Chapter 130 Chapter 130 The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, just before the Chinese New Year...
It is the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year is only a few days away.
Citizens all over the city are busy preparing for the New Year. The wealthy families in the capital are even busier as they have many New Year affairs to attend.
During such a busy day, the second prince and the eldest prince both held banquets and sent out invitations, inviting officials in the court and many noble families in the capital to visit them.
Two princes posted invitations to dinner on the same day. Which one should I go to? It has become the most troublesome problem for celebrities in Beijing!
This is clearly a competition to win over different parties to take sides in order to establish a crown prince next year!
If you go to one, you will definitely offend the other! It's not okay if no one goes!
However, Emperor Wu of Jin, who was always perceptive, seemed to have condoned the actions of the two princes this time, which caused all kinds of speculation among the court officials!
Perhaps Emperor Wu of Jin also wanted to use this banquet to see how the two princes performed in the court, so as to use it as a reference for the issue of establishing a crown prince at the beginning of next year.
The eldest prince was the son of the late empress and the eldest son of Emperor Wu of Jin, and had always been deeply loved by him.
After the death of the late queen, Emperor Wu of Jin was very sad. He built a luxurious palace for the young eldest prince in the palace, invited his own teacher, Tutor Wen, to educate him, and married the late queen's sister as his concubine to raise him to adulthood.
When the eldest prince was only fourteen years old, Emperor Wu of Jin chose the granddaughter of Tutor Wen as his princess, apparently with the intention of supporting him to inherit the throne.
From then on, many court officials who saw which way the wind was blowing sided with the eldest prince, including Marquis Xue.
A few years ago, Wen died, and the eldest prince married Qian Ruofang, the daughter of the Qian family, as his second wife. The Qian family has many allies in the court, and the eldest prince's lineage is even more powerful, and their actions are becoming more and more flamboyant.
However, for some unknown reason, Emperor Wu of Jin delayed in appointing him as crown prince. Instead, he placed him together with the second prince born to the new queen and tested him repeatedly.
In the past few years, Emperor Wu of Jin had assigned many tasks to the two princes, but the eldest prince's performance was somewhat unsatisfactory, and he even messed up some of them. The second prince completed each task beautifully, had some ability in governing the country, and was favored by many court officials.
Based on the performance of these two princes, Emperor Wu of Jin's attitude also changed. From obviously favoring the eldest prince to increasingly respecting the second prince, he even promoted many of the second prince's confidants.
The situation in the court was changing rapidly, and the attitudes of the court officials also changed like fence-sitters. Many court officials who used to support the eldest prince now side with the second prince.
If the crown prince is appointed after the new year, the second prince's chances of winning will be even greater!
As Lord Xue was a person who was very close to the eldest prince, he would naturally go to the eldest prince's banquet with Bai.
However, as the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion, Xue Fenglin had to attend the Second Prince's banquet with the Ye family.
If it were in the past, Lord Xue would inevitably scold Xue Fenglin for this matter. However, this time, Lord Xue did not say anything, as if he tacitly approved of Xue Fenglin's decision to side with the Second Prince.
After all, although he usually acts in a confused manner, he is not a fool as he has survived two dynasties.
If the second prince inherits the throne in the future, he will definitely go back and settle accounts with the people of the first prince's lineage. With Xue Fenglin mediating, the Marquis' Mansion would not be involved, which would be a good thing for the Xue family!
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Second Prince's mansion, and there was still a street left, the driver suddenly stopped the carriage.
"Your Highness, the alley ahead is full of horse-drawn carriages on both sides. Our carriage can't pass through!" the coachman said with some embarrassment.
Shen Xuan lifted the car curtain and took a look, and was shocked. On both sides of the narrow alley, dozens of carriages were parked densely, blocking most of the alley.
"You park your car at the nearby Guiyun Tower, and we can walk the rest of the way." Shen Xuan said.
"You are pregnant, how can you just walk over there like that?" Xue Fenglin said with a frown.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xuan smiled and said, "It's only a few steps, how can I not walk? Besides, after I enter the palace, I still have to walk. Now that my baby is firmly in place, it's okay to walk a little."
After Chen Xuan finished speaking, he got off the carriage holding Xue Fenglin's hand. Seeing the movement of the carriage in front, Wu Xin Wu Wang and Jin Zhi Jingui also got off from the small carriage at the back, holding the gifts they brought for the second prince in their hands.
