She's not worried about the dinner tonight; she's just wondering whether the "Zheng" mentioned by that person refers to her Zheng family.
Zheng Lingbo's thoughts were somewhat unstable, and she couldn't sort out her emotions until she reached Zheng Jingguo. Even when Zheng Jingguo joined her, she immediately changed her expression slightly upon lowering her head and asked in a deep voice, "Who bullied you?"
Zheng Lingbo was stunned and a bit slow to react: "What?"
Zheng Jingliao's expression grew even worse for a moment, and he asked again, "Who bullied you?"
Zheng Lingbo opened her eyes and saw that Zheng Jingluo had an unpleasant expression on his face, as if he was about to jump up and curse. She quickly said, "No one bullied me."
Zheng Jingliao's expression was full of suspicion and confusion, and he ponderously asked: "Then why are you like this?"
Zheng Lingbo: "Ah, well..."
She hesitated for a moment, thinking that the dinner later might not be very peaceful, so it would be good to give her older brother a heads-up in advance.
Thoughts in mind, she approached and whispered to Zheng Jingguo, explaining things this way and that.
Knowing Zheng Jingguo's temperament, she did not reveal everything; she merely mentioned that a friend had told her there might be something going on at the dinner tonight.
Zheng Jingguo listened and fell into deep contemplation: "Did the Princess tell you that?"
Zheng Lingbo: "......Ah, yes, it was the princess who said it."
Zheng Jingliao became serious for a moment: "The Princess should not be one to talk without reason. Follow me closely from now on, and don't wander around aimlessly anymore."
Zheng Lingbao naturally had no objections, and nodded obediently.
They were in the position of General Zheng and, after taking their seats, did not wait long before the dinner began.
The dinner venue was in the Imperial Garden.
At this time of day, as the sun set and the evening breeze blew cool, with the fragrance of moon-fragrant trees and a comfortable temperature.
The Imperial Garden was adorned with various colored lanterns, illuminating the entire garden with a sparkling glow, resembling daylight yet adding a touch of charm.
Zheng Lingbao originally thought that candles were burning inside the lanterns, but when she casually looked over, she realized that they were actually filled with small, large night pearls. She was in awe for a moment.
Currently, the table only had various snacks, including mooncakes the size of thumbs. The colors suggested different fillings, shaped in a variety of forms and placed in plates looking adorable.
The most exquisite were the ones in the center, shaped like a jade rabbit. The snow-white dough skin slightly revealed the red filling inside, and the lifelike jade rabbit was perfectly in tune with today's Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere.
However, whether it was because Zheng Lingbao was nervous in her heart or not, she could see a hint of cold and killing aura in the adorable dessert plate.
Before the banquet began, there was a formal speech as usual —— the highlight of the noon gathering was about the longevity of the officials, and the atmosphere was overall more relaxed.
The focus of the dinner was the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, and the atmosphere became somewhat more serious. Zheng Lingbao's seat was not a good one to hear clearly, so she was curious about the people sitting behind her if they could see what was going on up there.
This thought made her laugh at herself a little.
However, the dinner was quite formal, so Zheng Lingbo dared not laugh out loud in such an occasion. She just silently buried her head to conceal it.
Zheng Jingguo, who had been on high alert since Zheng Lingbao's previous reminder, thought that she had noticed something when she saw her silently bowing her head. Without making a sound, she approached and whispered, "What's wrong? Is something not right?"
Zheng Lingbao: "..."
She's really at fault.
She silently wiped her face and straightened her expression, shaking her head: "It's nothing."
The people above were still speaking, and the two of them couldn't say any more small talk.
Zheng Jingliao had to glance at her twice to make sure she really had no problems, and then turned back to her seat.
Zheng Lingbao now dare not have wild thoughts, so she quietly focused her eyes on the small snacks on the table, waiting for the upper management to announce the start of the meal.
Unexpectedly, there was a performance after the speech.
A large group of tall and slender dancers appeared, dancing in time with the music. For a moment, their light and graceful movements caused the sleeves of their clothes to flutter, and the whole atmosphere of the place became ethereal.
Zheng Lingbao, who was originally half-dazed, was involuntarily attracted by the music and dance in front of her.
She was even a bit puzzled; with such a high-quality performance from her past life, how could Liu Chengwang and the other two manage to establish their presence?
Thinking for a while, Zheng Lingbao didn't think of it anymore and simply put it down, focusing on enjoying the dance in front of her.
The nobles above were probably also happy, Zheng Lingbao couldn't hear very clearly, but she could see the officials smiling and saying something after that. Then the people beside him threw their whisks and sang in a shrill voice "reward!"
So, the dancer in the middle immediately smiled warmly and went forward to receive the reward. After that, he personally went to thank the nobles.
Just as the dancer was about to receive the reward, he quickly drew a soft sword wrapped around his waist and aimed it towards the officials in a lightning-fast manner, like the clanging of a bell before the thief takes away the loot.
In an instant, there were shrieks and cries of distress from women and children.
Zheng Jingliao, having been to the battlefield for several years, reacted quickly. He turned around, pushed Zheng Lingbo behind the table and had her hide, while with his other hand he already grabbed a table leg and charged forward.
Zheng Lingbao's heart skipped a beat, and she also stood up suddenly.
The chaos lasted for only a few minutes, but it was quickly controlled by the well-prepared Chen commandant.
The dancer, though subdued, was not calm. He was shouting something terrifying and dangerous, like "tyrant emperor," words that could cause one's head to fall if heard.
At this moment, the vast Imperial Garden was incredibly quiet, as if a drop of water could be heard if it fell.
At the head of the table, the official seemed to be supporting his chin and smiling in an interested manner.
The official is actually quite young, in his thirties now, in the prime of his life. On the surface, his character leans more towards elegance and ease, otherwise such a large palace banquet wouldn't be so relaxed and lively.
——Even if he is as easy-going as a dauphin, the official is still the emperor. To laugh at someone who dares to insult him in the face is something that makes Zheng Lingbao feel a little terrifying.
After all, even if she was so weak in her previous life, she couldn't show any happy expression when being insulted.
Her thoughts were scattered. Zheng Lingbao was thinking about her previous life one moment, and then about the strange whispers she had just heard, wondering whether this matter would end with the assassin subdued.
In that case, the words "Zheng family" in those whispers probably must have been a misunderstanding of my own.
Zheng Lingbao began to put her heart back in her belly, but life is unpredictable, the more you don't want something to happen, the more likely it is to occur.
Just as she was anxiously pulling her clothes and waiting for Zheng Jingguo to come back, the dancer's shouting below suddenly turned into Zheng Jingliao's pleading.
Although she felt uneasy, hiding under the table and protecting herself well, with enough strength to pick up a running child, Zheng Lingbo: "？？？".
Zheng Jingli, who was still holding the table leg in a guarded pose: "？？？".
Not…who are you?
