Xuan Ci didn't want to come. Ever since she was tricked by Shen Youying last time, and was scolded by her father and confined to her quarters, she had been in a bad mood and had no desire to go out.
But unexpectedly, this couple were like family. Shen Youying caused her to be confined to her quarters, and the Prince of Qin caused her brother to be confined to his quarters. When she learned the news, she became more and more angry and wanted to get revenge.
She was seething with anger, and her face was contorted with rage, making her appear menacing.
Princess Shouning could tell at a glance that she hadn't come to the banquet, but rather to cause trouble.
As for who to pick a fight with, those in the know have all heard rumors about the sordid affair between the King of Qin and the King of Chen these days.
In her opinion, Prince Chen's actions were indeed unethical. She heard that as soon as the matter was exposed, the Emperor and Empress hastily summoned Prince Qin and his wife to the palace. No one knows what happened in between, but the result was that Prince Chen was confined to his residence and did not appear in public for many days. Meanwhile, the aggrieved Prince Qin went to a manor outside the capital to relax for several days before recently returning.
This matter seems to have passed, but unfortunately, King Chen is a big target. Not only did King Qin want him dead, but also King Chu's faction.
Prince Xue Heng of Chu was born to Empress Yuan, who came from the Li family of Liangzhe. Her father was Li Yuanhong, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Taizong, whose students were all over the court. Her brother, Li Shuan, rose to the position of Salt and Iron Commissioner, holding the lifeline of the court.
Unfortunately, Empress Yuan was in poor health, and the Emperor passed away less than a year after ascending the throne. In recent years, the former Consort De, now Empress Zhou, has enjoyed the Emperor's favor in the harem, and her son, Prince Chen, has also become increasingly popular.
The Emperor favors Prince Chen and intends to suppress the Li faction. In recent years, even though officials in the court have been petitioning for the establishment of a crown prince, the Emperor has been dragging his feet and has not yet made a decision.
Many officials in the court, trying to discern the emperor's intentions, sided with Prince Chen, causing Prince Chu, who was originally the eldest son of the legitimate heir, to lose power.
Now that King Chen has caused such a huge mess, even if King Qin is forced by the emperor to quell the matter, King Chu's faction will not let go of such a good opportunity.
Her uncle works in the Censorate, and she heard that some censors and remonstrance officials have already submitted a memorial impeaching him.
Princess Shouning shook her head inwardly as she looked at the aggressive Princess Xuanci. At this critical juncture, this princess was not only failing to keep a low profile, but was actually planning to cause trouble for the Prince and Princess Qin. She was practically handing them a handle to use against her.
Despite thinking this, she still greeted Princess Xuanci with a smile and warmly took her hand, saying, "Your Highness didn't accept the invitation earlier, so I thought you weren't coming."
Prince Kang and the Emperor were cousins, and Princess Shouning was a few years older than Xuanci. According to seniority, Xuanci should call her his cousin.
However, Xuanci was granted the title of princess at birth, and the title was personally determined by the emperor. From a young age, she was pampered and spoiled, and looked down on everyone. Therefore, she did not show much respect to her cousin, Princess Shouning, except that she was a little more polite to others.
"I was in a bad mood earlier and didn't want to come." Xuan Ci snorted, her beautiful eyes scanning around, searching for Shen Youying's figure. "But I heard that this spring banquet will be about water swings, so I changed my mind."
Unable to find the King of Qin and Shen Youying, she paused for the moment and looked at Princess Shouning: "Princess, have you reserved the best spot for me? Please take me to see it."
As she spoke, she walked briskly forward.
Princess Shouning frowned imperceptibly.
Princess Xuanci did not accept the invitation, assuming that if no one came, there would be no reservation. The best seats had already been given to the King and Queen of Qin.
But while the matter was done this way, the words could not be said. She smiled and said, "I know Your Highness loves the water swing. Even if Your Highness hadn't come today, this best spot would have been reserved for you."
Xuan Ci raised her chin, took Princess Shouning's hand, and said sweetly, "Princess, you understand me best!"
Princess Shouning smiled and, taking advantage of Xuanci's inattention, whispered to her personal maid, "Go and prepare the seat I reserved. Use the best of everything, so that nothing goes wrong."
.
All the guests arrived, and the banquet soon began.
The maids carried wine and various dishes back and forth, their emerald green skirts fluttering in the spring breeze; the colorful boats moored on the riverbank slowly sailed into the deeper water, and the performers in flowing dresses lined up in two rows and danced out slowly. As their water sleeves fluttered, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments and drums gradually rose, and the performers, singing and dancing lightly, stretched their bodies and stepped onto the high swings one by one with light steps.
The swing set swung higher and higher, and the performers gracefully changed their movements on the swing set, their brightly colored water sleeves fluttering in mid-air, eliciting bursts of admiration.
Shen Youying also gasped in amazement, watching nervously as the performers on the swing performed various difficult moves. She didn't even notice the repeated glances from Princess Xuanci and Zhou Zhenrong in the next seat.
Xuan Ci had come on a whim, but unexpectedly ran into Zhou Zhenrong on the way. She and Zhou Zhenrong were very close, and since they bumped into each other, she naturally pulled her to sit with her.
But once the two were led to their seats by the maid, Xuan Ci immediately realized something was wrong.
She loved watching the water swings. Every year when Jinming Pond was opened to the public, even taller and larger dragon boats would sail into the pond to perform the water swings. At that time, she would always accompany her father and mother to occupy the best viewing spots, so she was very familiar with it.
She only glanced at it, but she knew that the seat where Shen Youying was sitting was the best one.
Thinking of Princess Shouning's flattering words, she was so angry that she almost ground her teeth. If it weren't for the fact that it would be too embarrassing to make a scene now, she would definitely go to Princess Shouning and ask her for an explanation!
“Everyone says that Princess Shouning is shrewd and considerate, but I think she’s nothing special. She can’t even tell the difference between what’s important and what’s not,” Xuan Ci said angrily.
Zhou Zhenrong smoothed her hair, a dark glint in her eyes, and said in a low voice, "I think she may not be unable to distinguish, but rather she has taken sides."
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