Chapter 21 He's too busy with football to try and win her favor.

Spring truly arrives only after the Lantern Festival.

As the weather gradually warms up, the vibrant life force stirs people's hearts.

Jiang Ce returned to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence a few days later. As soon as he entered, someone delivered a message: "Madam says that Erlang has returned and requests that you go to Chengfang Pavilion."

"knew"

He rushed to Chengfang Pavilion, where someone lifted the curtain and came out with a smile, saying, "Erlang is back, come in quickly."

Upon seeing that it was Aunt Lan, who was by Lady Yu's side, Jiang Ce immediately strode up the stone steps and asked with a smile, "Aunt Lan, has my mother returned today?"

Lanxi gently shook her head: "My wife is still at Jixiang Temple."

"So, you've come back...?"

“Spring has arrived, and the weather is getting warmer. We should make spring robes for you and Youyu. Isn’t this what we always do every year?” Lanxi said with a smile as she led him inside.

"oh......"

Jiang Ce suppressed his disappointment and followed her inside.

Inside the room, Yu sat by the window, while Zheng Tan and Lü Ying compared the fabric to Jiang Yao's body.

Lanxi took a ruler and quickly measured his body size.

"Now I realize that you and Youyu have really grown up, and you look very different from when you were little." Zheng Tan teased them with a smile on his face, his tone light and cheerful. "It's a pity that Erlang was prettier when he was little."

Jiang Ce, with a lot of fabric draped over his shoulders, looked somewhat helpless upon hearing this.

As a child, he was very delicate and pretty, and he loved flashy things.

When he first returned to Beijing, he was often teased and even bullied by other children, both openly and secretly.

That was really too much, so he beat up a group of people severely, and through this incident, he got to know Xiao Huaiting and Su Yun.

For many years afterward, Jiang Ce was always followed by Zheng Shaoyu, who was fighting with the little boy Youyu in the back, and Xiao Huaiting, who was always serious but secretly laughing, while lecturing on grand principles and taking advantage of the chaos to kick him a couple of times.

In the end, every time Jiang Ji arrived, those people would scatter like birds and beasts.

After returning home, some were scolded, some copied books, and some knelt in the ancestral hall.

Lanxi considered for a while, then asked seriously, "Why don't we assign some maids to take care of you and Youyu?"

Jiang Ce chuckled, clutching the cloth on his shoulder. "He's not a child anymore, why send so many people? Yu is still young, so it's fine. I'm usually in the Palace Administration Office. There are servants to clean and tidy up for me every day, and it's been like this for so many years."

"I don't want to..."

Yu Yu peeked out from behind him through a pile of fabric, uttered a soft murmur, and then disappeared back into the fabric.

Jiang Ce raised an eyebrow, giving him a "you see?" look.

Lanxi said, "Alright, then it's up to you."

"In the future, there's no need for Aunt to come back specifically; just leave it to the servants."

Lanxi smiled and said, "Okay, but this time it's special."

Jiang Ce had just peeled off a pile of cloth when he heard this and looked puzzled.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" she asked, somewhat surprised. "The palace just issued an imperial decree to hold a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) tournament. We need to make you a couple of new outfits so that the Imperial Concubine and Miss Xue can see our Erlang's handsome appearance and make them happy, right?"

Jiang Ce stroked his chin and thought about it seriously for a moment.

Isn't it obvious that he's such a good person? Why does he need to try to win her over?

Lanxi pointed to a piece of light blue silk with silver patterns and asked him, "How about this? The color is elegant and unique."

Jiang Yao peeked out from behind the beaded curtain and exclaimed, "Second Brother definitely won't like it."

"What about this one?" Lanxi compared them and felt that although it was a bit too literary, it wasn't unsuitable.

She picked and chose, then had someone bring her the jade-colored spring gauze.

Jiang Ce turned his head and his gaze fell on a piece of peony-patterned silk on the table, revealing a satisfied smile.

"I'll go with that one, I like it."

If Xue Chan had any discerning eye, she would definitely be unable to look away.

--

The days passed quickly, and in February, the spring scenery was beautiful.

When Consort Xue's sedan chair came to a stop, most of the people attending the palace banquet had already taken their seats.

Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu followed behind Consort Xue. Not far away, on Qifeng Terrace, musicians were playing the sheng, drum, qin, and se.

As Consort Xue walked by, someone whispered, "What a grand display! It made His Majesty wait so long, and he wouldn't even hold a banquet."

She glanced down at it, a half-smile on her face, and sat down directly.

Consort Hui, sitting next to her, whispered a reminder: "If you arrive late, His Majesty will not start the banquet, and people will complain again."

