Chapter 24 Birthday Banquet Xie Yuting suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood
In an instant, Jiang Yueying's blood froze and her face turned pale.
Her head was buzzing and her throat was thick with mud, so she couldn't utter a word.
The brightly colored carved beams and painted buildings around me suddenly dimmed, becoming blurry and distorted. The early winter wind was bleak and cold, and it hurt when it blew on my face.
How did Xie Yuting know her name? Could it be that he let it slip last night? Then why did he reveal it now? Was he planning to torture her first and then kill her?
If his true identity were to be exposed, the Emperor of Liang would be furious and would launch an attack on Nanjiang. I couldn’t imagine how many people would be displaced by then.
She had never seen a battlefield, but she knew that wars meant death. In the cold palace, countless people had died silently. She didn't want her once vibrant face to become cold and stiff, like her wet nurse...
In a trance, her feet took root, her expression was stiff, her lips trembled like a crumbling leaf, and she was about to collapse.
"Princess, why do you look like that? Could it be that I'm the first person to know your nickname?"
"Ah?" Jiang Yueying was still immersed in fear and did not react for a while.
Xie Yuting smiled and said, "You really forgot. Last night you said your nickname was Ah Ying, the Ying of firefly."
"Honestly, I think this name is quite nice. I'll call you that from now on. Little Princess, don't you mind?"
The icy wind slowed down.
Oh, a nickname... Fortunately, it was a false alarm and her identity was not exposed. Jiang Yueying's emotions fluctuated greatly, her heart was pounding, and she was almost scared to death by Xie Yuting.
The warm blood began to flow again, and she glared at him angrily: "Get lost."
Xie Yuting shrugged and put on an innocent expression.
"You said we exchanged secrets. What's your secret?"
Xie Yuting was being shameless: "I already said it last night. If the princess doesn't remember, you can't blame me."
"you!"
Xie Yuting smiled brightly, pinched her soft face, and ran away fanning himself.
The sun shone over his head, shedding sparkling golden light.
Looking at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince from afar, who had no idea what sorrow was, Jiang Yueying actually felt a slight envy. It was so great to have no worries weighing on his heart and he could just do whatever he wanted.
It’s a pity that Xie Yuting is heartless, but she can’t.
So, what was given at Emperor Liang’s birthday banquet?
…
On the emperor's birthday, all officials gathered together, and the palace lanterns on both sides were lit, illuminating the wine and delicacies in the center. As the sound of stringed instruments resounded throughout the hall, the banquet officially began.
Emperor Liang sat alone on a high platform, with the empress on his right. The other officials lined up in a winding manner according to their official rank. The main hall was full. Officials of lower ranks were seated in the outer hall, and eunuchs and palace maids stood behind the officials in order, ready to serve them at any time.
Officials from the Guanglu Temple directed the palace servants to serve the dishes one by one. They carried the plates and walked among the officials, their steps steady and their expressions meticulous.
It was Jiang Yueying's first time attending such a grand occasion, so she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Xie Yuting was closest to Emperor Liang, and as his Crown Princess, she naturally sat in the most prominent place.
She felt very uncomfortable, aware of countless eyes focused on her.
Because this was the first time she had officially appeared in front of everyone since her marriage.
What are you looking at? It's annoying.
Subconsciously trying to avoid those naked gazes, she was about to lower her head to drink tea to hide her emotions, but Qingge coughed lightly behind her, reminding her not to act like an inexperienced person, but to hold her head high and chest out, and to show the proper demeanor.
Jiang Yueying had no choice but to raise her chin and look around disdainfully.
Today, she went to the palace for a banquet and wore a court dress specially made for the Crown Princess. The thick autumn yellow skirt was embroidered with layers of patterns and felt a little heavy on her body.
Because her clothes were uncomfortable, she tried her best to keep in one position without moving. On the other hand, Xie Yuting next to her sat lazily and crookedly, without any demeanor of a prince.
