The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 153 Take this idiot down with you

Xu Jiaojiao reacted quickly, reaching out to shield her lower abdomen and sidestepping to avoid the maids who fell heavily to the ground.

Although the person dodged away, the wine pot in the maid's hand spilled completely, splashing wine all over Xu Qingran and some onto Xu Jiaojiao's dress.

Xu Qingran, caught off guard and splashed all over, let out a gasp.

The maid hurriedly rose, knelt down in a panic, and kowtowed repeatedly: "This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die! Please forgive me, Miss Xu!"

The sudden commotion sounded particularly jarring in the main hall.

The eyes of everyone in the hall were instantly drawn to her. Xu Jiaojiao looked down at her dress, which was soaked with wine, and at Xu Qingran, whose dress was completely stained with wine, and frowned slightly.

She raised her eyelids to look at Xie Peining, who was indeed staring at her intently, his eyes filled with undisguised coldness and mockery. Xu Jiaojiao's hand suddenly tightened.

Sure enough, Xie Peining's scheme came to fruition.

Judging from the way the maid fell, it seemed like the attack was aimed at her stomach.

Could it be that Xie Peining already knows she is pregnant?

Perhaps stemming from a mother's unease, Xu Jiaojiao felt afraid for the first time, afraid that this open and covert struggle would hurt her child.

The emperor on his throne looked over, his voice authoritative: "What has happened?"

The hall fell silent instantly. Everyone put down their wine cups and stared intently at Xu Jiaojiao and her maid.

The maid kowtowed tremblingly, "This servant slipped and spilled wine on the dresses of the two Miss Xus. This servant deserves to die! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

When Jia Rong, who was sitting next to the Empress, saw that the maid had splashed water on Xu Jiaojiao, he immediately stood up and said, "The New Year's Eve banquet is such an important occasion. How could you be so clumsy, you stupid thing!"

This was the first time Jia Rong, who rarely spoke harshly to his servants, had shown such dissatisfaction.

The maid trembled even more violently: "I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

"Bang bang bang!"

As the maid pleaded for mercy, muffled kowtows echoed throughout the hall. Soon, blood splattered from the maid's forehead, a horrifying sight.

The emperor on the throne frowned slightly, and annoyance was already showing in his eyes.

Making such a commotion on such an auspicious and peaceful day as Lunar New Year's Eve is truly unlucky.

"Tsk..." Prince Chen, sitting next to the throne, glanced impatiently at the maid: "Being clumsy is one thing, but she even made a racket of howling and screaming during the New Year's Eve banquet, it was so noisy..."

Jia Rong immediately chimed in, "Guards, take this idiot away! Don't let him offend everyone's ears!"

The eunuchs serving in the palace immediately stepped forward, dragged the maid away hastily.

After everyone left the main hall, Jia Rong looked at the emperor and smiled sweetly: "Father, those noisy things have been dragged out. Your son toasts you, wishing you a long and healthy life! Please don't let those stupid things spoil your mood!"

The emperor's expression softened slightly, revealing a kind smile: "My little Jia Rong is the most considerate of people!"

Seeing this, Jia Rong breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Qingran, her tone softening: "Miss Xu, I am truly sorry to have such a foolish maid spoil your enjoyment."

"Someone come here! Quickly take the two young ladies to change their clothes. It's freezing cold; they mustn't catch a cold!"

Xu Jiaojiao cast a grateful glance at Jia Rong: "Thank you for your concern, Princess."

She knew that Jia Rong and Prince Chen had worked together to resolve the matter in a few words, allowing her and Qing Ran to remain completely out of the public eye and avoid attracting too much attention.

After bowing to the Emperor and Empress, Xu Jiaojiao gently helped Xu Qingran up and, led by a maid, went to a side hall to change her clothes.

As she walked along the road, Xu Qingran was pale and somewhat dazed, clearly still shaken by the earlier incident.

It's only natural that Xu Qingran would be flustered and afraid, given that it was her first time attending a palace banquet and that it was fraught with such twists and turns.

Xu Jiaojiao patted Xu Qingran's hand reassuringly: "Don't be afraid. The atmosphere at the New Year's Eve banquet is joyful. The Emperor and Empress usually won't pursue minor matters."

Snapping out of her daze, Xu Qingran took a deep breath and forced a strained smile: "Sister, I'm not afraid..."

It's not true that she's not afraid; it's just that the Xu family's children have their own integrity. Her older sister, who grew up away from home, can still face ups and downs with composure. Naturally, she can't panic and embarrass the Xu family.

Meanwhile, as the little incident ended, the atmosphere in the hall gradually returned to calm. Everyone raised their glasses again, and laughter rang out once more, as if the incident had never happened.

Xie Peining picked up her wine glass and took a sip, using the glass to conceal the barely suppressed excited smile on her lips, a hint of madness gleaming in her eyes…

In the side hall.

The maid had already prepared clean clothes.

Despite being covered in unpleasant wine stains, Xu Qingran couldn't wait to grab her clothes and walk behind the screen to change.

To avoid revealing her pregnant belly, Xu Jiaojiao didn't change her clothes. Instead, she took a clean handkerchief and carefully wiped away the wine stains on her clothes, claiming they weren't very dirty.

While wiping, Xu Jiaojiao pondered the deeper meaning behind Xie Peining's action.

The maid's actions did not appear to be intended to harm her, but merely to create a commotion and draw everyone's attention to her.

But why?

Both Jia Rong and Prince Chen were in the main hall. If such an action were to occur, they would certainly intervene. It was obvious that doing so would not cause her any real harm, but would instead expose the person who instructed the maid. Xie Peining was not that foolish…

Therefore, there must be a follow-up plan...

What could it be?

Just then, Xu Qingran changed her clothes and came out from behind the screen.

Her face was still somewhat pale. She slowly walked to Xu Jiaojiao's side, a look of melancholy that didn't belong to her on her young face: "Sister, that maid just now... was it deliberately arranged by someone?"

Interrupted from her thoughts, Xu Jiaojiao fluttered her long, raven-feather-like eyelashes and slowly raised her head.

Looking at Xu Qingran, who had been implicated by her, Xu Jiaojiao felt a little guilty.

She took Xu Qingran's hand, gently patted the back of her hand, and said softly, "The affairs of the palace are complex and unpredictable. Qingran, just remember to be cautious in everything you do, and always protect yourself..."

Every word Xu Jiaojiao said was sincere advice. Xu Qingran wasn't stupid; she naturally understood that Xu Jiaojiao had her own difficulties and that Xu Jiaojiao genuinely cared about her.

She nodded slightly, a sweet smile curving her lips: "Sister, I understand..."

Xu Jiaojiao's eyes were filled with relief.

As expected of a family of scholars and officials, Xu Qingran was handsome and refined, and it was clear at a glance that he was a child who had received an excellent education.

She got up and led Xu Qingran back to the main hall.

By then, the main hall had already returned to its lively state, with people clinking glasses and enjoying themselves in a high-spirited atmosphere.

After Xu Jiaojiao and her companion entered the hall, they bowed slightly to the Emperor and Empress before returning to their seats.

In the time it took them to leave, the wine stains on the table were cleaned up, and a fresh serving of fruits and vegetables was placed on the table.

After the two sat down again, they watched the song and dance performance quietly, munching on pastries and trying to keep their presence to themselves.

After sitting for a while, Xu Qingran's face turned pale, and she looked at Xu Jiaojiao with some unease...