The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 885 - 769, Why Is Everyone Here?

In the banquet hall, Madam Li saw that Prince Ping and the Empress Dowager had already taken their seats and started eating, yet Daohua was nowhere to be seen. Her heart immediately sank, and she whispered to Ping Tong, "Go quickly and tell the third and fourth masters that the Empress Dowager just summoned the eldest miss. They must hurry and find Yeyang."

Ping Tong nodded and quickly made her way towards where the men were seated.

Xiao Yeyang, who was perfunctorily conversing with a few royal relatives, saw the anxious expressions on Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai as they approached and immediately furrowed his brows, "What’s happened?"

Yan Wentao glanced at the Empress Dowager and Prince Ping before responding quietly, "Before the banquet started, your father summoned big sister, and she hasn’t arrived yet."

Xiao Yeyang’s gaze instantly turned cold, and after looking at Deyou, who received the cue and quickly left, he finally spoke, "I understand. You two go down first and wait for my message." With that, he rose and headed toward Prince Ping.

"Father, did you just summon Yiyi?"

Prince Ping, filled with dissatisfaction, retorted bluntly, "Yes, can’t I summon her?"

Xiao Yeyang struggled to suppress his anger, "Yiyi hasn’t arrived yet. Where did you send her? I’ll go and fetch her."

Prince Ping paused, his expression faltering as he glanced quickly towards where the Yan family women were seated, "The Yan girl hasn’t arrived? It should be on the way, the Empress Dowager has already sent a palace maid to call her."

Xiao Yeyang really wanted to shout at his own father and ask if he had lost his mind. The Jiang family clearly harbored ill intentions towards Yiyi, so how could he entrust the Empress Dowager with the task of summoning Yiyi?

Realizing the worry in Xiao Yeyang’s eyes, Prince Ping thought for a moment and said, "Huai En is there." He was also on guard against the Jiang family; when the Empress Dowager mentioned wanting to see the Yan girl, he immediately had Huai En go personally to fetch her.

With Huai En present, he did not believe anyone would dare to trouble the Yan girl.

"What’s wrong with Yeyang?"

Just at that moment, the Empress Dowager suddenly spoke up.

Instantly, everyone around looked towards Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang glanced at the Empress Dowager and was about to speak when Prince Ping stood up, smiling and asking, "Mother, didn’t you send someone to call for the Yan girl? Why hasn’t she arrived yet?"

The Empress Dowager glanced at Prince Ping and responded with a light smile, "Oh? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed. Perhaps she was delayed on the way. The Countess of Shengping is entering the palace for only the second time; perhaps she’s caught up admiring the beauty of the Imperial Palace and is lingering somewhere to enjoy the view."

As she spoke, she smiled.

"Look at how anxious you father and son are. She hasn’t even arrived at the door and you are already so protective. It seems the Countess of Shengping is indeed endearing."

Xiao Yeyang looked coldly at the self-indulgent Empress Dowager and turned his head to address the Emperor, "Uncle Emperor, Yiyi is unfamiliar with the palace; I will go now and look for her."

The Emperor, sitting in the seat of honor, swirled his wine cup, his gaze brushing past the Empress Dowager, and was about to speak when the Empress Dowager suddenly darkened her face.

With a cold stare at Xiao Yeyang, the Empress Dowager said sharply, "Yeyang, you seem so anxious. Could it be that you suspect I would mistreat your Countess of Shengping?"

Xiao Yeyang frowned, "Empress Dowager, I just don’t want the Countess of Shengping to miss the banquet."

"Hmph!"

The Empress Dowager scoffed, "Yeyang, I thought that as you grew up, you would no longer be as wild and rebellious as you were as a child. It turns out you have grown more capable, but your temperament is even more intractable than before."

"Do you still harbor loyalty, filial piety, propriety, and brotherhood in your heart, considering you question your grandmother for a woman’s sake? What position does the Empress Dowager hold, and what position does the Countess of Shengping hold?"

"Empress Dowager, your words are too severe!"

