I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

Recently, the situation in the court has become increasingly tense, with various forces fighting openly and secretly. In order to win over the people and consolidate his power, the King of Zhao decided to host a banquet in his palace for the people from the Dali Temple. Among them, Chen Jue and Wei Lang were both invited.

On the day of the banquet, as soon as night fell, Prince Zhao's palace was already brightly lit and bustling with activity.

The house was decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and the sound of stringed instruments was heard constantly. The servants were busy shuttling between the halls, preparing a sumptuous dinner.

Chen Jue arrived at Prince Zhao's mansion early, wearing a simple yet solemn blue robe.

He knew in his heart that the King of Zhao's banquet was not just for the purpose of maintaining good relations, but there must be a deeper purpose behind it.

But since he had received the invitation, he had no choice but to come and see what tricks King Zhao was going to play.

Wei Lang, dressed in a gorgeous purple brocade robe, walked into Prince Zhao's palace with high spirits.

As a close confidant of King Jin, he also holds a certain position in the court and has close ties with King Zhao.

When all the people from the Dali Temple arrived one after another, King Zhao came out from the inner hall with a smile on his face. He was wearing a golden dragon robe and a jade crown, looking majestic.

"I am deeply honored that you gentlemen have the honor of visiting my residence today!"

King Zhao spoke loudly, but there was an elusive look in his eyes.

Everyone stood up and saluted King Zhao, saying in unison: "Your Majesty is too polite. It is our honor to be able to attend your banquet."

King Zhao waved his hand, motioning for everyone to sit down. Then, his eyes fell on Wei Lang, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

"Wei Lang, I haven't seen you for a long time. What have you been busy with recently?"

King Zhao asked cordially, as if he and Wei Lang were old friends for many years.

Wei Lang quickly stood up and replied respectfully: "In reply to your Highness, the court has been busy with affairs recently. I have been working for the court and dare not slack off in the slightest."

King Zhao nodded, "Well, Wei Lang, you have always been diligent and conscientious. This king is very pleased. Come, sit next to this king, and let's have a good chat."

As he spoke, King Zhao motioned Wei Lang to sit next to him.

Wei Lang was flattered and quickly thanked King Zhao, then walked over and sat down beside him.

At this moment, King Zhao deliberately glanced at Chen Jue, a hint of imperceptible contempt flashed in his eyes, but he soon returned to smiling.

"Chen Jue, you are here too." King Zhao said lightly, without any enthusiasm in his tone.

Chen Jue stood up and saluted, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

His face remained calm, without any dissatisfaction with King Zhao's attitude.

King Zhao nodded slightly, then ignored Chen Jue and continued chatting and laughing with Wei Lang.

Wei Lang sat beside the King of Zhao, feeling somewhat proud but also somewhat uneasy. He knew that the King of Zhao was deliberately trying to win him over, and at the same time was also demonstrating to Chen Jue.

But he also understood that the situation in the court was complicated and he had to deal with it carefully and not offend anyone easily.

After the dinner started, all kinds of delicious dishes were served on the table. While chatting with Wei Lang, King Zhao kept picking up dishes for him, showing great care for him.

As for Chen Jue, King Zhao completely ignored him, as if he didn't exist at all.

Chen Jue sat silently in his seat. He could feel that some officials around him were secretly looking at him with a hint of gloating in their eyes.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and humiliation in his heart, but he tried hard to control his emotions and not let them show.

He told himself that he must not lose his composure at this time, otherwise he would fall into King Zhao's trap.

However, he still couldn't calm down. He began to wonder what the purpose of King Zhao's doing this was and how he should deal with this situation.

After three rounds of drinking, King Zhao suddenly said, "I am inviting you all to a banquet today, firstly to build relationships, and secondly to discuss the current situation in the court with you all. Now the various forces in the court are constantly fighting, and I am deeply worried. I wonder what you all think about this?"

After hearing what King Zhao said, everyone put down their wine glasses and fell into deep thought.

After a while, an official stood up and said, "Your Highness, the current situation in the court is indeed complicated, but as long as we serve the court wholeheartedly, I believe we will be able to overcome the difficulties."

King Zhao nodded. "Well, that makes sense. But I think that while we serve the court, we should also pay attention to unity. Only when we work together can we jointly cope with various challenges."

As he spoke, King Zhao looked at Chen Jue intentionally or unintentionally.

Chen Jue understood what King Zhao meant. He smiled, stood up and said, "Your Highness is right. Unity is indeed very important. But while we are united, we must also distinguish right from wrong and not blindly follow the crowd. We must resolutely crack down on some lawless elements and conspiracies to maintain the justice and stability of the court."

Chen Jue's words seemed to be a response to King Zhao, but in fact they were hinting to King Zhao not to do anything small, otherwise he would never sit idly by.

After hearing what Chen Jue said, King Zhao's face changed slightly, but soon returned to normal. "Chen Jue is right. I think so too. However, some people are always self-righteous and think they have grasped some so-called truth, so they spread it everywhere, not knowing how much trouble this will bring to the court."

There was a clear targeting tone in King Zhao's words, and everyone could tell that he was targeting Chen Jue.

Chen Jue was not afraid. He looked directly into the eyes of King Zhao and said, "Your Highness, the truth will never be covered up. As court officials, we have the responsibility and obligation to reveal the truth and seek the welfare of the court and the people. If anyone attempts to cover up the truth for his own selfish interests, he will be judged by history."

At this time, Wei Lang was sitting aside, feeling secretly proud. He watched Chen Jue and King Zhao confront each other, but he did not intend to help.

He felt that this was a good opportunity to embarrass Chen Jue. He thought to himself, Chen Jue, oh Chen Jue, let's see how you deal with the King of Zhao's difficulties today.

While enjoying the preferential treatment from King Zhao, he felt an indescribable pleasure in his heart when he saw Chen Jue getting into trouble.

King Zhao was so angry at Chen Jue's words that his face turned blue, but he couldn't get angry. After all, there were so many officials present, and he couldn't lose his composure.

"Well, well done Chen Jue. I hope you can remember what you said today." King Zhao said gritting his teeth.

At this point, the scene became somewhat awkward. Seeing this, Wei Lang pretended to come out to smooth things over. "Your Highness, Chen Jue is also loyal to the court. We are all doing this for the good of the court. Why should we damage the harmony over some trivial matters? Come on, let's continue drinking."

As Wei Lang spoke, he poured a glass of wine for both Prince Zhao and Chen Jue.

King Zhao glanced at Wei Lang, and his expression softened a little. "Wei Lang is sensible. I am happy today, and I don't want to affect everyone's mood because of some unpleasant things."

After saying this, King Zhao raised his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Everyone followed suit and raised their glasses, and the atmosphere of the banquet gradually recovered. But Chen Jue knew that the King of Zhao was deliberately embarrassing him today, and the conflict between him and the King of Zhao had completely intensified.

In the days to come, he must be more cautious and prudent to deal with possible retaliation and suppression from King Zhao.