Chapter 189 Medicated Wine
"I've heard about what happened at Feiyin Pavilion. Whether you don't want to pursue it further or you have your own considerations, your mother supports your decision."
The princess changed the subject, her expression proud: "However, I must tell you, you are now my daughter, Qi Yuemian. You cannot allow yourself to be wronged, understand?"
Qi Yuxuan leaned gently against her chest and said in a soft voice:
"I know, I have my own plans, you don't need to worry."
She's getting more and more like a child now, able to lean on the princess's chest so comfortably and act coquettishly, something she never dared to imagine before.
Life is too comfortable now, and it's all thanks to those people who keep causing trouble and reminding her that this is not over yet.
The next day was the Dragon Boat Festival.
According to the customs of the State of Qi, people must wear clothing with patterns related to the five poisonous creatures and the tiger on the Dragon Boat Festival. The royal family holds a banquet by the Bian River to entertain relatives and important officials, and people must arrive early.
At the request of the Princess, Qi Yuxuan wore a cherry blossom pink palace dress today.
The skirt was embroidered with fine light green calamus flowers in gold thread, and the collar and cuffs were decorated with mugwort leaf patterns in green silk thread. A pale yellow satin ribbon was tied around the waist, with a small and exquisite black jade sachet hanging down. Her black hair was styled into a double bun.
Dressed in red and green, a stark contrast to her usual pale colors, she stared at her reflection in the bronze mirror, her brow furrowing slightly.
The little girl in the bronze mirror also frowned, her bright, lively eyes revealing a hint of difficulty:
"Mother...isn't this outfit a little too..."
She looks so cute! Dressed like this, she looks even younger than fourteen or fifteen years old. People would believe she's twelve or thirteen!
The girl in the bronze mirror had a slightly round and cute face, with skin as white as snow, and a pair of big, watery eyes that shone like stars. Beneath her delicate nose, her rosy lips were slightly pursed.
The eldest princess looked at Qi Yuxuan with great satisfaction, even taking her hand and spinning her around, laughing:
"A young girl should be dressed up so beautifully, isn't she lovely?"
“I’ve wanted to dress you up like this for a long time. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to wear those moon-white and jade-colored clothes after you come of age. You’re still young now, why pretend to be so mature?”
She looked Qi Yuxuan up and down, her gaze suddenly falling on her bare earlobes, and then beckoned Aunt Meng to come forward.
"Quickly, go and get those pearl-embellished earrings from my box! I'm too old to wear them anymore, but they'll suit Yu Xuan's outfit perfectly!"
"Mother……"
Qi Yuxuan was about to interrupt, saying that she already had many pieces of jewelry and headdress in her dressing case, when she saw the princess's face darken:
"What, do you not consider me your mother? You're even refusing a mere earring? You've been looking at the household accounts these past few days, don't you have a good idea of the family's wealth?"
The eldest princess inadvertently reminded Qi Yuxuan, who opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
When the mother and daughter arrived at the Bian River, the place where the royal family was located was already heavily guarded and protected by Qingdao.
"This humble servant pays respects to the Eldest Princess and Princess Chang Le!"
After the guards bowed and greeted them, a palace attendant led the two to the high platform where the Emperor and Empress were.
Although there were guards blocking the way, people could be seen curiously looking in their direction from a distance. When their eyes fell on the princess's carriage, a chorus of whispers arose.
"That's the Eldest Princess! And her adopted daughter, Princess Chang Le!"
"So beautiful... The Eldest Princess is beautiful, and Princess Chang Le is beautiful too, but they are too young. Otherwise, Princess Chang Le would be the most beautiful woman in the capital!"
"That's right! Princess Chang Le's own mother was known as the most beautiful woman back then. You're so ignorant!"
"Who is her biological mother? I've only been back in the capital for a short time, and I just learned that the Princess has taken in a goddaughter. I still don't know who her biological parents are..."
It turned out to be a passerby who only had a superficial understanding. Most of the onlookers were kind-hearted and immediately began to explain.
After chatting for a while, the person finally realized what was going on and looked around at the slightly lower platform on the other side, searching for the figure.
"Huh, why are there only four ministers? Where are the other two ministers? Is Minister Xiao the one you mentioned?"
"You don't know this, do you? Minister Tao's framing of Prime Minister Zheng has been exposed, and he is reaping the consequences. He will be executed soon. Minister Xiao is unwell, and none of his family members came. I don't know if they really can't come, or if they don't want to see their own daughter rise to prominence."
"How do you know everything? You must be making this up!"
"Hey, what are you saying? My aunt's cousin's son-in-law is a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. Besides, it's such a trivial matter, everyone in the capital knows about it. You can ask anyone and they'll find out!"
The eldest princess held a high position, and as her daughter, Qi Yuxuan was seated very close to the emperor and empress.
"Your Majesty, please have some grapes. I peeled them myself—"
Come on, ah—
"Is it sweet? Hehehe, Your Majesty is so joking..."
The voice, as melodious as a nightingale's song and carrying the coquettishness of a mature woman, continued to drift down, and Qi Yuxuan quietly raised her eyes to look over.
She truly is the famous Imperial Concubine.
Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly met the gaze of the Crown Prince opposite her.
The other person slightly raised their hand while holding a wine glass, the meaning couldn't be clearer.
Qi Yuxuan had no choice but to pick up her wine glass, hand it forward, and then drink it all in one gulp.
"Yu Xuan!"
The princess was startled when she saw her suddenly start drinking.
"This is a medicinal wine made from cinnabar, realgar, and calamus. You are still young and should not drink alcohol. Please stop drinking it."
She lowered her voice to remind her, and then smelled the aroma of wine emanating from Qi Yuxuan's breath. Feeling a little anxious, she immediately took the wine glass from the girl's hand.
"Who is in charge of serving the wine? Don't you know that Princess Chang Le is still young and needs some fruit drinks?"
The princess's voice was tinged with anger, and the palace maid behind her, who was carrying a wine pot, was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a thud, almost dropping the wine pot.
"Yes, it was this servant... Your Highness, please forgive me. The Imperial Concubine gave the order that everyone should drink this wine in this way, and this servant was just following orders..."
The young palace maid was so frightened that her voice trembled, fearing that she would offend the noble lady and be punished.
"The Imperial Concubine? She was in charge of all the arrangements for this banquet?"
Upon hearing the title of Imperial Concubine, the Princess raised an eyebrow, confirming it once again.
Since the imperial merchant changed twice, the concubine's distant relatives hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the benefits before being hastily removed from power, and the concubine's life in the palace has been getting worse and worse.
If we seize this opportunity, we must make sure to hold a grand and spectacular banquet so that we can regain the Emperor's favor.
"Yes... Her Highness said that this wine is much milder than the medicinal wine we used in previous years. She said that the elderly and children can drink it regularly, and it is beneficial to the body in every way."
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