Chapter 21 February 2nd, King Huan's Birthday
On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head, and today is King Huan's twenty-first birthday.
Watching Shen Yujiao sit in front of the dressing table applying her eyebrows and hair, Jiang Chen circled around her somewhat boredly, "Are you done yet? It'll be late if we don't leave soon."
"It's late, but you're the Crown Prince. Others are the ones waiting for you." Because of what happened in the palace yesterday, Shen Yujiao was now quite annoyed with everyone in Consort Yao's palace.
Sensing her displeasure, Jiang Chen tentatively asked, "Then how about we skip today? Why don't you go to the palace and check on Yong'an again?"
Shen Yujiao glanced at him sideways through the bronze mirror and said in a nonchalant tone, "She needs to rest right now."
"Okay, okay."
Jiang Chen knew that she was in a bad mood when she came back last night, and he didn't want to provoke her, so he sat down at the round table next to her and waited for her to finish dressing.
In the past, when attending palace banquets, Shen Yujiao's makeup was always dignified, elegant, gentle and refined. But today, she was dressed in a bright red Crown Princess's robe, with a nine-phoenix hairpin on her head, gold tassel earrings hanging from her earlobes on both sides, a red gold necklace on her chest, and even the embroidered shoes on her feet were adorned with two thumb-sized pearls at the toes. Just looking at her attire, one could only feel that she was too noble to be approached.
When she stepped off the carriage arm in arm with Jiang Chen, and the two walked slowly into the Huan Prince's mansion, her stunningly beautiful face drew admiration from all the guests present. Shen Yujiao had been learning dance since childhood, and the original owner of the body, Miss Shen, was also born into a noble family. Her entire demeanor was displayed to the fullest in her every step. This was the so-called elegance of a crown princess.
"Fifth Brother, you really married a beautiful Crown Princess..." King Jiang Yan of Thailand looked at the perfect couple as they approached hand in hand, his gaze unable to leave them, and he could only utter half of his praise.
Standing beside him were Prince Han Jiang Jin and Princess Han Wen. Hearing his words, Princess Han smiled and replied, "Your Highness is very fortunate. Your Highness is from a prestigious family and has an elegant demeanor. She is truly the best among the noble ladies of our Great Xia."
Upon hearing this, the King of Han raised his hand and patted the hand that was holding him. "That's not entirely true. In my eyes, the Queen is the best."
Jiang Yan, who had been looking ahead, turned around upon hearing this, glanced at Jiang Jin with utter disdain, and spoke with a sarcastic tone: "Third Brother doesn't need to show his love like this in front of me, an unmarried woman."
Princess Han was not coy at all. Although she had a faint blush on her face, she still spoke generously and gracefully: "Isn't Sixth Brother's wedding next month? The next banquet I attend will be Sixth Brother's wedding banquet."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan scoffed lightly, a carefree smile on his face, but his eyes were full of disdain: "Alright, then invite Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law to the wedding banquet."
Seeing him in his usual eccentric state, Jiang Jin and Madam Wen shook their heads with helpless smiles.
Upon hearing from the servants that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had arrived, Prince Huan, Jiang Yu, had already led a group of brothers to the front of the main hall. When they saw the two of them coming hand in hand, everyone bowed to them in unison: "Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness."
“Brother, there’s no need for such formalities,” Jiang Chen said with a smile, stepping forward to offer a helping hand. “Today is your birthday, so naturally the birthday boy is the most important.”
Despite his words, Jiang Yu nodded and said, "I appreciate your kindness, Fifth Brother, but the proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be disregarded."
Seeing his meticulousness, Jiang Chen smiled without saying a word, then turned to Zhu Yu and said, "Bring it up."
Following his gaze, everyone saw Zhu Yu, accompanied by several eunuchs, carrying up a huge brocade box, almost the size of a table. When the lid was opened, inside was a jade disc carved from a single piece of black jade. The disc was shaped like a jade ring, with the Three Friends of Winter carved on it. Because the black jade had an ink-wash effect, the pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms were carved in the ink-wash areas, and the surrounding blank spaces added to the disc's charm.
"Although black jade is not hard to find, it is rare to see one that is so large and carved from a single piece. Not to mention that the pine, bamboo and plum blossoms on it are carved so vividly. Your Highness's gift is truly precious."
It was unclear which member of the royal family uttered such a remark, but then came a barrage of praise from the crowd. Jiang Chen glanced at Shen Yujiao without showing any emotion, and seeing that she only smiled faintly, he turned to Jiang Yu and said, "This is also me passing on a flower to Buddha. The Crown Princess often paints in her spare time. I originally had such a piece of jade but didn't know what to do with it. I just happened to see a painting of the Three Friends of Winter, and I felt that such an auspicious meaning was perfect for my elder brother."
