As they were speaking, another announcement rang out from outside the hall: "The Noble Consort Xian has arrived! The Third Prince has arrived!"
Su Wanyan looked out of the hall again and saw the Noble Consort Xian, dressed in a dazzling array of jewels, slowly stepping into the hall. The Noble Consort Xian was only twenty-five years old this year, and the gorgeous clothes she wore were elegant and luxurious. Compared with Noble Consort Lin, the Noble Consort Xian's attire seemed to be even more impressive.
Behind her was the third prince, Yu Xiangzhao, who was only eight years old.
Perhaps because of his young age, the Third Prince still had a bit of baby fat on his face. He was led by his aunt and followed obediently behind Consort Xian.
Those who are older, like the eldest and second princes, can sit at their own tables, while the eighth prince, who is still young, has to sit at the same table as the Noble Consort Xian.
As Consort Xian passed by Yu Nanqing and Su Wanyan, her brows furrowed deeply, almost as if she were questioning them about why they were there.
After frowning, his eyes revealed arrogance and disdain, without any attempt to hide it.
She stepped across the hall and up the stairs, taking a seat on the lower right side of the upper seat.
Consort Lin chuckled and said, "I heard that you went to the Empress's palace. I thought you would come with the Empress."
Whether it's a palace banquet, a family banquet, or any other celebratory feast, unless there are special circumstances, the emperor and empress usually appear together.
Although the two imperial concubines held the same rank, Consort Lin held a different position in Emperor Yuanhe's heart than the other concubines because she was the Empress Dowager's niece and had grown up with him since childhood.
However, in the entire harem, Emperor Yuanhe favored Consort Xian, and she usually got to choose the best things in the palace first.
Therefore, even though Consort Lin had known Emperor Yuanhe since childhood, and even though Consort Lin had married Yu Nanyi two years earlier than her, Consort Xian did not take Consort Lin seriously.
Apart from the Empress, who in the entire harem didn't know that Emperor Yuanhe's favorite was her?
Consort Lin could not outdo Consort Xian, but the Empress could.
The Empress's status was not only higher than that of Consort Xian, but the Empress and Consort Xian also married Yu Nanyi on the same day. Since the Empress was the principal wife, Yu Nanqing naturally had priority to stay at the Empress's place on their wedding day.
This became a thorn in the side of Consort Xian.
When Consort Lin said that, she was implying that even if Consort Xian was favored, she would have to give way to the Empress at crucial moments.
These words struck a nerve with Consort Xian.
She took a deep breath, not even wanting to maintain a semblance of harmony, and glared at Consort Lin: "You should mind your own business first!"
She couldn't get any benefits from the Empress, so how much better was Consort Lin?
When Consort Xian married Yu Nanyi, Yu Nanqing had already gone to the frontier, and he didn't even know Consort Xian.
However, Su Wanyan did some research before entering the palace. She learned that Consort Xian was the daughter of the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister's family had sided with Yu Nanyi before the succession struggle even began.
Consort Lin is the Empress Dowager's person, and Consort Xian is the daughter of the Prime Minister. Yu Nanyi has the Prime Minister's help in winning over the civil officials of the previous dynasty, the support of the Empress Dowager's family, and the assistance of the Empress Xia family, the Eldest Princess, the Marquis of Yuanning, and many other parties.
With the right timing, location, and popular support, it would be difficult for this faction not to succeed in seizing the throne.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived! His Majesty the Empress has arrived! Her Highness the Princess has arrived!"
Just as I was sorting out the relationships between the people in the palace, the sounds of singing came incessantly from outside the hall.
A bright yellow dragon robe came into view, and the gilded crown on his head shone even more brightly under the candlelight. The empress was dressed in a bright red palace gown, with a touch of vermilion between her eyebrows, which made her look extremely sacred.
With a gentle and dignified smile, she walked in from outside the palace side by side with Emperor Yuanhe.
The eldest princess lagged slightly behind the two. From the moment she entered the hall, her gaze fell on Su Wanyan. Her slightly narrowed eyes radiated arrogance, and her gaze showed that she completely disregarded Su Wanyan.
Following behind the princess was a man dressed in gilded white brocade. He appeared to be young, around twenty-five years old, with a red lining inside his collar and a gold and jade belt around his waist. He was tall and slender, and his expression was silent and serious.
However, upon closer inspection, his silent and serious expression revealed a lifeless demeanor, as if he were indifferent to whatever happened.
This man must be Si Yang, the princess's husband.
Su Wanyan suddenly remembered the gossip she had overheard on the street: the princess's mansion had many male favorites, but she was very indifferent to this consort.
She remembered that this imperial son-in-law was a martial arts champion. The late emperor recruited this martial arts champion as the imperial son-in-law for Yu Tingyi, giving the son-in-law the opportunity to make meritorious contributions. He also granted Yu Tingyi military power, which the son-in-law took over on his behalf. The original intention was to give Yu Tingyi a foothold.
But unexpectedly, Yu Tingyi used his military power to rebel against the late emperor and helped Yu Nanyi seize the throne.
She used her husband but looked down on him, and the two had been married for many years without having any children.
Yang, like the rising sun in the east.
Nowadays, even a grown man like him has lost his true colors due to the drudgery of domestic life.
At this level, men and women are indeed the same.
As Emperor Yuanhe entered the hall, everyone rose to their feet, saying, "Your Majesty/Your Highness the Emperor/Father, Your Majesty the Empress/Mother, may Your Majesty/Father enjoy boundless blessings, may Your Majesty/Mother enjoy boundless blessings!"
The sounds of worship were scattered yet orderly, and they all ended at the same time.
Just as Su Wanyan was wondering whether she should get up and kowtow, Yu Nanqing grabbed her hand.
Seeing this, Su Wanyan felt perfectly at ease sitting there.
Emperor Yuanhe wore a smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes. When he entered the hall, his gaze fell on Yu Nanqing, but it vanished in an instant.
Now that he had taken his seat on a high platform with the Empress, he looked at Yu Nanqing openly and said, "Third brother, it has been a long time since I last saw you after you returned from your paralysis three years ago. I was overjoyed to learn that you were able to attend the banquet in the palace. How is your health?"
It's a wonder that Emperor Yuanhe was able to find out who is responsible for Yu Nanqing's current extreme thinness, making him look like a paper doll.
If she had taken good care of herself from the beginning, she wouldn't be in this state now. Now she's hypocritically asking questions. Even though she knows it's all just a facade, Su Wanyan still finds her face so fake that she can't stand it.
"Cough cough..." Yu Nanqing coughed twice, laughing weakly: "Just as Your Majesty sees, it's probably not much better. Your Majesty is weak and it's really inconvenient for me to perform the ceremony. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Su Wanyan's lips twitched. Fine, Emperor Yuanhe wasn't the only one who could pretend to be brotherly and respectful. What could she say?
"These are just formalities." Emperor Yuanhe chuckled, then slightly raised his hand: "You may all rise. What are you still kneeling for? Today is a family banquet, and everyone present is my family. Please make yourselves at home."
From this perspective, it seems that Emperor Yuanhe didn't actually like Consort Xian that much.
If you really like her, how could you bear to ignore her like you ignore everyone else?
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