Emperor Jing'an waved his hand and walked past everyone towards the main seat.
Emperor Jing'an, 56 years old this year, is not very old, but he does not look in good health. He does not walk fast, but takes slow steps with a frown on his face. His very thin face seems to be carved with a knife, with majesty that makes people feel awe when they look at him.
After Emperor Jing'an sat down, the empress and the others knelt down to pay their respects. For a moment, shouts of "Long live the emperor" echoed in the hall.
"Everyone, get up. We are all family today, so please sit down." The emperor's voice was full of fatigue.
Meng Qi was very familiar with the following process. First, the Empress would report on recent harem events, then the concubines would join in the fun and tell the Emperor what they wanted to hear. Of course, there would be some who were not very discerning and would take advantage of the public to show off or play tricks. Finally, the princes' wives would introduce their families, such as the stories of their children, which the Emperor loved to hear about the most.
Just like how Princess Jing described Prince Jing's newly-born son as the best in the world, the Emperor stroked his beard gently and nodded continuously.
Everyone else was fine, except for the prince, whose face always had a kind smile on it, which revealed a hint of resentment and envy whenever he mentioned his children.
Meng Qi looked at the faces of the princes one by one. Prince Duan's face was red, as if he had been drinking since early in the morning. He leaned forward with a smile on his face, as if he was also very happy that Prince Jing had a son.
Prince Cheng impatiently turned the teacup in his hand and tried to interrupt several times. Princess Cheng, who was sitting next to him and had gained a little weight, wanted to reach out and pull Prince Cheng's sleeve, but was frightened by Prince Cheng's cold look and retracted her hand.
Prince Jing was considerately filling Princess Jing's teacup, and Princess Jing responded with a gentle smile. Someone in the opposite concubine snorted coldly and said something hypocritical.
Until he met King Rui's eyes.
She had been sitting behind Princess Yong'an, quite a distance away from Prince Rui. It was a stretch to say she could feel his gaze, but when she looked over, they were staring at each other.
Prince Rui was wearing court robes today, a dark gold robe with a dark blue collar and cuffs, trimmed with sable, and dragon patterns on the shoulders.
The colors and styles of the princes' court robes were similar, differing only in the placement and size of the dragon patterns, as well as the colors of the collars and cuffs. Furthermore, each prince had multiple sets of court robes for each season, and any prince who could attend court meetings was required to wear court robes.
Prince Rui's outfit was very ordinary among the princes. Compared with the crown prince's dazzling dragon robe, the symbolic dragon pattern on his shoulder was really just a symbol.
Prince Cheng's dress was always more flamboyant among his brothers. Although he could not wear the prince's dragon robe, he was able to show off his accessories, such as the crown, belt, etc., all of which were shining with gold and attracted people's attention.
Prince Duan was a man who cared little about his attire, neither standing out nor trailing behind his brothers. Prince Jing's attire might not seem as lavish as that of the Crown Prince or Prince Cheng, but a discerning eye would recognize that his refinement lay in the details. Aside from the uniformity of court attire, Prince Jing's everyday clothing was arguably the finest among his brothers.
Meng Qi had prepared herself thoroughly, and when she lay awake last night, she'd been imagining what it would be like to meet Prince Rui today. She figured, based on her past life experiences, she wouldn't show any fear in front of him. However, she was wrong; she'd overestimated herself.
Meng Qi lowered her head. As usual, there was no emotion in King Rui's eyes, as if he was just looking at her, and she happened to be sitting opposite him, so she was in his sight.
She knew that Prince Rui disliked her, and was even dissatisfied with her marriage. If it weren't for the interference of Concubine Xiang and Concubine Zhen, he might have waited another year or two to marry her. Although it seemed impossible now, what if the Crown Prince took the throne in two years? Or in three years, he would take the throne himself. Whoever he wanted to marry would be a matter of his decision.
Meng Qi thought of this and reached out to gently smooth the hair by her ear. Fate played such tricks on her. She didn't want to be entangled with him in both her lives, but this was God's arrangement. If she hadn't been reborn at this point, she would have avoided any contact with him.
"Sixth brother, how is your mother's health?" the emperor suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at King Rui. Feeling his gaze leave her, Meng Qi breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense back relaxed a little.
She had only just learned about Concubine Lian's affairs and was still wondering whether she should go visit her. What excuse would she come up with? In her previous life, like everyone else, she had assumed that Concubine Lian and Prince Rui weren't close, that mother and son rarely interacted privately. Unlike the other princes, who always paid their respects to their mothers whenever they entered the palace, this wasn't actually the case.
Meng Qi heard the familiar voice from her past life, "Your Majesty, I just learned about Mother's situation. It was just a cold wind, so it shouldn't be serious. I'll go visit her later so you can rest assured."
Prince Duan was fiddling with a snuff bottle made entirely of jasper jade in his hand, a sneer flashing across his lips, as if he was about to respond but held himself back.
The emperor nodded slightly and said, "You should go visit her more often when you have time. My headache has forced her to go to Chengtian Palace in the cold weather."
Upon hearing this, Prince Rui quickly stood up, knelt down, and said, "It is my mother's honor to be able to relieve your father's worries. I will definitely convey your concern to you."
Emperor Jing'an hummed, "Tell her to take good care of herself. I've been feeling pretty good lately. Your wedding is in about twenty days, and it's not right to let the Empress worry about you alone. As your mother, she should contribute some of the effort."
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