The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 43

Chapter 043 The Woman in the Picture
At the banquet, many young ladies had been to the matriarch’s birthday banquet, and they had a good impression of Xiao Xiwei. As soon as she came, they began to chat and laugh kindly with her. On the other hand, Xiao Xile interrupted a few times, but the others seemed to not hear her. Her eyes turned red from anger, and she felt even more resentful when she looked at Xiao Xi Wei.

Xiao Xile looked sideways at Hong Xiu.

Hong Xiu nodded. She bent down and picked up the fruit wine on the table. Just as she was about to pour wine for Xiao Xile, she suddenly tilted her feet and poured it towards Xiao Xiwei. The fruit wine in the bottle inevitably spilled onto Xiao Xiwei’s skirt. Even her face inevitably touched a lot.

“Miss.” Hong Yu was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to help Xiao Xiwei up.

Hong Xiu got up in a panic and knelt on the ground with a face full of fear. Her eyes were red and she said with trembling shock, “Second Miss, forgive me, servant … I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Xiao Xi raised her eyes slightly to look at Xiao Xile. Her cold eyes were like the stars above her head, but they carried an inexplicable chill.

Xiao Xile’s heart trembled. She turned to look at Hong Xiu and scolded, “It’s fine if you’re usually impetuous, you don’t have to look at what day it is today. Fortunately, you bumped into Second Sister. Second Sister has always been the softest and kindest of sisters. She is sympathetic to the girl. She can’t even bear to say a heavy word. You should kowtow and thank her.”

“This servant thanks Second Miss for her kindness.” Sure enough, Hong Xiu kowtowed to Xiao Xiwei.

“Second sister, you can’t blame Hong Xiu, right?” Xiao Xile frowned slightly and looked at Xiao Xiwei worriedly, but her raised eyebrows betrayed her thoughts.

In front of so many people, she did not believe that Xiao Xiwei would dare to explode.

This master and servant chorused together, and their originally great sin was actually gently exposed by them in such a disturbance.

Xiao Xiwei looked at Xiao Xile and smiled sweetly, “How could it be? My sister knows me so well, so she must have known that I wouldn’t be angry with a girl early in the morning!”

As soon as Xiao Xiwei said those words, the madams at the banquet looked at Xiao Xile with subtle expressions.

At the matriarch’s birthday banquet, this Third Miss Xiao had repeatedly scolded her first sister. Now that something like this had happened, it was possible that Third Miss Xiao had deliberately instructed the girl to pour wine on her first sister to take revenge.

Xiao Xiwei only smiled faintly and casually took out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe off the wine stains on her face. Suddenly, she smelled a faint fragrance from the tip of her nose. Her eyebrows moved and she couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Xile. However, a trace of eager excitement flashed across Xiao Xile’s eyes. With a thought, she loosened her grip slightly and the handkerchief in her hand fell off.

As expected, a trace of regret and regret flashed through Xiao Xile’s eyes the moment the handkerchief fell.

Xiao Xiyang, who was sitting on the left, strode over with a heavy face. As he raised his hand and tugged at the corner of his clothes, he forcefully wiped off the wine stains on Xiao Xiwei’s face. He said gloomily, “You don’t have eyes, do you? If she came to hit you, you wouldn’t be able to hide!”

“Yes, yes, big brother, I know I was wrong. Please be gentle … My face is almost scratched by you.” Xiao Xiwei said while dodging.

Xiao Xiwei’s words caused many young ladies at the banquet to cover their mouths and giggle.

Xiao Xiyang shook his sleeves angrily, “I don’t mind you, but you think of me!”

“Young Master, let Miss change her clothes first.” Hong Yu said at the right time.

Hearing Hong Yu’s words, Xiao Xiyang waved his hand and said, “Go.”

“Miss, please follow this servant.” Immediately, a palace maid came to guide the way.

Looking at Xiao Xiwei’s back, Lin Yushi’s eyes suddenly moved. She waved her hand and whispered a few words to the girl behind her. Then, she continued to chat and laugh with the ladies at the table as if there was no one else.

Xiao Xiwei followed the palace maid through the imperial garden and turned left. After passing through the long corridor, he finally walked to a side hall and pushed open the door. “Miss, we’re here.”

Xiao Xi nodded slightly and walked in.

Although she had brought her spare clothes, she still placed them on the carriage outside the palace. This time, she brought only Hong Yu, a personal maid, with her because she had entered the palace. At this moment, she could only wait for Hong Yu to bring over the spare clothes, not knowing if she would be able to make it to the dinner party.

She lit a faint incense stick in the palace, and the fragrance was very familiar to her.

This was the usual submerged incense used in the palace. The fragrance was faint but lasting. In her previous life, her Phoenix Ceremony Hall had been burning this fragrance all day and night.

“Your Highness” The palace maid’s panicked voice suddenly came from outside.

Immediately after, the door was pushed open, and a long silhouette walked in. He was dressed in a light purple brocade robe, his eyes like an ancient well, and half a jade pendant tied to his waist.

“This official greets Your Highness.” Xiao Xi blessed her slightly.

Chu Yanzhi’s eyes tightened. Her clothes were clearly stained with wine, but she was not in a sorry state. On the contrary, the more she looked, the more beautiful and chaste she became, like a lotus flower that was not stained with mud.

“Do you know the purpose of today’s banquet?” Chu Yanzhi slowly said as he stared at Xiao Xiwei’s eyes.

Xiao Xiwei lowered his eyes slightly and said, “Forgive me for being stupid.”

“Have you thought of what I told you that day?”

Xiao Xi lowered her eyes slightly and did not say anything.

