"Qingxue..." Qian Shengyan was still hesitating.

She had very few people outside the palace, and many things were not easy to do. After thinking it over, she decided to rely on others.

After hesitating for a moment, Qian Shengyan finally chose someone. She had Qingxue lean over and whisper a few words in her ear.

Qingxue, unaware of the reason, nodded in agreement.

Soon, it was October 30th, Yinzhen's birthday, also known as the Longevity Festival.

Early that morning, Ulanara was busy, and Li naturally followed her closely. She had to check the layout of the palace and the seating arrangement, and make sure that the food and drinks were in order. She also had to call up the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the main hall and give them a few words of instruction.

Because it was still the mourning period, music and dance were not allowed, and even drinking could only be light wine. Although such a banquet was rather dry, fortunately, the princes and important officials had prepared birthday gifts for the emperor, and presenting them one by one could be considered a kind of entertainment.

In addition, there was a farewell ceremony for Nian Gengyao and others, which added another step to the process.

Ulanara was so busy all morning that she didn't even have time to drink a sip of water, but she still managed to get Li to see the person she wanted her to see.

Seeing that Li seemed somewhat absent-minded, Ulanara asked knowingly, "What's wrong with you today, sister? You seem to be thinking about something?"

"Your Majesty, did you see a palace maid serving at the banquet..." Li hesitated before speaking.

Ulanara raised an eyebrow: "There were dozens of palace maids serving at the banquet. How could I possibly have seen them all? What, did you find one you didn't like?"

"No, not exactly." Madam Li pursed her lips.

She wasn't stupid either. After thinking for a moment, she had her people secretly switch the palace maid with the one in front of her and bring her back to Zhongcui Palace before the banquet.

Ulanara noticed Nian's actions and couldn't help but feel a little happier.

Well, Li is still as "clever" as ever, and after so many years of getting along, Ulanara can finally guess some of her thoughts...

In the evening, the birthday banquet began.

It was Qian Shengyan's first time drinking with her subjects, so she was inevitably a little nervous. But once she got there, she realized—oh dear, she couldn't see anyone at all.

The imperial concubines and the officials were separated by an almost galaxy-like distance, and everyone was dressed in court robes, which looked like patches of the same color, making it impossible to see them clearly.

The only ones who could be clearly seen were the princes and the thirteenth and eighth princes, who were also princes with titles.

Qian Shengyan relaxed and had Fuerguochun and Hongshan eat some of the food from the banquet—knowing that such a grand banquet couldn't possibly have elaborate dishes, they had already eaten a bowl of noodles at Yongshou Palace before coming.

This time, Qian Shengyan's most important observation was the interaction between Hongshi and Shanxiu.

Because of the seating arrangement, Shan Xiu sat next to her, while Hong Shi sat directly opposite Shan Xiu. Qian Shengyan held a cup of tea to cover her face, her eyes occasionally glancing at Hong Shi across from her.

Fortunately, Hongshi was right next to Hongli, so even if someone saw her, they would only assume that she was paying attention to her son.

As she watched, Qian Shengyan actually began to see some things.

Hongshi would glance at Consort Hua every now and then, and Consort Hua seemed to always look back at him, because every three or four times, Hongshi would smile with great satisfaction.

Seeing no malice in Hongshi's eyes, Qian Shengyan guessed that the two might not have done anything out of line, but they really did have some... affair?

Qian Shengyan was also a little confused. Could it be that Hongshi knew Shan Xiu's true identity? Otherwise, why would he do this?

"Consort Hua, don't you think so?" Ulanara asked with a smile from the seat of honor, but Shan Xiu didn't hear what she said. At this moment, she stood up, looked slightly bewildered for a moment, and then gave a disdainful smile: "If Your Majesty the Empress says so, then so be it."

"Hmm..." Empress Ulanara smiled nonchalantly, "Then let Consort Hua lead the way, and let us all raise our glasses to celebrate the victorious return of our Qing generals!"

Shan Xiu then realized what she had to do. She breathed a slight sigh of relief. A palace maid brought her a wine cup. She took the cup and glanced at Hong Shi as she brought it to her lips.

That was a... somewhat dependent look in his eyes?

Qian Shengyan even doubted that she was seeing things. It looked like Shan Xiu and Hong Shi were... dating.

this……

She found it hard to believe, but it was difficult to talk about such things with others, let alone find evidence. She could only slowly observe and ponder, and also wonder what use this was.

The reason why Hongshi was stripped of his yellow sash in history is said to be either because he favored Yinzhi or because he was reckless. However, in that year, Yinzhen made efforts to keep an eye on Hongshi. Since Hongshi did not leave the palace and had no official duties, he could not come into contact with Yinzhi. Qian Shengyan was not sure if he could still associate with Yinzhi as he had in history.

But now, it seems that Hongshi has given her a perfect handle against him...

Moreover, it's a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

Qian Shengyan slowly sipped the tea in the pot, but almost spat it out after taking a sip. She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and first looked at Yinzhen, who was sitting at the head of the table. Sure enough, she saw that he was looking at her.

Qingxue bent down and said with a smile, "His Majesty said that Your Highness has eaten too much just now, and it would be better to drink some digestive tea."

Qian Shengyan wiped her mouth and subtly pushed the teacup away a little.

She could grit her teeth and force down the water boiled with Coptis chinensis, but she simply couldn't stomach this sour, rotten-smelling digestive tea that also smelled like stinky socks.

Yinzhen knew about her problem and never let her drink this. What happened this time?

Unbeknownst to her, her mind was completely occupied by Shan Xiu and Hong Shi. Yinzhen sat at the head of the table and looked at her several times, but she didn't return his gaze. Naturally, Yinzhen was annoyed and came up with this method to remind her to look at him.

Qian Shengyan stopped drinking tea, and there wasn't much food to eat. A moment later, a palace maid brought a plate of fresh fruit to her table.

"His Majesty saw that Consort Xi liked this, so he asked me to bring another plate." The little palace maid finished speaking meekly and quickly left. Qian Shengyan looked at the fruit plate made of longan, jujubes and kumquats in front of her and couldn't help but smile slightly. She then looked up at Yinzhen again.

The two exchanged a smile from afar, neither speaking. Qian Shengyan then turned back and quietly distributed the fruit to Fuerguochun and Hongshan. A moment later, another plate of fresh fruit was served.

Qian Shengyan had just looked up at Yinzhen with a smile when she heard someone stand up opposite her.

The man cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Today there is neither wine nor music, which is truly a pity for Your Majesty's birthday. How about I make a fool of myself and compose a poem to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday?"

"Your Highness Lian is very kind," Yinzhen said indifferently.

Yinzhi smiled, not taking it to heart, and began to recite a poem praising the Emperor's wisdom, which at least brought a smile to Yinzhen's face.

"Your humble poem is simple and crude; it is offered as a humble attempt to elicit better ideas. I am ashamed to offer it."

After Yinzhi finished speaking with a smile, he sat down. Not far behind him, Nian Gengyao chuckled, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, I often hear the people praising Your Majesty's wisdom and the Empress's intelligence. I imagine that the ladies of the palace are also talented. Today, I would like to make a request: how about we ask each of you to compose a poem to celebrate Your Majesty's birthday?"