banquet
The full moon banquet at the Prince of Qin's Mansion was held with great ceremony.
Don't you even consider who that little girl's mother is? Princess Mingjing Yujin, even after years of marriage, can still freely enter and leave the palace. Princess Changle, also a married princess, isn't necessarily so unfettered, which demonstrates the emperor's favor towards her. Furthermore, she's a legitimate princess listed under the Empress's name, and has two aunts, Concubine Ke and Concubine Ding, behind her. Of all the Yongping Emperor's children, Princess Mingjing holds the highest status, aside from the Crown Prince.
"I heard that Concubine Ding will also be here today?" Princess Suining asked Yu Jin who was waiting for her at the door as soon as she got off the carriage.
The late emperor's eleventh princess had a good relationship with Yu Jin. She was named Princess Suining and married to a nobleman in the capital in her early years. Now she is respected as the eldest princess and lives a very comfortable life.
Yu Jin smiled and said, "Yes, my father has granted my aunt permission to leave the palace."
Princess Suining said, "Her Majesty Dingpin has been very caring towards my mother these days. I will find a good time and place later to personally thank her."
Yu Jin naturally said that it was no problem.
The title of Imperial Noble Consort Qing sounded appealing, but her comforts were far inferior to those of Imperial Noble Consort Qing's time. All the palace's finest goods now went to the new mistress, inevitably leaving the older consorts less well-served. Furthermore, with so many concubines and imperial concubines crammed into Shoukang Palace, it was suffocating. Fortunately, Concubine Ding had a decent relationship with Imperial Noble Consort Qing in the past, and she had taken care of them once or twice.
After Princess Suining, Prince Gong and his wife, Prince Dun and his wife, Prince Yong and Princess Changle also arrived one after another.
Yu Jin glanced at the slightly bulging belly of Princess Gong and said, "I didn't have time to congratulate you when I first came to the palace. Is your pregnancy going well? This is the first of the Emperor's grandchildren, so we can't be careless at all."
Princess Gong smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, elder sister. Everything is fine."
He Yan had no intention of gossiping with Yu Jin at the gate: "Big sister, my younger brother and sister-in-law will go in first."
Yu Jin watched He Yan and his wife walk away, and then heard a laugh coming from the door: "Why did big sister come out to greet us in person? It makes my brother feel so flattered."
He Xian walked in laughing. Princess Liang of Dun County twisted his waist and said to Yu Jin with a smile, "Don't be surprised, big sister. You know he is just like that."
Yu Jin sneered at her brother and said, "Don't be so self-indulgent. Who said I was waiting for you?"
As he was speaking, a voice came from outside:
"The palace carriage has arrived."
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess got off the carriage first, then helped Li Qingping out of the carriage. Everyone bowed and greeted the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess and Concubine Ding.
"Aunt! I finally got you here!" Yu Jin hurried to greet her, and Li Qingping smiled and let her do what she wanted.
Every guest was amazed. It was just a full-moon banquet for a princess' daughter, yet not only were adult princes and even the crown prince in attendance, but the Empress herself had also come to show her support. Even though only Concubine Ding was present, who knew she was a rather influential figure these days? It was clear how much influence Princess Mingjing held in high esteem.
But that's not all, Li Qingping also brought the imperial edict of Emperor Yongping and various full-moon ceremonies from the palace.
"Princess Mianfu!"
Everyone in the Prince Qin's Mansion laughed heartily. His father Zhao Fengming and his wife looked at each other, both surprised and delighted by the title.
Not to mention the other guests, even the princes were quite jealous of this title. Back in the time of Emperor Shizong, the only one who had received this honor was Emperor Qianyuan's legitimate daughter, now Princess Yurong. However, Mianfu was more precious and cherished than Yurong.
Princess Changle, Yuzhen, stood beside her, even more envious. Emperor Yongping still showed some affection for her, but his reaction to her children was mediocre. She already had a daughter, but she received far less attention from the Emperor than her elder sister, Huiwen. Emperor Yongping's affection was limited; it made no sense for him to cherish every one of his grandchildren. Compared to Huiwen, whose daughters were elevated by their mothers, Princess Changle's daughters were merely ordinary grandchildren.
