Anke was already fair-skinned, and the red cloak made her skin appear even whiter, like porcelain. Adding to the effect, the freezing weather caused a slight red tinge to the tip of her nose, and against the backdrop of the silvery snow world, it was like a painting of a beautiful woman walking in the snow.
Mu Feng froze on the spot, staring blankly at An Ke.
An Ke noticed the gaze, but seeing that the person's clothing did not resemble that of the Qing Dynasty, she simply nodded politely and distantly at him before continuing to walk towards the Ruyi Pavilion.
Seeing that the woman showed no prejudice or disdain towards him, Mu Feng calmly nodded to An Ke. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he thought the scenery of the Imperial Garden was truly beautiful.
Mu Feng continued walking towards the Imperial Garden and saw a girl dressed as a palace maid chasing after the woman from before. Mu Feng found it quite strange; wasn't the Qing Dynasty known for its etiquette and rules? He never expected to see such a lively scene in the palace.
*
Ruyi Pavilion
As soon as Anke walked in, she carried the painting and exclaimed, "Benjamin, come and see what you think of my painting!"
Benjamin heard Encore's call and looked up from among a large group of portraits. He even wore peephole glasses. Benjamin slowly walked to Encore's portrait.
Benjamin pondered and examined it carefully. "The princess's painting is excellent. The noble and pure character of the plum blossom seems to leap off the paper. It's truly rare."
After speaking, he turned to look at Anke, "Princess, you didn't come here just to have me look at your paintings, did you?" Benjamin guessed immediately, after all, he had happened to run into the star next to Anke when he picked up his package yesterday. No wonder he was in such a hurry to come today.
“I heard you just got some hot chocolate here, so I thought I’d come and try some,” Anke said directly, looking at Benjamin expectantly.
Benjamin sighed helplessly, utterly baffled as to why the princess was so obsessed with hot chocolate. "Red, Green, and Blue, go and brew a pot of hot chocolate."
"Hot chocolate is delicious, but too much of it is not good. Princess, you should drink it in moderation." Benjamin felt he should advise the princess.
“Okay, I understand. There will be a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony tonight. I’ll go with you.” An Ke got straight to the point.
Benjamin froze for a moment, then quickly composed himself. "But look at me, I still have so many portraits to finish. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the princess." Benjamin refused in a very distant manner.
“Aren’t you in a hurry to finish these portraits?” Anke couldn’t stand Benjamin’s excuse and went straight to look at the portraits.
Benjamin lowered his head in shame. Anke knew that Benjamin still harbored resentment about deceiving and betraying the Emperor. But the Emperor had clearly moved on, so the matter was essentially over.
Since it's all in the past, why confine yourself to a self-imposed prison?
Priest Lang stepped forward. He first bowed respectfully to Anke, then walked to Benjamin's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Child, since the Emperor has already let it go, why push yourself so hard? Go, the banquet is where you should focus your attention. A painter must constantly explore and innovate to gain inspiration."
Father Lang was very grateful that Benjamin had friends like Princess Yong'an, the Fifth Prince, and General Fu. At least these good friends never abandoned Benjamin when he fell into despair, and were even willing to help him up when he was in a slump.
Benjamin found his master's words very reasonable, and with the princess watching him closely, he had no choice but to agree.
Anke got to drink hot chocolate and also brought Benjamin to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, feeling that today's events had gone incredibly smoothly. She happily returned to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, waiting to go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony with the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager had already washed and dressed early in the morning, looking very solemn and dignified, with the jade necklace that An Ke had given her around her neck.
Xinrong was dressed in a light red palace dress, which made her look very charming and lovely. It also made her look very dignified and confident, and her skin looked particularly fair against the red dress.
Qing'er was dressed in a light blue palace dress with blue trim, which made her look spotless and pure, as if she had never been tainted by the world.
An Ke wore a purple Shu brocade palace dress embroidered with camellias, the purple color making her look even more playful, lively, and charming.
Seeing that the young ladies were all ready, the Empress Dowager led the three of them slowly toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Because the roads were slippery due to the snow, the Empress Dowager had ordered her palanquin to be brought to her early in the morning.
