Chapter 108: Poisoned and Lived a Few Years Less
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is Mid-Autumn Festival.
Emperor Wen Zhao discussed with the Empress and the Imperial Consort for a long time. Finally, considering that many major events had occurred recently and they were all negative, the atmosphere in the entire palace and even the court was somewhat depressing. So they decided to hold the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet as usual as in previous years to let everyone relax their tense minds.
The Empress and the Royal Consort jointly organized a grand banquet. All the masters and ladies in the palace, the few royal relatives, dukes and nobles, as well as ministers of the second rank and above in the capital and their female relatives were invited to attend.
Concubine Ru was too beautiful, and she didn't want to attract too much attention, so she dressed simply and plainly. She also wanted to dress Xiaojiu in a low-key manner, but the Empress sent someone to specially send a set of new clothes, and Concubine Ru thought about it and put them on the little girl.
This is a pink skirt embroidered with lavender butterflies, which makes the already delicate and pretty girl look even more pink and tender, just like a glutinous rice dumpling.
There was still some time before the dinner was to start, and Ji Jinyou learned that Emperor Wen Zhao had not invited Xue Yili, so she asked Concubine Ru to pack four moon balls and a few bunches of grapes for her, and asked Jin Xing to carry them, and ran to Xue Yili's courtyard.
When I arrived, I saw Little Proton sitting alone on the stone steps in the yard, looking up at the sky.
The little boy had a blank expression on his face, but Ji Jinyou could see loneliness and sadness in his thin figure.
Ji Jinyou felt a little uncomfortable watching this, and sighed in his heart: [Ah, poor child, you must be homesick. ]
System: [It is inevitable that the whole family will be together. 】
Hearing the noise, Xue Yili came back to his senses and looked towards the door.
Under the scorching sun, the short, plump, pink ball stood at the gate of the courtyard, raising his little hand and about to knock on the door.
The young boy's worried brows relaxed and he couldn't help but smile. He stood up, walked over quickly, took the little girl's hand, bent his waist slightly, and said softly, "You're here."
"Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, little prince." Ji Jinyou nodded his head and said with a smile.
Xue Yili replied: "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, little princess."
Ji Jinyou turned around, took the basket from Jin Xing, and handed it to Xue Yili, saying in a soft voice, "This is the moon cake made by my mother, and there are grapes sent from the Western Regions. They are very sweet. Try them."
Xue Yili took it and handed it to Cong An who ran out of the house. He bowed to the little girl and said, "Thank you for your consideration."
Ji Jinyou waved her hands: "Then I'll leave. My mother is still waiting for me."
Xue Yili knew that she was going to attend the palace banquet, so he nodded and said, "I'll take you there."
He took Xiaotuanzi's soft little hand again and walked her out of the yard and out of the narrow alley. He did not let go and continued walking forward.
Ji Jinyou raised her little head and looked at him: "Your Highness, just send him here."
Xue Yili agreed, let go of her hand, and rubbed the two small tufts of hair on her head. Then he said, "Go ahead. I'll watch over you."
Ji Jinyou nodded, turned around and followed Jin Xing forward. After walking a few steps, she looked back and saw Xiao Zhengzi still standing there looking at her.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the lonely figure beside the tall and slightly old palace wall made Ji Jinyou couldn't help but sigh again.
She let go of Jin Xing's hand, turned around and ran back to Xue Yili. Under his puzzled gaze, she stood on tiptoe, stretched out her two chubby little arms, and hugged him tightly.
Xue Yili looked surprised, reached out and picked up the little girl, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Jinyou touched the back of his head with one hand and patted his back with the other: "Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine."
Xue Yili realized that the little girl was comforting him. His heart suddenly softened, his nose felt a little sore, and he hummed heavily.
Ji Jinyou struggled to get out of his arms and gave him a big smile: "Then I'll come to play with you tomorrow."
Xue Yili also smiled, nodded and said, "Okay."
---
As night fell, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was brightly lit, with music, singing and dancing, and clinking of glasses, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.
Ji Jinyou was originally sitting with Concubine Ru, but was later called over by the Empress, who held her in her arms and fed her sweet soup spoonful by spoonful.
From time to time, some of the ministers sitting in the hall would stand up and bring their families to pay their respects to Emperor Wen Zhao and the Empress to express their gratitude.
Emperor Wen Zhao was in a bad mood recently because of the troubles in the harem. He was also very strict in handling government affairs in the front court, and his relationship with the ministers was very tense.
At today's banquet, he had intended to ease the relationship with his ministers, so whenever someone came, he would chat with them for a few words and be as friendly as possible. The Queen was also chatting happily with the ladies on the side. For a while, the atmosphere in the palace was harmonious and warm.
After eating and drinking her fill, Ji Jinyou nestled obediently in the Queen's arms, watching the lively scene and listening to the adults' greetings.
But all she heard was either the Empress praising the noble ladies brought by the ladies, or the ladies praising her who was held in the Empress' arms. It was all the same polite words over and over again, which was very boring. She felt sleepy, so she arched her back in the Empress' arms, found a comfortable position and half-lay down.
It was not until Guang'an Marquis came forward with his wife and one son and one daughter to pay respects to Emperor Wen Zhao and the Empress that Emperor Wen Zhao's eyes fell on the eldest daughter of Guang'an Marquis's mansion. He did not look away for a long time and even spoke to a female relative for the first time, asking, "Madam Guang'an Marquis, how old is your daughter?"
