Chapter 577: Pre-Wedding Troubles (6)

Chapter 577: Another Incident Before the Wedding (VI)

What is the three-day banquet?

The first feast begins at the You hour (5-7 PM) on the day before the grand celebration, with an evening banquet known as the "opening feast." The second feast takes place on the day of the celebration itself, lasting all day, called the "main feast." The third feast is held on the following day, serving meals in the morning and noon, referred to as the "closing feast."

These three days of feasting constitute the three-day flowing banquet.

At the exact You hour, the flowing banquet begins. Amid the clamor of gongs and drums, a call from atop the high walls announces the start of the first day's opening feast.

There was no need to scramble—each table was laden with ample portions. As soon as one table was emptied, another was continuously replenished. At first, people devoured the food ravenously, but after three rounds of drinks and five courses, they rubbed their full stomachs with satisfied burps.

Even outside the city, the beggars wore rare expressions of satisfaction. After eating and drinking their fill, they lingered, chatting idly on the ground. Here, they had food, drink, and warmth from the fires—far better than their drafty temples exposed to snow. They exchanged all sorts of rumors.

In their excitement, they even ignored the surrounding guards, proudly boasting of their well-informed networks—sometimes even more so than the authorities—when the soldiers showed curiosity about their rumors.

"Beggars are well-informed. If any strangers try to sneak into the three-day feast, they’ll be spotted immediately, and we can apprehend them at once."

As night deepened and lanterns blazed, the fires in the braziers atop the city walls burned brightly.

Two figures cloaked in the *Yue Hua* cloak observed the beggars outside the walls, who were loudly showing off their connections to the soldiers. Their information networks were indeed no exaggeration.

This was also one of the Su family’s purposes in setting up the three-day feast outside the city—to use the crowd to restrict the movements of the Herbalist Apprentice. Even if he had already hidden in Yun County, he would find it difficult to act.

Lure the snake out of its hole. If the snake truly emerged, the three families’ flowing feasts—whether inside or outside the city—would gather everyone in one place. If he moved alone, he would be exposed. If he blended into the crowd, the beggars and soldiers guarding the feast would keep watch. At the slightest suspicious move, he would be detected and captured immediately.

"The number of nobles arriving has far exceeded our estimates. If the Herbalist Apprentice has already infiltrated Yun County and gone into hiding, we cannot give him the chance to strike unseen. Since he’s hard to find, we must at least minimize his opportunities to act."

Peach Blossom Eyes glanced toward the distant highway, where more carriages were still arriving. There was no room for relaxation—the sheer number of well-wishers for this celebration had surpassed all expectations, especially the guests flocking to the Zhao family, many of whom were sycophants.

While the Su family also had many visitors, theirs were still within manageable limits. But the Zhao family? Guests came from every province and county, whether drawn by the Zhao family’s prestige as the foremost noble house or by the influence of the Empress Dowager.

Zhao Shuxuan, the late emperor’s Consort Shu, had rightfully become the Empress Dowager when her son, the Second Prince, Prince Yun Ji, was named the new emperor of Yunlang by the late emperor’s decree. However, Prince Yun Ji fell ill and passed away before his formal enthronement, abdicating in favor of the Seventh Prince, who also honored her as Empress Dowager and granted her the title of "Empress Dowager Mother," elevating her to the status of imperial matriarch.

This exalted position propelled the entire Zhao family to the top of the noble hierarchy in Langjing. Though Prince Yun Ji never ascended the throne, and the Zhao family never became the true maternal family of the new emperor, the Seventh Prince, in honor of their brotherly bond for Prince Yun Ji, treated the Zhao family as if they were his own kin. Their status soared, attracting endless streams of opportunists.

"Water flows downward; people climb upward. Flattering those in power is simply human nature—especially now, with the Zhao and Su families forming a marriage alliance. And the bride is none other than the Seventh Princess, who was deposed and confined here by Uncle Royal. Since Jing, the new emperor, has raised no objections, it’s only natural for people to flock here."

Holding Su Rao’s hand and wrapping it together with the hand-warmer in his own, Yun Ji led her away from the city walls. The bitter wind made staying longer unwise.

Su Rao understood Yun Ji’s meaning.

It was merely pageantry.

Yun Mujing, wary of the Zhao family becoming another Yao family, had strategically promoted the Yin Gonghou residence and allowed the deposed crown prince’s youngest son to be raised in the Cloud King’s estate. With such maneuvers, how could Duke Zhao fail to recognize the implication? He had to play along—otherwise, the Zhao family’s downfall would not be far off.

The higher the climb, the harder the fall. Her Su family was a cautionary tale, and the Yao family’s extermination was still fresh in memory. Duke Zhao had been involved in both—how could he not take preventive measures? But his lifelong pursuit of family glory made retreat impossible. Unlike her Su family, he would never willingly step back. His only option was to find another way.

And so, he set his sights on her Su family, using this marriage as a tactical concession to demonstrate his loyalty to the new emperor.

Duke Zhao had shown his loyalty, and Yun Mujing had accepted it. Naturally, Yun Mujing would grant Duke Zhao this face, indulging his lifelong pursuit of empty familial prestige.

But whether this bestowed glory concealed a hidden trap of "elevating to destroy" remained to be seen.

"As for the Zhao family, Third Brother is only marrying Yun Luoling as a person. Even if she’s been stripped of her rank, she remains Yun Mujing’s half-sister through their father—not truly a daughter of the Zhao family. If, in the future, Duke Zhao becomes blinded by familial ambition and tries to embroil our Su family into trouble through Yun Luoling, Grandfather will be the first to refuse. He would never let the Zhao family implicate us."

Descending the city walls, Su Rao and Yun Ji strolled side by side along the main streets, away from the banquet preparations. The Zhao family’s current prominence was only mentioned in passing due to the unanticipated flood of visitors before the conversation shifted back to their plans for the Herbalist Apprentice during the three-day feast.

As for whether the Zhao family will ultimately fare well or poorly, no one can predict. For now, the Duke of Zhao remains clear-headed.

During the three-day feast, to guard against the possibility of the herbalist apprentice poisoning the drinks, every brazier at each table was laced with Ning Wanyue’s own antidote brew, capable of counteracting eighty percent of common poisons.

Poisons are typically brewed from venomous creatures—snakes, insects, rodents—or toxic plants. But nature balances itself—where there are poisons, there are also antidotes.

Some refine these toxins into deadly poisons to harm others, while others craft antidotes to counteract them.

For those unaffected, breathing the fumes is harmless—it may even alleviate some chronic ailments accumulated from years of overexertion. For the poisoned, it neutralizes eighty percent of the toxin, ensuring survival.

This was what Ning Wanyue explained to Su Rao when she provided the antidote. This is toxicology at its highest level—where poison can serve as medicine, using poison to fight poison, while antidotes heal, curing ailments and alleviating suffering.

Ning Wanyue’s mastery lies not in crafting or administering poisons, but in refining and counteracting them, truly applying toxins to heal and save lives. This is the essence of toxicology.

For the feast’s safety, precautions were only necessary against poison slipped into drinks—no measures were needed for airborne toxins.

First, the harsh winter winds would scatter any powdered poison before it could be inhaled, making lethal poisoning unlikely. Second, the antidote added to the braziers would evaporate with the flames, spreading through the air to nullify toxins.

What Su Rao and the others truly needed to guard against was if the herbalist apprentice made a move within the mansions—whether the Su, Zhao, or Liu households. Should any noble guest die of poisoning, there’d be hell to pay.

This was the foremost concern for Su Rao and Yun Ji—to ensure the absolute safety of their guests.