Chapter 89: The Emperors Slap Each Other in the Face.
After the birthday banquet ended, the civil and military officials on duty were the first to leave, followed by the women and children from various households.
Yang Yanzhen saw her mother-in-law and two younger siblings off onto the carriage. She wanted to stay and help her mother and sisters-in-law with the festivities; such a grand banquet always had a lot of things to do before and after the event. The birthday celebrant, Yang Sheng, was drunk and was helped to an inner room by his two sons to rest.
While checking the guest list against the pile of birthday gifts received at the mansion, Yang Yanzhen suddenly noticed something. After his sisters-in-law left, Yang Yanzhen asked his mother alone, "Mother, didn't we invite Lord Chen, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, to our house?"
Although both families lived in the capital, the Yang and Xiao families were nearly ten miles apart. Yang Sheng only decided to hold a grand celebration after Emperor Xianping personally inquired about his birthday on the sixth day of the lunar month. He only sent someone to inform his wife, Madam Xu, to quickly prepare for the feast. Madam Xu was so busy that she didn't even inform her married daughter. Therefore, Yang Yanzhen only learned that her father had changed his mind when the Marquis's residence received the invitation from her maternal family on the seventh day of the lunar month, and then came to attend the feast on the eighth day.
Yang Yanzhen's father and Chen Ruliang had a strained relationship, so Chen Ruliang would only come to offer his birthday wishes alone and would not bring his family. Therefore, Yang Yanzhen did not think much of it when he did not see Chen's family members at the banquet.
Madam Xu sighed, “When I was writing the invitations the night before last, I advised your father that since Lord Chen was promoted by the Emperor, he should invite Lord Chen out of respect for the Emperor. But because of Lord Chen, your father argued with the Emperor several times. Your father almost hates Lord Chen to death. Every time he comes back from the Secretariat, he finds fault with Lord Chen in my eyes. Even the humble and submissive Lord Chen is seen as hypocritical by your father. When I tried to persuade him, he glared at me and asked if I was deliberately trying to upset him at his birthday banquet.”
What prime ministers and high-ranking officials? Those were just the husbands in the eyes of outsiders. To Xu Shi, Yang Sheng was just an old man who had lived a life of ease and comfort, used to holding power and unable to tolerate anyone contradicting him. The late emperor was a wise and capable founder of the dynasty, and when he made decisions unilaterally, the old man dared not utter a word and was always obedient. The new emperor was only in his thirties, a junior to the old man, and the old man had developed a tendency to rely on his age and seniority. He felt that the new emperor acted impulsively and without consideration, and that he, as the prime minister, had to keep an eye on him and advise him.
Regarding the matter of transferring Chen Ruliang to the Secretariat, the old man couldn't go against Emperor Xianping's wishes, which only fueled his hatred for Chen Ruliang. He said that Chen Ruliang was a treacherous villain disguised as a loyal minister, and if Yang Sheng didn't keep Chen Ruliang in check, Chen Ruliang would surely bewitch the emperor and wreak havoc on the court in time. Without any evidence, just because someone seemed honest, he hated him so much. Xu Shi tried her best to persuade the old man to send an invitation to Chen's residence, but to no avail.
Yang Yanzhen felt uneasy: "Father often complains that my uncle is too straightforward and inflexible. How come he doesn't even bother with formalities when it comes to Lord Chen? The Emperor had already said in advance that he would come to offer his birthday wishes."
Madam Xu: "Your father said that the Emperor came to acknowledge his merits, not to see Lord Chen. He is still planning to expel Lord Chen from the Secretariat as soon as possible. How could he possibly elevate Lord Chen at his own birthday banquet and embarrass himself in front of a group of colleagues?"
Yang Yanzhen: "..." This is something an old man would say!
The deed was done, and Yang Yanzhen had no choice but to hope that Emperor Xianping was magnanimous and wouldn't hold it against the old man.
.
After the Double Ninth Festival, chrysanthemums in various mansions bloomed one after another. Empress Xie in the palace finally had the opportunity to hold a flower banquet to entertain the ladies of the capital. On the eve of issuing the palace invitations, she handed the list of invitations to Emperor Xianping in accordance with the rules and asked him to review it.
