Chapter 417 A Strange Birthday Banquet
Inside the Cheng'en Mansion, warm sunlight shines through the carved window lattices, illuminating the precious flowers and trees in the room.
Wen Li'er was accompanying her mother to select the last few flowers to be placed for the birthday banquet.
The rich floral scent in the air was intertwined with the faint aroma of wine and meat wafting from outside the mansion. It should have been a festive moment, but Wen Li'er keenly caught a hint of something unusual.
Ever since she woke up this morning, she felt that everyone's eyes on her had changed.
Nanny Qin, who was dressing her, had a flickering look in her eyes, and the maids who were hurriedly passing by in the corridor also exchanged mysterious glances with each other.
What made her even more anxious was her mother.
Although her mother tried her best to stay focused and pick the branches, she was often absent-minded. The look in her eyes when she looked at her was complicated, a mixture of worry and pity.
"Mother," Wen Li'er finally couldn't help it.
She held Liang Yuhe's arm, her voice filled with confusion and coquettishness.
"What on earth has happened? He's been acting so strangely since this morning. Everyone in the mansion looks at me with... something indescribable. And you haven't told me yet. I'm so worried!"
Liang Yuhe's heart ached, but she quickly put on a smile and gently patted the back of her daughter's hand.
"Silly child, what could be the problem? I was just thinking about the trivial matters of the birthday party last night, and I went to bed a little late, so I am a little tired."
She avoided her daughter's inquiring gaze and said with a smile, "Don't think too much."
Wen Li'er looked at her mother's slightly pale face suspiciously, and in the end, her heartache prevailed.
"Then go back to your room and rest for a while. I'm here."
"It's okay," Liang Yuhe shook her head and looked at the sun hanging high outside the window.
"It's almost time. The guests should be arriving one after another. How can my mother be absent?"
…
Wait until noon.
The gate of Duke Cheng'en's mansion was wide open, and the floor was covered with vermilion brocade.
The doorway and window frames are covered with gold foil window grilles with the Chinese character "Shou" (longevity), and lights and decorations are hung everywhere, giving the place an air of wealth and splendor.
The servants were dressed in brand new blue robes and moved hurriedly but orderly between the courtyards and corridors.
However, beneath this noisy and festive atmosphere, an invisible, suffocating "weird" atmosphere, like a quietly spreading mist, shrouds every corner.
Wen Li'er helped her mother into the main hall where the female members of the family were entertained.
Today she was wearing the phoenix-peony brocade robe ordered by the empress, and a nine-tailed phoenix crown with red gold and kingfisher feathers on her head. She was adorned with jewels and had a graceful demeanor, like a goddess descending to earth.
However, when the mother and daughter appeared at the door of the hall, the hall, which was originally full of laughter and chatter, suddenly became quiet.
Countless eyes instantly focused on her, their complex gazes making one's heart palpitate——
There is cautious peeping, suppressed suspicion, subtle pity, and large amounts of awkwardness that make people want to speak but cannot.
It was as if something earth-shattering had happened to her, something that no one wanted to talk about.
When Wen Li'er looked back in confusion, the owners of those gazes suddenly changed their expressions, putting on impeccable respectful smiles, bowing and congratulating in unison:
"May the Empress be blessed with good health!"
"Congratulations to Madam Chengen, may you live a long and blessed life!"
"Ladies, please excuse me."
Wen Li'er suppressed the sudden uneasiness in her heart, maintained a dignified and appropriate smile, and walked to the main seat and sat down surrounded by palace maids.
Liang Yuhe had a smile on her face as she exchanged greetings with the ladies who came forward to congratulate her.
Her words and actions were flawless, and her topics cleverly revolved around today's birthday banquet and the fashionable jewelry styles in the capital, without mentioning any palace secrets.
She tried hard to keep the atmosphere in the hall lively on the surface.
However, the corner of her eye always followed her daughter closely.
Wen Li'er sat upright in the main seat, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the warm teacup.
Her eyes slowly swept across the beautiful ladies in gorgeous clothes in the room.
My sister-in-law was entertaining several young ladies from marquisates and aristocratic families at the other end of the flower hall. She was talking and laughing, but Wen Li'er clearly saw that in between her words, her eyes quickly swept past her several times, with vigilance.
It was as if she was on high alert, afraid that some tactless person would come up to her and say something.
Several aunts and cousins from my maternal grandparents' side could not hide their sighs and were hesitant to speak.
All this made Wen Li'er's heart feel like it was hanging on a cliff, up and down in anxiety, with no place to go.
Several children were brought into the hall.
He stands calmly by his mother's side every day, and despite his young age, he has a strong aura.
At this moment, he frowned slightly, and his sharp eyes swept towards the hall door from time to time, as if waiting for the appearance of his father. There was a hint of tension hidden in the depths of his eyes.