The court musicians came forward to play music, and the dancers in colorful clothes came in one after another, with their arms raised slightly and their dance moves gracefully, blocking the sight of many people who were prying at each other.
Jiang Yueying took the opportunity to lower her voice: "What kind of gift did you prepare? Is it reliable?"
Three days ago, Xie Yuting suddenly told her that the gift had been prepared, but he did not tell her what it was. He only said that it was priceless and worthless.
Xie Yuting held the white jade cup, took a sip of the grape wine, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, the Queen Mother praised me for my thoughtfulness."
Even the Empress praised her? Jiang Yueying became more and more curious.
The singing and dancing stopped for a while, and it was time for the ministers to present gifts. Every time it was the emperor's birthday, presenting gifts was the best opportunity for the ministers to flatter and please the emperor, and the princes were even more eager to win their father's praise.
The order of rank began with the eldest prince, Xie Yuwei. He was crowned the first, given the title Rong. The gift Rong presented was a modest gift: a thousand-year-old ginseng, in the hope that Emperor Liang would live longer.
Next came the imperial concubine's two sons, Prince Xuan Xie Yutong and the third prince Xie Yusui. As the two most favored princes, whatever they received as gifts every year would be highly praised by the emperor, which made others envious.
King Xuan was very elegant and presented a thousand volumes of Buddhist scriptures he had copied by hand to celebrate Emperor Liang's birthday.
Seeing the piles of Buddhist scriptures, Jiang Yueying couldn't help but say to Xie Yuting: "We are both writing, why don't you learn from them?"
"I'm exhausted from copying a thousand volumes, but I won't be taken advantage of."
"You're just lazy."
"Don't you think my handwriting is ugly? Wouldn't it be blasphemy to Buddha if I really copied the Buddhist scriptures?"
Jiang Yueying had no objection and looked up to continue reading.
Sure enough, Emperor Liang was delighted when he received the Buddhist scriptures. A smile broke out on his gloomy face, and he looked quite relieved.
The third prince was not willing to be outdone and presented a five-element mechanism box. The outside of the box was inlaid with five gems of different colors. The gems were connected to the lock inside the box. The mechanism box could only be opened by turning the appropriate position. It could be used to keep important treasures.
The mechanism box is not only very useful, but also has very luxurious decorations, and it is obvious that it is a royal item.
Jiang Yueying stared at the mechanical box intently, sighing that there were so many strange things in the world. She really had never seen the world...
Xie Yuting looked at him dismissively: "It's just a broken box. Do you think the emperor's things need to be kept in a box to protect them from thieves? Then what's the point of the imperial guards? This gift is really useless."
“…”
Although the words were unpleasant to hear, Jiang Yueying had to admit that Xie Yuting had some truth in what he said.
But Emperor Liang liked him very much and repeatedly praised Sui'er for his thoughtfulness and praised his good work in the Ministry of Works. He also rewarded him with many things.
The third prince Xie Yusui had been depressed for many days because his gambling house was destroyed. Today, he received the emperor's commendation, and the clouds in his heart were cleared and the endless darkness was dispelled.
All the ministers flattered and praised the third prince for his filial piety.
In order to win back the emperor's favor, the fourth prince Xie Yufan, who had been under house arrest for half a month, presented a golden statue of Emperor Liang at the birthday banquet. The statue was nine feet tall and carried into the hall by several palace servants. It shone brightly under the illumination of palace lanterns.
Everyone was also shocked. They actually built a golden statue of the emperor. It must have cost a lot of money. The Fourth Prince was really generous.
Xie Yuting covered his face with a folding fan and laughed non-stop. The movement beside him was really hard to ignore. Jiang Yueying was confused: "What are you laughing at? Are you stupid because of this?"
Xie Yuting leaned his head closer and whispered in her ear: "Don't you think it's ugly? Hahahahahaha..."
It is so audacious that he actually said that the golden statue of the emperor is ugly. If someone hears it and secretly complains to His Majesty, it will be a crime of great disrespect.