The others, observing with their eyes and noses, clearly understood what this title represented. Princess Mingjing was nominally the Queen's eldest daughter, and her daughter was given the title of Princess Mianfu, which made the previous rumors seem ridiculous.
If Empress Li really wanted to harm the prince, Emperor Yongping would never love the legitimate heir so much.
Yu Jin accepted the imperial edict with overwhelming joy, bowed deeply towards the palace, and stood up, wiping away tears in front of the guests as she said, "Father loves Hui Wen so much. My heart aches with sorrow. I wish I could go to the palace right away and pay my respects to him."
Li Qingping said at the right moment: "It's enough that you have this intention. It's not too late to bring the child to the palace to pay your respects another day. Today is Huiwen's auspicious day, so don't miss it."
Yu Jin put on a good show in front of everyone, and then followed Li Qingping's instructions to have her daughter brought over so that the one-year-old ceremony could begin.
There aren't that many taboos when it comes to girls' "Zhuazhou" rituals. After all, whatever they grab can be interpreted as a good omen. Yu Jin felt that all good things were put aside. She was happy with whatever her daughter grabbed. Little Huiwen looked at her father, mother, and brother, then grabbed a golden treasure box and threw herself into Li Qingping's arms. She smiled and raised the box high for Li Qingping to see: "Aunt Grandma!"
This little girl is very clever and knows that Li Qingping is the most important person here.
Inside the golden treasure box were small items such as a wooden comb and a jade ruyi. The emcee smiled and sang, "May the little princess be blessed with great fortune and may everything go smoothly and peacefully!"
"Good girl, this is what you deserve." Li Qingping touched Huiwen's pigtail lovingly.
Huiwen is one of the most distinguished people in the capital.
The guests all said a lot of nice things, and Yu Jin was happy to hear them. After a series of ceremonies, the smile on her face became even deeper.
"No wonder you asked me to prepare some old clothes a few days ago. The title bestowed by our father is a great honor and a great deal of generosity. I'm afraid an ordinary child wouldn't be able to keep up the good work."
After the first birthday celebration ceremony was over, Yu Jin took her daughter back to her room to rest. Li Qingping didn't want to attend to social events, so he left with her. Looking at Hui Wen's peaceful sleeping face, Yu Jin sighed.
Li Qingping laughed and said, "If the prince consort wasn't a young son and there wasn't a legitimate prince ahead of him, the emperor would have wanted to make your Chengyi a royal grandson."
Yu Jin's eyes widened in surprise, but she was content with the current situation. "There's no need for a crown prince. The Qin Palace will definitely be passed down to the eldest son in the future. After all, I'm the current emperor's eldest daughter, and my husband's career is pretty smooth. With my face in the future, Cheng Yi should work hard on his own. It won't be difficult to get a title. There's no need to compete with others for a crown prince."
Li Qingping nodded and said, "It's good as long as you are clear in your mind."
The two of them exchanged some private words, and then walked back to the banquet table.
The female members of the family sat according to their status. Li Qingping, the Empress of the Palace, sat at the head of the table. On her left sat Yu Jin, the mother of today's protagonist, and on her right sat the Crown Princess. Below them were the Princess of Qin, Princess Suining, Princess Changle, several princes' wives, and other members of the imperial family.
The Princess of Yue, one of the emperor's uncles, also came.
She sighed with emotion as she gazed at the elegant Li Qingping seated. She hadn't imagined that the humble lady of the prince's mansion would become a concubine in the palace. When Prince Xuan's family moved to Xijing, their relationship had faded, becoming far less close than before. After the new emperor ascended the throne, she had rarely visited the palace, and now, seeing him again, she felt a sense of strangeness.
Although Li Qingping was nominally a concubine, all the etiquette and rituals of her enthronement ceremony were similar to those of a consort. After the ceremony, the Princess of Yue, along with other ladies of state, went to the Yonghe Palace to pay her respects and receive an audience. It's worth noting that, as a concubine, Concubine Jia wasn't eligible to receive an audience from ladies of state. It seems that in Emperor Yongping's eyes, Li Qingping was the same as Concubine Ke and Concubine Yi. It was only because the Li family already had a Concubine Ke that he didn't give her a proper consort title.