Consort Xue smoothed her hair and said calmly, "Let them say what they want."

Consort Hui had known Consort Xue since she entered the palace, and it had been more than ten years since then. Knowing Consort Xue's temperament well, she nodded in agreement.

"That's true. Anyway, His Majesty didn't say anything, so let them be."

Before long, Consort Shu accompanied the Emperor from the flower garden, and everyone stood up to pay their respects.

No need for formalities.

He walked straight to Consort Xue and chuckled, "Consort Xue seems rather lazy today."

"I was too lazy to get up and do my hair, so I'm late." Consort Xue smiled at the emperor and stepped forward to pour him a cup of wine.

She held the wine glass and handed it to the emperor, smiling, "In that case, Your Majesty, please drink this cup as an apology."

The emperor said nothing, just smiled, took the cup and drank it all in one gulp: "The Imperial Concubine gets up early to do her makeup, which is very gratifying to me."

Consort Hui glanced at Consort Xue and saw that her appearance remained unchanged, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

Consort Xue glared at her, and Consort Duan coughed, lowering her head to drink and hide her barely suppressed laughter.

Some of the newly arrived concubines at the banquet looked embarrassed.

Those who have been in the palace for a while know that Consort Xue was deeply favored. Even though she was not gentle and kind, she was spoiled but not domineering.

He never mistreated palace servants, and rarely made trouble for low-ranking, unfavored concubines.

She doesn't usually hold grudges against dishonest people who cause trouble. When she's in a good mood, she might even be lenient with them.

The emperor personally led Consort Xue to sit beside him, and the palace servants began to serve food and drinks.

As soon as she sat down, Consort Shen turned around and said with a smile, "Although it's a bit late, Your Highness is so radiant, it seems it was still worth it."

"My sister has always been diligent, how can I compare? I am neither virtuous nor talented, only good-looking, so I beg Your Majesty for a little pity."

Consort Shen slowly waved her fan: "Your Excellency has only recently entered the palace and has been deeply favored by the late Empress and His Majesty ever since. Why are you so humble today?"

Consort Xue simply looked up at her and smiled.

Not far away, palace maids led Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu to their respective seats. Xue Chan looked back at Consort Xue, but because she was quite far away and there was a curtain between them, she couldn't see her very clearly.

The emperor was seated at the head of the table, with Consort Xue sitting beside him. On his other side sat a concubine with a jeweled hairpin and green robes, who looked very comfortable.

Xue Chan asked the palace maid leading the way, "Excuse me, sister, which lady is sitting next to His Majesty?"

The palace maid replied, "That is Consort Shu, the birth mother of the Fourth Princess and the Sixth Prince."

"Consort Shu..."

Consort Xue nodded. She had heard that she was the emperor's first concubine after his ascension to the throne. Compared to the restless younger generation of the Shen family, she was very humble and respectful, which earned her the emperor's high regard.

Consort Hui was on good terms with Consort Xue because she had entered the palace at a young age, but she didn't know anything about this lady...

Xue Chan lowered her head, thinking about these things. Cheng Huaizhu leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It's a pity that such a virtuous empress gave birth to Princess Baojia."

Cheng Huaizhu couldn't hide her displeasure as she spoke.

Xue Chan laughed and said, "Who told you that this time?"

Cheng Huaizhu sighed, her heart filled with bitterness, wishing she could pour it all out to Xue Chan right then and there.

"That's not just hearsay!"

She took Xue Chan's arm, her voice low yet sharp and urgent.

"You wouldn't know if you weren't in the capital. His Majesty dotes on this princess, and she has a very spoiled and willful temper. Just last winter, you were at Fangchun Pavilion, and I was playing pitch-pot outside. We happened to run into the Fourth Princess, so we played a game together, and I won two rounds against her. She immediately became unhappy."

Cheng Huaizhu patted her chest, took a breath, and continued complaining.

"Although I knew she was spoiled and willful, I thought that since she was a princess, she wouldn't bother with a mere official like me. Who knew she would keep harping on it after only winning two rounds? I can't argue with her, it's unbearable!"

As she spoke, she grew increasingly angry, tugging at Xue Chan's sleeve and giving her a warning.

"In short, be careful to avoid her; it's not a good thing if she remembers you."

Xue Chan was only surprised by what she said; no wonder she hadn't come back then: "Why didn't you say so then?"

Cheng Huaizhu said, "After all, it's not a big deal to talk about it. If you can bear it, then bear it; if you can let it go, then let it go. Otherwise, it will only cause trouble for Your Highness."

Xue Chan held her hand and smiled, "Our Huaizhu has grown up quite a bit."

