Qi Ling naturally agreed to Xue Ke's request, since she had come specifically for this matter, and there was no reason not to agree.
Before the banquet began, Qi Ling went ahead alone. As the Empress, Xue Ke naturally had to make far more preparations and follow far more rules than Qi Ling.
So, just before the banquet was about to begin, Qi Ling went to the banquet venue alone, took the invitation given to her by Prince Xue Xing, and passed through the guards' check.
As the most important social banquet of the year in the Heaven Dou Empire, everything here is naturally of the highest standard. Not only is the venue enormous, but all the decorations and furnishings are also the most luxurious and top-notch products.
However, when Qi Ling wandered around the venue and saw that all the products had a familiar logo printed on them, she couldn't help but smile.
That icon is the clan emblem of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but it is quite different from their original clan emblem because it has a dragon pattern on it.
This is indeed a design from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but it represents a collaboration between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Dragon's Glory, so naturally there will be some differences. In other words, all of these things can be considered Qi Ling's products.
Looking around, almost 90% of the products in the market come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. This doesn't mean that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has monopolized the market to this extent, but it is true that no one can surpass them in terms of high-end products.
Now that he has developed a close relationship with Ning Rongrong, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is essentially his own business, so seeing all the products here are his own Qi Ling quite happy.
However, Qi Ling's behavior seemed particularly strange to others. After all, at a banquet of this caliber, everyone was full of ambition and had a clear purpose, whether it was to make friends with important people, to gather information, or to consolidate their power. Everyone was as busy as bees in a hive.
In such an atmosphere, someone like Qi Ling, who ignores everyone and just wanders around, occasionally glancing at various brands of goods, would naturally be considered a country bumpkin who has never seen the world.
With Qi Ling's hearing and attention, she could naturally see what these people were saying about her, but she didn't care. The two sides were not on the same level at all, and their perspectives were naturally different.
However, just because Qi Ling didn't want trouble didn't mean the others thought the same. Soon, a group of people arrived in front of Qi Ling Qi Ling, looking at her with disgust. One of them even said, "Hey! Where did you come from, you country bumpkin? This isn't a place for someone like you!"
Qi Ling looked at the group of people in front of her. They were all young men dressed in flamboyant clothes, wearing the most fashionable designer brands. What was funny was that all of their clothes were made by Dragon's Glory.
It was clear that these young masters had their own circle, and their collusion made them seem quite disdainful of everyone else. Qi Ling couldn't help but wonder if the young masters Prince Xue Xing had mentioned were them.
"Who are you people?" Qi Ling asked, looking at them with interest.
"You don't even know our names? Looks like a complete country bumpkin!" the speaker said disdainfully, then added proudly, "Let me show you that these are all formidable figures in Heaven Dou City!"
Then, the man introduced the identities of these people one by one. They were all the sons of high-ranking officials, ministers, or princes of small countries. Each of the young men introduced held his head high and looked very proud.
"Finally, this man's identity is even more extraordinary!" The man pointed to the person in the center of the crowd and said, "This is the young master of the Changyun Chamber of Commerce Guild, the third largest merchant guild in the empire, Young Master Kai Erqi! Moreover, he is the man most likely to win Empress Xue Ke's heart!"
The last sentence from the group clearly struck a chord with Kai Erqi. He smiled smugly and said, "Alas, gentlemen, Queen Xue Ke is such a beauty, how could she possibly fancy me? You flatter me!"
The others, of course, knew that Kai Erqi was just putting on an act, so they all said, "How could that be? Empress Xue Ke and Prince Kai Erqi are a match made in heaven, they couldn't be more perfect together!"
"Yes, Empress Xue Ke has remained unmarried all these years, she must be waiting for you, Young Master Kai Erqi! Such a talented man and a beautiful woman will surely become a legendary tale!"
"When you, Prince Kai Erqi, marry the Empress, don't forget your brothers! Our family's future depends entirely on you!"
Amidst the flattery of the crowd, Kai Erqi seemed to already envision himself marrying Xue Ke, grinning from ear to ear. He proudly declared to everyone, "Of course, of course! Once Queen Xue Ke accepts my proposal, I will never forget the brotherhood you have shown me!"
Seeing these people acting as if we all had a bright future, Qi Ling couldn't help but find it amusing. Where did their confidence come from? Had they been deceiving themselves for so long that they'd even started believing it themselves?
Just then, the man who had spoken earlier arrogantly said to Qi Ling, "You brat, fine, since you're relatively honest, we'll have you as our lackey from now on!"
"Me? A lackey?" Qi Ling pointed to herself, saying with a wry smile.
"Yes, he's our lackey!" the man said, as if he had given Qi Ling a huge benefit. "From now on, you'd better be quick-witted. Whenever the masters have an order, you must be there whenever they call. And you must do your best to complete the tasks they assign you! You'll definitely get your share of the benefits in the future!"
Qi Ling was speechless. This was truly the most arrogant thing he had heard all year. "You think you can afford to have me as your follower?"
"No need, everyone. I appreciate your kindness, but we're really not on the same wavelength," Qi Ling said with a smile. "You all should just go about your business. Just don't provoke people you shouldn't."
After saying this, Qi Ling admired herself. Her temper was truly remarkable; when did she become almost like a saint?
Qi Ling's words undoubtedly made these people lose face. The man who had spoken turned pale and immediately said viciously, "Boy, do you have a death wish? Do you believe that if you do this today, starting tomorrow, you won't have a place to stay in this Heaven Dou City!"
Qi Ling was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I really want to see just how I'll end up with nowhere to go!"