Chapter LV - The Banquet Trap
The silence inside the banquet hall became suffocating.
No music. No conversation. No movement.
Only Shen Li’s calm words still hanging beneath golden lantern light.
“Fortunately… His Highness noticed the hidden dragons first.”
Every noble in the hall understood the implication instantly.
Someone had attempted to frame Princess Rui publicly.
And worse—
Prince Rui himself discovered it.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Lady Xu’s face paled visibly for one fatal second before she forced composure back.
Too late.
Prince Rui had already noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His expression cooled into something terrifyingly calm while his gaze shifted slowly toward Lady Xu.
Then quietly:
“Lady Xu seems very informed about palace tailoring arrangements.”
The pressure behind the sentence nearly crushed the air.
Lady Xu immediately lowered her head gracefully. “This daughter merely heard the palace prepared special robes for Princess Rui.”
Prince Rui said nothing.
Which somehow felt far worse.
Because everyone in the hall knew: when Prince Rui became silent, someone usually suffered afterward.
Meanwhile Shen Li calmly lifted her teacup as though no political blade had just sliced across the banquet openly.
Dangerous woman.
Very dangerous woman.
The Emperor finally laughed suddenly from above the hall.
Loud enough to shatter tension intentionally.
“Excellent reflexes, Brother.”
The banquet atmosphere loosened slightly afterward.
Only slightly.
The Emperor looked entirely entertained now. “Hidden dragons inside banquet robes?” He sighed dramatically. “The palace truly became creative lately.”
Several ministers immediately lowered their heads harder.
Because the Emperor sounded amused— which somehow made the situation even more dangerous.
Consort Xu remained perfectly composed above the hall. “Perhaps a servant made careless embroidery mistakes.”
Prince Rui finally looked toward her.
The warmth he reserved for Shen Li vanished entirely.
Only cold remained.
Then calmly:
“Consort Xu should investigate her servants carefully.”
“This prince dislikes repeated accidents around his wife.”
The hall temperature dropped instantly.
Not threat.
Promise.
Everyone understood clearly now: Prince Rui no longer tolerated palace games involving Shen Li quietly.
And somehow— that made him far more frightening than before.
—
The banquet resumed afterward.
At least outwardly.
Music returned softly. Wine circulated again. Nobles resumed conversation carefully.
Yet beneath everything— tension sharpened steadily.
Because everyone kept watching Prince Rui and Shen Li.
And the more they watched—
the more terrifying the situation became politically.
Prince Rui remained beside Shen Li constantly:
adjusting warm tea before it cooled,
quietly moving dishes she disliked farther away,
noticing immediately whenever servants approached too suddenly.
Not performative affection.
Instinctive.
Natural.
Which made it infinitely more dangerous.
One older minister finally whispered toward another:
“Prince Rui truly treats Princess Rui like a weakness.”
The second minister answered quietly:
“No.”
“He treats her like a reason.”
The distinction frightened them both.
—
Halfway through the banquet, palace dancers entered beneath drifting incense smoke.
Traditionally, this signaled relaxation before political discussions resumed later.
Unfortunately—
Consort Xu stood then.
The hall quieted instantly.
The older woman smiled gracefully toward the Emperor. “This concubine heard Princess Rui possesses elegant musical talent.”
Shen Li’s eyes narrowed faintly.
There it was.
Another trap.
Noblewomen forced into public performances often became targets for humiliation:
impossible requests,
comparisons,
public criticism.
And after tonight’s earlier failure, Consort Xu clearly refused retreating quietly.
The Emperor looked mildly interested. “Oh?”
Consort Xu continued smoothly: “Since tonight celebrates peace and family harmony…” Her gaze drifted toward Shen Li carefully. “Would Princess Rui honor the banquet with one performance?”
Silence spread.
Every noblewoman understood immediately: refusing imperial banquet requests publicly looked disrespectful.
Accepting meant entering another trap.
Prince Rui’s expression cooled instantly.
Before Shen Li could answer—
he spoke.
Calmly. Directly.
“No.”
The hall froze.
Consort Xu’s smile stiffened slightly. “Prince Rui misunderstands. This concubine merely wished—”
“My wife dislikes public performance.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The possessiveness inside: my wife landed heavily through the hall again.
Yet Prince Rui continued calmly:
“She attends tonight as Princess Rui.”
“Not palace entertainment.”
Several older ministers immediately looked away to hide reactions.
Because Prince Rui had just openly shut down an imperial consort before the entire court.
For Shen Li.
Again.
Dangerous man.
Consort Xu’s expression cooled faintly. “Prince Rui appears overly protective.”
Prince Rui answered without hesitation:
“Yes.”
The room stopped breathing.
No denial. No excuse. No restraint whatsoever.
The Emperor nearly choked on wine trying not to laugh.
Meanwhile Shen Li’s heartbeat softened painfully beside Prince Rui.
Because he said it so naturally.
As though openly protecting her mattered more than political appearances.
Dangerous man.
Very dangerous man.
Then suddenly— before tension escalated further—
Shen Li gently placed one hand over Prince Rui’s beneath the table.
Tiny movement.
Instant effect.
Prince Rui’s expression softened slightly.
Only for her.
Then Shen Li rose gracefully.
The hall quieted immediately.
Prince Rui looked toward her sharply. “Shen Li.”
Concern already.
As though fearing she would force herself into discomfort because of politics.
Shen Li squeezed his hand lightly once.
Then softly:
“This daughter can handle one song.”
Prince Rui frowned immediately. “You don’t need to.”
The direct protectiveness nearly softened her completely.
But Shen Li understood something important now.
The palace already viewed her as Prince Rui’s weakness.
If she hid behind him endlessly—
they would attack him through her forever.
So Shen Li looked at him steadily beneath warm lantern light.
Then very quietly— only for him—
she said:
“This daughter also wants to protect Your Highness properly sometimes.”
Silence.
Prince Rui froze completely.
Because no one had ever spoken those words to him before.
Not once in his life.
The realization struck so deeply his chest actually hurt for one dangerous second.
And suddenly—
Prince Rui realized something terrifying.
He had already fallen too far to recover now.