The Empress would host banquets for the wives and daughters of officials, both inside and outside the court. This was a way for the royal family to bestow favors upon their relatives, civil and military officials. In most cases, the Empress would not invite the families of officials whom the Emperor had openly disliked or punished. The Emperor would not be so idle as to scrutinize every single name on the list prepared by the Empress, since he would not attend such occasions and would rarely meet with the wives and mothers of his ministers.
Emperor Xianping took the list and glanced at it. The wife of the Left Chancellor, Madam Xu, was prominently listed at the top among the wives of civil officials, with her two daughters-in-law listed in small print.
Emperor Xianping smirked, then handed the list back to Empress Xie, saying, "The Left Chancellor's wife is old; there's no need to trouble her."
Empress Xie: "..."
The Dowager Lady Liao of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was even older, yet they were still invited, weren't they?
No matter is too small for the royal family. If the wives of officials at the banquet noticed that the family of the Left Chancellor was the only one missing, they would immediately suspect that there was discord between the emperor and his minister.
Glancing at Emperor Xianping's cold expression, Empress Xie still pleaded on behalf of Madam Xu and her daughter-in-law, saying, "This is the first grand banquet held by the Empress after the mourning period in the inner palace. All the noblewomen in the capital, both inside and outside the palace, will consider it an honor to be invited, regarding it as a favor bestowed upon them by the Emperor and me. The elderly wife of the Left Chancellor should be very willing to attend..."
Emperor Xianping looked at his virtuous empress, who was considerate of her ministers' wives, and said, word by word, "I do not wish to trouble the Left Chancellor's wife. Did the Empress hear me clearly this time?"
Empress Xie didn't care which concubine her emperor husband favored, but she always held a sense of awe for this noble husband. Since the emperor's attitude of neglecting the Left Prime Minister was resolute and could not be changed by her persuasion, Empress Xie nodded and instructed the palace servant beside her: "Take that palace invitation for the Left Prime Minister's wife and destroy it."
Emperor Xianping's expression softened slightly. That night, he embraced Empress Xie from behind and whispered, "I know you are virtuous and reasonable, but you should not interfere in my affairs in the court. Just manage the inner palace well."
In that instant, three images flashed through Empress Xie's mind: her grandfather, who was deeply worried about the people of Jingzhou; her two children standing side by side; and the desolate scene of the former deposed crown prince's family being exiled from the capital, which she had never witnessed but could imagine.
After a moment, Empress Xie gave a soft "hmm".
.
Empress Xie's invitation was sent out early on the 12th of September, and the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet was scheduled for the 15th of September.
The neighborhood of the Left Prime Minister's residence was mostly inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles. With palace servants coming and going several times, Madam Xu, the matriarch of the Left Prime Minister's residence, quickly learned of the matter. She waited until evening but still didn't receive a similar imperial invitation from the Empress. Madam Xu's heart sank. Fearing her husband's anger, Madam Xu didn't mention it to him. The next day, she sent her maid to deliver some food to her daughter in the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, and also to inquire whether her daughter and her daughter-in-law had received the imperial invitation.
The Hou family received it, and all four members of the Deng family, including the mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law, were included.
Upon hearing this, the old woman frowned.
Yang Yanzhen was alarmed: "Could it be that Mother didn't...?"
The old woman nodded and said bitterly, "The neighbors have all received it, but our household was left out. However, Madam instructed that you should go happily if you can, and not worry about the family."
Yang Yanzhen immediately thought of his father's misstep during the birthday celebration. Empress Xie was a woman of great character and had no grudges against his family. It must have been Emperor Xianping who was upset that his father had not given him face. Unable to find fault with his father in official circles, he used this method to embarrass him.
Yang Yanzhen was troubled because it concerned her parents, but she was powerless to help.
Xiao Hu was a big, burly man, so Yang Yanzhen kept it a secret. He only told his mother-in-law and two younger brothers and sisters-in-law the day before they went to the palace: "My mother and two sisters-in-law will not be able to attend this flower banquet. Mother and sisters-in-law, just know that. If anyone asks about it in the palace tomorrow, just pretend to be surprised and confused. There is no need to pay any attention to it. Remember to be careful with your words and actions."
