in his words. After drinking it all, he said, "Just call..."

Unfortunately, before the name was spoken, Yuan Xun's cold expression suddenly changed.

His throat moved slightly and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. Then he held the table to cover his mouth and sat on the throne with a swaying body.

The originally lively banquet suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at Yuan Xun in surprise.

"Your Majesty!" Jiang Wanwan reacted immediately and went to support Yuan Xun. Yuan Xun leaned his body into her arms, his hand tightly clasping her slender white wrist.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

The palace banquet immediately fell into chaos, and all the ministers and their wives stood up and stood there in panic.

Yuan Benchu ​​also stood up with a look of shock on his handsome face, and shouted sternly: "Hurry up and call the imperial physician!"

The imperial physician came hurriedly, examined Yuan Xun, and spoke in a deep voice while holding a silver needle.

"Your Majesty is poisoned!"

"What? Poisoned?" Many ministers looked at each other in shock and asked anxiously: "Quickly find out what the poison is!"

"Your Majesty has been poisoned by a chronic drug, and the poison has now taken effect." The imperial physician said solemnly.

Jiang Wanwan's face turned pale when she heard this, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "How is this possible? Your Majesty's diet and daily life are all taken care of by special people, how could he be poisoned?"

"Someone must have deliberately tried to murder Your Majesty at the banquet!"

Jiang Wanwan's voice was gentle but majestic. She glanced sharply at the many ministers present, including Concubine Yu, Shen Qingci, Concubine Li, Yuan Benchu ​​and others, with suspicion flashing in her eyes.

Everyone she looked at, whether ministers or concubines, seemed a little nervous and uneasy.

They waved their hands to indicate that they had nothing to do with the matter.

Concubine Yu was holding the Second Prince and was protected by palace maids. She looked nervous, with both worry and anticipation in her heart.

If Yuan Xun really died today, the Second Prince would be the most qualified candidate to succeed him.

Wouldn't she be the Queen Mother?

But Concubine Yu quickly calmed down and put away her joy. She was not stupid and naturally realized that if Yuan Xun really died today, then she and her son would be in danger as well.

After all, the second prince is just a baby now. How can he govern the country? Then the only candidate for the throne can be Prince Qing Yuan Benchu.

Some ministers also realized that something was wrong, and fearing that they would be implicated, they kept silent with a sullen face.

Only Yu Shuxin, who was protected in the arms of Yu's mother, was not panicked at all. The male protagonist could not die or lose.

Yuan Benchu ​​shook his head as if to sober up, and with his eyes half-closed and half-opened, he reminded casually, "Don't panic, sister-in-law. The person who poisoned me must still be at the banquet."

Jiang Wanwan immediately shouted, "Come here, no one attending the banquet today is allowed to leave the hall and must be inspected."

"Wow."

Following her order, a group of armored generals led their soldiers and quickly moved to surround the hall.

They blocked the door to make sure no one could leave.

Yuan Xun's personal eunuch Jiang Hai, who was also in a panic, saw that the generals and soldiers entering the palace were slightly unfamiliar and did not seem to be here to protect the Taiping Palace.

Jiang Hai, sensing something was wrong, looked at Jiang Wanwan, whose expression had begun to calm down.

Jiang Hai stepped back slightly, his figure slowly disappearing into the darkness.

He quietly took out a jade token from his arms, began to contact the secret guards hidden in the palace, and quickly sent a signal to notify the Royal Guards and others to lead their troops into the palace.

"Jiang Hai, what are you doing? As the eunuch of His Majesty, His Majesty is now unconscious and you are hiding behind him! Could it be that you are the one who murdered His Majesty?"

Jiang Wanwan suddenly raised her voice and pointed at Jiang Hai and questioned him.

Her eyes were full of suspicion and anger, and her pretty face turned slightly cold because of her cruelty.

Hearing Jiang Wanwan's accusation, all the ministers turned their eyes to Jiang Hai, with confusion and vigilance in their eyes.

Jiang Hai's face was pale, but he did not panic. Instead, he looked extremely calm.

He was just about to point out the real murderer who poisoned him...

Yuan Xun, who was leaning in Jiang Wanwan's arms, suddenly coughed a few times, slowly opened his eyes, and said weakly: "It can't be him..."

Everyone looked at Yuan Xun in surprise, with expressions of relief on their faces.

Their originally tense atmosphere was instantly eased, because the emperor's awakening meant that the situation had taken a turn for the better.

Jiang Wanwan's hand that was supporting Yuan Xun's shoulder paused slightly, and she glanced at Yuan Benchu ​​who was still drunk.

She buried her face in Yuan Xun's neck with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, you are finally awake. If something really happens to you, what should I do?"

Her voice was mournful, as if all the strength just now was just forced, and she was as gentle as she could be.

Yu Shuxin, who was standing among the female relatives, looked at Jiang Wanwan who was showing worry and thought that the queen's acting skills were really amazing. If she had not read the original novel, she might have been fooled by her.

Shen Qingci stood quietly in the ministers' team and watched the graceful and elegant performance of the queen.

