In one hour, the banquet will begin. The guests consisting of nobles had come and were talking about the decoration of the banquet.
"After all the golden lantern for the Second Prince is extravagant. I reckon it could rival the crown prince's coronation banquet," Minister Hong said.
The Royal Council's lips smiled through his white beard.
"They are a perfect match, Monstrous White and Sickness," Minister Hong said again.
"Truly." The other nobles joined in the cheering.
Everyone knew the Second Prince's lifespan would not be long in the Southern empire. However, the Emperor gave him a bride which was called a curse. It was like the Emperor wanted the Second Prince to not suffer any longer and continue living in the afterlife.
Behind the nobles, a man in silver hanfu stood beside a pillar. His sharp eyes watched the people passing by, while his ears caught information.
"I heard that the eldest son of the Shangguan family is coming."
"Can he?"
"Why are dangerous people invited to the banquet?"
The man's hand clenched. He took the needles out from between his fingers. The needles moved towards Minister Hong and the Royal Council's neck.
Finished with his fun, he left.
He was Shangguan Yuxi, the talk of the town. The needles he took out poisoned others. For the next few hours, the guys would be spending time in the bathroom.
Yuxi walked out of the hall. He went to the park behind the deserted palace. He didn't want to be here. Royal people are annoyed with their mouths that like to spread bad rumors. If his father wasn't sick or the other siblings were home from the academy, Yuxi could spend some time concocting poison.
"What the annoying humans," Yuxi whispered along with the breath of the night breeze.
Yuxi stood facing the previous empress's favorite plum tree. When he was six years old, he often played here with Xingchen. However, Xingchen was frequently sick and a few years later Yuxi was infected with poison.
"It's been a long time."
"You still remember, right?"
"Yes."
Yuxi was hiding behind a tree when he heard footsteps. Under the light of the lantern, Yuxi saw his childhood friend walking with a woman.
"He is married," Yuxi said to himself.
"But what the hell is that? The wife covers her whole face?"
Xingchen and Yue walked side by side. They talked about what needed to be done to survive at the banquet until it ended.
"Can I eat something?" she asked.
"Tell me if you want something," Xingchen said then.
Yuxi's forehead creased at their interaction. Huang Xingchen is a closed person. He does not easily allow new people close to him. Also never sweet talk to women.
"What happened?" Yuxi whispered.
Xingchen realized Yuxi was peeking at them. The corners of his lips pulled up as he came up with a good idea to prank his friend. Xingchen drew closer to Yue. His right hand patted the girl's head. "My beloved wife..." he said.
Yue immediately realized that there weren't only the two of them there. "What do you want?" she replied.
Yuxi thought this was a situation between couples. As fast as the wind, he jumped onto the roof and disappeared.
"That's my friend," Xingchen told after some time.
"What is a friend?"
"Someone accompanying you."
"Are we friends?" she asked.
***
The bustling banquet hall turned silent when Yue and Xingchen arrived. People looked at them with various opinions. One of them was Shuxin who really wanted to open Yue's hood. The girl wanted to see the evil eye that can take someone else's life.
"I want to see it," she said slowly.
Zhaolin turned his head and saw Shuxin staring intently at the new couple. Zhaolin smiled slightly. Shuxin is easily attracted. It seemed the girl was curious about Yue's face.
The banquet started with the Emperor greeting congratulations on this year's harvest and wishes for the second prince and his wife. Then, the pickles are followed by dinner accompanied by music. The dancers position themselves and bend their bodies in rhythm with the guzheng harmony.
"Brother, have you seen the representative of the Shangguan family?" asked Shuxin while offering a cup of tea.
"Not yet," Zhaolin replied.
"Sister, I'm glad to see you are interested in new things. However, you'd better choose wisely."
"He is rumored badly, but no one really knows him," Shuxin said.
Zhaolin cut in, "You be careful. Yuxi doesn't let go of things that get close to her easily."
The event started after all royal members were present. Yue and Xingchen sat side by side and people's eyes fell on them.
"Does she think the wedding ceremony isn't over yet?"
"She seems really terrible."
On another seat, Shuxin bit her nails. She glanced at Yue with a grudging heart because she didn't know what to do to make Yue show her face. The Empress was also curious about why Xingchen cared so much for his wife who didn't even show her face.
When Shuxin had an idea, the Empress also had one. They opened their mouths and the opportunity fell to the Empress.
"A Chen, Mother is glad to see that you have such a polite and virtuous wife. I want to spend time with you, but I can't afford it. How about we use this opportunity to get to know each other better? I mean, royals need to be close to the people."
Xingchen showed a deadpan expression as the Empress rambled on. His hands clenched. He never did anything meaningful, but everyone always paid attention to him.
The Empress smiled a smile. She was sure Yue couldn't refuse a request from the First Lady. Today, the Curse that was given to Xingchen will reveal herself. This is sure to be fun.
"Your Majesty the Empress, I also think so. Members of the royal family must understand the conditions and feelings of the people. Just like what the Crown Prince did when there was a drought at the border."
Xingchen's reply managed to spin the topic. People started talking about Zhaolin's prowess in helping the border people.
Shuxin was surprised by the change in topic. She clucked. There must be an opening to draw people back to the original topic. Shuxin looked at Zhaolin, then Yue. Convinced of her plan, Shuxin stood up.
"Crown Prince's kindness makes the people happy. This princess is proud to have a brave and tough Brother, just like when Brother escorted Sister-in-law from the north country."
"I was very happy when Big Brother came back and brought my Sister-in-law. As a little sister, I want to get along well with Sister-in-law. As the Empress said, why don't we use this opportunity to get closer?" Shuxin said again.