In his past and present lives, Ye Jingchen has lived for over thirty years and has never been watched by so many people at the same time.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Fortunately, he has a strong mental fortitude and can keep his composure.
He knew he absolutely could not be intimidated in such a situation.
The best way is to display the majesty befitting a crown prince, frightening everyone into not daring to look at him anymore.
After all, very few people in the entire banquet hall dared to look at his father.
Fortunately, he has always had the good habit of practicing his facial expressions in front of the mirror since he transmigrated into the book, and he has never dared to slack off in etiquette class, all so that he can show off in front of people when he encounters an occasion like today.
By slightly constricting the pupils and closing the eyelids, one can make their gaze appear more intimidating.
When combined with a slightly upturned jawline, the effect is even better.
Ye Jingchen remained in this state, with a stern face, slowly scanning the entire banquet hall.
Everyone who came into his eye involuntarily looked away, not daring to meet his gaze. If someone still didn't back down, he would make his pupils shrink even more.
He could have used that gaze to dominate the entire area, but after scanning about a third of the space, he spotted Yun Shu.
Yun Shu wasn't intimidated by his gaze at all, and smiled brightly at him. He subconsciously wanted to smile back, but his lips twitched slightly. Then, realizing the occasion was inappropriate, he put on a blank expression and looked away.
Yun Shu was puzzled by the Crown Prince's unusually different attitude when she received a sharp gaze.
Ye Jinghe glared at Yun Shu with hostility.
What kind of occasion is this? How can we allow Yun Xiaopang to act recklessly?
Ye Jinghe's eyes were completely different from Ye Jingchen's, exuding a murderous aura. Yun Shu shrank back and raised her hand to cover her eyes, avoiding Ye Jinghe's gaze.
After a minor mishap where his facial expression control almost collapsed, Ye Jingchen soon met Xie Chang'an's gaze again.
Xie Chang'an originally had a world-weary face and a nonchalant look in his eyes, but after meeting Ye Jingchen's gaze, his eyes changed, and the aura of a superior was instantly revealed.
For a moment, his aura was even more intimidating than that of the emperor.
Ye Jingchen instinctively wanted to avoid it, but in the moment of wavering, he managed to hold on.
Everyone is watching him; he can't afford to lose.
Moreover, Xie Chang'an being emperor was something from his past life. In this life, he is the ruler, and Xie Chang'an is the subject. It is only right that the subject submits to the ruler!
Supported by this thought, he persisted for a few more seconds, then belatedly realized why he had been fighting Xie Chang'an for so long.
It would be bad if everyone noticed Xie Chang'an, especially his father. If he saw the look in Xie Chang'an's eyes right now, he might just want to kill him on the spot!
Ye Jingchen glared at Xie Chang'an, finding it both amusing and infuriating, before looking away.
Seeing this, Xie Chang'an withdrew his gaze.
However, he soon felt a strong gaze fall on him. He followed the gaze and, sure enough, met Ye Jinghe's cold eyes.
Ye Jinghe always kept an eye on his brother's gaze, following wherever his brother looked, protecting and protecting him.
Yun Xiaopang's frivolous and disrespectful attitude, regardless of the occasion, was already infuriating enough. But Xie Chang'an dared to threaten his brother with his eyes! If Xie Chang'an hadn't been in a blind spot in the emperor's field of vision, he would have made the emperor see Xie Chang'an's wolfish ambitions for himself!
Xie Chang'an also wanted Ye Jingchen to see the look in the eyes of the little madman beside him at this moment. No matter how well-behaved and harmless he pretended to be on ordinary days, wasn't he completely exposed at this moment?
The exchange of glances ended after Ye Jingchen surveyed the entire room. After he had looked around, no one else paid attention to him, and even if they did, it was very subtle, and he couldn't be bothered to care.
Only then did he have time to care about the little ones beside him.
Very good. Perhaps most of the people present were focused on him, leaving little room for the little ones, so they were all very calm. Each of them had a graceful, dignified, composed, or dashing posture. In short, each one had a great presence.
Of course, it's possible that it's not that they don't receive enough attention, but rather that they were born into nobility, and elegance is ingrained in their very being!
Unlike him, an ordinary person who was introduced to the world of books halfway through life, he had received thirty years of education on equality for all and his mindset simply couldn't adapt. In this situation, he could only put on a show.
It's not that he can't pretend, but pretending all the time would be exhausting, so he really doesn't like these kinds of occasions.
After the eye contact ended, the main event of the banquet began.
This is a birthday banquet, so gift-giving and birthday wishes are naturally indispensable.
The first thing the master of ceremonies announced was the birthday gift that the emperor had given to the eldest princess.
When the emperor left the palace, he made a grand display, and the birthday gift he presented to the eldest princess did not disappoint those present. The master of ceremonies sang for a full quarter of an hour before finishing.
Palace servants filed in, carrying the emperor's gifts, almost filling the empty space in the middle of the banquet hall.
After that, a different master of ceremonies was chosen to announce the birthday gifts presented by the princes and princesses.
Of course, the storybook that Ye Jingchen gave away became a rare and precious book in the mouth of the official in charge of etiquette.
Ye Jinghe's Yuhua stones have also been transformed into precious jade.
Every gift given was embellished.
Then came the gifts from the guests.
Because there were so many guests today, not all of their gifts were sung; instead, only the thirty most valuable gifts were selected.
As these gifts were announced, some people were overjoyed, while others realized something and their expressions turned sour.
But the emperor on the high throne seemed quite pleased. After each gift was presented, he gestured to Zhang Shunde beside him to shout "Reward!"
Those who were initially somewhat apprehensive were now filled with doubt upon seeing the emperor's attitude.
After singing about the precious gifts, it was time for the grand finale.
Fengming Academy is the place Ye Jingshu values most now, but it's impossible for her to invite all the teachers and students of Fengming Academy to her birthday banquet today, so she carefully selected ten students with outstanding academic performance.
The birthday gifts they gave to Ye Jingshu were not things that could be bought with money, but rather expressions of their heartfelt sentiments.
The ten students each have their own area of expertise.
Some people copied the rules of Fengming Academy in small regular script; some painted a birthday picture for Ye Jingshu; some sent Ye Jingshu a birthday poem they had written; and the rest each wrote a policy essay.
Their gifts were not presented by a master of ceremonies, but by the women themselves.
Facing the emperor and a hall full of guests, each little girl behaved with grace and poise, showing no stage fright whatsoever.
Moreover, the calligraphy is excellent, the paintings are beautiful, the poems are exquisite, and although the essays are short, they contain not a single empty word.
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