"I'm not a child anymore, so stop making fun of me."

Cheng Huaizhu raised her chin and raised an eyebrow.

The two, being merely relatives of officials, had neither official titles nor ranks, and were placed in the middle.

The officials had already prepared the banquet, with brocade screens, fragrant curtains, and honey-fried fruits and vegetables.

They didn't really care. Cheng Huaizhu was only thinking about pastries and food, and Xue Chan was happy that no one paid attention to her.

Xue Chan looked out and saw that behind Fengyang Terrace, a thin white stone bridge connected to the palace's lake. Peach Blossom Embankment surrounded Fengyang Terrace, planted with several curtains of pink cloud-like peach blossoms.

In front of Fengyang Terrace was a lush, green lawn, with small goalposts resembling football houses erected on the east and west sides. The department had set up tents around the lawn, and spring banners and pennants were hung all around.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a spring banquet? What's going on here?"

It's a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match.

Xue Chan turned around upon hearing the sound, and Zheng Tan walked up, beaming with smiles.

Cheng Huaizhu immediately stood up: "Madam Zheng"

"In the past, the Empress loved playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football), and after the Third Princess was born, His Majesty planted countless peach trees," Zheng Tan said with a smile to the two of them.

"When spring comes, flowers bloom and His Majesty holds a football tournament at Fengyang Terrace every year."

Zheng Tan chuckled and looked at Xue Chan: "This year, His Majesty even specially invited Erlang to participate."

Xue Chan didn't know how to answer, so she just smiled.

As they chatted and laughed, they heard the sound of a gong and drum. Cheng Huaizhu exclaimed excitedly, "Wow! The competition is probably about to start!"

Zheng Tan pulled Xue Chan along, saying, "Let's go out and take a look."

She pulled Xue Chan to her feet, and the group went outside together. Standing outside, they saw everyone inside getting busy.

The palace servants who were originally performing on Qifeng Terrace all came down, each carrying a sheng, xiao, flute, and qin, and passed by them.

Zheng Tan looked at them, and the palace maid carrying the zither looked up at her and smiled faintly as if to comfort her.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, she bit her lip to hold back, and clenched her fists tightly.

When Xue Chan turned her head, they were already gone. Zheng Tan lowered her head, and faintly, she could see glistening drops falling to the ground.

"What's wrong with Madam Zheng?"

Zheng Tan turned her head and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She smiled gently at Xue Chan, her nose and eyes reddening.

"It's nothing, the sun was too bright, so it dazzled me."

Xue Chan smiled gently and said, "Then let's go inside."

"good"

As the two were walking uphill, they heard a call from behind.

"Sister Tan, Huaizhu."

A girl walked up from the other end; it was Xiao Yangjun.

Zheng Tan nodded with a smile, and Huai Zhu immediately stepped forward and warmly took her arm. "You're finally able to leave the house! I haven't seen you in so long. Is your father's illness any better?"

Xiao Yangjun nodded and smiled, "I know you remembered, and that's why you're much better and able to come out."

After saying only two sentences, the judge struck the gong in his hand again.

"This is the real beginning."

As the two were talking, a whistle blew, and the crowd erupted in commotion. The Emperor and Consort Xue emerged together, followed by a group of concubines, then officials' relatives and noblemen from various families.

For a time, they were adorned with colorful pearls and jade ornaments, dressed in splendid attire.

The boys who entered from the left and right sides had red and blue ribbons tied around their arms and were divided into two teams.

Xue Chan looked up and first saw Zheng Shaoyu, whom she had met at Ningcui Tower that day, and Youyu, who was slightly younger.

As for the others... I don't know them.

The gong sounded for the third time, and several more people entered.

Zheng Tan moved closer to Xue Chan and pointed at her.

"Look, that's Erlang."

Xue Chan looked in the direction she was pointing and just then, Jiang Ce walked out of the shade and into the sunlight.

She squinted slightly and then she could see it clearly.

A silver crown was tied high, and a thin, light pink robe with wide sleeves was extremely neat and clean. Standing there, his robes fluttered in the wind.

Like peach blossoms in full bloom, they shone brightly under the sun.

Xue Chan's smile froze on her face. She turned her head slightly away, and her breathing became erratic.

"..."

This person is really...

Throughout her life, she disliked people who were ostentatious and attention-grabbing.

As for Jiang Ce, she disliked his face and his character.

Jiang Ce, as if afraid of being overlooked, deliberately stood in a conspicuous place, seemingly looking at something.

Xue Chan quietly retreated further inside, trying to hide herself.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Xiao Jiang: Look at me! [Pitiful]

Xiao Xue: My eyes! [resting chin on hand]