Chapter 205: The Last Imperial Feast

Chapter 205: The Last Imperial Feast

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he promoted many new officials in the court.

Many of the old officials initially thought that these new officials had unstable power and thus showed less respect to them.

However, within just a few days, the new officials, led by Xie Yuan, the Minister of Punishments, took decisive actions and dealt with many people. This made everyone in the court feel threatened and no longer dared to underestimate them.

But only Su Youyue knew that Xie Yuan's methods were much gentler now compared to his previous life. These people likely didn't know his true capabilities...

It was unknown which fool would provoke him.

Before Su Youyue could speak, Liu Tao felt embarrassed for being intimidated by Xie Yuan and retorted, "Of course, our Liu Manor has always been known as a pure and upright family, not like some other families."

As soon as Liu Tao finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Many people looked at him as if he had seen a ghost, while others secretly enjoyed the show.

In the eyes of some, the Xie Family used to be a family of traitors. How could their reputation be clean? Xie Changlou was a notorious traitor despised by all. Xie Yuan merely got lucky when the deposed crown prince, who had a good relationship with him, became the emperor again. That was why he had the chance to rise from the ashes.

Thinking about how Xie Yuan had to endure humiliation without retaliating in the past, they secretly looked down on him now and still harbored contempt for him deep down.

Liu Tao's emphasis on being a pure and upright family was clearly aimed at Xie Yuan.

Su Youyue watched Liu Tao's smug expression after speaking and silently mourned for the Liu Manor for a second.

Then she stole a glance at Xie Yuan.

The man stood there quietly, his expression cold and indifferent, showing no emotions. But standing there, he was like deep water that couldn't be seen through. At first glance, nothing could be discerned, but upon closer inspection, one would feel an eerie sensation. His calmness was only on the surface; beneath it, there were unknown things that made people feel uneasy.

Su Youyue knew that the Liu Family was going to suffer misfortune, but she didn't help them. She disliked the people from the Dongge Grand Tutor's residence, and moreover, even Liu Tao dared to humiliate Xie Yuan. If Xie Yuan didn't retaliate, these people might really think he didn't have the guts.

The endless silence seemed suffocating. Everyone present remained silent, but Liu Tao didn't notice. Seeing that Xie Yuan didn't speak, he assumed he had nothing to say and said arrogantly,

"I was wondering why Lord Xie would meddle in this matter. Oh, I suddenly remembered that Miss Su is now Lord Xie's fiancée. No wonder. Truly, pots and lids match."

"Lord Xie was a slave to Miss Su before, huh? Hiss, so they've had a relationship for a long time."

"..." Hearing Liu Tao repeatedly courting death, Su Youyue raised her eyelids and wasn't angry at his words. Instead, she felt a bit fearful for his fate.

Liu Jinzhu was originally a little scared. Seeing Xie Yuan remain silent, she cursed inwardly, calling him a coward. He didn't even speak up when his fiancée was insulted. It seemed that Su Youyue's fiancé wasn't anything special either.

Just as she thought this, Xie Yuan slowly raised his eyes. "Third Master Liu and Miss Liu still have the mood to concern themselves with my family affairs. Why don't you worry more about your own?"

"What do you mean?" Liu Tao looked at him suspiciously, only realizing his hesitation belatedly.

After all, Xie Yuan was the new emperor's favored official. If he reported to the new emperor, the Liu Manor would likely face trouble.

Xie Yuan slowly curled his lips into a sharp smile. "My fiancée and I are naturally a perfect match. However, the Liu Manor, as a pure and upright family, is indeed different from other such families. On New Year's Day, Lord Liu spent the afternoon enjoying himself with several girls at Chunhua Brothel. The girls fought over him, and Lord Liu truly is a breath of fresh air."

"Lord Liu is quite the playboy, still finding time to visit Chunhua Brothel before entering the palace. But whether the Liu Manor is still eligible to attend the imperial feasts in the future is another matter."

With that, Xie Yuan casually shifted his gaze towards Su Youyue. Seeing the girl secretly looking at him with a curious expression, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

When he saw the earrings on the girl's ears, the corner of his mouth curled up again.

Caught sneaking a peek, Su Youyue quickly coughed lightly and avoided his gaze. She didn't expect Lord Liu to do something so absurd.

Even if he hadn't committed any major offenses in the court, doing something so absurd and having it discovered would make it uncertain whether he would be promoted in the future. He was likely to be punished now.

Those who could attend the imperial feasts were officials above the fifth rank and their families. Now that Lord Liu was in the position of a fifth-rank official, if he dropped down, it would be a world of difference. Fifth-rank officials were a milestone that most officials found difficult to surpass in their entire lives.

After Xie Yuan spoke, everyone present was stunned. Many people only learned about this now, while a few had heard rumors but didn't spread them, waiting to see if the emperor would punish the Liu Manor for this incident.

If the emperor didn't say anything, the Liu Manor could pretend nothing happened. But if the emperor spoke up, the Liu Manor would be in trouble this time.

They couldn't blame anyone else. Lord Liu did something so absurd. It was fine to be a playboy on ordinary days, but on New Year's Day, when things were so busy, he actually had time to seek pleasure at a brothel. Seeking pleasure was one thing, but causing such a scene was another.

Judging from what he said, it seemed that the fight between the girls even alarmed the authorities.

Hearing such news and recalling Liu Tao's earlier remarks about being a pure and upright family, everyone felt extremely ironic.

Liu Tao and Liu Jinzhu flushed red immediately. Liu Jinzhu subconsciously refuted, "You... You're lying!"

Liu Tao also angrily said, "What kind of nonsense are you spreading? My father didn't go to Chunhua Brothel."

Because the news was disgraceful, Lord Liu naturally didn't dare to publicize it. As a result, some people in his family still didn't know about it. They only thought that the lord went out in the morning to pay New Year greetings to his colleagues, not knowing that he went to pay New Year greetings to the girls at the brothel.

Xie Yuan sneered but didn't say much. He tapped the ring on his finger. "This will be the last imperial feast you two attend. I won't disturb you anymore."

Liu Tao and Liu Jinzhu widened their eyes, seemingly both angry and frightened. They didn't know whether what Xie Yuan said was true or false, but undoubtedly, both feared that it was true.

If their father really did something like this and was demoted, how could they have the chance to attend the imperial feast in the future! Wouldn't this really become their last imperial feast?

Officials below the fifth rank weren't worthy of attending the imperial feast in the Supreme Harmony Hall!

In the past, the two of them had gloated and secretly mocked those who couldn't attend the imperial feast, flaunting it in front of them. But they never expected that they would soon become the people they once mocked. How could they not panic?

For a moment, both of them panicked and lost their composure. They hurried back to find their family members to ask if this was true or false.