Jiang Yu naturally wanted to thank them after receiving the gift, but before he could speak, Princess Liu, the wife of Prince Huan, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Your Highness and Your Highness. As your sister-in-law, seeing how loving you are, I would like to take advantage of His Highness's birthday gift to share in your joy. It is said that newlyweds are the most joyous."
Her words inevitably drew a few jokes from King Huan, but he simply smiled and said to everyone, "Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday today. The banquet has been prepared in the hall. Why don't you all move to the inner hall?"
At the birthday banquet of Prince Huan, the male guests naturally drank and made merry. As a result, the female guests could not sit with them. Therefore, after entering the main hall, the princes and princes went to the left to enter the side hall, while the female guests went straight into the flower hall.
As they parted, Jiang Chen grabbed Shen Yujiao, who was about to walk away, and then, in full view of everyone, shoved a hand warmer into her hand, saying with utmost tenderness, "You've always been afraid of the cold, don't get cold."
Even though Shen Yujiao had a thick skin, she still blushed slightly when everyone was watching her show affection. On the surface, she lowered her head shyly and replied "yes" to Jiang Chen, but behind his back, she pinched his hand hard where no one could see and warned him in a low voice, "You better know when to stop."
As she rejoined the group of women, she saw that all the princesses and consorts were smiling at her. Princess Huan even teased Shen Yujiao, saying, "The Crown Prince really cares about his wife."
"You've made your sister-in-law laugh at you."
Shen Yujiao gripped the hand warmer in her hand even tighter. When she got back, she would definitely strictly discipline Jiang Chen for his habit of acting out his love indiscriminately. Although it was good to show affection appropriately, he couldn't start acting out his love indiscriminately, regardless of the time or place. It made it hard for her to get into character!
Despite thinking this, Shen Yujiao had already returned to normal by the time she took her seat. The group of female guests, led by Princess Huan and Shen Yujiao, began the banquet after everyone was seated. Unlike the male guests, the female guests ate in a refined and quiet manner. Before long, everyone put down their chopsticks. Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Princess Huan had the dishes removed and tea and snacks served.
If you ask Shen Yujiao, the dishes at the Huan Prince's Mansion are really not as good as those at the Eastern Palace, but the pastries have a unique flavor. She casually picked up a piece of cloud cake and put it in her mouth. Before she could even take a sip, the cloud cake melted in her mouth. It was sweet, soft, and refreshing. The sweetness in her mouth was not greasy at all.
Not only her, but also Princess Zhao, also highly praised the cloud-shaped cake: "It is indeed a pastry from the Huan Prince's Mansion. I'm afraid that nowadays, apart from the palace, the Huan Prince's Mansion's pastry is the only one in the capital that can be called the best."
Upon hearing this, Princess Huan waved her hand and said, "This pastry chef was invited by our prince from all over Jiangnan. In our mansion, I dare not say about other things, but when it comes to pastries, there is no shortage of them."
After saying that, Princess Huan turned to look at Shen Yujiao and asked, "Speaking of which, the Crown Princess is from Jiangnan. Does the Crown Princess find these pastries satisfactory?"
Shen Yujiao dabbed her lips with a handkerchief before slowly saying, "The taste is certainly good, but it would be even better if we could brew Jiuqu Red Plum tea with snow water in the winter."
Princess Huan was quite proud of the tea and snacks in her residence. When Shen Yujiao said that, the smile on her lips froze for a moment. Then, as if she didn't understand, she said, "Yes, the Crown Princess grew up in Jiangnan and is naturally skilled in the three methods of tea ceremony. If I have the opportunity next time, I will also go to the East Palace to ask the Crown Princess for a cup of tea to try."
"Then I will certainly prepare my bed and wait for you to come to my door, sister-in-law."
Both women were laughing and chatting, and there seemed to be nothing amiss. However, after thinking for a moment, Princess Huan whispered to Shen Yujiao, "Yesterday, Sister Yongjia's words and actions were inappropriate..."
“My sisters are still young,” Shen Yujiao interrupted before Princess Huan could finish speaking, “Their affairs are managed by our father and mother. We, as their sisters-in-law, shouldn’t interfere too much.”
Princess Huan looked at Shen Yujiao and saw that she looked sincere. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether Shen Yujiao's words were sincere or not. Could it be that their prince had guessed wrong?
Meanwhile, at the men's table, Prince Huan was talking to Jiang Chen about the same thing: "Yongjia has been spoiled by her mother since childhood, and she is a bit spoiled like a young girl. If she offended the Empress Dowager yesterday, I hope that Fifth Brother will consider her innocence and not be too angry."
At the dinner table, everyone was clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, and no one noticed that the two leaders were talking in hushed tones. Jiang Chen's fingers lightly traced the rim of his wine glass, then he shook his head and smiled, "Brother, there's no need for you to tell me these things. As Yongjia's legal mother, it's only right that Mother Empress takes the trouble to discipline him, but..."
