Following the attempted assassination, nobody at the banquet dared to let their guard down. Those young women who had previously harbored ulterior motives toward the Emperor now kept their thoughts to themselves. While everyone knew the Emperor had arrested Liu Yanxue for her assassination attempt, no one knew that Xie Qi’s true reason was that she was a transmigrator. Precisely because of this, some individuals present did not bother to mask their habits, which allowed Xie Qi to detect several anomalies.
Xie Qi leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly narrowed, watching the guests below intently. He scrutinized every movement, letting no detail escape him. Finally, his gaze settled on a few young people whose behavior he found quite peculiar. Their posture and the way they ate were distinctly different from the locals, as if they were entirely unfamiliar with the etiquette of such occasions. Xie Qi tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
Just then, the guests began presenting their gifts to the Empress Dowager, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall eased slightly. Once the gift-giving concluded, Xie Qi finally spoke: "General Wang, who is this beside you?"
Chapter 434