Sitting in the sedan chair, the chill was gone. Anke told the sedan chair bearers to watch their step. Originally, these palace servants were carrying paper lanterns, but considering safety, Anke had Xingxing bring out the glass lamp that the emperor had given her.
The eunuchs carrying the sedan chair were also seeing such a lamp for the first time, and they felt that following the princess had broadened their horizons quite often.
*
Shufangzhai
Xiao Yanzi had already finished getting ready, so she went inside to see how Ziwei was getting ready. But when she entered, she saw Ziwei still sitting in front of the dressing mirror, maintaining the same posture as before.
"Ziwei, we should go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony." Xiaoyanzi sighed helplessly and guiltily. The thought of being left standing at the entrance of Yonghe Palace by Yongqi that day still filled her with anger. She felt even more guilty towards Ziwei. If Ziwei hadn't fainted then and had told the Emperor that his daughter was Ziwei, none of this would have happened. Perhaps the Emperor would have arranged a marriage between Ziwei and Erkang.
"Whether I go to this palace banquet today or not, I'm afraid no one will notice me, so why should I bother?" Ziwei said to herself with a sense of pity, thinking about how lively the Taihe Hall would be today, and then she thought about how she had sat alone in the Taihe Hall last time, drinking wine in silence in a corner.
"How could no one have noticed you, Ziwei? If no one had noticed you, why would the Emperor have sent his eunuchs to tell you to attend the banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony tonight?" Xiao Yanzi was afraid that Ziwei was getting stuck on something, so she tried her best to comfort her.
Ziwei sighed helplessly. She didn't know what to do at the banquet. Her father's former favor had vanished, her former lover had been demoted again and again, and even her seat was with the Seventh and Ninth Princesses. They couldn't have a proper conversation, so why bother going?
Little Swallow's eyes darted around quickly. "I heard that tonight the Burmese prince is asking to marry Princess Yong'an. Ziwei, don't you want to go and see?" Little Swallow's tone couldn't hide her schadenfreude.
Ziwei hadn't heard of this, and asked instead, "Hasn't Princess Yong'an already been betrothed to Ertai? Will Father Emperor agree to Princess Yong'an marrying into Burma?" Ziwei silently asked herself this question, but no matter how she thought about it, the answer was no.
Whether on imperial tours or within the palace, the Emperor's favoritism towards Anke was blatant. How could he possibly allow her to marry into that remote and desolate Burma?
"No matter what, there's bound to be some excitement at the Hall of Supreme Harmony tonight. Let's go check it out together, Ziwei." Xiaoyanzi tugged at Ziwei's sleeve and swayed it back and forth playfully. She really wanted to see Anke get her comeuppance.
Xiao Yanzi felt that everything had gone wrong ever since An Ke returned to the palace. Her four former guards were gone. Benjamin had severed ties with her, Yongqi no longer set foot in her Shufangzhai, Erkang was implicated and demoted, and Ertai was even kidnapped by her. Xiao Yanzi felt that An Ke was simply her nemesis.
Whether Anke marries a Burmese man tonight or not, this is going to be a good show. Little Swallow certainly doesn't want to miss such a good show.
Unable to resist Xiao Yanzi's pleas, Ziwei also wanted to see what her father, the Emperor, would ultimately do, and also wanted to take the opportunity to ask about her own marriage. After a quick tidying up, she took Xiao Yanzi towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Jin Suo stared with a mournful expression at the two intimately close figures before her. "Miss, I was the one who accompanied you to the capital, and I've been with you the whole way. Why did you only bring Xiao Yanzi with you?"
*
Hall of Supreme Harmony
The Burmese guests had already taken their seats. After admiring the scenery of the Imperial Garden, Mu Feng stamped his foot and went back. In any case, he wouldn't lose out. If he married her, so be it; if he couldn't, it was exactly what he wanted. It's just that his father would probably be disappointed.
The Burmese envoys were filled with envy as they looked at the luxurious palace, the exquisite tableware, and the civilized and elegant conversation among the Qing officials.
