Chapter 278 Sword Dance
Chang'an Palace, garden night banquet.
Dusk fell quietly, and lights were lit everywhere in the mansion, covering the entire house with warm light.
Huo Zheng received the imperial edict today to confer the title of King of Xizhou. He will be leaving Beijing to take up his fiefdom soon, so he specially held a banquet to entertain all those who came with him to Beijing this time. Maids and attendants carried fine wine and delicacies and shuttled among the flowers and trees, with cloud-like hair, blooming face, and fluttering skirts.
A group of military generals and guests took their seats early, admiring the spring scenery in the garden while feeling that the prince was a truly affectionate man who could go to such lengths for the princess.
There were also people who felt it was a pity that Prince Chang'an would have to guard Xizhou alone from now on.
From today onwards, all these guests in the garden will probably go their separate ways and will never be able to gather again.
Someone sighed, "The prince is good in every way, except that he is too sentimental."
Upon hearing this, Shao Feiyang immediately said, "If Your Majesty can even abandon the Princess, aren't you afraid that one day it will be your turn to be abandoned?"
The man's face turned red after hearing General Shao's words. Just as he was about to open his mouth to refute, everyone around him advised him to give up.
Just at this moment, the attendant shouted, "The prince and princess have arrived, the Thirteenth Princess has arrived."
The attendants and maids led the way with lanterns in hand. The warm light cast shadows on the flowers. Chunzhi and Huo Zheng came hand in hand. Song Wan'er and the Thirteenth Princess followed behind them and walked up to the first seat together.
Everyone at the banquet stood up and saluted, "Greetings to the prince and princess, and to the Thirteenth Princess."
Huo Zheng led Chunzhi into the banquet hall and sat down. They said to the others, "No need to be polite. Please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty and Princess."
Everyone sat down and congratulated Prince Chang'an on his promotion to Prince of Xizhou. No one mentioned Prince Chang'an's love affair anymore.
Gu Yuanjia was unable to attend the banquet due to his serious injuries, so Yuzhu stayed by his side to look after him.
Huo Yanran and Song Wan'er sat down together at the seat closest to Chunzhi. While Huo Zheng was talking to everyone, Princess Thirteen was already looking for General Shao at the table.
During the banquet, scholars and military generals sat on both sides, and the two who could be described as young men sat opposite them.
The man on the left was wearing a navy blue cross-collared robe with both civil and military sleeves. He had a handsome face and bright eyes. He looked between a teenager and a young man. He must be the young general Shao Feiyang.
The man sitting at the same table with him was two or three years older than him. He was dressed in a crimson brocade robe and was also of outstanding appearance. His facial features were so outstanding that they were a little sharp. Even before he opened his mouth, he exuded an aggression.
As soon as Huo Yanran saw the two men, she made a distinction in her heart. She deliberately asked Song Wan'er in a low voice, "Wan'er, who do you think is General Shao among those two people?"
Song Wan'er followed the Thirteenth Princess's gaze and saw Jiang San at a glance.
The other person happened to be looking at her at this time, and their eyes met unexpectedly and they looked at each other for a moment.
Song Wan'er had already learned from her sister Chunzhi that after Jiang San went to Xizhou, he had already joined the army of Prince Chang'an. Jiang San made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Xizhou this time, so he returned to the capital with Prince Chang'an. He would be summoned by the emperor soon and rewarded.
But when she heard Sister Chunzhi mention the young hero today, she only wanted to meet that person as soon as possible, and didn't think at all that she would meet Jiang San here.
Moreover, Jiang San looked at her with a very dangerous look at this moment, and it was obvious that he was holding a grudge against her.
"Wan'er?" Huo Yanran waited a long time for Song Wan'er's answer, and couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at? Even if you fall in love with General Shao at first sight, you can't stare at him like that."
The Thirteenth Princess teased Song Wan'er with a smile.
Song Wan'er complained in her heart: "I'm not looking at General Shao at all! I've met my enemy."
"If I had known he was here, I wouldn't have come."
Song Wan'er muttered softly and looked away to look at Shao Feiyang beside her.
However, this young general is really as my sister said, a young man with chivalrous spirit and high spirits.
This is the kind of storybook she likes best among all the ones she has read.
"What are you talking about?"
Huo Yanran didn't hear clearly what Song Wan'er was muttering, but she always felt that Miss Song was a little strange at the moment.
"Nothing." Song Wan'er said, "I just mean that my sister has excellent taste."
"That's right."
Huo Yanran saw that Shao Feiyang had a clear and upright gaze and was promising at a young age. He was indeed a rare young talent in the court.
My sister is really serious about finding a husband for Song Wan'er.
Little girls have their own concerns.
Huo Zheng raised his glass to thank everyone for their contributions to Xizhou. He said, "I will be leaving the capital soon to take up my fiefdom. I have already reported all your contributions to my father today. I think it will only take the next two days to reward you. This is my toast to you all."
Everyone raised their glasses in response, "Cheers, Your Majesty."
Huo Zheng drank with everyone else, talking about the past events in Xizhou, acknowledging everyone's hard work. At the same time, he told everyone that he would be going to Xizhou this time and would not be able to return to Beijing without being summoned. If anyone present had a better future, they could go for it.
Most people expressed their loyalty on the spot and said they would follow the prince until death, but some people remained silent.
This attitude is already very obvious.
If a person does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. No matter how wise the King of Chang'an is, people like them have to consider their future.
Prince Rui, as the eldest son, can still stay in the capital, but Prince Chang'an, who ranks seventh, has to leave the capital to become a fief. It can be seen that the emperor is disgusted with this son because Prince Chang'an refused to marry Princess Xiling. He is afraid that he will have no chance of becoming emperor in the future and can only guard the land of Xizhou.
Moreover, when the current emperor passes away, the new emperor will be wary of the vassal kings who rule one side of the country and will try every means to eliminate this threat. The future will be extremely bleak.
Chunzhi looked at Huo Zheng and smiled as he talked about this with everyone, and quietly took his hand under the table.
No matter what the road ahead holds, they will walk hand in hand.
Huo Zheng glanced at her sideways, his eyes full of tenderness.
He didn't let them wallow in their sentimental feelings for too long. He smiled and said, "The warm breeze is gentle tonight, and old friends are gathered here. Let's not waste this beautiful spring time. How about a drinking game?"
Someone immediately responded with a smile, "Okay, I'll pick a peach blossom first."
"I'll play the drums."
"Let me start the drinking game of passing the flower while beating the drum!"
Everyone at the table was eager to try it out, and once they started having fun, they quickly forgot about the upcoming separation.
The first guest official who got the peach blossoms composed a poem about the flowers in his hand.
The second person to get the peach blossom was Shao Feiyang.
General Shao stood up and said, "I only love to read military books and am not good at elegance. I will not perform in front of you all with poetry and dance. How about I dance with a sword to entertain you?"
Huo Zheng smiled and said, "Okay."
Everyone at the table laughed and echoed, "We'll wait and see!"
"What a great opportunity." Huo Yanran whispered in Song Wan'er's ear, "General Shao has stood up. He's dancing with a sword at the table. It's a good opportunity for you to see him clearly."
"Hush." Song Wan'er said softly, "Princess, keep your voice down. Don't act like you're choosing a prince consort."
Chunzhi couldn't help laughing when she heard her two sisters talking.
Shao Feiyang stood up, drew his sword, and leaped to the center of the banquet.
Suddenly, the moon came and the wind blew, and peach, plum, and apricot blossoms fluttered down and flew all over the sky.
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