Chapter 80 Family Banquet I personally measured every inch; if I don't remember, I'll...
Su Panyue wore a rather formal palace dress today. It wasn't the standard for an empress, but it was still dignified and elegant.
Dressed like that, she unconsciously became more restrained in her movements, and her walk to the Imperial Garden was a little slower.
When they arrived at the Imperial Garden, the Duchess and a group of noble ladies were already there, gathered in twos and threes in the plum garden to admire the flowers.
Su Panyue immediately spotted the older woman surrounded in the middle, who must be the Duchess of the State.
The Empress Dowager has been sent to the imperial mausoleum and it is almost impossible for her to return. Therefore, the only person in the capital who can speak to the emperor is this Duchess, who is also his maternal grandmother. So it is understandable that many noble ladies surround her.
Su Panyue did not have the eunuch announce her arrival, and instead walked over quietly on her own.
That's why she overheard the conversation between two of the noble ladies even before she got close.
"These plum blossoms are in full bloom; their sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water, and their subtle fragrance drifts in the twilight."
The other person laughed and added, "Sister, please don't show off your talent like that later. I'm afraid that person won't understand and will blame you."
Su Panyue raised an eyebrow and walked directly to the two of them. "Are you two worried that you won't understand?"
Her face was expressionless, and the absence of her usual smiling demeanor made her appear more serious.
The two people who had been discussing were startled by her sudden voice. Turning around and seeing her attire, their faces paled even more, and they hurriedly bowed.
"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty the Empress."
Su Panyue glanced down at the two of them and said in a light tone, "When all the flowers have withered, only one remains in full bloom; if it falls to the ground, it can only be viewed online."
Both of them blushed, lowered their heads, and said nothing more.
Su Panyue waved her hand to let the two of them get up and continued walking towards the Duchess.
The commotion had already attracted everyone's attention, and they all quieted down and looked in this direction.
As she approached, all sorts of scrutinizing gazes fell upon her. Su Panyue sighed inwardly, but still put on a polite smile.
She waved her hand to indicate that everyone did not need to bow, and then said:
"With the New Year approaching, I thought I'd invite all the ladies and young women to the palace to celebrate, admire the flowers, chat, and have dinner together."
Having witnessed the examples of the two women earlier, the other women, though unwilling, dared not show it and could only agree.
Su Panyue secretly observed the current situation. The Duchess was standing in the middle, flanked by two young ladies who had arrived that morning, and then by various princesses and noble ladies whom she had never seen before.
The Duchess was completely different from what she had imagined. Dressed in gorgeous clothes, she had a heroic air about her, with deep and sharp features between her brows. Upon closer inspection, she bore a resemblance to Xie Lanzhou.
The Duchess was also looking at her. After a moment, she smiled and, seeing Su Panyue's slightly nervous expression, took the initiative to walk over.
"I heard that a new batch of peonies has been cultivated in the palace. Would Your Highness like to accompany me to take a look?"
Su Panyue was stunned for a moment, until her hand was pulled over, then she hurriedly said, "Of course, this way, Duchess, come with me."
The two walked hand in hand into a nearby pavilion, leaving the group of noble ladies standing there looking at each other in bewilderment.
Upon entering the warm pavilion, the Duchess found a comfortable spot to sit down.
Su Panyue glanced at the peony beside her, wanting to introduce her to the peony, but the peony waved her hand, indicating that it was not necessary.
"The value of a flower lies in its beauty and in the fact that someone likes it. As for its variety or how rare it is, it is not important at all."
Su Panyue nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Sure enough, the Duchess continued, "I've heard about what happened to you. Girl, you don't need to take it to heart. What others say is the least important thing. As long as Siyuan likes you, that's enough."
Su Panyue opened her mouth, not expecting her to be so direct. Before she could think of a reply, she heard the Duchess continue:
“He’s a pitiful kid. He’s been on his own since he was a teenager. It’s not easy for him to have someone who cares about him and stays with him now.”
"Don't listen to my old man. He's just stubborn on the surface, but he's actually very soft-hearted and easy to talk to."
Su Panyue pursed her lips, recalling the person she had met outside the Imperial Study that day. He didn't seem like the kind-hearted and easy-going person she was.
"Thank you for telling me this, Madam. It makes me feel much more at ease."
"I am happy to be by His Majesty's side, but I also do not want him to have any grudges with the old Duke, so I held this family banquet."
After speaking, Su Panyue smiled shyly, and the more she looked at the Duchess, the more affectionate she felt.
The old lady patted her hand, "I have a way. In a little while, you can just call him maternal grandfather and have Siyuan do the same."
"The old man will definitely agree."
Su Panyue nodded, puzzled, but inwardly she had some doubts about whether this would actually work.
The two hit it off immediately and chatted for over an hour in the warm pavilion.
Su Panyue then realized that the Duchess was also a female general who had fought on the battlefield when she was young, which is why she had a very straightforward and frank personality.
Su Panyue listened to her recount many of her experiences on the battlefield. From the perspective of a female general, she saw a more nuanced and different side of the battlefield, and her heart was filled with even greater awe.
The Duchess also asked her many questions about her experiences during the expedition to Lu, and specifically thanked her for risking her life to save her eldest son, Ji Hongxi.
"This kid still lacks experience, which is why he fell into the enemy's trap so easily."
"He should eat more bones so he can learn his lesson. But it's all thanks to you, my good boy, you've been wronged."
Her disdain for her own son left Su Panyue both amused and exasperated, and she could only respond with a forced smile.
