Everyone quickly rose to their feet, knelt down, and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress Dowager!"
The Emperor helped the Empress Dowager walk past the crowd and went directly to the innermost part of the main hall.
There was a long sandalwood table there. The chair facing south was naturally for the emperor, but there was another chair just half a foot away next to it, which was for the empress dowager.
The Emperor's eyes flickered, but he seemed oblivious to anything amiss as he helped the Empress Dowager to her seat. Then, with a smile, he instructed everyone to rise.
Everyone stood up, bowed again, and then took their seats one by one.
The Emperor smiled and said, "Mother, look how lively this year's New Year's Eve banquet is compared to previous years!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, with the Tianwu Kingdom flourishing, it is naturally a prosperous era everywhere," the Empress Dowager replied with a smile.
She didn't forget to instruct Chief Steward Yi, "Although His Majesty is in high spirits today, we must not pour him too much wine. His health is of utmost importance."
"Thank you for your concern, Mother." The Emperor thanked her and also instructed Chief Eunuch Yi, "Remember to tell the emperor to serve the crab roe soup that the Empress Dowager likes, keep it warm on a charcoal stove. It must not get cold, or the Empress Dowager will not feel comfortable eating it."
The mother and son sat up there and, before the show even started, they put on a show of maternal love and filial piety.
Regardless of what everyone was thinking, they all watched with smiles, their expressions full of envy and joy.
Whether they actually think the same way, no one knows...
After all, in the past two years, the emperor has become very powerful and has gradually taken control of all government affairs, breaking free from the empress dowager's oppression.
The Empress Dowager was forced to become like an invisible person, and she really wished the Emperor would die!
The Emperor wished the Empress Dowager would just take a nap and then go to meet the King of Hell!
These two were forced to put on such an intimate act...
Fortunately, this powerful mother and son duo didn't disgust everyone for long, and finally ordered a banquet to be held.
Eunuchs and palace maids brought out wine, dishes, and various fruits and snacks one after another, busy but not chaotic.
Some sycophantic ministers immediately stepped forward, presented their long-prepared "flattering articles," and almost danced with joy as they loudly praised the prosperous Tianwu era and extolled the emperor.
There were also smooth-talking and charming ministers who knelt down with wine cups, almost weeping bitterly, lamenting the hardships of the previous Tianwu era and the current peace, begging the emperor to drink a full cup of celebratory wine.
The others looked down on these people's fawning manner, but they wouldn't expose them on the spot.
So, everyone chimed in with their own comments, making the whole hall lively and cheerful.
The emperor was pleased with the flattery and summoned several officials to the front, where he generously bestowed upon them gifts.
Among these people were those who had made outstanding military achievements, those who were loyal to the emperor and shared his burdens, and those who were rising stars in the court.
Of course, the Marquis of Xinting was also among them, receiving two hundred taels of gold and a divine bow.
Marquis Xinting looked very grateful. He didn't say much, but he did express his loyalty.
Finally, he took his things back to his seat. Li Laosi liked the divine bow, but because there were too many people around, he could only steal glances at it, which amused the Marquis, who then pushed the divine bow into Li Laosi's arms.
While others might not have thought much of what they were doing, the Marquis of Zhenbei and his ilk were filled with righteous indignation.
If it weren't for the Marquis of Xinting holding military power, would they have been able to hold the title of general but have no more than five hundred soldiers under their command?
But no matter how frustrated they were, they dared not speak out.
Next year is the most crucial year for recovering Jiangbei. They have offended Marquis Xinting at this time, and Marquis Xinting has abandoned his post. No one can replace him to fight.
Perhaps we should wait a little longer. After Jiangbei is recovered, someone will need to guard various places.
That will be their opportunity!
Picking peaches is so easy, why bother trying so hard to "plant peach trees"?!
Thinking about it this way, they actually felt much more at ease...
Soon, the emperor, perhaps tired of the praise and flattery, ordered a performance of song and dance.
In the past, the Empress Dowager would have left the stage at this time.
But this year, the Empress Dowager seemed to be in high spirits, chatting and laughing with a group of noblewomen.
Jiayin sat there, feeling utterly bored.
I want to eat something, but I can't bring myself to eat the food on the table.
Perhaps because there were so many people, the imperial kitchen was too busy to prepare more dishes than stews. Since there were no charcoal stoves to keep them warm, the dishes were already cold when they were served.
Moreover, most of these stews are made with large amounts of meat and fish, and there are few ingredients that are fresh and taste good.
Jiayin could only turn her head to look at the two noble ladies next to her. As a result, the two women had pale faces and wished they could stay as far away from her as possible. They hid behind the next table, so she gave up on "tease" them.
Today's lesson should be enough to make these two lose their appetite for half a month and passively lose five or six pounds...
Just then, the Third Princess appeared out of nowhere and plopped down next to Jiayin.
Jiayin was startled and complained, "People are scary, they scare people to death!"
"Why aren't you up there being a mascot? What are you doing here?"
The third princess secretly rolled her eyes at her and whispered, "I just thought you were boring!"
"I came here to say a few words to you, and instead of being grateful, you're looking down on me?"
Jiayin rolled her eyes at her and retorted without hesitation, "Stop patting yourself on the back, just say what you need to say!"
"snort!"
The third princess snorted and immediately moved closer to Jiayin, making a fuss, "Is there any food? Share some with me!"
"The food at the banquet was inedible. I was starving by now, I'm so hungry I could barely stand it."
Before Jiayin could speak, the Third Princess continued, "Don't tell me you didn't bring any food!"
"Besides money, what you love most is eating. Hurry up and share some with me. I'll save some for you when I get something good in the future."
"Tch! You talk as if we're best friends!" Jiayin said rudely, but her hand reached into her handbag and took out a box of egg tarts.
This is a new product recently launched by Baiyunjian.
Although the egg tart crust wasn't as crispy as the ones from my previous life, the filling was sweet, delicate, and melted in my mouth, making it a huge hit in Xindudu.
When Jiayin went to the shop the day before yesterday, she casually took some newly baked Existence Spaces, which are still warm when she takes them out now.
The third princess exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, egg tarts! And they're still warm! How did you bring them in? Didn't you close the gate?"
Jiayin couldn't explain, so she fiercely tried to snatch it back, saying, "Are you going to eat it or not? If you don't, I'm taking it away!"
Sure enough, the third princess quickly protected the egg tart box, like a puppy guarding a bone, "Eat, eat, of course I'll eat! This box is all mine!"
As she spoke, she took one out and bit off half of it.
Jiayin didn't fight with her for it. She took out another box, gave two to Shuiling and two to Shuiyun, and then ate the rest by herself.
The Third Princess, seeing this, couldn't help but say, "I asked you for some food, and you were reluctant."
"They're so generous of giving it to two maids!"
Jiayin glared at her, "They grew up with me since I was little, they take care of me and protect me. If I'm not good to them, why should I be good to you?"
Shui Ling and Shui Yun were secretly eating while covering their mouths with their sleeves. Hearing this, they felt incredibly warm inside.
But they were also afraid of upsetting the Third Princess, so they carefully observed her expression...
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