Lin Zaozao put down the documents in her hand and looked wearily at the palace maids holding garments behind her. Letting out a deep sigh, she snatched the documents from Xiao Liuli's hand and pulled him along.
"Xiao Liuli, let's go to the palace banquet together. Once we're there, take a look among the people from Canglan Country and see if there's someone you want to meet."
After taking a few steps, Lin Zaozao turned and looked at Xiao Liuli.
"Xiao Liuli, for your safety, remember to put on your veil once we're at the banquet. Try not to speak unnecessarily, understood?"
"Yes, sister," Xiao Liuli obediently replied.
"So well-behaved! I wonder where Lin Wuwu and Lin Wanwan are. They've been gone for so long, yet not a single message from them!
Regardless of whether it's good or bad news, they should at least send me a message! I hope they haven't encountered any trouble. Those little brats, as soon as they leave, they forget about their older sister."
Unaware of the sadness in Xiao Liuli's eyes, Lin Zaozao continued to grumble to herself.
Her sister really only saw him as a "little sister."
"Xiao Taohua, Ji Fantian, Han Ye, let's go. We'll go to the palace banquet together, enjoy delicious food, and watch the young gentlemen perform their dances!"
Xiao Taohua and Ji Fantian, who were sitting on the side reading books, couldn't help but smile at Lin Zaozao's spirited and confident appearance.
To think that she came up with the idea of going to the banquet to eat and watch the dancers.
Even people like them who had never been involved in imperial power could tell that tonight's banquet, welcoming the envoys from Canglan and Fenshuo countries, would definitely be a trap.
They wondered what kind of "surprises" the envoys from Canglan and Fenshuo would bring to the banquet tonight.
After Lin Zaozao finished preparing, she looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She still had the same doll-like face, but there was a depth to her expression.
If she had this kind of depth on her face before transmigrating, she would have thought she was being pretentious.
But now, all she could sigh was how much environment could change a person. She used to be such a carefree person! Who would have thought that one day she would have moments of composure?
Lin Zaozao leaned closer to the mirror and couldn't help but become curious about the beauty serum given to her by the system.
Since she no longer had any toxins in her body, she only drank the beauty serum.
Unfortunately, because she was afraid of becoming too thin, she only drank a drop of beauty serum when she felt she was gaining weight.
Beauty knows no bounds. If she kept drinking the beauty serum, how beautiful would she become in the end?
Could a mere seductive glance captivate a large group of people?
Thinking about her potential to become a femme fatale in the future, Lin Zaozao couldn't help but feel delighted.
A fatal beauty!
Hahaha...
In the future, she would also be able to become a fatal beauty. Unfortunately, she could only harm her husbands. Her heart couldn't accommodate other men.
Most importantly, she was afraid that if she attracted too many men, what would happen if she died in one of their beds!
That way of dying is really not glorious!
"Pearl, stop staring at yourself in the mirror and let's go. The banquet is about to start."
"I know, Brother Hanye, I'll be right there."
Upon hearing Hanye's urging, Zaozao quickly wiped away the smile on her face and put on a serious expression, proudly walking towards the door.
Holding Hanye's hand and accompanied by Xiaotaohua, Jifantian, and Xiaoliuli, they arrived at the entrance of the palace banquet. Zaozao clearly noticed that the expressions of Xiaotaohua and Jifantian suddenly turned cold.
Following their gazes, Zaozao looked inside the banquet hall. There she saw a woman dressed in bright red attire, with a beautiful face, embracing a man with an enchanting countenance, elegantly sipping wine.
Next to that woman's table sat another woman who looked exactly like her, wearing a white dress and sitting quietly.
Beside the woman in white sat a man in pink attire, bowing his head and obediently behaving like a little wife.
Seeing their identical faces, it was obvious that the two women were twin sisters.
Zaozao turned her head and whispered to Jifantian and Xiaotaohua, "Xiaotaohua, Jifantian, do you know those twin sisters?"
"Zaozao, they are the distinguished twins of Canglan Country, the Sixth Princess Yechao and the Seventh Princess Yemu. One excels in martial arts while the other in literature, and they are highly favored by the Empress of Canglan Country.
Zaozao, be careful around them later. They are not as harmless as they appear on the surface. Our Divine Physician Clan has a deep grudge against them!"
Jifantian looked at the twin sisters and said coldly.
"Zaozao, I was seriously injured and ended up in Luoshui Village. It was all because of Yemu. Her martial arts have reached the level of a top expert.
When I was in Canglan Country, Yemu led a large number of guards to ambush and kill me. If it weren't for my potent poison, I wouldn't have survived and ended up being saved by you."
Xiaotaohua looked at the quiet girl sitting at the table and said in a cold voice.
Following Xiaotaohua's gaze, Zaozao looked at Yemu, the quiet princess sitting at the table.
She had thought that the one wearing red was the martial artist and the one in white was the literary one. But according to Xiaotaohua, it should be the other way around.
The girl in the flowing white dress turned out to be a top-notch martial artist. If the two of them hadn't harmed Xiaotaohua and Jifantian, Zaozao would have admired these twins who excelled in both literature and martial arts.
After all, it was not easy to cultivate a pair of twins to such a high level of skill.