He didn't control his strength well, and the pure silver wine cup crashed to the table, spilling the wine inside instantly. This made Jiang Yu, who was still holding the wine cup to offer a toast, pause in his movements.
“Yongjia’s mistake is not entirely due to disrespect for the Empress Dowager. Yong’an is, after all, a princess. If yesterday’s events were to spread, what would become of our royal family’s reputation and Yongjia’s name? What would we do?”
Jiang Yu lowered his eyes and stared at the spilled wine glass. After a while, he smiled and nodded, righted the overturned wine glass, and then personally poured a glass of wine for Jiang Chen, and toasted him again: "Fifth Brother is right. When I go to the palace tomorrow, I will also mention this matter to Mother Consort."
"Big brother is the most reasonable one." Jiang Chen's eyes were exceptionally clear.
The glasses clinked crisply, and both men tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp. When they turned back to the table to toast each other, they drank more heartily than the other, as if nothing had happened.
As evening approached, the birthday banquet at Prince Huan's residence drew to a close. The day had been filled with joy for both hosts and guests, and Prince Huan and his wife stood at the gate of the residence, smiling as they saw off their guests.
At the head of all the carriages was the Crown Prince's entourage. Jiang Chen, with one arm around Shen Yujiao, walked down the steps, waving the other hand high. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he first helped Shen Yujiao into the carriage, and then himself. Before the curtain was lowered, Jiang Chen nodded to Prince Huan on the steps, his smile uncontrollably joyful. Finally, he said to Prince Huan, "Brother, happy birthday!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the King and Queen nodded, and everyone bowed slightly to the carriage. Once the carriage from the Eastern Palace had left, the guests boarded their respective carriages and returned to their respective residences.
That night, Princess Huan, remembering that Prince Huan had drunk wine earlier that day, had the kitchen prepare a pot of hangover soup. She carried the bowl to the door of the study, and just as she was about to knock and enter, she heard a loud "bang" from inside, and her hand, which was raised in mid-air, froze instantly.
In the study, on the desk was the jade disc and brocade box that Jiang Chen had sent earlier that day. The bulging veins on Huan Wang's hands clearly showed that the loud bang just now was from when he slammed the box down. He was holding the lid tightly with both hands for a long while before opening it again to take another look.
The dark jade disc gleamed under the lamplight, and the Three Friends of Winter on it remained vigorous and upright. However, in Jiang Yu's eyes, this rare jade disc was extremely ironic. He raised his hand and slowly covered the broken part of the jade disc, feeling the clear cross-section, and his heart was filled with uncontrollable anger.
Under the scorching sunlight of the day, and with the black background of the box, no one noticed the gap. This jade disc was clearly not made into a jade ring, but a jade pendant!
He struggled to control the force in his hands, his eyes dim and devoid of any light. He stared at the patterns on it for a long time before finally slowly closing the brocade box.
Princess Huan, standing outside the door, seemed lost in thought. The hangover soup she was holding had long since gone cold. Seeing this, the eunuch beside her asked, "Your Highness, should we have the kitchen send over another bowl?"
Feeling the icy touch on her fingertips, Princess Huan glanced coldly at the reflection in the bowl, turned around, and casually placed the bowl in the little eunuch's hand, saying indifferently, "No need."
"Why are you so happy today? It's not your birthday." Shen Yujiao looked at Jiang Chen, who had been grinning like an idiot the whole way, and couldn't understand it at all.
Jiang Chen heard this, turned to look at Shen Yujiao, and then continued to grin foolishly. Shen Yujiao assumed he was drunk, so she stretched out her arm to him: "Come here, let me lean on you for a bit."
"Mmm," Jiang Chen responded, but didn't lean on her shoulder. After a while, he carefully took her hand and gently placed it against his cheek, muttering, "It's almost my birthday..."
Feeling the heat in her palm, Shen Yujiao didn't know whether to pull her hand back or leave it there. After struggling for a while, she finally let his face press against her palm. Looking at Jiang Chen's incoherent appearance, she felt a little relieved. Luckily, he had drunk too much, otherwise... how embarrassing.
"You've drunk so much again. Let me tell you, I won't take care of you when we get back."
Despite his fierce tone, Jiang Chen laughed even more sheepishly. He rubbed his hand against Shen Yujiao's and nodded with a smile, looking just like a large dog.
Seeing him so unusually docile, Shen Yujiao's heart softened instantly. She gently stroked Jiang Chen's face with her fingertips, as if teasing a puppy. But unexpectedly, Jiang Chen, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his wet eyes filled with mist. He softly called out, "Jiaojiao."
"you--"
Seemingly surprised that Jiang Chen was still awake, Shen Yujiao quickly withdrew her hand. Without support, Jiang Chen slumped onto the car seat. Seeing him close his eyes again, Shen Yujiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling the pounding in her chest, Shen Yujiao chuckled and muttered to herself, "Fool."
A note from the author:
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