General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

The spring banquet is held in the evening.

After their lunch break, the two of them took a carriage into the palace.

On the way, Shen Luo instructed Jiang Qiqi: "Now that you are the general's wife, many people may come to greet you in the palace. Don't be nervous. I will stand next to you and help you introduce them. If you feel uncomfortable, just stand next to me, smile and nod, and I will answer for you."

He knew she was clever and meticulous, sometimes even quicker-witted than him.

But after all, she was just an eighteen-year-old girl, and it would be difficult for her not to feel shy in such a high-ranking and influential setting.

Jiang Qiqi: He really is... I'm going to cry my eyes out.

In fact, she was mentally prepared that as the wife of the top military officer and a first-rank general, she would definitely have many wives and daughters of officials come to talk to her.

only--

She never expected there to be so many!

Because Nineteen had to be pushed in a wheelchair, Jiang Qiqi and her group walked very slowly. By the time they arrived at the palace where the banquet was being held, quite a few people had already arrived.

The Emperor and Empress had not yet arrived, and the ministers had not taken their seats; they were all gathered in small groups chatting.

Someone shouted, "The General Who Protects the Nation is here!"

The scene fell silent for a moment, and then Jiang Qiqi saw that the people looked like hungry wolves who had spotted meat, their eyes shining, and in the blink of an eye they all surrounded her.

The officials in the court maintained their airs and restrained themselves somewhat, not showing much flattery to Shen Luo, but Jiang Qiqi was in a much worse situation.

The officials' wives surrounded Jiang Qiqi, one holding her hand on the left and another tugging at her sleeve on the right. Judging from their posture, it was as if they wanted to devour her.

Jiang Qiqi felt that if that person were human, she would have passed away peacefully by now.

"Oh my, the General who protects the country has married such a beautiful bride. No wonder he kept her hidden so well. It's been half a month since the wedding, and we still haven't seen her." The noblewoman on the left, who was holding Jiang Qiqi's hand, spoke first, her words full of praise.

Shen Luo smiled and said to Jiang Qiqi, "This is the wife of Minister Li of the Ministry of Works."

Lord Li stepped forward at the opportune moment: "This humble official and my wife greet the General's wife."

Jiang Qiqi returned the greeting, secretly noting that the tall, thin, beardless civil official was Lord Li, and the plump, loud-voiced man was Madam Li.

Another woman, who looked much younger, spoke up: "The general's wife looks to be about my age. Why don't we sit together?"

This person looks gentle and kind, but speaks with a strong Northeastern accent.

A man next to her immediately interrupted her: "What nonsense are you talking about? The general's wife will definitely be sitting with the general."

The man clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Luo: "General, my wife speaks without thinking, please don't take offense."

Shen Luo waved his hand: "General Liu is fine."

"Seven Seven, this is General Liu, the commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital."

The tall, bearded man is General Liu, and the woman next to him, who looks to be about the same age as her, is a tall, thin, and very capable woman from Northeast China; that is Madam Liu.

The group continued talking, each taking turns offering their opinions.

Shen Luo also introduced the guests to Jiang Qiqi one by one.

Time passed by, and almost all the dishes for the banquet were served.

A eunuch came and greeted everyone: "Gentlemen, please take your seats." The group then dispersed.

Shen Luo and Jiang Qiqi sat in the second row, led by a young eunuch.

It goes without saying that the first row is for the princes.

"By the way, Shen Luo." After settling down, Jiang Qiqi finally had a chance to speak. She leaned close to Shen Luo's ear and whispered, "Where is our country's prime minister?"

It is highly illogical that such an important person as the Prime Minister was neither mentioned by Shen Luo nor seen attending today's banquet.

She clearly remembered reading in a book that there was a prime minister in Nanyue.

Shen Luo sat upright listening to Jiang Qiqi's questions, the warm breath of Jiang Qiqi occasionally brushing past his ear.

……

Jiang Qiqi: "Your ears are red, are you drunk?" With this level of alcohol tolerance, you could kill fish with thirst.

"Ahem," Shen Luo coughed lightly twice, stammering to cover it up, "No, it seems a bit hot in this hall."

