The ceremonial officer dragged out his tone: "Please—the one who—praises—"
Xinyi Dao's wide black sleeves brushed across the golden nanmu desk, and the bronze compass at his waist suddenly hummed. As he walked into the courtyard and took the jade comb, the audience suddenly erupted in whispers.
"The Crown Prince's hairpin?" "What a great reputation the Yongding Marquisate has!" "I heard this guy even took sick leave at the New Year's Eve palace banquet?"
Behind the west pillar, Jiang Yuyao pinched off half a peony branch. The flower juice stained her fingertips red, as if splattered with blood. "How can she be worthy?" Before she could finish her words, she saw the Fourth Prince, Xinyi Zigu, stand up with a gloomy face, the corner of his black python-patterned robe brushing against the hem of her skirt.
At this moment, Xinyi Zigu's chest felt like it was choking with charcoal. He stared at the crown prince's slender fingers combing the hair, and suddenly remembered the secret report from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory last month: "Taibai appears in the daytime, indicating a change of thrones in the Eastern Palace." Yet, this sickly person before him was clearly still alive and well!
"Your Highness," aide Yao Zhe whispered, "Is the Yongding Marquisate already siding with the Crown Prince?"
"Not necessarily." Xinyi Zigu sneered, his eyes passing over Jiang Songyi's slender neck, "Wait until the coming-of-age ceremony is over, then you can leave?" The unfinished words turned into the crisp sound of the jade pendant in his palm, startling Su Sheng so much that he spilled half of the teacup in his hand.
The ritual music in the courtyard suddenly became melodious. Xin Yidao's fingertips brushed the girl's raven-feather hair, and the compass needle suddenly settled on the "Li" position. He paused slightly, remembering the newly appeared red light beside the Purple Palace when he observed the stars three nights ago.
"The ceremony is over——"
Jiang Songyi turned abruptly, her apricot-colored shawl brushing against the Crown Prince's knees. Just as she was about to speak, the Fourth Prince approached, holding a gilded box. "I have specially found some South Sea mermaid pearls to complement the Princess's embellishments."
There were gasps throughout the banquet. Who didn't know that the mermaid pearl was a standard betrothal gift for the prince? A vein throbbed at the Marquis of Yongding's forehead. He was about to speak when the eldest princess clapped her hands and laughed, "Silang's gift reminds me of the marriage granted by the late emperor."
"Aunt is joking," Xinyi Zigu interrupted, "Is it just to congratulate the county lady on her coming of age?" Before she finished speaking, Jiang Songyi had already taken the gift box and handed it to the maid: "Your Highness, I will return the favor with Western Region snow ginseng someday."
The compass in Xinyidao's wide sleeve suddenly spun. He looked at the girl's cunning eyes and suddenly remembered the divination from last night—"The Vermillion Bird flutters its wings, the Red Luan star stirs." It turned out that the "sway" should be here.
"Your Highness." Jiang Songyi took the opportunity to take a step closer, "Tomorrow at 9:00 PM?" She deliberately revealed half a copper coin from her sleeve, which was the token of trust given by the prince just now.
Xinyi Zigu watched the two men's sleeves overlap, his eyes growing even more sinister. Just as he was about to explode, he suddenly saw the prince coughing violently with a handkerchief covering his lips, blood seeping from between his fingers!
"Call the imperial physician!" The princess abruptly stood up, her jade armor knocking over the wine jar on the table. In the chaos, Jiang Songyi was squeezed against the corridor pillar and watched helplessly as the figure in white was helped away.
[Master is coughing up blood!] [It was clearly half a year later in the previous life?] [Could it be that my rebirth changed my fate?]
Jiang Baichuan took the opportunity to grab his sister and said, "Why don't you chase her!" He handed her a celadon bottle and said, "This is the life-saving medicine that Old Madam Chen sent."
As the night deepened, the bronze bells on the eaves of the East Palace rang loudly in the strong wind. Jiang Songyi crouched beneath the palace wall, clutching her medicine bottle. Suddenly, the corner gate creaked open, and a young eunuch, holding a lantern, led the way. "Please follow me, my Lady."
Yao Zhe placed the teacup on the table and raised his eyes to ask, "Has the assassin been captured?"
"Not yet." Xinyi Zigu's fingertips rubbed the rim of the celadon cup. Suddenly remembering that if anything happened to the Crown Prince, he would also be a vested interest. He quickly added, "It must be the work of spies from another country!"
"I heard that the hostage from Dongling has been in the imperial prison for ten days?" Yao Zhe twirled his white jade ring and said casually, "Could it be related to this case?"
Xinyi Zigu sneered at the prisoner in the corner: "Yue Qingyang? He can't even leave the Yongding Marquis's Mansion, let alone go to Taibai Mountain to assassinate. Just look at his sickly body—" He suddenly laughed out loud: "The imperial prison has summoned the imperial physician thirteen times, and he is even more like a candle in the wind than my royal brother."
Yao Zhe's eyes flickered, but he smiled and said, "Indeed, since the prince of Dongling is being held hostage, I don't think they would dare to act rashly. However, there have been frequent unrest at the border recently, perhaps intending to disrupt the situation in the capital." He then turned to the silent young man beside him and said, "Master Su, have you heard your father mention this?"
Su Sheng enviously gazed at the jade pendant with a military symbol around Yao Zhe's waist. "Father never told me these things." His mother, fearing he'd become a military commander, even forbade him to attend the Ministry of War's report. A Forbidden Palace guard? He'd rather be a lone eagle in the desert than a guard dog.
"But?" Su Sheng suddenly lowered his voice: "Jiang Yihuan is going back to Beijing."
Yao Zhe tapped his knuckles on the table. "The Young Marshal of the Black Tiger Cavalry has returned to the capital, and I'm afraid the Marquis of Yongding will be heading out again. The Second Prince's wife is about to give birth, and I wonder if the Second Prince will be coming with her?"
Xinyi Zigu frowned slightly, and the gilded armor scraped across the jade paperweight, making a harsh sound: "Father never mentioned it." Compared to the prince whose maternal family has died, Xinyi Linen, who holds military power, is his real threat.
…
The courtyard is filled with the scent of sandalwood.
Jiang Songyi sat upright on a huanghuali armchair, her long black hair cascading to her waist. Xinyi Daoyi stood behind her, her jade comb tracing through her raven hair, sending tiny streams of light cascading down her face. The melodious music of ceremony and ceremony from three feet away couldn't drown out the rustling of their clothing.
The three ceremonies of coming of age begin with the insertion of a silver hairpin, followed by a jade crown, and finally the crown of nine phoenixes holding pearls. As the last golden hairpin fades into her hair, Madam Xu presents a dark, wide-sleeved gown. The girl in her moon-white skirt transforms into a dignified and noble lady, turning to pay her respects to the two: her biological mother, Madam Xu, who sacrificed her own body to protect her, and Crown Prince Xinyi Daoyi, who sacrificed half her life's cultivation to secure her rebirth.
There was a sudden commotion at the banquet table. Twelve secret delicacies from the Treasure Pavilion were served one after another: deer tendons braised to a translucent finish, bear paws coated in an amber sauce. One of the ladies recognized the carvings on the plates and said, "Don't the Treasure Pavilion host banquets for outsiders? We even turned down the Prime Minister's birthday banquet last month."
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