My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 89 - 41: Banquet Invitation (First Update)

Chapter 89: Chapter 41: Banquet Invitation (First Update)

"What happened?" Zhou Qing furrowed her brows, looking confusedly at Lu Feifei, and asked.

"Senior Sister, you and Senior Sister Jiang from the Wanqing Sect just fell into the lake. A whirlpool suddenly appeared on the lake surface, and then you and Senior Sister Jiang were thrown out. Immediately, a crystal coffin appeared in mid-air, inside which lay a woman who turned out to be a flying corpse, and then that gentleman eliminated her!" Lu Feifei briefly described the incident to Zhou Qing, still a bit excited at the moment, her gaze towards Si Lin filled with admiration.

Zhou Qing was stunned for a moment, looked at the lake surface, then at Si Lin, and stood up bewildered.

The situation on Jiang Yingshi’s side was similar to Zhou Qing’s, and the two exchanged glances, both a bit astonished.

At this moment, their masters also rushed over. After confirming their disciples were fine, they then looked towards Si Lin and the others.

Gu Qingqing had already woken up. Si Lin and the others were gathered around her, inquiring about her condition. Once they learned she was alright, they felt relieved.

The Great Elders from the Wanqing Sect and Shangyang Sect were present. Although Gu Qingqing and the others didn’t show any particular reaction, Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu could not pretend they hadn’t seen them, so the two stepped forward to greet the two elders.

Learning their identities, the two elders were somewhat surprised.

"Was that young man just now a friend of yours?" The Great Elder of the Wanqing Sect, Jiang Shichang, glanced at Si Lin, stroked his beard, and asked Zhuo Tingqiu with a friendly tone.

Zhuo Tingqiu followed his gaze and, upon seeing Si Lin, immediately understood they must have seen Si Lin in action, so he nodded.

"Indeed, he is my friend."

"Which sect does Young Master Zhuo’s friend belong to? Just now, his cultivation seemed quite advanced." Zhou Qing’s master, Lin Songhui, also smiled with a hint of curiosity and asked.

"Senior Brother Si is the senior brother of Spirit Hidden Mountain, which is a Hidden Sect." Si Lin and the others had long anticipated that people would be curious about their identities, so Zhuo Tingqiu spoke without reservation.

Upon hearing this, both Jiang Shichang and Lin Songhui were a bit surprised.

"I see, no wonder I’ve never seen that young man before." Jiang Shichang stroked his beard and nodded.

They were part of the upper echelon of Xuantian Continent, and naturally aware of many things unknown to ordinary people. Hidden Sects have always existed but rarely appear in the world. Knowing Si Lin was from a Hidden Sect explained their understanding of his cultivation, assuming it to be around the sixth level, not knowing Si Lin was actually at the peak of the eighth level!

Seeing the two had no further questions, Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu exchanged a glance and took their leave. Upon receiving permission, they left and headed towards where Gu Qingqing and the others were.

Zhou Qing and Jiang Yingshi, having fallen into the lake and fainted, were taken away by Jiang Shichang and Lin Songhui, who were concerned and did not allow them to linger, leaving directly with them.

Gu Qingqing and her group, on the other hand, enjoyed the scenery at Qingyan Lake for the entire day, leaving only at dusk to return to their respective estates.

...

In the study of the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Li Xiuyan had already been attending court with the Emperor and even taken over some state affairs. Besides cultivating every day, he also dealt with the memorials handed over by the Emperor. He had just finished dinner and was reviewing the memorials in the study.

His confidant, Wu Qi, knocked on the door from outside, and upon receiving permission, entered the study, carefully closing the door behind him.

"Your Highness, I have inquired about the identities of those individuals who were with Young Master Zhuo yesterday." Wu Qi seemed a bit excited, reporting to Li Xiuyan.

"Oh?" Li Xiuyan raised his head, put down the memorial, and looked at Wu Qi with some interest, "Let’s hear it."

"I found out that those individuals are senior brothers, coming from the same sect, Spirit Hidden Mountain. It’s said to be a Hidden Sect. Today at Qingyan Lake, a flying corpse appeared and was dealt with by the senior brother among them. Their cultivation should be quite advanced." Wu Qi had great admiration for powerful figures, and when mentioning Si Lin, his expression became even more excited.

Li Xiuyan was very surprised, "Is there really such a thing as a Hidden Sect in this world?"

"Young Master Zhuo personally told the Great Elders of the Wanqing Sect and Shangyang Sect, so it shouldn’t be false." Wu Qi was also very surprised when he first heard about it, but by now he had calmed down significantly.

"It seems they are all here for the Immortal Secret Realm; Shangjing City is likely to become unsettled soon." Li Xiuyan furrowed his brow, speaking in a somewhat somber tone.

Hearing this, the excitement on Wu Qi’s face also vanished, replaced by deep concern.

"How is the preparation for Father’s birthday banquet going? Recently, Shangjing City has become overcrowded; we must prevent anyone from disrupting Father’s birthday banquet." In just a couple of days, it would be the Emperor’s fiftieth birthday banquet, which Li Xiuyan valued greatly. He didn’t want anyone to disturb his father’s birthday banquet.

"Don’t worry, Your Highness. We have people keeping an eye on all factions, as well as the various Vassal Kings. We will not let anyone ruin His Majesty’s birthday banquet." Wu Qi’s expression grew serious; he knew how filial the Crown Prince was to His Majesty, and since the Crown Prince placed great importance on His Majesty’s birthday banquet, naturally, they could not let it be disrupted!

