Even If I Were Willing to Toast You, Would You Dare Drink It

Lily Bai went in.

With her current cultivation level, there was nothing left to fear.

The Celestial Empress’s palace was packed, every seat taken.

The Heir-Consort of the First Divine Heir was present.

Second Prince Victor Xiao’s consort was there too.

The Third Prince’s household had also come.

Princess Quinn Xiao was here as well.

Fourth Highness was still unmarried, so his family wasn’t present.

The Celestial Empress was dressed impeccably and sat upright and prim. Palace maids stood by with tea and red envelopes, making it look exactly like a newlywed bride coming to greet her in-laws.

Lily Bai walked in without bowing and asked straight out, “Celestial Empress, why did you call me here? Don’t tell me you actually want me to offer daughter-in-law tea?”

"What else would it be?" the Celestial Empress retorted.

"You didn’t even bother to show up for yesterday’s investiture, wouldn’t do the bare minimum for appearances, and now you want me to offer daughter-in-law tea? I’m honestly baffled."

The Celestial Empress said, “I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I didn’t go. But this morning I felt better, so I asked you to come and complete the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ritual.”

Lily Bai smiled. "Who doesn’t know you’d love nothing more than to grind my bones to dust? Isn’t this all a bit too fake? If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, I’ll be heading out."

The Celestial Empress asked, “Before the Celestial Emperor’s incident, wasn’t I good to you?”

Lily Bai asked, “So you’re saying you want to reconcile today?”

The Celestial Empress said, “I did misunderstand you before. I thought you’d harmed the Celestial Emperor on purpose. Now the truth’s out, I know I did some wrong things, so I plan to hand the Celestial Palace over to you and retire to my own domain.”

Lily Bai raised her eyebrows. “The Celestial Empress really knows when to advance and when to retreat. Impressive.”

"So what’s the Crown Princess’s opinion?" the Celestial Empress asked.

"If you want to retire, then retire," Lily Bai said. "If you want to keep fighting like before, I’m game. It’s entirely your call!"

The Celestial Empress nodded and picked up a roster from the table. "This is the list of everyone in the Celestial Palace. I’m handing it over to you."

Lily Bai took it and flipped through. "Thank you, Celestial Empress."

"I have a few things to explain to you. Sit down and let’s talk," said the Celestial Empress, pointing to the top seat.

Lily Bai went over and sat. "Go ahead."

"Everything that happened before was my doing! It had nothing to do with the others. Even if they were hostile to you, it was because of my influence. That won’t happen anymore," the Celestial Empress said. "I hope you’ll treat my children kindly."

Lily Bai replied, "After all these years, I’m sure you know us well. As long as no one provokes us, we won’t provoke anyone. And we deeply respect the Celestial Emperor—your children are his children too, and they’ll get everything they deserve."

"Good! I trust you," said the Celestial Empress. "One more thing: if there’s any news from the Celestial Emperor, let me know immediately."

Lily Bai nodded. "Of course! Anything else, Celestial Empress?"

"And about my third son. Now that your wish has been granted, when will he be back?"

Lily Bai said, "He’s already on his way back. Before you leave the palace, you’ll surely see him."

"That’s wonderful," said the Celestial Empress. "You really do keep your word."

Lily Bai stood up and asked, "Anything else?"

The Celestial Empress said, "So it looks like you’re never going to offer me that cup of tea."

Lily Bai smiled faintly. "Don’t forget, I used to be a full-level Spiritual Alchemist. Even if I wanted to offer you tea, would you really dare drink it?"