Jiang Yueying covered his mouth with her hand, raised her eyebrows and glared at him, warning him with her eyes to restrain himself.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on the golden statue of the emperor, and not many people noticed their actions.
When it was almost Xie Yuting's turn to present the gift, Jiang Yueying suddenly sat up straight, trying her best to ignore the burning gazes around her.
She raised her chin and pretended not to care.
When Xie Yuting stepped forward, most of the crowd's interest died down. Everyone knew that the Crown Prince could only write the word "longevity", and his writing was extremely ugly and boring.
Apparently, Emperor Liang shared everyone's thoughts and was the first to ask, "Has the Crown Prince's calligraphy improved?"
"Reporting to His Majesty, I have prepared a better gift this year."
A slight change appeared on Emperor Liang's sullen face. Not writing the word "longevity" this year? That was strange.
All the officials also became curious and looked at the prince with great interest.
Only Jiang Yueying was clutching her skirt under the table, squeezing it into wrinkles, fearing that Xie Yuting would make something not presentable and cause ridicule.
The fourth prince, Xie Yufan, loved to contradict Xie Yuting and urged him, "Don't keep me in suspense, Sixth Brother. What good stuff is this?"
Xie Yuting just whistled, and a snow-white parrot flew over the hall, landed on his shoulder, and landed steadily.
The white parrot flapped its wings, its clean feathers were as thin as snow, and its black eyes rolled around. Even though it was surrounded by countless people, it was not afraid of strangers and held its furry chest high.
The whole hall was filled with silence.
Did you see that right? The Crown Prince gave His Majesty a white parrot? Even a shabby bird is worthy of being treasured. Isn't there a plethora of them in the Bird House?
A merciless sneer rang out, and Xie Yufan put his hands on his hips and said, "Sixth brother, what's so special about your parrot? It can't be that it flies higher than other birds, right?"
Emperor Liang also looked puzzled, but he had long been accustomed to the prince's mischievous behavior and did not have too much emotional fluctuation. At least it was not the ugly longevity character that upset him.
Jiang Yueying's face froze. It was priceless and worthless, and this was it?
Even if this parrot is made of gold, it cannot compare to that golden statue.
Xie Yuting teased the little parrot on his shoulder, fed it a few grains of corn, and said with a smile: "This is not an ordinary parrot."
Everyone thought that the prince was just being stubborn.
What's so great about a parrot?
Suddenly, a clear and melodious voice rang out from the crowd: "This is a parrot from Beique Mountain. Born in extremely cold lands, if tamed well, it can speak human language. Local people believe that the words of this parrot are protected by the mountain gods and have the magical power to predict good and bad luck."
Jiang Yueying opened her eyes wide and looked at the young man who was speaking in the crowd.
The young man was dressed in blue and white brocade clothes, had a handsome face, spoke in a soft tone, and patiently explained every word.
It was the eighth prince Xie Yubo.
There was actually a prince speaking up for Xie Yuting. Didn't that guy say he had offended all the princes? Furthermore, the Eighth Prince was born to Concubine Qin, and he and Crown Prince Xie Yuting were not born of the same mother. In this deep palace, even brothers would fight for the throne. Why would Xie Yubo help the Crown Prince...
Jiang Yueying was full of doubts and turned her gaze to Xie Yuting.
Xie Yuting didn't even look at Xie Yubo, treating him as air, and lowered his head to touch the smooth feathers of the little parrot.
Seeing that Xie Yuting did not respond, Xie Yubo lowered his eyelids to hide his dim eyes.
The fourth prince, Xie Yufan, snorted softly: "There are many talking parrots, how can this one have supernatural powers?"
After the little parrot finished eating the corn kernels, it suddenly pecked at Xie Yuting a few times and shouted, "Stupid, stupid!"
"Who are you scolding?" Xie Yuting glared.