Unfortunately, unless for special reasons, they were destined to be enemies in this lifetime. They were enemies of Xiaotaohua and Jifantian, and therefore, enemies of Zaozao as well.
Because Zaozao was fiercely protective of her loved ones.
After giving Xiaotaohua and Jifantian a reassuring look, Zaozao led them into the banquet.
Just as they appeared at the entrance of the banquet, the sound of the palace attendants announcing the arrival of the Emperor and the High Priest caught the attention of everyone present.
"Welcome, Your Majesty! The High Priest is entering the hall!"
Amidst the soothing voices of the palace maids, Lin Zaozao, accompanied by Han Ye and Xiao Taohua, proceeded towards the highest chair in the grand hall.
In that moment, whether it was the envoys from Canglan Country or Fengshuo Country, they all kneeled down on the ground, respectfully welcoming Lin Zaozao's arrival.
As Lin Zaozao took her seat, she could clearly see the astonishment in the eyes of the twin sisters seated opposite her.
The reason for their astonishment was Ji Fantian and Xiao Taohua sitting beside Lin Zaozao.
Moreover, the twin sisters kept their gaze fixed on Xiao Liuli, who was dressed in women's clothing.
Xiao Liuli was the fifth prince of Canglan Country and the older half-brother of Ye Zhao and Ye Mu. But judging by Xiao Liuli's and Ye Zhao and Ye Mu's appearances, they didn't really look like siblings.
After all, even though Xiao Liuli was currently dressed as a woman, he looked much more attractive than the twin sisters.
It's a pity that the envoy sent by Canglan Country this time wasn't Ye Yi.
To be honest, she missed Ye Yi.
She wondered how Ye Yi was doing in Canglan Country and if he encountered any difficulties. He was the third prince of Canglan Country, so he must know that she had become the Empress of Han Country.
But why hadn't he sent her any news at all? And since Ruo Qiu and Murong Hai left, there hasn't been any news from them either.
While Lin Zaozao was expressionless, contemplating silently as she watched Ye Zhao and Ye Mu below the stage, the twin sisters stood up simultaneously and respectfully bowed to Lin Zaozao.
"Your Majesty, Canglan Country has sent us, the twin sisters, to present a congratulatory gift to Your Majesty on ascending to the throne as the Empress of Han Country. This is the list of gifts, please have a look."
Lin Zaozao took the gift list handed over by the envoy, glanced at it indifferently, and said calmly to Ye Zhao and Ye Mu, "Thank you," before falling silent.
Most of the items on the list were gold, silver, and jade articles, nothing particularly interesting.
Seeing Lin Zaozao's cold expression, Ye Zhao and Ye Mu knew that she wasn't interested in the gifts they presented.
Thinking of the task their mother had assigned to them before her departure, they looked up at Lin Zaozao, bit their lips, and forced themselves to speak.
"Your Majesty, we have another gift, which our mother specially instructed us to present to you."
As Lin Zaozao looked into the calculating eyes of Ye Zhao and Ye Mu, along with their obvious fear, she didn't know what they were afraid of. But one thing was for sure, the gift they were about to give her couldn't be anything good.
Ha! She hadn't eaten her meal or watched the dance. This twin pair was about to put on a show right in front of her.
Well, it was better this way. If they started the performance as soon as they met, she could finish watching the show and go back to rest early.
After reading the memorials all day, her head was throbbing. Even if she blinked her eyes slightly now, she could see cows flying around above her head.
"Princesses, what gift do you want to give me? Your serious expressions have piqued my curiosity about the special gift you want to present to me."
As soon as Lin Zaozao finished speaking, Ye Zhao and Ye Mu took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with the guard behind them.
After a brief moment, a massive box was carried into the hall by the guards of Canglan Country.
Covered with a red cloth, Lin Zaozao couldn't immediately guess what kind of gift Canglan Country had sent her.
Ye Zhao and Ye Mu, the fifth and sixth princesses, took another breath and walked towards the box, their puzzled eyes fixed on Lin Zaozao.
When the red cloth was pulled off the box by Ye Zhao and Ye Mu, Lin Zaozao stood up from her seat in astonishment.
Underneath the cloth was an enormous crystal coffin. And inside the coffin lay her husband, Ruo Qiu.
At that moment, Lin Zaozao disregarded the dignity of the Empress of Han Country, let alone trying to show off. She quickly descended the steps and approached the side of the crystal coffin.
As Lin Zaozao stood beside the coffin, gazing at the quiet figure of Ruo Qiu lying inside, dressed in exquisite attire like a delicate porcelain doll, she couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up with tears.
How dare they present her husband as a gift? They were simply asking for death!
Ye Zhao and Ye Mu, standing beside the coffin, felt the sudden aura of imperial pressure emanating from Lin Zaozao. Overwhelmed by fear, they instinctively took a step back.
But before they could retreat, Matchless and Invincible appeared out of nowhere and pressed their knives against Ye Zhao and Ye Mu's necks.
The sudden turn of events in the hall surprised everyone present.
At this moment, Lin Zaozao paid no attention to the gazes of others. With a sudden burst of strength, she sent the lid of the crystal coffin flying.
Looking at the tranquil figure of Ruo Qiu inside the coffin, Lin Zaozao took a deep breath, struggling to control her trembling hand, and placed her fingers under Ruo Qiu's nose.
A barely audible breath.