Each family brought their families and servants with them to the banquet. It was a large and mixed group, with more than one carriage.
It was impossible for so many carriages to park in the Second Prince's mansion. Those that couldn't fit were simply parked on the side of the road. Unexpectedly, even the alleys were now full!
"The Second Prince's banquet starts at noon, and it's not even 9 o'clock yet. I was afraid that we'd come too early, but I didn't expect that others would have arrived so early!" Shen Xuan said speechlessly as he looked at the densely packed carriages in the alley.
"That's natural." Xue Fenglin smiled and said, "Now that the Second Prince is in power, these people are rushing to flatter him. There have been such scenes in previous years, but they were all in the First Prince's house. He is also holding a banquet today, and I wonder what the situation is like in the house?"
When Xue Fenglin and Shen Xuan walked to the door, servants from the mansion came out to greet them.
Many people have come to the Second Prince's mansion, and he is chatting with them in the front hall. Xue Fenglin took Wu Xin Wu Wang directly there, while Shen Xuan was led to the back garden.
The second prince's residence is near the imperial palace and is built in a very grand manner. All the wood in the mansion is golden nanmu, and there are countless rare and precious plants in the yard.
Chen Xuan walked all the way to the center of the lake in the back garden. A huge double-decker boathouse was built on the artificial island in the center of the lake, and the families of each family were gathered in this boathouse.
As soon as Shen Xuan arrived, he saw many familiar faces. There is no need to mention Secretary Ye, even Jin Shiyue, who seldom attends such banquets, came.
As soon as they saw Shen Xuan, they immediately came over, surrounded him and talked to him.
When the wives of other families in the capital saw Shen Xuan, they came over to greet him enthusiastically, and their attitudes were completely different from a few years ago.
After Chen Xuan dealt with the family members and walked to the corner of the boat shop, Ye Mi was still being held back and unable to leave. Jin Shiyue went over and said, "Xue Fenglin is very popular now, and the Ye family is close to the Second Prince. These people will naturally try to curry favor with you. You will have a hard time dealing with them!"
"It's a headache." Shen Xuan said in a low voice with a wry smile, and after looking around the boat shop, he said, "I have been here for a long time, but I haven't seen the owner of this backyard yet. Otherwise, if all these people go to curry favor with her, the pressure on me and Ye Mi will be less."
Jin Shiyue covered her mouth and smiled when she heard this: "Don't you know? This backyard has no owner yet!"
"Ah?" Shen Xuan opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise, "Is it true?"
You know, the Second Prince is now over twenty-five or twenty-six years old. At this age, some sons in the Jin Dynasty are preparing to get married, but the Second Prince has not yet married, which is quite a strange thing!
Jin Shiyue looked around and pulled Chen Xuan to a more secluded corner before whispering in his ear, "When the eldest prince gained power, the identity of the second prince, who was not much older than him, as the legitimate son was very embarrassing."
"If the First Prince seizes the throne, the Second Prince's best outcome according to the law would be to be made a prince in a remote area, far away from the capital. But the First Prince is not a tolerant person, and the Imperial Concubine who raised him is not on good terms with the Queen."
"Although the Second Prince is a prince and a legitimate son, his marriage is a problem. His family is unwilling to marry someone of his status, and someone of too low a status is not worthy of him."
"As for the current queen's mother's family, there is a suitable one, but His Majesty does not want him to marry into the queen's family, as it would be too binding. So the Second Prince took the initiative to propose not to get married for the time being, and His Majesty agreed at that time!"
It was the first time that Shen Xuan heard such royal gossip, and he felt curious yet speechless.
I thought that royal marriages were not easy, as they were more based on interests than emotions. The second prince was a smart man. He would rather not get married than be randomly arranged to marry a member of the Yue family who had no support by Emperor Wu of Jin.
This move of his was also a way for him to keep something in reserve, and now it has become a huge advantage in his bid for the throne.
After all, if he became the crown prince, he would definitely have to choose a crown princess in the future, so all the ministers who have daughters in their families would have a chance!
"Look at the girls and boys over there. They are dressed so exquisitely. They are all here to be seen by the Second Prince." Jin Shiyue said in a low voice.
Shen Xuan looked in the direction he pointed, and saw many young boys and girls dressed exquisitely. They looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with childish expressions on their faces, and their figures and looks were very outstanding.
