Chapter 59 The Feast at Hongmen Begins
Within the Imperial Garden, melodious music filled the air, and singing and dancing created a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere.
Dozens of graceful dancers twirled in the center, their long sleeves billowing with fragrance.
During the banquet, toasts were exchanged and drinks were poured, creating a scene of great harmony and celebration between the emperor and his subjects.
However, beneath this glamorous facade flows a suffocating undercurrent.
Pei Yunjing, with Tang Li in his arms, sat imposingly on the Regent's Seat, which was second only to the main seat.
The seat was even larger than the young emperor's dragon throne, and it was covered with a black tiger-skin cushion, exuding an arrogance that transcended imperial power.
The young emperor, sitting at the head of the table, was only twelve years old. He wore a rather oversized dragon robe, and his face was deathly pale.
He would steal glances at his uncle, who exuded a menacing aura, every now and then. The wine cup in his hand trembled slightly, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly.
The Empress Dowager, seated on the other side of the throne, had a radiant face and a kind expression.
"Your Excellency, you have worked tirelessly and devoted yourself to the Great Sheng Dynasty. I offer you this toast."
The Empress Dowager raised her wine glass, her smile impeccable, like that of a kind elder who truly cares for her juniors.
Pei Yunjing did not get up.
He simply raised his glass with one hand, gestured towards it from afar, and then tilted his head back to drink it all.
The movements were casual and languid, carrying a hint of arrogance that disregarded everyone else.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager."
He put down his wine glass and turned his gaze to Tang Li beside him.
At this moment, Tangli was bowing her head, concentrating intently on... peeling grapes.
A small mountain of grape skins had already been piled up in the small dish in front of her.
Although she was in a dangerous situation, as a true foodie and a remarkably composed "favored concubine," she understood one thing well:
You need to be well-fed to have the strength to fight.
"Open your mouth."
Tang Li peeled a crystal-clear grape and casually offered it to Pei Yunjing's lips.
Pei Yunjing lowered his eyes, ate the food from her hand, and even playfully bit her fingertip.
This public display of affection, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, caused the young ladies from noble families below to wring their handkerchiefs in frustration, and even made the Empress Dowager's eyelids twitch.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
The Empress Dowager put down her chopsticks, and a look of sorrow suddenly appeared on her originally kind face.
She sighed deeply, dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, and her voice was tinged with sorrow:
"Alas... looking at this garden full of spring colors today, I just can't feel happy at all."
The ministers immediately stopped what they were doing and all pretended to listen attentively.
"Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?" A pre-arranged official chimed in at the opportune moment.
The Empress Dowager looked at Pei Yunjing and said earnestly:
“Yun Jing, you’re not young anymore. When the late emperor was your age, princes were already running all over the place. But look at your Regent’s Palace…”
She shook her head, her face full of disappointment and frustration.
"It's completely empty; there isn't even a son or daughter in the family. You are not only the Regent, but also the pillar of the Pei family. If the Pei family line ends with you, how will I face the late Emperor when I reach the afterlife?"
They've arrived.
The birth control team arrived late, but they did.
Tang Li rolled her eyes inwardly.
The incense has been extinguished?
When you sent people to assassinate and poison him, why didn't you think of the matter of offering incense?
Pei Yunjing toyed with the wine cup in his hand, his expression indifferent: "Thank you for your concern, Empress Dowager. I am still young, and the matter of having offspring will be left to fate."
"Go with the flow? How can you go with the flow like that!"
The Empress Dowager's voice rose several octaves, and her tone became stern:
"Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring! It was one thing when you were busy with war, but now that you've gotten married, this should be your top priority!"
As she spoke, her sharp gaze, like a poisoned knife, shot straight at Tang Li, who was sitting next to Pei Yunjing.
"only……"
The Empress Dowager looked Tang Li up and down, her disdain undisguised:
"I've heard that the Princess Consort is a concubine's daughter from the Tang family, raised on a country estate since childhood, and has not received any proper upbringing. Her humble origins are one thing, but I'm afraid her health..."
She paused meaningfully, as if the pear tree were some inferior product that couldn't bear children:
"Wouldn't it be difficult to have children?"
The pear paused in its peeling of grapes.
Goodness.
Is this what they call a "soft knife"?
First, she accuses someone of being "unfilial," then she launches a personal attack. This old woman is quite cunning.
Before Tang Li could figure out how to retort, the Empress Dowager had already unleashed her true trump card:
"For the sake of the Pei family's lineage, and also so that someone can better serve Yun Jing..."
The Empress Dowager clapped her hands.
Immediately, Grand Secretary Zhao and General Li, who were sitting at the lower end of the table, stood up, and two young girls behind them walked out shyly.
One is gentle and graceful, the other is dashing and heroic.
"This is Grand Secretary Zhao's granddaughter, Zhao Wan'er, and that is General Li's legitimate daughter, Li Shuang."
The Empress Dowager pointed at the two women, her face once again displaying a nauseatingly benevolent smile:
"I watched these two children grow up. They come from respectable families, are well-educated and reasonable, and are the most obedient and sensible."
"I hereby make the decision to bestow these two women upon the Regent as his concubines."
She didn't give Pei Yunjing a chance to refuse, turning to look at Tang Li with a condescending tone of condescension and lecture:
"Your Highness, please don't feel wronged."
“After all, you come from the countryside and don’t understand the rules of the capital, let alone how to serve a man. These two concubines can teach you the rules and share the burden of serving the prince.”
"You must be more magnanimous and produce offspring for the Prince's family as soon as possible. This is the demeanor a principal wife should possess. Do you understand?"
Everyone held their breath and secretly glanced in the direction of the Regent.
This is a coup!
This is not just about replacing people; it's about stripping Tang Li, the principal wife, of her power and even humiliating her into a mere decoration, not even as good as a concubine!
Zhao Wan'er and Li Shuang, their faces flushed with rosy cheeks, glanced shyly at the incomparably handsome Pei Yunjing, then knelt down in unison:
"This humble woman... greets Your Highness, and greets Your Highness and Princess Consort."
The word "sister" was emphasized very heavily.
Tang Li looked at the two women kneeling on the ground, who had already begun to refer to themselves as "younger sisters," and then at the Empress Dowager on the high platform, whose face was full of "I'm doing this for your own good."
She suddenly smiled.
Teach me manners?
Serve men for me?
Tang Li turned her head to look at Pei Yunjing, who hadn't said a word and whose aura was so low it was about to explode.
She extended a finger and gently poked his stiff arm, then, in front of everyone, asked in an extremely innocent voice, just loud enough for the Empress Dowager to hear:
"Your Highness..."
"The Empress Dowager said that I came from the countryside and didn't know how to serve people."
Tang Li blinked, her face showing an eager expression of curiosity:
"Then tell me, how do these two younger sisters... plan to serve you? Will they help you review memorials? Or will they help you... commit murder?"
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