Chapter 278 Trouble
It was getting late, so the prince said nothing more and went into the palace to celebrate the empress dowager's birthday.
Song Nanyue and Concubine Wen were not together. They entered the palace half an hour ago.
Entering the palace on time, Shen Wan didn't have to separate from Xie Jingyu and could go directly to congratulate the Queen Mother on her birthday. Others would not be able to find a chance to attack.
Imperial Garden.
As lively as ever.
The ladies of noble families were having a great time enjoying the flowers and catching butterflies.
Princess Shouzhen had an injury on her forehead. Even after using Xuefu ointment, it did not fully recover. She wore a forehead necklace, which not only completely covered the scar but also made her look more playful and beautiful.
There were a bunch of ladies from noble families around her, all flattering and trying to please her.
Having been praised so much since she was little, her ears were almost callused from hearing all the flattery. She was a little impatient and asked, "Hasn't he come yet?"
Those ladies looked at each other, wondering who Princess Shouzhen was waiting for.
But Song Nanyan knew, "Don't worry, cousin, she won't dare not come."
On the Empress Dowager's birthday, the Emperor would always comply with her wishes, fearing that she would be unhappy. Even with Chen Wan's courage, she dared not turn a deaf ear to the Empress Dowager's words.
Princess Shouzhen played while waiting.
But she was not a patient person. She waited and waited until the birthday party was about to start, but no one came. Song Nanyue was a little unsure whether Shen Wan would come.
If Chen Wan really used the excuse of being unwell and unable to enter the palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, the prince and princess would apologize to the Queen Mother on her behalf, and the Queen Mother would not be able to do anything to Chen Wan.
The birthday banquet was about to begin, and the palace servants came to invite everyone to take their seats. Song Nanyue and Princess Shouzhen went to Chongwen Hall.
As soon as they sat down, exclamations of surprise were heard one after another. Princess Shouzhen looked towards the palace door and saw Shen Wan and Xie Jingyu walking in side by side.
real.
The moment she saw Chen Wan and the phoenix crown on her head, Princess Shouzhen almost died of anger on the spot.
Her eyes were more ferocious than ever before.
That's her phoenix crown!
Chen Wan had an extraordinary appearance, with light makeup on, her complexion was like the morning glow reflecting on the snow, and she wore a phoenix crown on her head, which added a bit of nobility to her appearance. Xie Jingyu's face was even more ostentatious, wearing a brocade robe embroidered with gold and silver threads and a jade crown, and I don't know how many ladies from noble families couldn't take their eyes off him.
Prince Yuzhang and Chu Yang were originally playing around, but when they saw Xie Jingyu come in, the corners of their mouths twitched uncontrollably.
Chu Yang asked, "They're just going to the palace to celebrate a birthday. Is it necessary to dress up like this? Is the Jingbei Palace planning to present them to the Queen Mother as a birthday gift?"
Prince Yuzhang said to Shen Li, "Your brother-in-law, a married man, is dressed so ostentatiously. Is he trying to attract attention?"
Shen Li, “…”
Not to mention, he also had this suspicion.
Shen Li looked at Xie Jingyu as if he had cheated on Shen Wan.
Everyone in the hall looked at Shen Wan and Xie Jingyu, especially the phoenix crown. All the civil and military officials had heard that the emperor had given Shen Wan a phoenix crown, so this should be it.
But today is the Queen Mother’s birthday banquet. Isn’t it too much for the Prince and Princess of Jingbei to dress so extravagantly?
Even the officials felt so, let alone Shen Ji and Yun Shi.
Yun looked at Chen Wan and said, "Didn't you promise mother not to enter the palace? Why are you still..."
Chen Wan touched the phoenix crown on her head and said, "The Queen Mother wanted to see this crown and asked me to wear it when I entered the palace to celebrate her birthday. My daughter dared not disobey."
Since it was the Queen Mother's request, Yun couldn't say anything.
Xie Jingyu bowed to Shen Ji and Yun Shi, then took Shen Wan to sit down.
We have been in the hall for a while, and everyone is still talking about this phoenix crown. There is no way, it is really beautiful. Not to mention the ladies from wealthy families, even the noble ladies are envious of it.
The emperor did not leave such a good thing to his own daughter, but gave it to the Crown Princess of Jingbei.
Princess Shouzhen was so jealous that she went crazy, and her neatly trimmed nails under her sleeves dug into her flesh.
You stole her things and dared to show off in front of her?
She wants her to come here alive today and go back dead!