Li Xiuyan nodded with satisfaction, "Keep a close watch. If anyone dares to break the rules and disrupt Father’s birthday banquet, deal with it directly!" A hint of murderous intent flashed in Li Xiuyan’s eyes.

"Yes, understood," Wu Qi nodded seriously.

"How is Third Sister over there?" Thinking of the Third Princess, Li Xiuyan’s eyes flickered as he asked.

"Noble Princess Consort Yi found it too stifling to keep the Third Princess alone in confinement, so early this morning, she had Miss Yi Lan Ting brought into the palace to keep the Third Princess company," Wu Qi naturally did not forget to pay attention to the Third Princess’s situation and replied directly.

"Then my second brother must be very happy?" A trace of sarcasm flashed in Li Xiuyan’s eyes, and he said with a half-smile.

"The Second Prince went to Noble Princess Consort Yi’s palace at noon today to dine with her, probably to see Miss Yi as well." Wu Qi’s attitude towards Li Xiuting was much like Li Xiuyan’s; he didn’t think much of him either.

Li Xiuting’s ambition was only well-hidden in his own eyes. In fact, everyone on the Crown Prince’s side could see it clearly, and even His Majesty understood it, which is why the Crown Prince had already entered the court to participate in politics, while the Second Prince still remained in studies without being granted a prince title!

"My second brother is truly devoted!" Li Xiuyan praised Li Xiuting with his mouth, but his expression was extremely cold, "Keep a close watch on the Yi Family; don’t let them use the Secret Realm affair to cause trouble!"

Li Xiuyan saw through Noble Princess Consort Yi’s brother clearly; he was definitely not one to be content with the status quo. It was said he secretly contacted many officials, intending to unseat him and promote the Second Prince. With Shangjing City bustling now, the opposite side definitely wouldn’t miss this opportunity!

"Yes, understood. I will definitely keep a close watch," Wu Qi understood Li Xiuyan’s meaning and immediately nodded.

Li Xiuyan gave a satisfied look at Wu Qi, picked up the memorial, and waved his hand to signal Wu Qi to leave.

Wu Qi performed a silent bow, then quietly retreated.

...

The Emperor’s birthday was definitely a big event for a country; it was an occasion to gain recognition, so the entire former court and harem placed great importance on it.

The Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty had no penchant for female beauty, so there weren’t many concubines in the harem. Currently, the highest-ranking are the Third Princess and the Second Prince’s mother, Noble Princess Consort Yi, followed by Jiang Xianfei who birthed the Eldest Princess, Zheng Defei who bore the Second Princess and the Third Prince, He Shufei with the Fourth Prince, and Liang Fei who mothered the Fourth Princess. Then there are a few concubines and lower beauties.

Among these people, those with children are slightly better off; those without fervently hoped to appear on the Emperor’s birthday, so he would remember them and bestow some favor.

As for the former court, if the officials could please His Majesty during this birthday banquet, they wouldn’t have to worry about future promotions and prosperity!

The matter of the Immortal Secret Realm attracted many forces to Shangjing City, and for the sake of the Royal Family’s reputation, the Emperor’s birthday banquet also extended invitations to some of these people, allowing them to enter the Imperial Palace.

Both Zhuo Tingqiu and Yun Ran naturally received invitations to attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet, and Gu Qingqing and the others also received invitations sent by the Crown Prince.

"Why is the Crown Prince sending us invitations? Are we going to congratulate this Emperor on his birthday?" Turning over the invitation, Rong Ye couldn’t help but complain.

"The Crown Prince probably knows our identity and is afraid of offending us, so he sent us invitations," Nan Hua took the invitation from Rong Ye’s hand, glanced at it, placed it back on the table, and said casually while shaking a fan.

"Should we go?" Mu Chen glanced at Rong Ye, then at Nan Hua, and finally focused on Si Lin, waiting for him to speak.

"Does Gu Qingqing want to go?" Si Lin didn’t look at Mu Chen but instead turned to Gu Qingqing and asked.

Suddenly being called, Gu Qingqing was momentarily stunned, thought for a moment, [Would going to the Imperial Palace be troublesome?]

Although she had never been to the Imperial Palace, she had heard from people in her village that there were many rules in the Imperial Palace, and if one accidentally broke them, they could easily be punished or even lose their life.

"There’s no trouble at all. As long as you want to go, you can do whatever you want, and no one can force you!" Yue Zhao said gently, stroking Gu Qingqing’s head with a smile.

"That’s right, Little Qingqing, you don’t have to worry. If anyone is foolish enough to offend you, I’ll make sure to teach them a lesson!" Yun Ran also encouraged Gu Qingqing from the side.

[Then I’ll go take a look at the Imperial Palace.] Gu Qingqing was somewhat curious about the Imperial Palace, and since Yue Zhao said it was fine, she felt reassured.

"Alright, then we’ll go to the Imperial Palace," Si Lin nodded and then looked at Yue Zhao, "You can prepare the gift, anything casual will do."

"I will arrange everything properly," Yue Zhao nodded.

With Yue Zhao’s style, such matters would definitely be well-arranged, and Si Lin was confident in Yue Zhao.

Seeing that Gu Qingqing would also attend the banquet, Yun Ran immediately became excited and hurried to explain various precautions about the banquet to Gu Qingqing, who listened intently.