celebration banquet

As night falls, exquisite palace lanterns are hung all around, and the flickering candlelight looks like stars falling to earth.

The sound of stringed instruments reached its climax as the dancers danced.

At the banquet, everyone was having a great time, toasting each other and having a great time.

Yan Chan sat at his seat, sipping the wine, but his eyes passed through the dancers and fell on the chimes opposite.

She picked up the wine cup and took a sip, but did not swallow it, as if she was just trying to moisten her lips.

This amount of wine is not enough to make her drunk.

But Yan Chan insisted on pretending to be drunk, pretending that he could not hold his liquor, half supporting his chin, and holding a piece of his sleeve with four fingers to pour wine for himself.

She held up the wine jug high, tilted it slightly, and her eyes were a little dazed. The wine jug was inlaid with gems of various colors, and the light shining on it dazzled her eyes.

She had already seen that everyone had such wine cups on their tables. It was really...extravagant.

"Splash" not a drop of wine spilled out. After pouring the wine, Yan Chan placed the wine pot casually on the table, shaking the porcelain white wine cup in his hand.

Suddenly, Yan Chan's mood suddenly became gloomy. She looked at her hands, which were no longer white, and looked even darker against the white porcelain wine cup.

Suddenly I lost interest in drinking.

Forget it, she put the wine cup back on the table with a lack of interest, and looked up to enjoy the singing and dancing again.

The dancer twisted her slender waist in the middle, and the fragrance lingered wherever she passed, and the spinning skirt was dazzling.

He had no idea that his every move was being watched by others.

His Majesty was originally at the banquet, but just now a eunuch whispered a few words in his ear, and His Majesty hurried away. It seemed that there was something urgent.

Now, only the Qibei Army, the royal families, and many officials and their children were present at this celebration banquet.

Regardless of the size of the official position, this huge palace was packed to the brim. Today was really lively and bustling, almost the same as the Chinese New Year.

My mother was right.

This celebration party is probably a blind date party.

However, the legendary Princess Rongning did not appear, at least, Yan Chan did not notice her.

Yan Chan hadn't worn such complicated and cumbersome clothes for a long time, and she felt a little uncomfortable now. She straightened her wide sleeves to avoid getting them stained with soup.

Yan Chan looked down at the bowl of soup in front of her, her own reflection was dimly visible in it. The silver-white hair crown held her black hair tightly together, while the hair draped behind her slipped from her shoulders to her chest as she lowered her head.

She deliberately left two strands of hair long at her temples today to make herself look gentler and less murderous.

If he put on royal blue clothes and held a folding fan in his hand, he would probably be regarded as a handsome and talented scholar.

His handsome appearance stands out among the generals.

Except that his face looked a little "haggard" due to the wind and sun.

She sighed in her heart, not knowing how long it would take for her face to recover.

Although she is now a man, she also pays great attention to her appearance.

She couldn't control what others did, but Yan Chan was determined not to be such a sloppy person.

She scooped a spoonful of soup, and as soon as the spoon touched her lips and teeth, Yan Chan felt a strong gaze falling on her.

The soup slid across her lips and tongue, then went down her throat and into her stomach.

She squinted her eyes while drinking soup, searching for the sight, looking from the seats of the princes to the end, and finally locked her gaze on Lin Xunyan, who lowered his head like a quail.

Yan Chan raised his eyebrows, chuckled, and put down the spoon.

"This little girl..." Yan Chan muttered, straightened his clothes, stood up and left his seat.

As soon as he stood up, he attracted many people's attention, including Lin Xunyan.

I saw a graceful young man wearing a silver crown, with a calm expression and a perfect smile on his lips. His gorgeous clothes embroidered with dark patterns were well-tailored, outlining his tall and slender figure, which swayed gently with her steps.

Every gesture and movement reveals ease and comfort.

There was no rule that prohibited leaving the table, so the gazes that lingered on her quickly faded away.