Mrs. Deng was bewildered: "Why? Is my mother-in-law feeling unwell?"
Yang Yanzhen shook his head and lowered his eyes, saying, "We haven't received any official invitations from the family. My mother doesn't know the specific reasons, so let's not speculate."
Deng's heart skipped a beat, and she decided that as soon as her daughters-in-law left, she would go and ask her husband, who was playing with Hong in the garden.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Rong instructed the wet nurse to watch over Hongge'er. He and his wife walked a short distance away, and Xiao Rong frowned, saying, "I've heard that the Emperor and the Left Prime Minister have been arguing frequently these past two years. Has the Left Prime Minister offended the Emperor again recently with some state matter?"
Madam Deng: "What a coincidence? The Left Prime Minister celebrated his birthday on the eighth day of the month, and the Emperor even went to offer his congratulations. On the ninth day, the Double Ninth Festival, all the officials were given a holiday. On the tenth day, they had a day off. The imperial edict was issued early on the twelfth day, and the Left Prime Minister was on duty on the eleventh day. How could he so easily offend the Emperor?"
Xiao Rong: "How would I know? Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. If you touch a tiger's fur, it will bite you."
The late emperor treated these old folks with kindness and approachability. He had been carefully flattering the late emperor for thirty years, never daring to utter a single careless word.
Xiao Rong at least understood the late emperor's temperament, but he was completely unfamiliar with the taciturn Prince Fu and Emperor Xianping, who resigned from his post as soon as he ascended the throne; he only recognized their faces.
In the evening, Xiao Yu was the first to return from the Censorate. As usual, he first came to pay his respects to his mother, only to find that his wife and father were also there. The three different faces all wore the same solemn expression.
After dismissing the servants, Xiao Rong asked his youngest son, who lived closest to the Secretariat and the capital, to help them resolve their doubts.
Apart from his wife's happy remark the day before yesterday that they were going to the palace to admire the chrysanthemums, Xiao Yu hadn't heard anyone else mention the flower banquet to him. As for the Left Prime Minister and the Emperor...
Just like his mother, Xiao Yu quickly went through the events of the past few days in his mind. He frowned slightly and guessed, "It's probably because the Left Chancellor didn't invite Chen Ruliang, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, to his birthday celebration."
At the same table with the officials of the government office, one of the six secretaries of the Secretariat was missing, which was hard to miss.
Luo Fu explained Chen Ruliang's background to her mother-in-law. Xiao Rong shook his head and sighed, "Old Yang, you've handled mountains of national affairs, how come you're so confused when entertaining guests?"
He had been snubbed by his drinking buddies a few times, but they still invited him to every banquet that came his way.
Madam Deng became anxious for her in-laws, but just like when her third son was imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, it concerned the Emperor, so their anxiety was useless.
As dusk fell, Luo Fu and Xiao Yu returned to Shensi Hall.
Xiao Yu acted as if nothing was wrong while he was with Hong Ge'er, but after the meal, when Hong Ge'er went to sleep in the side room with his wet nurse, Xiao Yu's brows furrowed again.
Luo Fu thought he was blaming himself, so she held his hand and comforted him, "You advised the Emperor for the sake of Elder Yang's reputation and the Emperor's honor. The harmonious relationship between the emperor and his minister at the birthday banquet was indeed a beautiful story. It was the Left Prime Minister's own oversight that led to his offense against the Emperor..."
Xiao Yu grasped his wife's hand in return and said, "Don't worry, Madam, I won't dwell on this. I'm just worried that the Left Prime Minister has only recently enjoyed his moment of glory. After the flower banquet ends tomorrow, the entire official circle will know that the Emperor has embarrassed him. If the Left Prime Minister gets angry, he might continue to make foolish decisions."
If given another chance, Xiao Yu would still advise the Emperor to bestow favors upon the two prime ministers, as this would benefit the Emperor's reputation as a benevolent ruler. However, if he could truly do it all over again…
Well, there are no ifs now. Tell Madam to remind her sister-in-law to go home and give the Left Prime Minister a good talking-to.
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes! See you at the second update tonight. P.S.: If it's not over by 8 PM, it's still late at night. [pleading emoji]
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