Chapter 360 Yixiu 38
The three of them bowed in turn, and Concubine De naturally took the seat. On such occasions, the daughters-in-law simply stood behind their mother-in-law.
Among them, only the Crown Princess, the Imperial Concubine, and the Four Concubines had a chair placed behind them, where they could sit and chat with the elders.
Yixiu lowered her eyes with a perfect smile on her lips. She ignored the strange atmosphere around her and pretended not to hear what the ladies said. Her expression did not change at all from beginning to end.
Trying hard to reduce his presence is still effective, or compared with Prince Yong, who has been rising steadily in recent years but has always shown no interest in the throne and is only loyal to his father and assists the prince.
It is the eldest, second and eighth brothers, whose circumstances have been up and down like a roller coaster this year, who deserve more attention. Naturally, no matter how low-key their wives are, they can't escape it.
Fortunately, the ladies' diplomacy always had to be more subtle, especially during major events. If they really caused trouble, these so-called noble ladies and clan wives living in the Qing Dynasty would be nothing but worthless.
The childless imperial concubine at the top is in her thirties but has taken good care of herself. Although her appearance is not stunning, she has a kind of open-minded and easy-going nature. She has a very good deaf and dumb attitude towards the confrontations of the people below, but she will interrupt them in time before the situation develops.
Yixiu listened attentively with admiration in her heart. No wonder he was able to survive until the Qianlong period. This ability to achieve great results with little effort was effortless.
After wasting some time like this, they finally made it to the time. The concubines were led by the Imperial Concubine, and the clan wives, arranged by the Crown Princess, also followed.
The tedious etiquette was repeated over and over again, but for Yixiu, who had experienced this for generations, it was no big deal. When the banquet came, since it was a family feast, there was no taboo on men and women sharing the same room, but they still sat at separate tables.
The emperor sat at a separate table, the imperial concubine's portion was halved and she also sat alone, followed by the four concubines and other imperial concubines.
The emperor had many sons, so eight tables were set up. The crown prince also had a separate table, and his portion was smaller than that of the emperor.
Then there are the wives of these princes, whose situation is the same as above, but their share is slightly lower.
Finally, it was the princes' brothers. Although they only brought the favored ones, at a glance, they were a huge group of young and old, and they looked prosperous.
As Honghui has been favored by the emperor recently and his father is quite powerful, he naturally sat at the first table.
Moreover, because of his father's relationship, he sat to the left of Hongxi, the prince's family. And because of Honghui, Hongming, the fourteenth prince's family, also sat next to his cousin.
When Yixiu took a look, she suddenly realized that Prince Yong and his son were actually quite popular among their brothers.
Let’s not talk about Honghui. He is not young among the children. Although he is liked by the emperor, he is gentle and polite. He is very much liked by his younger brothers. Even if there are some who dislike him, it is difficult for them to have any major conflicts due to the age difference.
The situation on Yinzhen's side was more interesting, so I won't mention the Crown Prince. He seemed to have a decent relationship with the Eighth Prince this time, and the two even joked around a bit. And if he was pretending, the Ninth and Tenth Princes also treated Yinzhen well, and that was clear.
Of course, this year is actually an extremely strange year. Except for the eldest brother's family who were imprisoned, most of the other princes behaved like brothers and sisters at this banquet, but they were a little too much.
However, considering the news that Yinzhen had mentioned to her before, it was not surprising that this scene happened today.
Yi Zhengzhen was observing the people in the hall with great interest when he suddenly heard a friendly voice from the side: "What is Concubine Nara looking at?"
Yixiu turned her head and saw that it was the Eighth Prince's wife, Guo Luoluo. She smiled shyly and turned her eyes to the table of the emperor's grandchildren.
Seeing this, Guo Luoluo immediately reacted, and the smile on her face became more genuine: "Concubine Jin and Prince Honghui haven't seen each other for a long time. Naturally, she misses the child. It's me who is rude."
"No, the feast is about to begin. Thank you, Madam, for reminding me."
Both of them were friendly, and their interactions naturally grew more harmonious. It wasn't until the emperor, at the top of the table, took the initiative to pick up his chopsticks, signaling the official start of the banquet, that Guo Luoluo casually said, "Speaking of which, our master has often said recently that there was an age difference between him and Fourth Brother, and he was always so reserved and reserved that he didn't dare to get close to him, leading to some misunderstandings. He never expected that when he was wronged, His Highness would speak up for him. He's very grateful, but he just doesn't know how to get close to him."
"I, a concubine, don't know much about these things, but our master is usually the coldest person on the outside, but warm at heart. Although he doesn't say it, these brothers around him grew up together, so how could he not be concerned about them? Moreover, you, concubine, also said that the Eighth Master was wronged. The prince did this, firstly to show loyalty to the emperor and not to deceive him, and secondly, for brotherly friendship. It's really not a matter of gratitude or not."
Seeing that she refused to give in, Guo Luoluo knew that it was impossible for them to gain any tangible benefits from the favor that Prince Yong had helped her with before.
Her brows furrowed slightly at first, then immediately relaxed. She wasn't discouraged by this confrontation, nor did she put Yixiu aside, still chatting with her from time to time.
Although Guo Luoluo, who was of noble birth, had always only loved to interact with the principal wives and ignored all other concubines, it was obvious that she knew how to bend and stretch herself, as she was able to live in harmony for many years with the Eighth Wise Prince Yinsi and his wife, whose emotional intelligence was so high that they could be compatible with all the important officials in the court and the royal family.
The banquet ended relatively smoothly, and when Yinzhen and Yixiu returned home, it was already dark.
Yinzhen went directly to Zhixinzhai with Yixiu. They had a good sleep. The next morning was the first day of the new year. Then they went back to the palace and were busy all day. When they returned to the mansion, they were so tired that they were in no mood to talk.
After that, there were still the social interactions with various families, and naturally, Prince Yong's palace would have to host a banquet, which would probably last for three days. Brothers, nephews, in-laws, old friends, and so on, these gifts were naturally arranged by Yixiu, but Yinzhen was also busy.
Although he appeared to be as calm and indifferent as a chrysanthemum to outsiders, he could not really become a monk and ignore worldly affairs. He still had to receive some important guests in person, such as the Eighth Prince Yinsi.
Yinzhen had already known that this brother, with whom he had an average relationship before, had suddenly come to visit him. After receiving the news from Yixiu, he was even more clear about it.
It is unknown what the two brothers talked about in the front yard, but after seeing off the eighth brother that afternoon, Yinzhen went to Yixiu's Zhixinzhai.
When he opened the silver-red orangutan felt curtain and walked into the study, and walked around the screen, Yi Zhengzhen held his breath and concentrated, writing four huge characters on the rice paper:
"If you have no desires, you will be strong."
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