For the first time today, Mumu did not hold his beloved book. He stood silently by the side with a stern face, and also glanced at the door from time to time.
Only Miaomiao and Zhaozhao were playing with a few children of the same age in the corner. Their clear laughter became the only real "normality" in this weird atmosphere.
At this moment, the streets of the capital were already ablaze with excitement over a shocking palace secret:
——
"Have you heard? It's a huge news! Last night in the palace, His Majesty... favored a palace maid!"
"It's more than just hearsay! The rumor is full of details! They say that the palace maid is a monster born from a fox spirit, and in just one night, she sucked away most of our emperor's vigor and vitality! Tsk tsk..."
"There's something even more exciting! They say...it's in the Empress's bedroom! On the Empress's phoenix couch!"
"Ah?! This... this can't be right? Everyone knows that His Majesty has been deeply in love with the Empress all these years, and the six palaces are like nothing. How could he do such a thing in the Empress's chambers, on her bed...? Isn't this a blatant slap in the face of the Empress?"
"Hey, that's hard to say! As a man... no matter how affectionate he is, he can't resist the novelty of a wild flower that comes to his doorstep! Besides, I heard that the Queen was not in the palace last night..."
"Oh my God... If that's really the case, then how will the Empress save face at her family's birthday banquet today?"
“…”
——
Imperial Palace.
Under Wu Junnian's acupuncture, Yan Shixu slept for another morning and finally regained some strength. He was no longer in the weak state that was almost exhausted and unable to move in the morning.
Cold sweat soaked his inner clothes, which Yongtai carefully changed.
"Your Majesty, the dragon robe is ready, and the imperial carriage is waiting outside the palace. You can set off immediately to celebrate the birthday of Duke Cheng'en."
Yongtai lowered his head and reported, with a barely perceptible worry in his voice.
He knew that His Majesty's health was far from recovered at the moment, but His Majesty would not miss the birthday party of the Queen's mother's family no matter what.
Yan Shixu nodded.
But at this moment, the eunuch outside the palace hurriedly announced: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Pingnan and the General Protector of the Nation wish to see you regarding an important matter!"
Yan Shixu frowned slightly. At this time?
Su Muyang and Luo Yunzhen should have known that he was about to leave the palace for a banquet.
But if it wasn't extremely urgent, they wouldn't choose to enter the palace at this time.
"Xuan."
After a moment, Su Muyang and Luo Yunzhen hurried into the hall, both of them with solemn expressions.
Behind them, several personal guards were escorting several ragged, bloodstained, and dying women.
Luo Yunzhen was the first to clasp his fists and said in a serious voice:
"Your Majesty! Rumors outside the palace about you...favoring a palace maid last night have spread like wildfire, becoming unbearable to hear! We, your servants, dare not neglect and immediately set about tracing the source."
He pointed to the blood-stained women on the ground and said:
"It was these few people who spread the news widely in the teahouses, brothels, and taverns of the city. Under strict interrogation, they confessed that they were instructed by a maid named Liu Qing, who was close to the Empress! Their goal was to make this matter a public spectacle, so that everyone would know about it! This way, His Majesty would not be able to quietly dispose of her without the Empress knowing!"
Su Muyang's peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly at this moment. He glanced up and down at Yan Shixu, whose face was still pale and exhausted. His mouth unconsciously opened slightly:
"I say... Lao Xu, you... you really did it?!"
He had taken leave this morning and did not attend court due to "important matters" in the mansion - in fact, his new beautiful concubine was pestering him. When he woke up, he heard such explosive news.
The shocking effect far exceeded his "great achievement" of achieving ten goals in five years.
Without saying a word, he immediately sent people to investigate, and they happened to meet Luo Yunzhen in the same direction.
The two of them worked together, and naturally their efficiency was extremely high. They quickly identified these key figures who were fanning the flames in the market.
After they were tortured and forced to confess, they were immediately taken to the palace to meet the emperor.
Yan Shixu listened to their report, especially the words "causing a stir in the whole city", and his already pale face instantly lost all its color.
A cold rage and overwhelming panic shook his body.
He could almost imagine how complicated and piercing the gazes cast at her would be at this moment in the Cheng'en Mansion, on the day that should have been her mother's glorious birthday!
How vicious and embarrassing those whispers would be!
She knew nothing, but had to bear the most embarrassing rumor for him!
"Asshole!"
Yan Shixu suddenly groaned, and strode out regardless of his still weak body.
"Now! Immediately! Go to Duke Cheng'en's Mansion!"
"yes……"
Yongtai jogged after him, followed closely by Su Muyang and Luo Yunzhen.
…
(My dears, I originally wanted to write about Liu Qing's death today, but it turns out the previous plot is a bit long... I'll write about Liu Qing tomorrow.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
