Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 448 Attending the Banquet

Two rows of imperial guards stood motionless before the palace gates, their armor gleaming and their hands holding long halberds.

Wei Shanyue slowed his pace and walked towards the palace gate.

"Halt!" A captain of the Imperial Guard stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "This is a heavily guarded area; unauthorized personnel are not permitted here..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

He recognized Wei Shanyue.

"Commander Wei...?" The captain quickly lowered his hand, his cold expression instantly turning respectful. "I was blind and didn't recognize Commander Wei. Please forgive me!"

Wei Shanyue waved his hand: "No need for formalities. I need to go to the palace to see Her Highness the Princess. Please inform her beforehand."

The captain nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go and report right away."

Then the palace gates slowly opened.

Wei Shanyue led Feng Wenzheng and Feng Changyuan through the vermilion threshold and into the palace.

As darkness fell, palace lanterns were lit one by one, casting a hazy glow on the red walls and yellow tiles. Occasionally, palace maids and eunuchs would pass by, bowing their heads in greeting upon seeing Wei Shanyue, their steps hurried.

Feng Wenzheng walked beside him, his gaze slowly sweeping over the palaces and pavilions.

Feng Changyuan couldn't help but lower his voice and ask, "Uncle, which is bigger, the imperial palace or our Feng family's old residence?"

Feng Wenzheng glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Feng Changyuan awkwardly shut his mouth.

After walking for a while, a commotion suddenly came from ahead.

Wei Shanyue frowned slightly and quickened his pace.

Turning a corner gate, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before me.

The Imperial Garden.

But the Imperial Garden at this moment was completely different from the tranquil scene he had imagined.

The garden was brightly lit and bustling with people. Palace maids and eunuchs moved about incessantly, carrying various items towards the peony garden. Some carried tables and chairs, some held food boxes, and some lifted screens; their steps were hurried and their expressions tense.

Wei Shanyue stood there, stunned.

This is……

"Marshal Wei!"

A high-pitched voice came from the side.

Wei Shanyue turned his head and saw a middle-aged eunuch jogging over, his face beaming: "General Wei, what brings you to the palace at this hour? Do you have important business to discuss with Her Highness the Princess?"

Wei Shanyue nodded: "That's right. Please inform him that I, Wei, request an audience."

The eunuch's smile froze for a moment, then he looked troubled.

"Well... Commander Wei's timing is unfortunate." He lowered his voice, "Her Highness the Princess is currently at the Peony Garden and cannot leave."

Wei Shanyue frowned even more deeply: "What's wrong? What happened in the palace?"

"No, no," the eunuch quickly waved his hand. "It's a message from the Immortal Alliance that a distinguished guest will be arriving in Tianjing tonight, and a banquet will be held in the palace to entertain him. Her Highness the Eldest Princess is in charge of organizing the banquet and is currently overseeing it personally with all the princes and princesses."

Wei Shanyue was stunned.

Is the Immortal Alliance hosting a banquet?

He subconsciously turned around and glanced at Feng Wenzheng.

Feng Wen's expression remained unchanged, but a thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes.

Wei Shanyue composed himself and asked again, "Then, Your Highness the Eldest Princess tonight...?"

"I'm afraid I won't have time to see Commander Wei tonight." The eunuch said with a bitter face, "You know the temperament of the Immortal Alliance. If this banquet is ruined, no one can bear the responsibility. Her Highness the Princess has been busy since noon and hasn't even had a sip of water."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, General Wei, it's not just Her Highness the Eldest Princess; everyone in the palace with any standing has been pulled in to help. Several princes are overseeing things in the Imperial Kitchen, several princesses are setting up in the Peony Garden, and even the Empress Dowager has personally inquired about the menu."

Wei Shanyue remained silent for a moment, then turned to Feng Wenzheng.

"Master Immortal, look at this..."

Before Feng Wenzheng could speak, an even louder commotion suddenly erupted from the depths of the Imperial Garden.

That sound came from the direction of the palace gate.

Voices, footsteps, and some indescribable... commotion.

Wei Shanyue raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

A large group of people was walking towards the palace gate.

The group walked quickly, with the leaders dressed in various colored Taoist robes, jade pendants hanging from their waists, and a faint spiritual light flowing around them as they walked. Behind them followed a group of eunuchs and palace maids, holding palace lanterns that illuminated the path ahead.

Wei Shanyue's pupils suddenly contracted.

People from the Immortal Alliance.

Moreover, Elder Yunjiu personally led the team.

He subconsciously took a step forward, preparing to bow in greeting.

But as soon as he bent down, the group of people had already walked past him quickly without even glancing at him.

Wei Shanyue stood there, frozen in place, still in a half-bowed position, unsure of what to do.

Behind him, Feng Wenzheng's gaze followed the group of people, looking towards the palace gate deep within the Imperial Garden.

"Commander Wei," Feng Wenzheng suddenly spoke.

Wei Shanyue snapped out of his daze and straightened up: "What are your orders, Immortal Master?"

Feng Wenzheng looked at the group of people in the distance. "Let's go and see what's going on."

Wei Shanyue paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

He quickly caught up with the group, with Feng Wenzheng and Feng Changyuan following closely behind.

After passing through one palace gate after another and around one palace after another, the group finally stopped at the main gate of the palace.

Wei Shanyue stood at a distance, his gaze fixed on the group of people.

Elder Yunjiu stood at the very front, followed by seven or eight Nascent Soul stage Immortal Alliance deacons. They stood inside the palace gate, gazing outwards, their postures respectful to the point of humility.

Wei Shanyue followed their gaze.

Outside the palace gates, in the darkness of night, two figures were walking towards them.

The one in front was dressed in dark cloth, carrying a vermilion gourd on his back. The one behind him wore a blue long robe, with a faint smile on his face.

Wei Shanyue was stunned.

That is……

Master Chen?!

Before he could react, Yun Jiu had already strode forward to meet him.

"I am deeply sorry for not greeting you properly, esteemed elders!"

Yunjiu's voice echoed in the night, respectful to the point of being obsequious.

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators behind him also bowed respectfully, none of them daring to raise their heads.

Wei Shanyue stood there, mouth agape, unsure how to react.

What did he see?

Yun Jiu, the deacon elder of the Immortal Alliance stationed in the capital, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, who usually even made the Emperor of the Great Qian bow his head, was now bowing to the young man like a servant.

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators behind him, those who used to swagger around in Tianjing, were now bowing their heads, none of them daring to raise their heads.

Wei Shanyue's Adam's apple bobbed.

He suddenly remembered that last night at the Wei residence, he had humbled himself, personally going to the gate to greet the guest, opening the main gate, and performing a grand ceremony.

He thought that was respectful enough.

But now it seems...

He wasn't respectful enough.

Far from enough.

What kind of person is someone who can make the elders of the Immortal Alliance bow down?

Wei Shanyue didn't know.

But he knew one thing.

This Master Chen is far more terrifying than he imagined.

"Marshal Wei?"

A voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

Wei Shanyue snapped out of his daze and found Feng Wenzheng staring at him.

"What are your instructions, Immortal Master?" Wei Shanyue composed himself.

Feng Wenzheng gazed at the two figures outside the palace gate, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"It's nothing," he said. "I just feel that tonight's banquet might be more interesting than I expected."