Four princes and one princess were at the end. The eldest prince was just like Consort Ju in his flamboyance. The fourth prince and the third princess followed their mother and were meek and obedient. The second prince and the fifth prince were the most taciturn.
People with mothers are not necessarily the same, but those without mothers are remarkably similar.
Jiang Sheng felt a little sorry for her fifth brother, but was afraid that others would notice something was amiss, so she only dared to glance at him out of the corner of her eye and vaguely felt that he seemed to have grown much taller.
It wasn't until the emperor and his harem were seated that she rose to greet them, only then hurriedly looking up and briefly meeting the gaze of the calm and composed young man.
Chang Yan nodded slightly, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Jiang Sheng lowered her head and shook her head, telling him not to panic.
The banquet officially began as soon as everyone was seated.
Although Consort Ju was domineering and unreasonable, she was commendable in handling matters. She arranged the entire selection banquet for the imperial concubines in a gentle and light manner, allowing young gentlemen to compose poems and exchange verses by the lakeside pavilion, and young ladies to stroll and chat in the imperial garden.
The elders in the family also enjoyed singing and dancing, and the meals provided in February were quite warm.
The daughters of prominent families like the Yang and Meng families, who aspire to marry into higher social classes, are already calling out to each other as they fly kites in the Imperial Garden, displaying their charming and delicate demeanor.
In contrast, the girls from the Jiang, Dou, and Yao families all clung to their elders and refused to leave.
At first, the princes were able to remain patient, but as more and more young ladies got up and went to the Imperial Garden, the princes remained seated and dignified.
The Fourth Prince finally couldn't contain himself any longer and lingered up to Yao Siqing, blushing as he asked, "Several new flowers have been cultivated in the Shanglin Garden, which are extremely beautiful. May I invite Miss Yao to come and see them?"
This is already a blatant gesture of goodwill. If the other party is interested, and it passes the Crown Princess's eye, an imperial decree can be issued to grant the marriage.
However, Yao Siqing smiled and shook her head, "Thank you, Your Highness, but I need to stay with my sisters, so I won't go."
Two sturdy girls walked up to her from the left and right, making her appear even more slender and delicate.
The fourth prince looked disappointed, but dared not force him, so he could only turn away sadly.
Jiang Chengyu scoffed softly, "After being rejected time and time again, you still dare to come here. Don't you even know how much potential you have? You actually dare to covet Sister Yao."
If being lame is considered a negative factor, then the Fourth Prince's contributions to the country and its people are even less than those of the Second Prince.
Oh, it's the Second Prince.
Jiang Sheng looked up and realized that the gloomy and taciturn prince was gone. He was neither competing in poetry, nor strolling in the imperial garden, nor enjoying the songs, dances and delicacies.
Looking again at the figure of the eldest prince, he was nowhere to be found.
Only the Fourth Prince remained, his head hanging low, while the Fifth Prince tried to comfort and console him, and the Third Princess kept moving closer to the lakeside pavilion.
Just as Jiang Sheng was about to remind Jiang Chengyu, several palace maids brought over steaming hot fruit tea.
As one of them approached the Jiang family's seat, he suddenly stumbled, his teacup flying up and falling, spilling perfectly onto Jiang Chengyu.
Fortunately, the weather was cold and I was dressed thickly, so I didn't get burned, but having half of my body steaming was obviously not comfortable either.
Jiang Chengyu kept a cold face and barely managed to suppress his anger so as not to vent it on the spot.
Old Madam Jiang frowned as she looked over, and Second Madam Jiang exclaimed in surprise, causing even the singing and dancing in the center of the banquet to pause for a moment.
"What's going on?" came the majestic voice of the imperial family.
Just as Madam Jiang was about to kneel down to complain, Consort Ju responded with a smile, "It must have been a mistake by a palace maid that affected the Jiang family's daughter. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will handle it properly."
The singing and dancing then began, and the banquet returned to peace. The imperial family hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to let it be.
What a clumsy tactic.
He first pretended to wet the girl's clothes, then took her to change into new clothes. On the way, the prince barged in and saw the girl's fair skin with his own eyes, so he had no choice but to marry her.
The powerful families, bound by their bloodlines, had no choice but to take sides and fight desperately for the prince's throne.
Old Madam Jiang was incredibly shrewd; she analyzed the cause and effect almost instantly. However, the more forceful the method, the more effective it was—Jiang Chengyu couldn't possibly continue attending the banquet in the freezing cold with his clothes soaked through.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Jiang." Consort Ju came over with several palace maids, her smile unrestrained and arrogant. "I will definitely teach this palace maid a lesson, but you need to change your clothes quickly. I will have someone take you to the backyard right away."
As soon as she finished speaking, a stewardess in her thirties with a cold expression stepped forward and said, "Miss Jiang, please come with me."
Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Sheng exchanged a glance.
They need to change their clothes, but they can't fall into a trap; they need to work together to overcome the difficulties.
"I'm coming right now," Jiang Chengyu said, feigning weakness and timidity. "But I want my sister to come with me."
The head maid glanced back at Consort Ju.
Consort Ju smiled, "It's normal for a young lady to be timid and seek companionship from a sister. Go ahead with peace of mind."
Jiang Chengyu smiled too. She got up and followed, followed by Jiang Sheng, and then Yao Siqing. It turned out that she had more than one older sister.
With three girls advancing and retreating together, the difficulty definitely increases considerably.
Consort Ju's expression faded slightly, but only for a moment, before she regained her radiant smile.
Old Madam Jiang stared at her coldly, displeased but saying nothing.
Even Madam Jiang the Second wasn't too worried.
The three girls followed the head maid to the backyard, received clothes that fit them, and went into a side room to change.
As soon as she closed the door, Jiang Sheng's heart began to pound wildly. She fluttered around the room like a moth, carefully examining the wardrobe windows and even lifting up the covers under the bed.
There were no living people hiding, nor was there any other entrance.
"Could we have guessed wrong? The Crown Prince doesn't intend to use Xiao Yu's chastity to marry a wife?" Jiang Sheng wondered.
Yao Siqing was helping Jiang Chengyu untie his belt. "No matter what, you have to change your clothes first. I checked and it's genuine material from Fengjing Clothing Shop. There's nothing wrong with it."
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