"That is Yao Jinling, the daughter of the Minister of War. She is beautiful, but her temper is a bit fierce like her father, General Yao." Jin Shiyue introduced to Shen Xuan in a low voice: "This woman will definitely marry into the Second Prince's mansion in the future, but I don't know if she will be the principal or concubine."
"The one wearing light blue is Sun Feifei, the legitimate daughter of Lord Sun from the Ministry of Rites. Her reputation in Beijing is now comparable to that of the talented Qian Ruofang. I heard some time ago that the Sun family rejected Lord Huang's marriage proposal. It turns out that they have their eyes on this."
"Lord Sun is probably optimistic about the Second Prince's future and wants his granddaughter to be the Crown Prince's consort!"
…
Shen Xuan was not very familiar with the people and things in Beijing to begin with, and now that he had been away from Beijing for three years, he felt even more unfamiliar when he returned.
Fortunately, Jin Shiyue gave him a detailed introduction, which allowed him to identify the people in front of him!
"That boy is Feng Shuming, the youngest son of Lord Feng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue." Jin Shiyue pointed at a quiet boy in the corner and introduced him to Shen Xuan.
Hearing Lord Feng's name, Shen Xuan felt somewhat familiar with it. He took a closer look at the young man and felt that he had some similarities with Lord Feng in his features.
However, Feng Shuming's appearance is just delicate and not stunning. Moreover, he is a boy, and his father, Lord Feng, is only a third-rank official, which is not as high as Lord Sun and Lord Yao.
In the eyes of everyone in the capital, she was not the main force competing for the position of the Second Prince's wife.
Shen Xuan watched the excitement and chatted with Jin Shiyue for a while, and soon it was time to start the meal.
A servant came and led the ladies in the back garden to the main hall for a meal. The table was divided into two rows, one row for male guests and one row for the ladies. They were arranged separately on both sides of the courtyard, about ten feet apart, with actors performing singing and dancing in the middle.
From a distance, Shen Xuan saw the Second Prince chatting with several important officials in the court, while Xue Fenglin was sitting with Lord Ye. Even Ye Chen, who had always been on good terms with the Second Prince, behaved well this time. He did not dare to run to talk to the Second Prince regardless of the consequences. Instead, he sat down next to Xue Fenglin.
Shen Xuan swept the opposite side but did not see Yang Xu. He thought that Yang Xu was still unwilling to take sides, so he did not show up.
But Jin Shiyue came here specially to represent the Yang family to show goodwill to the Second Prince. I just don’t know if there are other people from the Yang family on the First Prince’s side…
When the meal was almost finished, everyone started playing drinking games. The men were in one group, and the wives were in a separate group.
A servant brought paper and pen to each guest, asking them to write a poem. The poem would then be presented to the second prince for judging, and the best one would be selected.
The prize for this game is a Ferghana horse for the man and a jade hairpin for his wife.
In fact, for these noble families in Beijing, the lottery is nothing, and the meaning behind the lottery is more profound.
Especially as for the concubines, it was clear that they wanted the Second Prince to choose his favorite concubine. If any young man receives the jade hairpin from the second prince, he or she will most likely move into the palace in the future.
For married women like Shen Xuan and Jin Shiyue, they were just having fun and naturally wouldn't take poetry seriously.
Jin Shiyue had never been good at poetry, so he just wrote a few lines and gave up. Shen Xuan racked his brains but could only come up with a doggerel, without even making sure the rhymes were straight, and just wrote it down casually.
Apart from them, all the unmarried ladies and boys wrote very seriously.
After a while, servants took away the poems they had written one by one. Shen Xuan saw that Yao Jinling was probably not good at poetry and had a frustrated look on his face. Sun Feifei's face was full of pride, with her chin held high, and it was obvious that she was very satisfied with the poem she had written.
"Who do you think the Second Prince will give the jade hairpin to this time?" Jin Shiyue couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Even you don't know, how can I guess it?" Shen Xuan whispered, "It's just a matter of choosing from those few candidates, right? With his status, what choice can he make?"
Having said that, Shen Xuan glanced at everyone, but saw an unusual melancholy on Feng Shuming's face.
He was stunned for a moment, then looked at Feng Shuming carefully a few more times before he made sure that he was not mistaken.
Shen Xuan's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but glance at the Second Prince, but he happened to see his eyes glancing towards the inner family and falling on Feng Shuming.
But after his gaze carefully lingered on Feng Shuming for a few seconds, it quickly moved away...
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