The whole room burst into laughter, and Xie Yufan was overjoyed: "Okay, now I believe this parrot has magical powers. It can really judge people accurately."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little white-feathered parrot suddenly took off into the air and flew towards Emperor Liang on the dragon throne without any warning. It circled above his head and spoke in human language.
"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, and your benevolence is unparalleled. Now that I have seen your face, I am filled with emotion and tears. I believe that your majesty's divine power will bring all nations to pay homage, usher in eternal peace, and be remembered for eternity, and live as long as heaven and earth!"
After saying this, the little parrot landed on the emperor's shoulder, tears rolling down from the corners of its eyes.
Seeing this, Emperor Liang was in a trance. The long string of congratulatory words was shocking enough, but this parrot actually cried! You have to know that even palace servants who specialize in bird training can't make a bird cry. Even the most intelligent parrot can only repeat what people say.
Emperor Liang's throat was dry: "I..."
"Your Majesty is a wise ruler in this prosperous age!" The white-feathered parrot opened its beak.
Emperor Liang was unable to come back to his senses for a long time, thinking of Xie Yubo's words in his heart. Seeing you cry, it can be seen that you are really a divine bird.
He touched the parrot's feathers with satisfaction, and a smile appeared on his old face.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Majesty was very satisfied with the gift from the Crown Prince. After all, how could a dead thing compare to a living thing, especially a living thing that could speak well?
Jiang Yueying's heart finally settled down.
Since ancient times, emperors have sought submission from all people, and all living things are no exception. Now that a divine bird is celebrating his birthday, Emperor Liang naturally believes that this is destiny.
"Your son congratulates the emperor on his birthday." Xie Yuting bowed politely.
Emperor Liang, who rarely looked at him favorably, said, "Your Highness is very thoughtful. Please let me know what reward you would like."
The other princes almost gritted their teeth. Their father had never taken Xie Yuting seriously, and this was the first time that his popularity surpassed theirs.
Everyone was thinking about it, secretly wondering whether they should dethrone the annoying prince as soon as possible. When the time came, the crown prince position would be vacant, and whoever got it would depend on their ability.
Hearing that there was a reward, Xie Yuting's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Really? I want the crystal pork elbow on my third brother's table!"
“…………”
Hearing this, the princes rolled their eyes and their vigilance disappeared instantly. Well, let this idiot stay on the throne of crown prince for the time being.
The queen couldn't help rubbing her eyebrows.
Emperor Liang: "Eat what you want. Your third brother wouldn't be stingy with a pork elbow. Is there anything else you want? How about this? I'll reward you with a garden outside the capital where the plum blossoms are in full bloom."
"Thank you, father." Xie Yuting expressed his gratitude.
Emperor Liang glanced at the third prince again.
The third prince Xie Yusui waved his hand casually. Before the guards behind him could move, Xie Yuting had already run over and took the elbow away.
Crystal elbows were only available on the prince's table. Xie Yuting smiled and handed the crystal elbow on his table to Jiang Yueying like a treasure, and then he started to eat the elbow he had begged from the third prince, eating with great interest.
Jiang Yueying closed her eyes. With such an unambitious husband, she felt that her future was bleak.
After everyone had presented their gifts, the music, singing and dancing continued. In the magnificent hall, there were sounds of music and wine.
Jiang Yueying pretended to drink, but actually secretly vomited on her handkerchief.
After a birthday banquet, she could feel that all the princes of Northern Liang were trying their best to please the emperor, trying to seize the throne, and were very scheming... No, except for the eighth prince Xie Yubo.
Only Xie Yuting is a fool who only cares about his own happiness every day and does not take Emperor Liang seriously at all.
But the gift he gave me today was pretty good, so I won’t blame him for now.
Jiang Yueying chewed her meal gently. Suddenly, Xie Yuting's shoulders trembled as he ate. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and bright red blood flowed down his jaw...
"Xie Yuting!" she screamed in surprise.
Everyone's eyes at the palace banquet were focused on them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