The emperor has many princesses, and those princesses are envious, but they know in their hearts that even if the emperor does not give such a phoenix crown to Shen Wan, they will not get it.
Instead of giving it to Princess Shouzhen, the Emperor might as well give it to the Crown Princess of Jingbei, so that Princess Shouzhen can have a taste of what it's like to just watch.
Chen Wan was not one to show off, but she was always forced to do so. Moreover, this phoenix crown was extremely heavy. The Queen Mother's birthday banquet would last at least two hours. Chen Wan didn't dare to think about whether her neck would still be her own if she had to wear the phoenix crown for two hours.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
"The Queen Mother has arrived!"
As two drake voices were heard, the people in the hall stood up and knelt to welcome the emperor and the empress dowager, wishing the empress dowager a long life.
The Queen Mother smiled broadly, "Everyone, get up."
Queen Song helped the Queen Mother sit down.
All the officials stood up and took their seats.
The Queen Mother saw Chen Wan at a glance. Well, the light reflected from the phoenix crown on Chen Wan's head sparkled in the Queen Mother's eyes.
The Queen Mother's good mood for celebrating her birthday was suddenly overshadowed.
The Queen Mother's eyes lingered on the phoenix crown for a few moments, and her brows furrowed.
She wanted the Princess of Jingbei to bring the phoenix crown into the palace to show her, but she didn't want her to be so ostentatious. No princess had such a luxurious thing. Fortunately, the envoys from Dongliang and Beiyue had left, otherwise it would be hard to tell who was the princess of Ning Dynasty.
The emperor also noticed Chen Wan. Chen Wan and Xie Jingyu were sitting not far away and could be easily seen.
But today is the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, and the most important thing is to congratulate her.
The emperor ordered the birthday gift prepared for the empress dowager to be delivered.
A jade Buddha.
The Queen Mother was moved and said, "Your Majesty is so busy with affairs of state, yet he still takes so much trouble to plan my birthday banquet."
The Emperor said, "As long as the Queen Mother is happy."
When Prince Jin died of poisoning on his wedding night, many princes competed for that position. The Empress Dowager played an indispensable role in the Emperor's victory.
The emperor has been on the throne for many years, and except for not following the empress dowager's wishes to appoint Prince Cheng as the crown prince, he has always complied with everything else.
After the emperor finished his birthday celebration, it was Queen Song's turn. Queen Song presented a string of Buddhist beads, which had been enshrined in front of the Buddha for ten years and was priceless.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "The Queen is thoughtful."
Concubine Zhao Guifei and Concubine Li Shufei also presented the birthday gifts they had prepared to the empress dowager.
Then came the prince and princess.
After that came the Princess Qiyang and the Princess Yaoguang, both born to the Empress Dowager, and then the Princes and the Dukes of the Counties...
Birthday gifts come in all shapes and sizes, each with a better meaning than the last.
However, nothing surprised Chen Wan. In her previous life, she attended the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, and she had seen the birthday gifts presented by everyone in her previous life.
The birthday gift prepared by Song Nanyue and Xie Jingze was a jade carving of a birthday star. The jade was crystal clear and very valuable.
There was nothing wrong with the birthday gifts they prepared, and the Queen Mother praised them highly and liked them very much.
The birthday ceremony lasted for more than an hour.
Queen Song smiled and said, "The Imperial Kitchen specially prepared birthday cakes so that all officials can also share in the Queen Mother's blessing."
The imperial kitchen brought out the birthday cake.
The Queen Mother picked up a piece and tasted it, "It tastes good, reward."
The emperor said, "My dear ministers, please try it too."
This birthday cake didn’t exist in my previous life, and it looks delicious.
Xie Jingyu tasted it and nodded, and then Shen Wan ate it.
She was afraid there might be pecans in the pastry, so she erred on the side of caution.
This pastry is sweet and sour and appetizing. It is really delicious. Shen Wan finished the whole piece.
When Queen Song saw this, a deep smile appeared in her eyes.
The sound of stringed instruments spread.
The dancers danced gracefully.
Shen Wan ate pastries while watching intently.
Princess Shouzhen and Song Nanyue frequently looked towards Chen Wan.
Why hasn't the rash appeared yet?
Could it be that you can’t eat pecans?
Princess Shouzhen felt that her plan was about to fail again, and she gritted her teeth in anger. However, at this moment, Eunuch An's urgent, drooping voice suddenly spread throughout the hall:
"Your Majesty, your face..."
"Imperial Physician!"
"Quickly call the imperial physician!"
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