The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Even the usually calm and composed Deputy General Mei Ruhua was somewhat stunned. She tugged at Lord Sikong's sleeve and asked cautiously.

Sikong Jin smiled slightly. "Prince Duan, Lord Xingqi Tian, ​​is the Emperor's only younger brother. He enjoys almost the same treatment and power as the Emperor. How could his residence be shabby? Look at that sharp sword on the sword rack to your left. That was a precious sword worn by Qin Shi Huang when he founded the Qin Dynasty hundreds of years ago. Its value is almost immeasurable."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Meng Benbo's eyes widened, his mouth agape in shock. "Wow! My lord! If you marry the Ninth Princess, wouldn't you be hitting the jackpot? My lord, could you perhaps give me that vase as a gift? My request isn't too much, is it?"

"My lord, have you noticed that the maids and servants of the Prince Duan's residence are much prettier than those of our Sikong's residence? They are all very polite! Look, that girl in the yellow dress who just walked by, yes, that's her, that's her. She just smiled at me. Did you see Vice General Mei? My lord? Did you see her?"

"Oh, these maids and servants are used to seeing princes and nobles, so they'll be very happy to have some fresh wild game once in a while."

Sikong Jin responded softly.

"Lord Sikong, please have some tea, gentlemen!"

A beautiful maidservant came up with a cup of fragrant tea and smiled. Sikong Jin smiled and nodded, gently took the tea, and leisurely took a sip. Mei Ruhua and Meng Benbo also put down the gifts they were holding and then sat down as if to enjoy the tea.

A moment later, footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Prince Duan, Lord Xingqitian, entered with an air of noble elegance. A faint smile graced his gentle and handsome face, his gaze was soft, and his demeanor was graceful.

As soon as he entered, Lady Sikong and the other two felt as if their eyes had been instantly embraced by warm sunshine. She paused for a moment before rising and respectfully bowing to Xing Qitian.

"Sikong Jin greets Your Excellency!"

Lord Yukichi waved his hand, his deep voice filled with warm concern, "Asuhime, you don't need to be so polite. Have you been settling in well at the Ministry of War these past two days?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I have already adapted."

Xingqi Tian nodded, his gentle gaze sweeping over Meng Benbo and Mei Ruhua, who were still standing there dumbfounded, and smiled, "These two must be your capable assistants, Vice General Mei and Vice General Meng, right?"

"Yes, my lord!"

Sikong Jin responded, then kicked the two men. They then realized what was happening and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "This humble general, Meng Benbo (Mei Ruhua), greets Your Excellency!"

"My lord, this is a small gift from my master. Please accept it!"

“Ah Jin, you don’t need to be so formal with us.” Xing Qitian smiled, raised his hand, and the guard beside him immediately stepped forward to accept the gift. “Come on, let’s go inside and talk. The food and wine are all prepared, and I’ll also introduce you to a few esteemed officials.”

"Yes, my lord!"

Sikong Jin followed Xing Qitian into the inner hall. Just as they reached the door, they heard laughter and cheerful conversation coming from inside.

Sikong Jin looked up and glanced inside. It seemed that everyone inside was a high-ranking official from the Zhongzhou Society or the imperial court, such as Ji Jiucheng, the Grand Commander of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Zhang Minghui, the Minister of War whom she had met at Hilton last time, Meng Yi, the Grand Commander of the General Affairs Department of the Zhongzhou Society, and two other officials who looked somewhat familiar. After Xing Qitian introduced them, Sikong Jin realized that one of them was Feng Lie, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and the other was Han Yang, the General of the Northwest Road Army.

Sikong Jin suddenly understood the significance of tonight's meal. These people all held important positions in the court, and Lord Xingqi Tian was clearly paving the way for her.

Could it be that he really intends to marry the Ninth Princess to her like this?

Considering her current situation, and the fact that he could still treat her this way, Sikong Jin couldn't help but feel inexplicably moved. She had almost never felt this way in her two lifetimes.

"Sikong Jin greets both of you!"

Sikong Jin bowed sincerely.

"Hey, Lao Qi, you really have a good eye! Such a handsome young man, he looks very energetic!"

"Good lad, he looks a bit like that guy Sikong Qi, not bad, not bad!"

"Looks like you'll be a grandfather in less than a year. What a blessing!"

"I'm aiming for two babies this year!"

"Little one, work hard! The Ninth Princess is a great beauty..."

Xing Qitian patted Sikong Jin on the shoulder, gesturing for her to sit down, and then turned to the few teasing old men, laughing, "You old scoundrels, acting so improperly and flirting with the younger generation, have you no shame?"

"Come on, what's the point of saving face these days? If you had any self-respect, would you be able to hold your grandson?"

Sikong Jin could only smile awkwardly. Regardless of her pride, she couldn't possibly let Xing Qitian have his grandson as he wished...

The so-called banquet was just everyone drinking and chatting together, talking about recent events in the court or the capital. Sikong Jin found that these high-ranking people did not seem to have the airs they were rumored to have. Instead, they were all like bandits from the mountains, talking, drinking, and swearing all the time. Only Lord Xingqi Tian and Minister of War Zhang Minghui maintained the good manners of officials.

After drinking quite a bit of wine, Sikong Jin felt a little dizzy, so she made an excuse to slip away and found a place under the long corridor in the outer courtyard to sit down, feel the breeze, and sober up.

However, just as Sikong Jin sat down on the steps, she vaguely smelled a faint fragrance wafting in from the cool breeze. She shook her head and was about to turn her head when a pale blue light swept past her eyes, and a cup of tea appeared in front of her.

The delicate aroma of tea instantly sobered her up. She subconsciously looked up and was met with a stunningly beautiful face...

Noble and reserved, elegant as a lotus.

"Father shouldn't have let you drink so much wine. Have a cup of tea to calm down."

Xing Fuhua smiled faintly, looked at the stunned Sikong Jin, and said softly.

"You are the Ninth Princess, Xing Fuhua?"

Sikong Jin stared wide-eyed and exclaimed in surprise as she took the tea from her hand.

Xing Fuhua lifted her skirt and sat down next to Sikong Jin. She smiled but didn't answer. She rested her chin on her hands and looked at Sikong Jin with her head tilted to the side. Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, which made Sikong Jin's heart skip a beat for no reason.

After a long while, Sikong Jin coughed a few times, shifted her body slightly, and created some distance between herself and him. "I'm so sorry, it's been so long since I got back before I came to see you."

"Hmph, you wouldn't have come if Father hadn't sent you an invitation."

Xing Fuhua complained with some dissatisfaction, and there was even a hint of grievance in her eyes.