Chu Yanzhi looked at the quiet girl in front of him. The silver moonlight gently hit her face. Her face was as bright as the moonlight, as beautiful as a fairy walking out of the moonlight.

His cold heart didn’t move.

However, for a long time, there was no sound in the room.

Xiao Xiwei’s eyebrows unconsciously twisted.

Why isn’t Hong Yu back? If someone caught her in the same room as Chu Yanzhi, they wouldn’t know what kind of rumors would spread later. No, she needs to find a way out.

While she was pondering, Chu Yanzhi’s cold voice sounded.

“Rather than hiding from me, it’s better to think of a way to avoid Mother’s betrothal!”

Marriage?

Xiao Xiwei frowned and looked at Chu Yanzhi.

“Don’t worry, it’s not for me, but for the Crown Prince.” Chu Yanzhi looked at Xiao Xiwei with a cold smile on his lips.

The Marquis of Zhongyong held a heavy army in his hands, and this chess piece, the Crown Prince, would not let go no matter what.

“I think so. Compared to the Crown Prince’s position of power, I, the fourth prince who has no power or influence, am nothing.” A strange emotion flashed through Chu Yanzhi’s pitch-black eyes. After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

“Your Highness.” Xiao Xiwei hurriedly took two steps to summon that figure.

Chu Yanzhi stopped and turned to look at Xiao Xiwei. There was no expression on the corner, “What else is Second Miss doing?”

Xiao Xiwei’s long and slender eyelids slowly lowered, covering his pair of clear eyes like water. A layer of red light gradually dyed his sparkling white face. “Is what His Highness said that day still considered to be true?”

Chu Yanzhi’s cold heart was suddenly brushed past by a soft feather. An uncontrollable trace of surprise flashed across his eyes, but his expression was still exceptionally calm. “What did you say?”

Xiao Xiwei raised his eyebrows and smiled sweetly at Chu Yanzhi’s gaze. “I suddenly feel that your jade pendant is quite good.”

The corner of Chu Yanzhi’s lips moved, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his handsome face.

The door finally closed.

Xiao Xiwei looked at the jade pendant in his hand, his eyes unconsciously turning cold.

“Are you going to marry my Fourth Emperor Brother?” At this moment, a tender voice suddenly sounded in the room.

Xiao Xiwei was shocked, “Who?”

Suddenly, a round bottle of wine rolled out from under the bed. Then, a hand reached out.

Xiao Xiwei subconsciously took a few steps back, only to see a person emerge from under the bed. A pair of round eyes were embedded in his round face as he sized her up.

“Nine … Princess, why, why are you here?” Xiao Xiwei was both shocked and surprised.

In her previous life, when she first saw the Ninth Princess Chu Zuizhi, she also attended a banquet in the palace. She hid in the flowers and drank. She hugged her drunkenly and refused to let go. Just when she did not know what to do, Chu Xi, dressed in white, slowly walked over. It was the first time she met Chu Xizhi. She did not know his identity. It was not until she returned to the banquet that she learned that the white-clothed youth was actually the Seventh Prince whom the Son of Heaven trusted the most.

Chu Zuizhi twisted his body and discovered that he was stuck. “Isn’t it those palace maids who watch me not drink alcohol and eat snacks every day? My ears are bothered. No, I can only hide under the bed … Ah, wait, don’t do this. You can pull me out first …”

The Great Yue woman advocated slimming and had always been on a diet to avoid getting fat. But now, the Ninth Princess was an exception. She was born with good wine and liked to eat all kinds of sweet mouths. She was only eleven or twelve years old and her body was like a ball.

Xiao Xi looked at Chu Zuizhi and unconsciously laughed.

“Aiya, stop laughing! Pull me out!” Chu Zuizhi squeezed out for a long time and couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

Xiao Xi held back her laughter and pulled Chu Zuizhi out of the bed. “Princess, don’t hide under the bed next time.”

Chu Zuizhi clapped his hands and nodded seriously, “Mm, next time I’ll ask those craftsmen to make my bed taller.”

Xiao Xiwei looked at Chu Zuizhi and couldn’t help but laugh.

She had seen so many conspiracies and schemes in the imperial palace, and even she herself did not feel that this palace was distorting and contaminating her. Perhaps only this person in front of her could be said to be truly clean.

“Eh? I think I’ve seen you somewhere before?” Chu Zuizhi suddenly tilted his head and stared at Xiao Xiwei seriously.

“Princess, I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for the wrong person!” Xiao Xiwei smiled and looked at Chu Zuizhi with ease.

Chu Zuizhi shook her head. She stared at Xiao Xiwei’s face. After a while, she suddenly patted her thigh and said, “Aiya, I remember where I saw you! I saw you in Brother Qi Huang’s study!”

Xiao Xiwei’s eyelids twitched, and the smile at the corner of his mouth stiffened.

Chu Zuizhi thought that she didn’t believe him. He hurriedly said, “It’s true! There’s a painting in his book. The woman in the painting looks exactly like you! He carefully hid it in the drawer and was found by me when I was looking for a snack! Haha, Father Emperor saw it at that time.”

Xiao Xi stared at Chu Zuizhi with an indiscernible pain in her clear eyes.

If this was said by someone else, she naturally would not believe it, but the person who said this was Chu Zuizhi …

When Hong Yu walked in with her clothes, Xiao Xiwei was sitting in front of the couch with a round girl sitting beside her.

“Miss.”

“Why did you just come?”

Hong Yu frowned, “Something happened on the way.” “I heard that the Ninth Princess has disappeared …” The corner of her eyes swept towards the round-faced girl beside Xiao Xiwei.