Before she could react, he quickly answered her question: "Prime Minister Lü has fallen ill and has not attended court for several months."

"Several months? Hasn't another prime minister been appointed?" Jiang Qiqi was well-versed in history and knew how important the position of prime minister was.

The title of "Executive Vice Emperor" is no joke.

Shen Luo gently shook his head and said softly, "The current emperor and Prime Minister Lü grew up together and ruled the country together for decades, so their relationship is very deep. Therefore, no matter what the ministers in the court suggest, the emperor is unwilling to reappoint a prime minister, even temporarily."

No wonder everyone is surrounding General Shen Luo; it turns out the head of the civil officials is absent.

"What illness does the Prime Minister have?"

"I don't know. I heard it's a strange illness. He was fine when he went to court that day, but after returning home, he suddenly cried out in pain, collapsed, convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and then fell into a coma. Many doctors have seen him, but the diagnosis is that he is not in danger of dying, but there is no way to wake him up."

Judging from his condition, is he in a vegetative state?

Jiang Qiqi seemed to be deep in thought, and Shen Luo secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had successfully diverted her attention.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the banquet hall: "The Second Prince and the Third Prince have arrived."

Everyone stood up to bow, and Jiang Qiqi also stood up, but Shen Luo, who had difficulty walking, remained in a wheelchair.

The second prince, Chen Chengwu, attended the banquet with his princess consort, while the third prince, Chen Chengfeng, came alone.

The two greeted the adults along the way, appearing both warm and friendly, but everyone present knew that it was only an appearance.

The second prince and his wife were the first to arrive at Shen Luo's table.

The Second Prince spoke up: "I haven't had a chance to congratulate the General on his wedding yet. My father had some business to attend to those few days, so I was unable to attend the General's wedding, which is a great pity. However, I heard that the scene was very lively."

Shen Luo smiled slightly: "Thank you, Your Highness. Thanks to the Emperor, the wedding went very smoothly."

Chen Chengwu smiled and said, "That's good. The flower festival is in a few days. Yu'er said she wants to invite some officials' wives to the Second Prince's residence to enjoy the flowers. If the General is willing, why not let the General's wife come and support us as well?"

Yu'er is the nickname of the Second Prince's wife.

As a prince, his words were humble enough, and his posture was low enough. If an ordinary person heard this, they would definitely be flattered and quickly agree.

But Shen Luo is no ordinary person.

He didn't rush to answer, but turned to look at Jiang Qiqi: "You heard what Your Highness said, what do you think?"

Even in this situation, he still left the choice to her.

"His Highness's personal invitation is an immense honor; how could I refuse?" Jiang Qiqi agreed. She knew this day would come sooner or later, after all, she was the General's wife.

Having spent so long in the general's mansion, it's normal for him to help with some social obligations.

Sigh, as expected, no meal is eaten for nothing.

Chen Chengwu glanced at Shen Luo, then at Jiang Qiqi beside him, and suddenly smiled: "Then in a few days, I will send someone to deliver the invitation to the General's Mansion."

I got the answer I wanted, and also had an unexpected bonus.

The second prince did not linger for further pleasantries and led his princess to their seats.

At this moment, the Third Prince also arrived in front of Shen Luo.

"Is the general's leg any better?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but my leg is still the same as before." Shen Luo calmly deflected the question.

The Third Prince looked at his legs with a sorrowful expression: "General, you are a pillar of the nation. Now that both your legs are injured, it is truly a tragedy that the heavens are jealous of your talent. It is a great misfortune for our Nanyue."

Then, he changed the subject: "I just found a great doctor the other day. If you trust him, I'll have him take a look at your leg."

Shen Luo seemed to have expected this, and replied with a calm expression, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I have seen many doctors about my leg, and they all said there is no possibility of recovery. I have already given up, so Your Highness need not worry about it."

Jiang Qiqi noticed that the Third Prince frowned almost imperceptibly, the frown vanished in an instant, and then he blinked again and his expression of regret returned.

"Since that's the case, then this prince will not insist. This must be the general's wife whom Father Emperor has betrothed to."

Chen Chengfeng glanced at Jiang Qiqi beside him and suddenly froze, as if he had been frozen in place.