The two chatted idly in the pavilion, and the noble ladies outside naturally dared not easily come in to disturb them, nor could they leave on their own, as there was a banquet to be held that evening.
So they stood there for more than an hour in the dead of winter. Everyone lost their appetite for chatting and stamped their feet while tucking the hand warmers in their arms to keep warm.
As the two were engrossed in their conversation, Su Panyue was the first to notice the situation outside and quickly had a palace maid invite the person in.
The noble ladies had finally managed to get in and warm up, and before they could even catch their breath, they were surprised to find that the two seemed to be quite familiar with each other, unlike when they first met.
Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, and it seemed that only she and the Duchess were talking, Su Panyue spoke up:
"Please make yourselves at home, there's no need to be too formal."
Despite saying that, everyone present had different thoughts and were just saying polite words. Only the youngest girl, Cherry, grabbed the candies on the table and stuffed them into her mouth.
Su Panyue was amused and teased her by roasting a small orange in a clay oven, peeling it, and handing it to her. "Want some?"
Cherry nodded.
"Give me a kiss and I'll give it to you." Su Panyue said, bringing her left cheek closer.
The little girl's face was flushed. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly pecked the orange on the cheek and took it away.
The Duchess, who witnessed the whole thing, smiled very happily, and the atmosphere in the warm pavilion gradually became harmonious.
As dusk fell, Su Panyue glanced at the sky, stood up, and said:
"It's almost time, let's go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for our meal."
With palace servants leading the way, she took the arm of the Duchess of the State, followed by a group of noble ladies, and the group headed toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Male guests naturally wouldn't be able to enjoy the flowers. Some held official positions and could chat with Xie Lanzhou, but those who were unemployed and relied entirely on their titles were more difficult to deal with.
Xie Lanzhou was also impatient with dealing with them, so he gave them a few perfunctory replies and went to the Imperial Study to play chess with the Duke for the entire afternoon.
Soon everyone arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Xie Lanzhou and Su Panyue exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Xie Lanzhou was surprised that she had become so close to the Duchess of the State so quickly.
To Su Panyue's surprise, the Duke seemed less hostile towards her today, and instead gave her a slight nod.
Since this was a family dinner, Su Panyue did not follow the usual seating arrangement, but instead had Xie Lanzhou and her sit at the head of the table, with the others sitting on either side.
After discussing it with Xie Lanzhou, she decided to adopt the round table setting commonly used in folk customs.
Many round tables were set up according to the closeness of the relationship, and everyone sat around the table to eat, just like ordinary people in the countryside, which made it feel more intimate.
With this arrangement, she and Xie Lanzhou naturally ended up sitting at the same table as the Duke's family.
The Imperial Kitchen quickly served all the dishes, followed by melodious music and dance, and the banquet officially began.
The palace servants poured wine for everyone, and the Duchess gave Su Panyue a wink.
She took a deep breath, raised her wine glass, and forced a smile as she said to the Duke, "With the New Year approaching, His Majesty and I wish my maternal grandfather good health and a long life."
After saying that, she turned to look at Xie Lanzhou, who raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was up to, but still cooperated by raising his wine glass.
The Duke was indeed somewhat bewildered by being addressed as "maternal grandfather." He gave Xie Lanzhou a deep look before finally picking up his wine cup and drinking it all in one gulp.
Su Panyue breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.
Everyone began to eat, but Xie Lanzhou maintained his usual habit of occasionally putting food into Su Panyue's bowl.
The Duchess, standing to the side, wore a mocking expression.
Su Panyue blushed and patted him under the table, telling him to behave himself.
As a result, Xie Lanzhou seemed oblivious, continuing to serve her food and water, his movements even more skillful than those of the palace servants.
Su Panyue wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. It was one thing to act like this on ordinary days, but with so many people around today, Xie Lanzhou was acting like this. Wouldn't they just become a laughingstock?
She could only turn her head and pretend to be focused on watching the performers dancing beside her, hoping that no one would notice her.
But she was wrong. Xie Lanzhou was destined to be the focus of attention whenever she appeared. How could she not attract attention?
The next day, rumors spread throughout the capital that the emperor and empress were very affectionate, with the emperor personally feeding the empress and that a coronation ceremony would be held soon.
As for where this rumor came from and why it spread so quickly, anyone who can establish themselves in the capital is not a fool; a little thought will tell them.
As a result, the powerful families who had previously harbored different intentions all abandoned the idea of sending their daughters into the palace, and no one dared to mention Su Panyue's rumored identity as a spy anymore.
The banquet went even more smoothly than Su Panyue had planned, which made her very happy but also a little anxious.
Because Xie Lanzhou actually scheduled the coronation ceremony for New Year's Eve.
Su Panyue hesitated and said, "There are only half a month left. Isn't that a bit too rushed?"
"Won't."
She still had some concerns: "Besides, the palace is already quite busy during the New Year holidays. If we add a coronation ceremony, I'm afraid we won't be able to handle it all."
Xie Lanzhou took her hand and said, "No, I had the Ministry of Rites start preparing three months ago. The wedding dress is almost finished. I'll have them bring it over for you to try on tomorrow."
“Three months ago? We had already set off for Lu State by then, and we hadn’t taken any measurements. How are we going to make a wedding dress?” Su Panyue asked in confusion.
"I've already measured it," Xie Lanzhou replied with a smile.
"When was it taken? I don't remember."
“I measured it inch by inch myself. If you don’t remember, I’ll help you recall it.”
Su Panyue: "?"
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Author's Note: Zhou really schemed and plotted for a long time; she'll be crowned Empress in the next chapter!
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