Only a few thoughtful people kept their eyes fixed on her, and most of them focused on the jade pendant she wore around her waist that showed her status as a marquis.

In the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Yan Chan is now ranked among the noble sons-in-law in the capital.

After all, she was only sixteen and still many years away from getting married.

There are even some families whose daughters are about to reach marriage age, who, after meeting Yan Chan in person, have already planned to visit the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery another day to test the waters.

The young marquis has made great efforts for himself, and his family has a title that can be inherited. His uncles and aunts have also separated from the family early on. In their eyes, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion is very clean.

Moreover, Yanchan's appearance is really beautiful.

If he wasn't so young, the matchmakers in the capital would have probably broken down the door of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion.

Mrs. Qin, who was sitting at home looking at the account book, suddenly sneezed. Lanxiang was startled and quickly found a cloak to cover her, then walked to the window and closed it a little.

"Why did you catch a cold, Madam? Have some hot tea." Lanxiang took the brewed tea from the little girl.

Mrs. Qin rubbed her brows, which were a little sore from looking at the account book for a long time, took the tea and took a sip.

...

Yan Chan walked to the pavilion, looked at the lake shining silver under the moonlight, and sat comfortably on the railing.

The breeze blowing from the lake blew away the heat on her cheeks, making her even more awake.

The corner of her clothes fell to the ground. She was too lazy to care about it, nor did she want to care about it.

Feeling annoyed, I looked at the calm lake, hoping to calm myself down.

Many eyes were fixed on her today, as if she were a rare commodity.

It’s not that she didn’t notice it, she just wanted to pretend that she didn’t care, but often she would care too much.

Yan Chan lowered her eyes and played with the calluses on her hands. The rough touch brought her thoughts back to the frontier.

As if this was the only way she could catch her breath.

Don't let yourself be swallowed up by them.

Just as Yan Chan was lost in thought, a pair of brisk footsteps gradually approached the pavilion where she was staying.

"Fifth brother." Yan Chan's gaze turned before Lin Xunyan spoke.

She still has this keenness.

"Why did you come out? Are you full?" Yan Chan did not move. She occupied most of the railing.

Seeing the smile on her face, Lin Xunyan shyly raised the corner of his mouth and sat next to Yan Chan.

Yan Chan looked at Lin Xunyan with a look of surprise in her eyes. The usually spoiled Miss Lin San actually controlled her temper today and acted well in front of her.

"Fifth brother, why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Xunyan turned his head to look at Yan Chan's eyes. Those beautiful peach blossom eyes were now fixed on him.

It was as if there was only room for me in Yan Chan's eyes.

Lin Xunyan subconsciously straightened her back, blinked her mischievous almond eyes quickly, twisted the handkerchief in her hand with her fingers, and the hairpin on her head stopped shaking.

"It's nothing, I just haven't seen you for a long time, and I think you've changed a little." The smile on Yan Chan's lips still didn't fade, and her peach blossom eyes were curved and looked at the person opposite.

Lin Xunyan let out a soft "ah" and asked himself what had changed, but his hands stopped moving and he listened attentively to Yan Chan's answer.

"Well... I've grown up and become more sensible."

"......" Lin Xunyan didn't understand her hidden meaning at first, but when she realized it, her face turned slightly red. She glared at Yan Chan angrily, "Fifth brother, you dislike my willfulness in the past!" She turned her head away and stopped looking at her.

She turned back into her former arrogant self.

"Fifth brother is making fun of me again." Lin Xunyan stopped pretending. She couldn't pretend for too long anyway, so she just gave up and turned around to look at Yan Chan again.

He even sat closer to her, pressing down her robe that was spread on the railing.

"......" Seeing this, Yan Chan shrank into the corner.

"This is not home, this is the imperial palace. You should behave yourself and stop being disrespectful. If someone sees you doing this, your reputation will be ruined." Yan Chan pulled his robe out, looking as if he wanted to draw a clear line between them, which made Lin Xunyan a little annoyed.