"Oh, Your Highness, your attire today makes you look quite handsome. You must have put a lot of thought into it. It seems that Princess Yong'an is definitely going to fall for your trap today." Mu Sha said as if watching a show. "Then I wish Your Highness a successful start and that you win the heart of your beauty."
After speaking, Musa turned her head away from Mu Feng, while Mu Feng's fists were clenched tightly, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing, as if telling of his unease.
“Prince, you must remember your mission. The King has ordered you to marry Princess Yong’an. No matter how unwilling you are, you have no choice but to suppress it now.” The only person in the delegation who was on Mu Feng’s side came over to persuade him.
The ministers did not want the prince to be too preoccupied with personal love, since the prince's goal had always been the throne of Burma, and until that goal, he could only endure whatever injustices he suffered.
Only by enduring hardship can one rise above others; if one can bear what others cannot, then there is nothing to fear.
The envoy gripped Mu Feng's arm tightly, reminding him not to forget his grand ambitions. Mu Feng nodded slightly to the envoy.
After the envoy left, Mu Feng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Since his birth, his duties and responsibilities had weighed heavily on him like a mountain, leaving him constantly struggling to survive.
Mu Feng knew that if he didn't ascend to the throne of Burma, and if someone else took that position, he would inevitably meet a tragic end, just like his former seventh uncle, whose fate would likely be a hundred times more miserable.
Mu Feng slowly closed his eyes, unwilling to think about those things anymore. Then he slowly opened them again, looking at the bright and warm palace, his eyes filled with longing and yearning.
There was much discussion in Myanmar, and the Qing Dynasty across the border was also talking about it.
"These are the two princes of Burma? One is quite handsome, but why does the other look so feminine?" The Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial asked, puzzled. Was he simply too inexperienced?
If he hadn't mentioned it, no one would have noticed that Prince Musa actually has a somewhat feminine appearance.
"Silence. Don't discuss these things in the main hall. The Burmese aren't incapable of understanding our language," the white-haired Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said slowly. Although he also felt a little strange and even suspected that this Prince Musa was a woman disguised as a man, it was ultimately not something they should worry about.
After hearing the words of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, everyone fell silent for a moment. After a short while, they changed the subject and began to discuss it enthusiastically.
"I heard that Burma wants to marry our Princess Yong'an. They're like a toad trying to eat swan meat," a military officer said indignantly.
"Yes, didn't His Majesty already bestow a marriage upon Princess Yong'an and General Fu? Has Burma not received the news? How dare they openly propose marriage?" The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy said, quite puzzled. After all, he had been recuperating at home for some time and had missed several morning court sessions. He really didn't know what His Majesty would do.
"What's the big deal? Even if the Burmese know, so what? They'll just pretend they don't know. Are you going to tell them? You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep no matter what you do." The seemingly old Grand Tutor spoke with extreme ruthlessness, practically slapping the word "shameless" directly on their faces.
Just then, a voice announced something from the doorway. Everyone fell silent instantly.
"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived, the Empress Dowager has arrived, Princess Yong'an has arrived." Xiao Luzi was very glad that he had drunk a large cup of tea before coming out, so that his voice did not become hoarse after shouting.
Everyone bowed their heads obediently, and the Burmese people also stood up, but they did not perform the Qing Dynasty's customary greetings. The Emperor turned a blind eye; after all, they weren't genuinely here to serve the Qing Dynasty, so why should he cause himself trouble for such a group? An'an was right; it was simply not worth it.
After the Emperor was seated on the dragon throne, he raised his hand to signal the officials to rise.
The Burmese people had all taken their seats, but Mu Feng wanted to look up to see what Princess Yong'an looked like. Unexpectedly, he saw the face that had captivated him in the Imperial Garden.
Anke also noticed Mu Feng. She didn't expect him to be the prince from Myanmar. At the time, they were too far away and thought he was some kind of envoy from Myanmar.
An Ke glanced at Mu Feng once, then turned away and looked away.
Mu Feng was overjoyed. If she was Princess Yong'an, then his marriage proposal wouldn't be out of desperation. At least, if Princess Yong'an were someone else, Mu Feng sincerely hoped she was.
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