The Emperor interrupted the Empress Dowager, mouth curled a with slight smile, "Yeyang merely intends to look for the Yan girl; it is rather the Empress Dowager who is reacting excessively."

The Empress Dowager’s sudden challenge caught everyone off guard.

The Emperor’s overt protection also caused the atmosphere to stiffen somewhat.

The surrounding nobles and high-ranking officers all remained silent, not daring to make a sound.

Duke Cheng’en suddenly spoke, his face showing disapproval as he looked at Xiao Yeyang, "Today is the Empress Dowager’s birthday, and with the Xiliao Delegation present, everyone knows you care for Countess Shengping, Yeyang, but that’s no reason to dampen everyone’s spirits, and certainly not to let the people of Xiliao see Daxia as a joke."

Seeing the Jiang Family escalate the issue so dramatically, Xiao Yeyang had yet to respond when Prince Ping angrily interjected.

Prince Ping looked at Duke Cheng’en, "Duke Jiang, I don’t agree with your words. Yeyang just wants to find the Yan girl, doesn’t he? How is that as serious as you make it out to be?"

"This is clearly a small matter, yet you deliberately make it sound so grave. I find that you’re the one dampening everyone’s spirits!"

Duke Cheng’en clearly didn’t expect Prince Ping to be the one to counter him. He could leverage his status as an elder to scold Xiao Yeyang, but he couldn’t casually berate a prince.

"Enough!"

The Empress Dowager spoke again, "If we do not search for Countess Shengping, I fear that this birthday banquet cannot continue." Looking toward Xiao Yeyang, she said, "Yeyang, you want to find Countess Shengping, right? Very well, I will personally accompany you to look for her. Are you satisfied now?"

With those words, the Empress Dowager stood up before the Emperor and Xiao Yeyang could even speak.

"Let’s go, I will personally search for Countess Shengping."

The Emperor glanced at Wei Qi, who had quietly approached from behind, and upon seeing him give a barely perceptible nod, also stood up with a smile, "Since the Empress Dowager wishes to take everyone for a stroll around the Imperial Palace, I certainly must not miss out."

Looking toward the people in the great hall, he said,

"Alright, everyone stay seated no longer. Let’s all accompany the Empress Dowager for a walk."

The officials and their female relatives rose one after another, heads bowed in silence.

The Empress Dowager spoke of searching for Countess Shengping, while the Emperor spoke of accompanying her on a stroll around the palace; with the two highest dignitaries setting the stage, it was more than some could bear.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the Emperor, who had followed, a fleeting glimmer in her eyes, then allowed the palace maids to help her out of the hall. freēwēbnovel.com

Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows tightly and quickly followed them.

...

"Who is there?"

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor led the long procession of officials and female relatives toward Cining Palace.

As they passed by Chonghua Hall, they saw a eunuch running frantically ahead. A guard immediately sprang forward and caught him.

"What are you running for?" the Emperor asked in a gentle tone.

The eunuch was shaking all over with fear; the butler had told him someone would come, but never said it would be both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

"When the Emperor asks you, you must confess!" Princely Heir Jiang rebuked loudly.

The Emperor looked at him but remained silent.

The eunuch trembled as he pointed at Chonghua Hall, "Inside...someone is committing an indecency inside. I was scared... and that’s why I bumped into the Royal procession. Please, Your Majesty, spare my life."

At these words, everyone’s color changed.

Old Madam Yan and Madam Li turned pale, their legs weak. If not for Han Xinran and Yan Wenxiu firmly supporting them, they would have been unable to stand.

Xiao Yeyang felt as if he had been struck hard on the head; after a moment of stunned silence, he prepared to rush into Chonghua Hall without saying anything to the Emperor.

However, just as he took a step, cries of surprise came from behind.

"Why are there so many people here?"

Xiao Yeyang whirled around to see Daohua supporting Wang Manman, looking over at them with astonishment; his heart, which had just plummeted into hell a moment before, soared back up again.

However, for the Empress Dowager and the Jiang family, seeing the unharmed Daohua was a sight of disbelief.