No attendants were allowed to attend tonight's celebration banquet. There were only the two of them in such a large place, and it was inappropriate for them to be alone in the pavilion.

Even eunuchs and palace maids rarely passed by. At least, Yan Chan hadn't seen any of them since she arrived.

If Lin Xunyan had not followed Yan Chan all the way since she left her seat, it would have been difficult to find her.

Lin Xunyan really wanted to pull her sleeve, but she still held back. After all, she could lose face, but she couldn't tarnish the reputation of the Lin family.

Yan Chan looked at Lin Xunyan's angry and helpless expression, and the gloom in his heart dissipated a little. At this moment, he became a little interested. He leaned back slightly and put all his weight on the pillar behind him.

Yan Chan folded his arms across his chest and saw a breeze blowing into the pavilion, hitting the curtains together and making a crisp sound.

The wind blew Lin Xunyan's hair along her straight back. She raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ears, but her little finger accidentally hooked the goose yellow hairband that was floating forward.

The wind also played a joke on her, circling around her fingertips and refusing to leave, insisting on wrapping the hairband around her twice before happily leaving.

Only at this moment did Yan Chan truly feel that his sister had grown up.

She and Lin Xunyan can be considered childhood sweethearts. If it weren't for her mother's strong opposition, with Aunt Lin's enthusiasm, they would probably have been engaged long ago.

However, Yan Chan herself didn't have any feelings towards Lin Xunyan, and just treated her as her own sister.

After all, the two are too familiar with each other and have played together since childhood.

Apart from his parents, brothers and sisters, Yan Chan knows Lin Xunyan's character best.

Ever since his mother mentioned it that day, Yan Chan has been thinking about getting married.

If his mother had not specifically pointed out Lin Xunyan, Yan Chan would not have married her.

A sister is a sister. If she becomes his wife, Yan Chan will not be able to get over it.

Although Lin Daiyu would never reveal her female identity, Yan Chan was very sure of this.

Yan Chan originally wanted to chat with her for a few more words. After all, they had not seen each other for many years. Today was the first time they met after Yan Chan returned to Beijing. However, the wind started to blow again, and this time the wind was stronger than before.

The wild grass by the lake was flattened and stuck tightly to the ground. Most of the palace lanterns in the pavilion were blown out, leaving only a few emitting faint light.

"Fifth brother." Lin Xunyan screamed briefly and covered her face with her sleeves to prevent the wind from blowing sand into her eyes.

"It's time to go back."

After Yan Chan said this, she looked up at the sudden change in the weather and suddenly thought of Shi Guiyi. She would probably be very happy to see this scene.

Such a violent wind seemed to take everyone to hell.

Suddenly, Yan Chan seemed to have figured something out. Shi Guiyi must be hating something, which is why he likes and wants to integrate into such a harsh environment.

There is one bad thing about Yan Chan, which is that she likes to repeatedly guess other people's expressions. Even though Guiyi didn't say anything on the day of the rainstorm, Yan Chan still noticed what she was thinking and...her little thoughts about herself.

However, she did not have the same feelings towards Shi Guiyi, so she pretended not to notice.

Sometimes, Yan Chan feels that he is extremely bad.

The celebration banquet that was supposed to last until late at night also came to a halt at this moment. The wind brought a cool breeze, which seeped into the clothes of the people standing outside the palace.

The coldness enveloped his skin, and the wide sleeves of his robe were blown into balloons. Even his underwear had become icy cold.

Yan Chan lowered his arms, stepped into the wind alone, and left the palace with the sparse crowd.

The originally loose and comfortable clothes were blown tightly to her body by the wind, and the intermittent strong wind played mercilessly with her hair, sometimes floating in the air and sometimes sticking to her back.

Even when she returned home, the chill seemed to still linger on her.

It's winter.

Yan Chan lay on the bed with one leg raised. Although she was staring at the curtain, her thoughts had already drifted far away.

At this moment, she thought that getting married might not be a bad idea.

At least, when she's cold, there's someone she can hold to keep warm.