The wife of Marquis Guang'an thought that the emperor was just exchanging a few words of greeting for the sake of her own master, and she smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, my daughter is nineteen this year."
Emperor Wen Zhao looked at the girl's bun on the head of the eldest daughter of the Guang'an Marquis's Mansion and raised his eyebrows slightly.
The empress was too familiar with Emperor Wen Zhao. When she heard the tone of his question, she guessed that the lustful heart of this heartless man was stirring again. The corners of her mouth, which had been raised all the time, sank slightly, and her hand that was gently patting the fat boy in her arms stopped unconsciously.
The Imperial Concubine who was sitting on the other side of Emperor Wen Zhao also noticed something. She looked back and forth between Emperor Wen Zhao and the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Guang'an's Mansion. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, secretly cursing the man as a bastard in her heart, but was too lazy to look at him anymore. She turned around and started chatting in a low voice with Concubine Zhen who was sitting next to her.
Ji Jinyou noticed something was wrong, and he climbed onto the empress's arms with his two little hands and sat up, then he tilted his head to look at Emperor Wen Zhao who was standing beside him.
Emperor Wen Zhao spoke again, asking Marquis Guang'an, "My dear, may I betroth your daughter to someone else?"
When Guang'an Hou heard this, he saw Emperor Wen Zhao frequently looking at his concubine. Then he thought of the many concubines in His Majesty's harem that were almost unable to accommodate him. His heart was a little uneasy. However, the marriage of his children was a big deal. He could tell the truth with a little inquiry. He did not dare to lie and could only answer truthfully: "Your Majesty, not yet."
Emperor Wen Zhao smiled and said, "That's very good."
Ji Jinyou felt something was wrong when he heard this, and quickly summoned the system in his mind: [Is everyone here? ]
The system responded: [Yes, Youzai'er.]
Ji Jinyou asked: [Does my father have a crush on the eldest daughter of Guang'an Marquis? ]
When Emperor Wen Zhao heard that Yi Wa and Yi Tong had started chatting, he swallowed back what he was about to say and listened quietly.
The concubines and princes and princesses sitting nearby were also startled. They leaned slightly to the side and pricked up their ears.
Only Concubine Zhuang, who heard everyone talking for the first time, showed a trace of surprise on her face and stared closely at the chubby girl in the empress's arms.
Seeing this, the Second Prince picked up a plate of green dates from his desk and brought it to Concubine Zhuang. He smiled and whispered, "These dates are very sweet. Mother, please try them."
Concubine Zhuang raised her head, and the mother and son looked at each other. The Second Prince silently said "Xiaojiu". Concubine Zhuang knew that the Second Prince had heard it too. She took the fruit plate with dates, smiled and nodded, and the Second Prince walked back to his seat and sat down.
The system quickly flipped through the pages and replied: [Yes, Youzier, you guessed it right. According to the original plot, at a palace banquet, Emperor Wen Zhao not only fell in love with the eldest daughter of the Guang'an Marquis's Mansion, but also immediately took her into the harem.]
Ji Jinyou blinked her big dark eyes and glared at Emperor Wen Zhao, "Father is such a scumbag."
When Emperor Wen Zhao heard his little daughter scolding him as a scum in her childish voice, his old face turned slightly red. He glanced at the concubines sitting in the palace and immediately reflected on himself and felt that it seemed that he should not have done that. Before he could open his mouth to ask Marquis Guang'an and his family to go back and sit down, he heard Tong Tong speak again.
[You don't know, Youzi, that girl and King Jibei are in love with each other. They are nineteen years old and still haven't gotten engaged. They are just waiting for King Jibei to come back from the border.]
[Emperor Wen Zhao pretended not to understand Marquis Guang'an's polite refusal and took the girl into the palace. King Jibei soon rebelled to seize his wife. Although he failed to get her back, he later established his own regime and planted a huge hidden danger for the Great Sheng, accelerating its subsequent demise.]
[Moreover, the eldest daughter of the Guang'an Marquis's mansion later poisoned Emperor Wen Zhao. Although he was not killed, his health was damaged. Since then, he has been bedridden and increasingly suspicious. He is not confident about any of the princes and always thinks they are planning to usurp the throne. He delays appointing a crown prince, causing the fight between the concubines and the princes to become even more intense.]
Upon hearing this, all the concubines, princes and princesses were startled and their eyes all fell on Emperor Wen Zhao. They secretly wondered whether they should persuade His Majesty if he was determined to marry the eldest daughter of Marquis Guang'an.
Emperor Wen Zhao felt a little embarrassed by the gazes. He coughed softly and looked at the four members of Guang'an Marquis' family who were still standing in front of him, "My dear ministers, you first..."
After Tong Tong said that, Emperor Wen Zhao naturally gave up the inexplicable thought that had suddenly arisen in his mind and wanted to let Marquis Guang'an and his family go back and sit down.
But Ji Jinyou didn't know that Emperor Wen Zhao had already given up the idea. When he heard him call Marquis Guang'an "my dear" again, he thought he was going to ask for someone else's daughter to marry.
The little girl was so anxious that she climbed down from the empress's arms and ran to the side of Emperor Wen Zhao. She put her two chubby hands on her waist and looked at him angrily with her head tilted back.
[Na ba na ba, you old man, not only did you force the King of Jinbei to rebel, but you were also poisoned in the end, and your life will be shortened by several years. ]