Chapter 133 New Year's Eve Banquet
After taking their seats, many officials curiously turned their gazes over and whispered to their family members beside them.
I'm afraid everyone is curious about Xu Zhao's identity.
The envoys from Mobei also came to Jiying Palace. They came from afar and were naturally distinguished guests.
The seat of the Grand Princess of Mobei was arranged opposite the table of Shen Yu and Xu Zhao, and Jirimutu was on the right hand side of the Grand Princess.
Before returning to the capital, they had been inseparable for a while. It was during this period that Jirimutu found out that the woman beside King Anding had made great contributions to the victory of Yue Kingdom.
Jirimutu brought the eldest princess Ugel to Chen Yu.
"May Prince Anding be well on New Year's Eve, and may Miss Xu be well on New Year's Eve."
Even in the imperial city of Yue Kingdom, Jirimutu still used the etiquette of Mobei Kingdom.
Ugle, who was standing by, also gave the two of them a blessing.
Xu Zhao wanted to stand up and return the greeting, but was stopped by Chen Yu. "Master Jirimutu, enjoy your meal today." Chen Yu raised his hand and pointed to the seat in front. "The feast will start soon, please take your seat."
He didn't seem to want to communicate more with Jirimutu.
Ugel didn't like the shrewd Jirimutu in the first place, and what's more, he was a lackey of the dog emperor. Now he hated him even more.
Now seeing him being humiliated in front of King Anding, people don't like him at all, and they just feel very happy.
She hummed with joy.
Jirimutu stroked his beard, feeling helpless and furious. He cursed Ugel in his heart for not being honest even after being sent to the Moon Kingdom. He was even more angry that King Anding looked down on him.
But he couldn't show it, so he had to leave in disappointment and returned to his seat.
"Jirimutu will leave the imperial city soon. Before that, we should not spend too much time with the Mobei Kingdom." Shen Yu tilted his head and whispered in Xu Zhao's ear.
There is a ceasefire now, but it is only temporary. If he keeps close contacts with the envoys from Mobei, even His Majesty will have concerns now that he has made great military achievements. He might be accused of collaborating with the enemy, which will not be worth the loss.
"I see."
Almost everyone had arrived. Emperor Showa and the Imperial Concubine also came to the Jiying Hall, followed by several favored concubines with prominent family backgrounds.
"The Emperor has arrived! The Imperial Concubine has arrived! The Eldest Prince has arrived!" Eunuch Chen's loud voice echoed throughout the Jiying Palace.
The music stopped suddenly, and the originally noisy hall suddenly became quiet.
Everyone in the store stood up from their chairs and knelt down to carry their luggage. Xu Zhao was no exception. Standing alone would have been too conspicuous.
"Greetings to His Majesty, His Majesty the Imperial Concubine, and the Crown Prince!"
Emperor Showa put on an exquisite dragon robe, and holding the hand of the concubine, he slowly walked into the hall from the door, walked up the steps and sat on the dragon throne that belonged to him alone.
The eldest prince followed behind with a serious face, and the two of them sat on the left and right sides of Emperor Showa respectively.
"My dear ministers, please stand up quickly. Today is New Year's Eve. My dear ministers, there is no need to be polite. Just be happy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Everyone stood up and returned to their seats.
"Today we are here to celebrate the coming of the new year, to congratulate our Yue Kingdom on its great victory in the border war, and to welcome Princess Ugle of Mobei to visit our country." Emperor Showa loudly stated the three purposes of today's banquet. He raised the wine glass at hand and raised it forward, "I will drink this glass of wine first, and wish our Yue Kingdom prosperity!"
Emperor Showa finished speaking and drank it all in one gulp.
The ministers below raised their glasses one after another and said in unison: "May our Yue Kingdom prosper. Long live His Majesty!"
After saying this, they all drank the wine in their glasses.
Xu Zhao joined them in congratulating, but the glass in her cup was not filled with wine, but the juice that she had specifically requested.
Emperor Zhaohe looked at Eunuch Chen who was serving dishes beside him. The latter immediately understood what he meant, stopped what he was doing, and shouted loudly: "The banquet begins!"
The music sounded again in an instant, and the dancers who had been waiting in the side hall for a long time came into the main hall in thin dance costumes, braving the cold wind.
The dancers stood at their respective seats, the music stopped and started again, changing the style, and the dancers in the center of the hall moved to the rhythm of the music.
Emperor Showa held the wine glass in his hand, glancing at Chen Yu's table from time to time.
It turned out that was the girl Wu Jue liked, and she was indeed pretty. To say
He had three thousand beauties in his harem, each with her own beauty, which was truly dazzling. Even though he had seen countless beauties, he still felt from the bottom of his heart that Xu Zhao was indeed good-looking.
Chen Yu would pick up some food for Xu Zhao who was beside him from time to time.
Xu Zhao ate the food in the bowl and squinted his eyes happily.
Because of the heavy sound of stringed instruments in the hall, the two had to stand very close to each other to hear each other's voices, "As expected of the imperial chef, this dish is superb."
She couldn't help but give a thumbs up!
"As long as you like it." Shen Yu looked doting.
There were no accidents during the entire banquet.
But he didn't know if it was an illusion, Xu Zhao always felt that he was being watched, but when he looked up, he didn't see anyone.
Just think of it as someone being curious about her identity.
Because of the custom of Yue Kingdom to stay up with family on New Year's Eve, the banquet would not be held too late and would end around the beginning of the night of Hai.
Before Shen Lingge left, he did not forget to wink at Xu Zhao. After getting a response, he happily followed Emperor Zhaohe away.
"Let's go, it's time for us to go home."
Shen Yu first stood up himself, then stretched out his hand to pull Xu Zhao up from the chair.
"Let's go, it's too cold, let's go back and stay up till the New Year!" Xu Zhao urged, pulling Chen Yu's hand and walking out of Jiying Hall.
The palace's carriage was waiting at the palace gate early. After the two men got on the horses, the coachman quickly drove the horses back to the palace.
Today is New Year's Eve, the day when families reunite. The streets are already empty, but when passing by residential areas, one can still hear laughter from inside.
The horse ran smoothly all the way and returned to the palace in just half an hour.
"Come on, I'll go with you to Yimeiyuan to watch the New Year's Eve. I'll go back after midnight."
Xu Zhao did not bring his maid with him when he went out. Doukou estimated the time and lit the charcoal fire in the house. When the two came in, the oncoming heat instantly dispelled the coldness on them.
There was less than an hour left before the new year. Xu Zhao thought that everyone was just sitting there anyway, so he immediately arranged for everyone to play Landlord.
"Fuling, go call Nanxing and the others in. Since it's New Year's Day, it would be more fun if everyone can have fun together!"
"Doukou, take out the playing cards quickly, let's continue!"
Fuling and Doukou were about to leave, but were stopped by Xu Zhao.
The two looked at each other. On New Year's Eve, Miss Xu should have spent it alone with the prince, so why did he invite them?
The two maids didn't move. Chen Yu saw their embarrassment with his sharp eyes and understood the reason immediately. "This is Yimei Courtyard. Since Miss Xu said so, you should just do as she said."
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