Life went on peacefully, giving Su Wanyan the feeling of living in a prosperous and peaceful world.
In the blink of an eye, it's Lunar New Year's Eve in December.
For this New Year's Eve banquet, the palace sent a carriage to Prince Gong's residence to show its respect for the two men.
Su Wanyan hadn't worn palace attire for a long time. As she put on the palace dress that symbolized her status, layer by layer, she couldn't help but straighten her back.
Her makeup and hair accessories both exuded elegance and poise. Compared to two years ago, Su Wanyan had matured considerably. The liveliness and playfulness in her eyes had been quietly tempered by time, and her gaze now held an undeniable air of authority.
Qiu Ye and Huang Ye, who had just finished doing her makeup, were both stunned.
"What's wrong?" Su Wanyan asked curiously.
Before Qiu Ye and Huang Ye could reply, Yu Nanqing had already entered from outside the door.
Wearing a platinum-colored glazed python robe with gold thread sealing the sleeves, the robe was decorated with hidden cloud patterns and gilded designs, and the robe was embroidered with a coiled python amidst clouds. His tall figure was as strong and unyielding as a green bamboo. He held an exquisite box in his hand and walked towards Su Wanyan against the light, looking like a painting. This made Su Wanyan blush slightly and turn her eyes away in embarrassment.
Yu Nanqing had no idea that Su Wanyan was already feeling shy. He only felt that Su Wanyan, dressed in palace attire, was exceptionally beautiful and dazzling, and his heart pounded with excitement as they got closer.
"Yan'er," Yu Nanqing called softly, taking her small hand in his and unable to resist bending down to gently press his lips to hers.
The cool, moist touch made Su Wanyan's heart flutter, and she quickly changed the subject: "Why did it take so long?"
"I'll be faster next time."
"Where's the stuff? Bring it out and let me see."
Yu Nanqing placed the box in his hand on the dressing table. Su Wanyan couldn't wait to open it, and there lay a round jade pendant, crystal clear and flawless, inside.
The jade pendant is inlaid with gold wire, with the sun and moon shining together on the upper part and a landscape of mountains, seas and clouds below. It is adorned with dragons and phoenixes, with the phoenixes dotted with gilded jade and the dragons inlaid with gold clouds. The entire jade pendant is exquisite.
On the back of the jade is engraved the character 'smoke', which is as ethereal as smoke and blends seamlessly with the clouds above, making it quite ingenious.
When Su Wanyan was choosing a design, she felt that the pattern was not only grand and magnificent, but the dragon and phoenix playing together also perfectly matched the relationship between her and Yu Nanqing.
But looking at it now, I realize that the design drafts are far less impressive than the actual product.
Su Wanyan was overjoyed. With a look of delight in her eyes, she reached out and picked up the phoenix face. The jade pendant split in two, becoming a jade disc.
Holding it in her hand, she could feel the warm, smooth texture of the jade; it felt pure and substantial. Su Wanyan asked curiously, "What kind of jade is this?"
The color is not as pure and thick as white jade, but it is flawlessly white without any impurities, and has a clear and bright appearance.
Yu Nanqing extended his five distinct fingers and picked up another jade pendant from the box: "This is water jade. It has the texture of white jade and is translucent. I have heard that there is a kind of water jade that is as transparent as water, but I have never seen it before."
Su Wanyan was curious; wasn't that just crystal?
But what you're holding now is definitely not crystal.
As Yu Nanqing spoke, he handed the jade pendant forward. Su Wanyan immediately understood and joined the two halves of the jade pendant together, instantly forming a perfect jade pendant.
Su Wanyan couldn't stop smiling: "Tie it now?"
Yu Nanqing curled his thin lips, took the half of the jade pendant from Su Wanyan's hand, and gently threaded the crimson gold silk ribbon through her belt. With a nimble twist of his fingers, he tied the jade pendant around her waist.
"Then I'll help you tie it."
Su Wanyan was not as nimble as Yu Nanqing, and had never tied such a thing before. It was only with Yu Nanqing's guidance that she was able to tie the jade pendant for him.
Once the knot is tied, the two stand together, their clothes and accessories perfectly matched.
Yu Nanqing took Su Wanyan's hand: "Let's go."
The New Year's Eve banquet was held in the Taide Hall.
Because Su Wanyan didn't want to wait, Yu Nanqing deliberately arrived two quarters of an hour late. So when they arrived at Taide Hall, the New Year's Eve banquet had already begun.
The Empress Dowager remained seated beside the young emperor, who wore a black and gold dragon robe and a twelve-tassel crown. His small frame sat upright on the dragon throne, and the solemnity on his face did not seem feigned.
Su Wanyan glanced at him briefly before bowing respectfully to Yu Nanqing: "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager are our subjects."
"No need for formalities," the Empress Dowager said with a smile. "Why are you so late? Please have a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Empress Dowager."
Yu Nanqing was right. With the Empress Dowager around, the young emperor really couldn't even utter a single word.
As soon as Su Wanyan sat down, a woman in the hall suddenly stood up, picked up a wine cup and came to Yu Nanqing and Su Wanyan, curtsied and said, "This humble woman is Mu Qingrou. I have long admired Your Highness and Your Highness. Today I am finally able to meet you. This cup of wine is my first toast."
After saying that, he stroked the rim of the glass, tilted his head back, and slowly drank the wine to the bottom.
After a glass of wine, her cheeks flushed, clearly indicating that she couldn't hold her liquor.
Su Wanyan quickly raised her teacup and stood up: "I do not drink alcohol, so I will use tea instead. Thank you, Miss Mu."
Su Wanyan finished her tea, and then saw Mu Qingrou curtsy and return to her seat.
Unbeknownst to Su Wanyan, Mu Qingrou's face had turned bright red when she returned to her seat.
Just as it ended, another female voice rang out in the hall: "The jade pendants of the Prince and the Empress appear to be a pair. It seems that there has never been such a style in the capital. May I ask, Your Majesty, which shop did you buy those jade pendants from?"
Su Wanyan couldn't stop smiling. Beautiful, isn't it? Exquisite, isn't it? She knew she'd made the right choice!
Before she could speak, a familiar voice answered for her: "Those are jade ornaments from Qianyufang. The half of the jade pendant worn by the Empress and the half worn by the Prince together form a complete set, with the sun and moon shining together, dragons and phoenixes playing together, flowers in full bloom and the moon in perfect harmony. The jade is pure and beautiful, and I'm afraid no one in the capital can make a second one now."
Because it was custom-made, and it was made on Su Wanyan and Yu Nanqing, and it was a pair, who would dare to counterfeit it?
The speaker was none other than Dai Zhiwan.
Looking at Dai Zhiwan's proud demeanor, it was as if the jade pendant was hanging on her body.
The woman smiled and said, "I've long heard that Miss Dai and Her Highness have a very good relationship, but I never imagined that you would know so much about this."
Dai Zhiwan raised her chin slightly, which was natural, as Wanyan had told her in the letter.
“The workmanship of Qianyu Workshop is indeed excellent. I will also go and take a look later,” a young lady in the hall echoed.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager interjected with a smile: "Prince Gong and Princess Gong are a harmonious and loving couple, a model for all officials in the palace. You should all learn from them. Only when your family is peaceful can you focus on the affairs of the court, be single-minded, and fulfill your duties to ensure the stability of our Great Jin Dynasty."
In a single sentence, the trivial matters between husband and wife were elevated to an untouchable level.
The people in the hall immediately responded, "Yes, we will follow the Empress Dowager's instructions."
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