Chapter 952 The Night Banquet

Zhang Yuping immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "We were talking about the young prince. A couple of days ago, when I passed by the garden, I saw the young prince from afar. He has grown even more sturdy and adorable, even more beautiful than the dolls in the paintings."

When Xiao Yuangan was mentioned, Yuwen Yuan's eyes narrowed into slits.

He said, "That's for sure."

Then he looked at Shang Ruyi and said, "There are too many people tonight, so I won't let him come. In a couple of days, I'll bring him to the Liangyi Hall to dine with me."

Shang Ruyi replied, "Yes."

After speaking, Yuwen Yuan walked over to his two favorite concubines and said something to them with a smile. Although the other concubines did not dare to speak casually, they all stood around. Shang Ruyi looked up at Yuwen Qian and Yu Mingyue and greeted them with a smile, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Yuwen Qian simply nodded, while Yu Mingyue smiled and said, "The King of Qin is away fighting, leaving his sister-in-law alone. These days must have been very hard for her."

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Not at all."

Yu Mingyue stepped forward, looking at her carefully with a concerned expression, and then said, "Really, sister-in-law looks quite haggard. With the Prince of Qin not in the palace, you must take good care of yourself."

Shang Ruyi didn't know why she was suddenly so concerned about her. Even though they maintained a facade of civility, they weren't this close, and she didn't need her to remind her to take care of herself. But since the Crown Princess had spoken, she naturally couldn't refuse her. She just smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Crown Princess. I will."

Yu Mingyue then smiled and nodded.

On the other side, Yuwen Yuan also exchanged a few words with his favorite concubines, then pointed around and said, "Please take your seats."

So everyone prepared to take their seats.

Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the hall. Turning around, they saw several eunuchs rushing to a corner outside the hall, frantically waving their whisks as if hitting something. Yuwen Yuan asked, "What's going on?"

Eunuch Yu immediately stepped forward and asked, "Are you all courting death? The Emperor is asking you what you're doing?"

The eunuchs hurriedly entered and knelt down. One of them said, "Your Majesty, we saw some termites and were afraid they would fly in and disturb Your Majesty's enjoyment, so we killed them."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuping immediately replied, "Alas, many termites have flown into my palace these past two days, and the people below have been trying to get rid of them for two days but haven't finished yet."

Several concubines nearby chimed in, "The same goes for us."

"One of my paintings has been ruined by insects."

"These things pop up as soon as spring arrives, they're so annoying."

Shang Ruyi said, "So they're everywhere."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan turned to Shang Ruyi and asked, "Ruyi, have you also found termites in your palace?"

Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "We also found them under the rockery in the back garden a couple of days ago. They boiled water to scald them, and we thought it was nothing, but quite a few have flown back in the last two days."

Yuwen Yuan immediately said, "This won't do. Yu Mingli, quickly give the order to exterminate the ants in the palace tomorrow."

Eunuch Yu hurriedly replied, "Yes, this servant will go and deliver the message immediately."

After saying that, he hurriedly left. Yuwen Yuan's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Sit down, everyone."

So everyone took their seats. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess naturally sat to the left of the Emperor. Since Yuwen Ye was not present, the Princess of Qin sat to the right of the Emperor. Then came the seats for the other concubines. The two birthday celebrants today—Consort Zhang and Consort Tao—sat directly next to the Emperor.

The little incident just now did not spoil their good mood. Yuwen Yuan raised his wine cup and drank with the two concubines beside him. The banquet officially began.

As soon as the flute began to play, its clear and melodious sound was followed by the musicians behind the screen playing in unison. The sound of drums and music filled the air, and high-pitched singing could be heard from time to time. Accompanied by the music, a group of dancers dressed in colorful clothes walked gracefully into the hall from outside. They danced to the music. These dancers were all only sixteen or seventeen years old, with beautiful faces and graceful dance moves, attracting everyone's attention.

On the other side, a group of palace maids came forward to serve food and wine to the people in the hall.

And leading them was Lady Han.

Since the last incident, Shang Ruyi hadn't seen her for a long time. This was mainly because there weren't many important events in the palace, and Eunuch Yu had taken over some of her duties, so opportunities for them to meet were limited. Upon seeing her this time, Han Yuhui nodded politely, and Shang Ruyi simply nodded back; both remained distant.

Although their interactions were somewhat distant, the atmosphere inside the hall was quite lively, with everyone toasting, laughing, and chatting.

Before long, the wine on the table was gone.

Yuwen Yuan smiled and said to Eunuch Yu, who had just returned, "Go and bring out the jar of fine wine that I have hidden away."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart stirred slightly.

She vaguely remembered that when Yuwen Qian first returned to the Yuwen family, Aunt Hui had taken out a jar of Jiu Yun Chun wine, saying that it was the only one left from the ten jars of wine that Yuwen Yuan had used for his wedding. Aunt Hui originally wanted to celebrate the joy of that day, but Yuwen Yuan's expression changed. Later, at Yuwen Qian's urging, she took the jar of wine back to the cellar and took out another jar of good wine.

I wonder what tonight will be like—

She waited silently, and after a short while, Eunuch Yu indeed brought a jar of wine, opened it, and distributed it to each table. Instantly, the aroma of the wine filled the entire Hundred Blessings Hall.

It is a jar of Fushuichun tea that has been aged for twenty years.

Upon smelling the aroma of the wine, Shang Ruyi subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at Yuwen Yuan, who was chatting and laughing with Zhang Yuping and Tao Wanyin in the main hall, and sighed deeply, feeling a mix of emotions.

Just then, the music stopped.

She seemed to hear someone sigh softly, and when she looked up, she saw Yuwen Qian sitting opposite her, looking at the wine glass in front of him with a complicated expression.

The amber light reflected in his translucent pupils, as if tears were glistening.

Yu Mingyue, who was talking to someone, suddenly sensed something, turned to look at him, and whispered, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Yuwen Qian shook his head.

Yu Mingyue seemed to notice that his expression was a bit strange, but she didn't want to ask too much at this time. In particular, she glanced at Shang Ruyi and continued drinking as usual.

And so, one song and dance performance followed another, with each glass of wine being poured down. Gradually, the night deepened, and the wine grew heavier.

Shang Ruyi rarely drinks alcohol, but after a few drinks tonight, she felt her cheeks getting hot. She pushed the glass aside and ate something to try and suppress the effects of the alcohol. Suddenly, a drumbeat sounded from behind the screen.

The drumbeats were dense and heavy, and compared to the gentle and melodious sounds of the string and bamboo instruments just now, they immediately had a more vigorous and valiant feel.

To the beat of the drums, a light and graceful figure entered the main hall!

When Shang Ruyi looked up, her breath hitched.