457 Forced to Compete (1)
The banquet was naturally filled with wine. Everyone drank and chatted. In the high seats, when Emperor Wen Hui was talking to the Crown Prince of the State of Qin, there was some fear in his eyes. The smart ones could naturally tell what was going on.
Among the State of Qin, the Daliang Dynasty, and Ming Qi, Ming Qi was the weakest, followed by the State of Qin, and the Daliang Dynasty was the strongest. Emperor Yong Le was known for being merciless, which made both the State of Qin and Ming Qi afraid, so they were very respectful to this Prince Rui. As for Huangfu Hao, when he spoke to Prince Rui, he was also trying to sound him out.
Most of the women’s eyes were glued to Prince Rui. Every move he made was pleasing to the eye. In fact, there were many men in Ming Qi who were outstanding, such as Fu Xiuyi. However, in front of Prince Rui, they lacked the natural elegance and nobility.
Luo Ling was also sitting close to Shen Miao. Seeing that Shen Miao was not eating, he handed a piece of snowflake cake to Shen Miao and said gently, “Cousin, eat something too. Otherwise, you won’t have the strength to go back.”
Shen Qiu wanted to give Shen Miao a piece, but Luo Ling had already beaten him to it. He did not know where to put the snowflake cake in his chopsticks. His bowl was already full. Moreover, why would a man eat snowflake cake? After thinking for a moment, he placed it on Feng Anning’s plate, who was closest to Shen Miao.
Feng Anning was flattered and took it. After thanking him, she did not eat it and just looked at the snowflake cake in a daze.
At this moment, Huangfu Hao suddenly said, “I heard that the mighty general, General Shen, returned to the capital a few days ago. I’ve always heard of his name. I wonder if I have the honor to see him today?”
As soon as he said that, the noisy banquet fell silent again.
The Crown Prince of the State of Qin wanted to see Shen Xin? What did he mean?
Shen Xin and Huangfu Hao had nothing to do with each other. One of them was the general who had just been summoned back to the capital by Emperor Wen Hui, and the other was the crown prince of the State of Qin. Their identities were very sensitive. Everyone couldn’t help but look at Emperor Wen Hui’s expression.
Emperor Wen Hui’s expression was very calm, as if Huangfu Hao was just making a very small request. He looked at Shen Xin and said, “General Shen.”
Shen Xin quickly stood up and bowed to Huangfu Hao. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Huangfu Hao smiled and said, “I’ve long heard that General Shen is brave and invincible. You can even rebuild the scattered soldiers at the border into a powerful army. When you returned to the capital that day, the people cheered for you. Sigh.” He sighed and said, “How I wish my country had such a talent like you.”
Emperor Wen Hui’s eyes narrowed, and the expressions of the officials at the banquet changed. They looked at Shen Xin with complicated gazes.
On the surface, Huangfu Hao was praising Shen Xin for being talented, but in fact, he was pointing out how dangerous Shen Xin was. The tallest tree would be destroyed by the wind was a never-changing axiom. The fact that the people cheered for a general who had been forced out of the capital by the emperor meant that they stood with Shen Xin. No royal family would tolerate officials who were more respected than them.
As for the last sentence, it really pushed Shen Xin to the center of attention. Huangfu Hao wanted to poach Shen Xin in front of Emperor Wen Hui. The officials present were all looking at Shen Xin as if they were judging a traitor.
