The Emperor Reigns Them All Chapter 82 The Banquet (2)

Li Kerang finally tasted the bitter feeling. He could only keep silent about his suffering and he was discouraged. Needless to say, he could not get revenge for his being beaten today.

Although his ident.i.ty was very exalted and he had Li Guochang support him, could his ident.i.ty be more exalted than a Grand Prince's? He could only accept his bad luck when he came across the more exalted person who wielded real power.

The a.s.sistant left minister of the Military Department glanced at Li Kerang. He thought for a while and then he said to Li Kerang in a low voice. "If someone else offended you, he should be domineering. But if the person was Prince An, he should have a reason. If you go out to inquire, you will know that Your Highness Prince An and d.u.c.h.ess of Li have grown up together..."

Li Kerang felt blankly for a while and then he understood. He could not help but look at Li Keyong. He opened his mouth and did not say a word finally. He thought, "Did I suffer for you?"

While they were talking, Wu Hongshan had left his seat and greeted at the door. "Your Highness Prince An... why would you come here?"

Wu Hongshan did not know why Li Ye would appear here. The reason that he hosted Li Keyong today was obvious. In any case, Li Ye shouldn't have come, but he had come, which made Wu Hongshan feel very embarra.s.sed.

Wu Hongshan thought, "Doesn't Li Ye know that I'm entertaining Li Keyong today?"

Li Ye smiled and said, "I haven't visited you and d.u.c.h.ess for a few days and I miss you very much. Moreover, I've heard that General Li is here. He is famous and I admire him, so I come abruptly... You won't blame me for my rudeness, will you?"

"No, I won't. Your Highness, please take your seat."

Wu hongshan hurriedly greeted Li Ye to sit down. He had no idea of Li Ye's thoughts and felt uneasy. He was afraid that Li Ye would be so angry that he would rush towards Li Keyong and beat him.

Wu Hongshan knew that Li Ye was on w.a.n.g Duo and Lu Yan's side. They were at different parties, but they were not enemies. He couldn't kick him out because of this reason. In addition, Wu Hongshan couldn't do so, because Li Ye was the Grand Prince.

While he was confused and uneasy, Wu Hongshan heard the conversation between Li Kerang and the a.s.sistant left minister. Although they kept their voices down, he heard it clearly because his cultivation wasn't low.

When he knew that Li Ye had beaten Li Kerang earlier, Wu Hongshan felt much uneasier, so his smile widened. He was afraid that Li Ye would feel unhappy. If Li Ye had a conflict with Li Keyong here, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Li Ye was seated. Shangguan Qingcheng had gone to the side hall and had someone serve her. He found that everyone was looking at him and they all looked weird, so he said with ridicule, "We often see each other in daily life and I have never seen you look at me like this before. Do I bother you today?"

Including the a.s.sistant left minister, everyone was embarra.s.sed. "Of course not."

They thought, "We're members of different parties and political opponents. You broke in abruptly, whether you have bothered us or not, don't you feel uncomfortable when you face us?"

Li Ye wouldn't feel uncomfortable, on the contrary, he was very easy. His official position wasn't high, but he had the t.i.tle of the Grand Prince. Therefore, Wu Hongshan had to arrange him at the front seat so that Li Keyong needed to move to the next table. He looked at Li Keyong when he sat down. He smiled and said, "General Li, you don't seem happy to see me?"

Li Keyong didn't understand Li Ye. If he had been Li Ye, he wouldn't have "taken the adventure alone". Upon hearing Li Ye's words, his expression didn't change and his manner was gentle. He said with a smile, "Prince An has a good demeanor. I feel so kind once I have met you."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course."

The two of them looked at each other with smiles on their faces. It seemed to be harmonious, but actually, they did not like each other.

All the people in the hall were high ranking officials and dignitaries. They all knew that Li Ye came here today was not to chat with them. Everyone knew the relations.h.i.+p between Li Ye and d.u.c.h.ess of Li. So they had made up their minds not to get involved in the matter.

Wu Hongshan looked at the two people and felt uneasy as if there were thorns on his back and needles on his seat. He was aware that today's banquet would be in vain. Everyone could understand what kind of person Li Ye was through his means against Li Yao and his ability to "ruin" Li Guanshu's reputation casually.

Wu Hongshan thought that he could understand Li Ye before Li Ye went to Cloud-engulfed Mountain. However, no one dared to say that he could see through the young Prince An when Li Ye had gotten Yuan Tiangang's inheritance and returned to Chang'an City.

Wu Hongshan had a bad feeling.

"Your Highness, I propose a toast to you." Li Keyong raised his gla.s.s. He knew nothing about Li Ye's secrets, so he had no idea of Li Ye's capabilities.

In his opinion, Li Ye was at best his "rival in love" and had no chance of winning. Li Keyong thought highly of himself and he was full of momentum. Because Li Ye came alone, Li Keyong thought that everything would be under his control, no matter what Li Ye had planned.

"General Li, please."

After they had drunk the wine, Li Keyong smiled again. Since they were opponents and Li Ye obviously came here for him, Li Keyong didn't intend to sit and wait and he was ready to challenge Li Ye. He decided to start from the embarra.s.sing past that Li Ye was unable to cultivate for twenty years in order to uncover Li Ye's scars and test his abilities.

But at this moment, a sudden change made Li Keyong depressed and upset.

A person suddenly appeared in the hall and ran towards Li Ye.

"Elder Brother Ye, you're here?!" Her voice was full of surprise and unspeakable emotions. Her voice trembled because of excitement.

The coming person was d.u.c.h.ess of Li, Wu You. She was alive and kicking in front of Li Ye, like a rabbit. She looked at Li Ye with her crystal-like eyes. She looked like the weaver girl who met with the cowherd on the magpie bridge.

"I've come to see you." Li Ye stood up with a gentle smile.

This scene made Li Keyong excited and livid. He had been in Chang'an for so long and he hadn't seen Wu You for once. No matter what kind of treasures, calligraphy and paintings he had sent, there had been no response like a stone dropped into the sea.

Li Ye had just arrived, and Wu You immediately came out. All the officials and dignitaries here knew his marriage with d.u.c.h.ess of Li. At this time, he felt embarra.s.sed and humiliated. Even he was in a good mood, he could not stand it anymore.

Li Keyong's look darkened and he glared at Wu Hongshan. Although he didn't say a word, his meaning could be easily understood. "Didn't you say that d.u.c.h.ess is sick? Does she look like being sick? What's your purpose of hiding d.u.c.h.ess from seeing me?!"

Wu Hongshan opened his mouth and didn't know what he could say.