Chapter 129 The Feast Begins
Yi Zhen stepped forward and took Lan Wu's hand: "Look at you today, you look so beautiful."
This was only what was wrapped in her outer robe, so you couldn't see the clothes underneath. But Lanwu stood there, graceful and beautiful, her radiance even surpassing the warmth of the sun.
“That’s right, we were just talking about that.” The women beside him laughed and echoed. They were perceptive; even if they couldn’t befriend this favored concubine, they certainly couldn’t afford to antagonize her, as she was the apple of His Majesty’s eye.
"Why don't you go inside? You'll easily catch a cold if you stay here in the cold wind," Yi Zhen said, glancing at her again and teasingly adding, "That would cause a big fuss."
Lan Wu knew exactly what she meant, so she coughed lightly and met the curious gazes of the women. She then gave a vague answer, saying, "I just felt a bit stuffy in the hall, so I came out to get some fresh air. I'll be staying here for quite a while this afternoon."
The New Year's Eve banquet takes a long time each year, with a lengthy process and elaborate etiquette, and the banquet itself consists of three sessions.
It's not that one can't move at all, but if His Majesty is still in the seat of honor, those below naturally wouldn't dare to leave their seats for too long.
Lan Wu was able to say this entirely because in her previous life, she was so tired at the New Year's Eve banquet that she almost fell asleep. She usually took a nap every day, but on New Year's Eve, she was busy from the morning and had to stay up all night. Although there were interesting things at the banquet, the place was warm, which made her even more relaxed.
Lan Wu admired Chu Mingheng for being able to remain sober even after drinking, something most people in the hall couldn't do.
No one dared to take her words as a complaint. Although it was true, it was still a family banquet, and no one dared to say a bad word about it.
"It's almost time, let's go in."
"That's right, that's right."
Princess Yizhen's seat was right next to Lan Wu's, so she naturally walked a little further with Lan Wu. The two were close together, and although their voices were soft, they could still be heard clearly.
"You're all better now, aren't you? I was so worried listening to the commotion in the palace from the princess's residence." This was the truth. Yi Zhen was just a princess; how could she dare to get involved in anything serious? That night, when she heard that Lan Wu was not well, she was frantic in the princess's residence, knowing that if Lan Wu was gone, she would definitely not fare well either.
But it was late at night, and she could not enter the palace. She did not know Lan Wu's condition and could not sleep all night. She was relieved when she heard that Lan Wu was alright the next day.
Lan Wu nodded: "It was just a minor cold, I recovered after a few days of rest, Princess, you don't need to worry about me."
Yi Zhen gave a perfunctory "hmm," and then started talking about the cat: "How is Yun Gao? Wu Mei has gotten quite plump at my residence."
"Yun Gao has gotten much fatter, and she loves to snuggle up to me when it's cold in winter." Everyone likes Yun Gao except for Chu Mingheng, who doesn't like this about her.
"The princess named that cat Wumei?" Although Lan Wu thought Chu Mingheng's name for the cat Mowan was a bit unpleasant, now... it seems that calling it Wumei and Mowan are almost the same.
Yi Zhen nodded slightly and said, "Yes, you don't know, I was thinking about what to name it at that time. I searched through all the collections but felt that none of them were suitable. Just then, a palace servant brought me plums, which were black plums. I immediately decided to name it Black Plum."
The two chatted and laughed as they entered the main hall.
The hall was warm, but Lan Wu didn't take off her clothes immediately. She waited a while before taking off her outer robe and handing it to the palace servants behind her.
Today, most of the imperial concubines are present, except for Consort Wen, who is still ill.
Lan Wu's seat was too conspicuous, and many people were staring at her and Consort Shu.
Logically speaking, Consort Shu should sit in Lan Wu's position, since she is currently the highest-ranking person in the palace, not to mention that she also holds palace power.
The concubines whispered among themselves, thinking that Consort Shu was so generous as to give such an important seat to Lan Wu.
Consort Shu forced a smile, though she was practically seething with hatred.
This seat was certainly not arranged by her; it was only when the concubines were about to take their seats that a palace servant came and told His Majesty that he wanted her to change seats.
It's just that she arrived early, otherwise she would have been slapped in the face in front of everyone.
Even if no one knows the truth now, people will bring it up after today.
Why does Your Majesty treat her like this, showing her no respect at all?
Consort Li's position is below Consort Shu's. She came today but didn't say much. She looked much thinner, which made her look even fiercer. Seeing that Consort Shu was not feeling well, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
Consort Shu and Lan Wu are birds of a feather, shameless bastards. One abuses her power to oppress others, and the other uses a vixen to seduce His Majesty. They both deserve to die!
The lower-ranking concubines were seated at the back, but they were staggered to avoid missing the dance and music in the center of the main hall. The concubines further back were not so lucky; what they could see depended on their eyesight.
The appointed time is almost here, and Chu Mingheng has not yet arrived.
At this moment, Lan Wu saw that on the opposite seat, which was about four or five zhang away, the Princess Consort of Wei was wiping away tears with her head down.
On such a big day as the New Year's Eve banquet, even if you want to cry, you should hold it in. If someone sees you crying, they might use it as an excuse to cause trouble.
However, Princess Wei is also a member of the Lin family. Is she crying at this banquet because the Lin family has been imprisoned?
Although the Lin family has been imprisoned, His Majesty has not yet issued an edict, and it is said that the Lin family members have been shouting that they are innocent in prison.
Just then, the Princess Consort of Wei opposite her had already stopped crying. The person beside her had obviously seen her crying just now and kindly offered a few words of advice, nothing more than saying that one should not cry in this kind of occasion, as it would cause trouble if the people in the palace saw it.
Upon hearing this, Princess Lin, the wife of the Prince of Wei, had no choice but to stop her tears and whisper her thanks.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall; it was the guards.
The arrival of the guards meant that His Majesty had also arrived.
Sure enough, as Lan Wu looked towards the door, she heard the eunuch announce loudly, "His Majesty has arrived—"
Everyone in the hall stood up, lowered their heads slightly, and dared not look directly at the emperor who was about to enter the hall.
Then, a sound of footsteps approached from afar, the shoes lightly stepping on the golden bricks in the hall. He walked past everyone unhurriedly, and only when he passed Lan Wu did he glance at her again. As he turned to her, a soft laugh reached her ears, a voice filled with pleasure and doting.
Only after Chu Mingheng said "Rise" did Lan Wu straighten up, her face slightly flushed. She looked up at the emperor above and glared at him mercilessly before immediately looking away.
Chu Mingheng may be shameless, but she still has a sense of shame. It wouldn't look good if word got out that the two of them were exchanging flirtatious glances in front of so many people.
So he turned his gaze away and pretended nothing had happened to look at the flowers on the table. Palace banquets were indeed elegant, with fresh flowers even on the seats.
Chu Mingheng received a weak and humiliating response, and seeing that she quickly dodged, he helplessly turned his gaze away, slowly looked down, and ordered, "Let the banquet begin."
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