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Seeing the pained expression on Su Yang's face, Zong Huan felt a faint sense of pleasure in his heart. This little demon had been tormenting him all this time, and now it was time for him to suffer a bit.

He had also heard about the Empress Dowager's Flower Admiring Banquet. It was said to be admiring flowers and drinking tea, but it was actually for the purpose of picking a wife for Zong Xu. As soon as Zong Xu returned, the Empress Dowager would definitely invite him to take a look. He thought that even if this little brat wanted to avoid arousing suspicion, he would decline the invitation. Instead, not only did he personally go, he even dressed up to attend.

He had heard from the secret guards that Tong Jiabao was in the limelight at the Flower Admiring Banquet, and had been praised by Zong Xu in front of everyone: the most beautiful, the most beautiful.

Those young ladies of the boudoir were not good at other things, but they were good at gossiping. Even if there was nothing going on between the two of them, there would still be rumors. Moreover, everyone knew that Tong Jiabao had assassinated the Emperor in order to become the Martial King.

Su Yang looked at his angry expression and felt helpless. In his eyes, love was not as important as life. He did not want Zong Huan to repeat the same mistakes and walk the same path as Mo Yan and Jing Cheng. This man was stubborn, but he was not. He wanted the two of them to live well, even if he hated them.

He frowned and muttered: "You're hurting me."

Zong Huan's dark eyes slowly swept across his face and finally landed on his delicate collarbone. He saw that the white and flawless skin overflowed with red plum blossoms of blood, which looked extremely magnificent. He couldn't help but stick out the tip of his tongue and suck the blood into his mouth. The faint taste of blood mixed with a familiar sweet taste made his entire soul cry out in desire, and he couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to.

He pulled Su Yang into his embrace and forced the youth to raise his neck. His thin lips covered the bleeding wound and he slowly licked and sucked. Su Yang could only feel a slight stinging pain and the unreal feeling of blood gathering at the meridians in his neck. He suddenly felt a trace of fear. Would this man suck his blood dry just like that?

Of course, Zong Huan would not suck him dry. He was just addicted. He was addicted to this seductress and could not extricate himself. However, Zong Huan was always thinking about someone else. This made him feel uneasy and even more unwilling!

He began to doubt whether he had made the right decision in letting Zong Xu return to the capital. Ever since he had issued the imperial edict, this little brat had often been absent-minded. Occasionally, he would cry in his dreams. He did not notice any of this, but Zong Huan had seen it all.

He was the most powerful emperor in the world, but he also had someone he couldn't get and someone he couldn't get. This made him feel frustrated from the bottom of his heart, as well as jealousy that he didn't want to admit.

It just so happened that it was Zong Xu, his blood-related younger brother, who was also the person he hated the most in the world.

They were both born after ten months of pregnancy, but the Empress Dowager favored Zong Xu far more than him. The previous emperor had banished him to the Cold Palace and ignored him. However, he favored Zong Xu greatly. They clearly had the same blood flowing in their bodies. One was the favored son of the heavens, while the other had the title of Devil Star imposed on him, making it difficult for him to move an inch in the harem.

Although he was the one who ascended to the throne in the end, the Empress Dowager's most favored son was still Zong Xu. Now, even his most treasured baby was only thinking about Zong Xu.

He was a person who did not want to admit defeat. If he admitted that he was jealous of Zong Xu, it would be like admitting that he was at a disadvantage. Therefore, no matter how unwilling he was, he would not say anything weak.

Tasting the sweet blood in his mouth, the resentment in Zong Huan's heart gradually subsided. Su Yang's face was deathly pale. He was completely frightened.

Zong Huan raised his hand to tidy up his messy clothes and slowly said, "In three days, the Mid-Autumn Banquet will be held. Zhen ordered people to prepare new clothes for you. The Clothing Bureau should send them over today. Take some time to try them on and see if they fit."

Without waiting for Su Yang to answer, he turned around and left. Su Yang looked at his back as he hurriedly left and thanked him in a low voice.

= = =

Three days later, the Mid-Autumn Banquet was held at the Fengyi Lou. All the princes, dukes, and ministers of the capital were present. It was very lively.

The Fengyi Lou was built by the late Emperor Taizu to please his first wife, Empress Xiaomin. The Emperor and Empress were very loving when they were alive. The sound of the zither and the zither was passed down as a much-told story for later generations.

If it were any other Emperor, inviting officials to a banquet at the Fengyi Lou would probably arouse a lot of suspicion. Could it be that the Emperor wanted to establish an Empress? However, if it was their Emperor, who had no inhibitions, then there was nothing to guess. It was likely that the Emperor had a sudden impulse and felt that the Fengyi Lou's scenery was good. It was a good place to admire the moon.

Zong Huan sat on the main seat and looked indifferently at the laughing officials below the stage. A trace of impatience flashed through his eyes. He waved his hand to the side.

Wang Dequan hurriedly leaned over. Zong Huan asked, "Where is he?"

"This servant has already sent someone to invite him. Calculating the time, he should be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft cry came from outside the hall. Su Yang slowly stepped into the hall under everyone's astonished gazes. He wore a luxurious jade crown on his head, with a gold-plated phoenix hairpin inserted. His thick black hair was tied up high. He wore a bright red robe embroidered with phoenixes and gold. His face was the color of peach, noble and gorgeous.

However, it was not his appearance that attracted people's attention. There was no lack of beauties in the inner palace. Every one of the four imperial concubines surrounding the Empress Dowager was a stunning beauty. It was just that his bright red robe was truly eye-catching.

The Jin Dynasty respected dark colors. The Emperor wore a black royal robe embroidered with a five-clawed dragon. As for bright red, other than the Crown Prince, only the Empress could wear it. This eunuch wore bright red. How could it not be shocking?

Su Yang naturally knew this. He was not an ignorant person. He knew that wearing this robe to the banquet was bound to cause a stir. However, Zong Huan had been avoiding him for the past few days. No matter how many opinions he had, he had no one to voice them. He had originally wanted to say that he was sick and not come, but Ah Hong had forced him to dress neatly and brought him here.

That little girl's martial arts were excellent. Not to mention that Su Yang's body was weak, even if his body was strong, there was no way he could win against her.

Things had already reached this point. Fortunately, his face was very thick. Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, he did not have the slightest bit of stage fright. He walked confidently to the seat of honor.

Zong Huan had not seen him for three days. He missed him very much. Before Su Yang could reach him, he impatiently stood up, took his slightly cold hand, and pulled him to sit next to him.

The Empress Dowager frowned. However, thinking of the grand occasion at Qianqiu Palace that day, she finally closed her mouth.

Zong Xu sat to her right and poured himself a cup of tea.

This was the best quality Longjing tea from Jiangnan. The water used to make the tea was morning dew collected from peonies. The cup was a warm jade porcelain cup produced by Qiyu Pavilion. It was the same as that day at the flower-admiring banquet. However, it no longer had the refreshing taste of that cup of tea and the faint fragrance that lingered between the lips and teeth.