"Fourth sister-in-law, what are you thinking about?" Princess Suining leaned over and whispered, "Would you like to come with me to talk to Concubine Ding later?"
Princess Yue came back to her senses and said, "That's exactly what I meant. Before your fourth brother came, he kept saying he wanted to see the Empress."
After all, Imperial Noble Consort Qing was well-cared for by Li Qingping in the palace.
Prince Yue was previously forced by the previous emperor to compete with his brothers for the throne. Although it was not his original intention, it was inevitable that Emperor Yongping would have a grudge against him. Although he was not idle at home like Prince Zhao, it was still difficult for him to enter the palace. He was lucky to be accepted once or twice out of ten attempts.
Yu Jin also remembered what she had agreed with Princess Suining to lead everyone to the garden when the banquet was almost over. Li Qingping, who had left early, sat in the waterside pavilion and played chess with Chengyi.
"Come and sit down, no need to be so polite."
Yu Jin beckoned her son over and said, "Go play with your father. Mother is talking here with my great aunt and great aunt."
Cheng Yi nodded obediently and ran away.
"Chengyi is so good. My little one is so naughty. He gets itchy all over if he's not spanked for a day." Princess Suining said enviously, "You're so good at giving birth. How come you gave birth to two good little boys?"
Yu Jin laughed at her: "Then look at what our Princess Suining was always called by the Imperial Noble Consort Dowager when she was little."
Monkey.
Princess Suining: "...You are so annoying."
Li Qingping and the Princess of Yue were laughing nearby. The latter paused, then smiled softly, "By the way, thank you, Concubine Ding, for taking care of my mother."
"Why are you still so polite? Are you estranged from me?" Li Qingping smiled nonchalantly and said, "When Yu Jin entered the palace, the Imperial Noble Consort Qing also helped Yu Jin a lot. Besides, I have a good relationship with the Imperial Noble Consort, so this is what I should do."
Princess Yue was startled, then laughed: "I was wondering if you would look down on me now."
Li Qingping sneered and said sarcastically, "You, the Princess of Yue, are a dignified Princess of the First Rank. Who dares to look down on you? I finally got to see you at the last enthronement ceremony, but you didn't even glance at me."
"I apologize to Concubine Ding. I was mistaken." The Princess of Yue quickly apologized, and Princess Suining and Yu Jin on the side laughed.
Li Qingping couldn't help but smile when he saw them laughing. He said to the Princess of Yue and Princess Suining, "Don't worry too much. The Emperor just didn't have the time to deal with the affairs of the Grand Concubines and Imperial Concubines when he first ascended the throne. He couldn't bear to have so many elders crowded in Kangshou Palace. He should issue an edict in the future to follow the example of the previous dynasty, allowing Grand Concubines and Imperial Concubines with children to leave the palace and enjoy their retirement."
Hearing this, Princess Suining and Princess Yue were both a little excited: "Is this true?"
"The Emperor has hinted a few things, but I'm not quite sure when and how." Li Qingping took a sip of tea and said, "However, given the Emperor's temperament, I'm afraid he won't delay for too long. Empress Qing is of a high rank, so she must be taken care of first. You children, take this opportunity to discuss what to do after you leave the palace."
Upon hearing this good news, Princess Suining and her husband were quite satisfied.
"Alright, don't say thank you anymore. Why don't you come to the palace and talk to me when you have time?" Before returning to the palace, Li Qingping looked at the Princess of Yue who was still trying to express her gratitude and said angrily, "Just go to Yonghe Palace and hand in the sign. Who dares to stop you?"
Princess Yue smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
Li Qingping said to Yu Jin, "Bring Huiwen back to the palace to pay respects to your father, the emperor, and your mother, the empress."
Yu Jin agreed.
The youngest daughter of Princess Mingjing was canonized as Princess Mianfu, and the rumors died down immediately. Empress Li, busy with palace affairs in the harem, apparently only learned of what had happened when the eldest princess and the young princess entered the palace to pay their respects. She was so angry that she fainted.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping personally visited the empress, explaining that those who were innocent were innocent. After over twenty years of marriage, he naturally trusted the empress. Deeply moved, the empress remarked that she had managed the harem for many years with a clear conscience. The emperor and empress wiped tears together.
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