Jiang Wanwan raised her eyes with tears in her eyes and stared fiercely at Concubine Yu who was holding the Second Prince and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Empress Yu, do you want to harm His Majesty? If His Majesty dies, the Second Prince you are with will be the only candidate to inherit the throne."

Concubine Li, who had been pretending not to exist, heard that her mortal enemy was under suspicion and immediately jumped out to agree, "The Queen is right, you are the most suspicious."

Concubine Yu quickly defended herself, "Your Majesty is wrongly accusing me. I am not that stupid. How can the Second Prince succeed to the throne when he is still an infant? If it is true, isn't Prince Qing the most suspicious?"

For a moment, all the ministers looked at Yuan Benchu ​​who was still drunk.

Even though he was suspected by everyone, Yuan Benchu ​​did not show any emotion. Instead, he burped slightly.

Just when everyone was in a stalemate.

"enough."

Yuan Xun, who was originally leaning in Jiang Wanwan's arms, spoke.

Thanks to the imperial physician's treatment, his handsome face looked pale but he seemed to be fine.

Yuan Xun coughed a few times, leaned on Jiang Wanwan's shoulder, and said sternly: "I'm not dead yet, why are you making a fuss here?"

Although Yuan Xun was weak, his obsidian eyes were cold and fierce, with a murderous aura.

The emperor's wrath made everyone kneel down immediately.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Jiang Wanwan's beautiful eyes were trembling with tears in her eyes, and she seemed to be frightened by Yuan Xun. She also wanted to kneel down but was held back by Yuan Xun.

Yu Shuxin, who was forced to kneel on the ground by Yu's father, suddenly stood up and pretended to be excited and shouted at Yuan Xun: "It was the Queen who poisoned me."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

All the ministers present were shocked and turned their eyes to Jiang Wanwan, whose face was filled with tears, with suspicion on their faces.

Yuan Xun looked at Yu Shuxin, his expression did not change at all, and said in a deep voice: "Do you know that slandering the mother of a country will result in capital punishment and exile?"

Yu Shuxin knelt on the ground with a pale face and a trembling voice, "This servant is not slandering the Queen. Before the banquet, this servant saw that the Queen and Prince Qing were conspiring to rebel."

"This...is impossible."

The ministers looked in disbelief at Jiang Wanwan, who still had tears on her face, and Yuan Benchu, who had just sobered up a little.

But he also felt that there was no need for Yu Shuxin to use such a thing to slander the Queen and Prince Qing.

Jiang Wanwan did not defend herself, but looked at Yu Shuxin with a slightly surprised expression.

Yuan Xun pursed his thin lips and looked at Yu Shuxin with a look full of the majesty of a superior.

"Do you have any evidence?"

Yu Shuxin said without hesitation: "The evidence is that the Minister of War did not go to worship the ancestors at all, but led his troops to wait outside the city. Now I'm afraid he has already led his troops to attack."

Just at this moment, there were messy footsteps outside the hall, and a tall man in armor walked in. He had thick eyebrows and a handsome face. It was Jiang Beichuan, the Minister of War who returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors.

"It's actually true."

When the ministers and their families saw Jiang Beichuan appear in armor, they immediately stepped back slightly.

Today is just a palace banquet. Even if Yuan Xun was really poisoned, Jiang Beichuan should not have led his troops into the palace wearing armor. There is no other possibility except treason.

Qing Wang Yuan Benchu ​​also looked like he was sobered up, and his handsome face looked at Jiang Beichuan in disbelief.

"Minister Jiang, could it be that what the Second Miss said is true?"

He doesn't look like he's conspiring with the Jiang family to rebel.

All the ministers were slightly confused.

"younger sister……."

Jiang Beichuan, wearing armor, gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist and took a few steps forward.

The ministers gathered together and stared at him vigilantly.

Because the people brought by Jiang Beichuan have completely surrounded the palace.

Jiang Wanwan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her expression instantly became cold, no longer looking sad and about to cry.

She mercilessly waved her sleeves to push away the emperor who was leaning on her shoulder, leaving him leaning weakly on the throne.

"It was you who poisoned me..."

Yuan Xun pursed his pale lips because of him, and looked at Jiang Wanwan who stood up with his deep black eyes.

It seemed that he was a little stubborn and wanted an answer.

Jiang Wanwan straightened her sleeves, raised her chin and looked at the pale Yuan Xun, and smiled with her red lips hooked, "So what if it's me."

Yuan Xun's eyes were slightly red, as if he had never thought that she could be so heartless to him.

Or maybe he had already noticed something at the party and was just deceiving himself not to think too much about it.

For example, when Yu Shuxin jumped out and said that it was Jiang Wanwan who poisoned him with the intention of treason, Yuan Xun's expression did not show the slightest surprise or anger, but rather calmness.

Yuan Xun actually knew it a long time ago.

How could the people in power who ruled the Northern Zhou Dynasty be fools if they could win the battle for the throne with other brothers?

He was just playing dumb to give Jiang Wanwan a chance to explain herself.

*

Jiang Beichuan, the Minister of War and the brother of Queen Jiang Wanwan, was a cannon fodder in the original novel. After his sister committed suicide, he also committed suicide.