The next day, the imperial garden of the palace was full of colorful flowers in bloom.
The breeze blew by, bringing bursts of fragrance. The lake in the garden sparkled, reflecting the surrounding pavilions and weeping willows. The mountains in the distance, set against the blue sky and white clouds, looked like a light ink landscape painting.
This banquet was specially held for the Western Regions delegation. It was not an official birthday party, but many ministers of the third rank and above in the court were invited to attend.
Most of the ministers knew that today's performance was specially prepared for the King of the Western Regions and Concubine Jiang in the harem, so everyone wore court robes and sat in their seats with solemn expressions.
The deposed Crown Prince Chu Lang stood in the crowd, his eyes revealing a hint of reluctance and loneliness. But he still had a smile on his face as he greeted the ministers around him.
Concubine Xie was wearing gorgeous palace clothes, with delicate makeup on her face, and her eyes revealed a hint of calculation and provocation.
As the banquet began, a group of envoys from the Western Regions entered the venue wearing colorful and unique costumes, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Especially the leader Amur, who had an upright posture, dressed in a brocade robe with gold embroidery, and a silver head wrap inlaid with sapphires. His facial features were deep and distinct. He walked with his long legs and broad strides, his head held high and his chest puffed out, with the unique heroic spirit of the grassland people.
When he reached the center of the hall, he touched his chest and saluted towards the Emperor of Chu who was sitting above him.
"Greetings to the Emperor Chu."
Emperor Chu sat in the main seat, scanning the entire audience with a majestic gaze.
"Today, I have specially held this banquet to welcome the Western Region King Amur and his entourage. The Western Region and our Great Chu have had good relations for many years. This time, King Amur has come from afar, which is a great honor for our Great Chu. I hope that our two countries can continue to have friendly exchanges and share what we have."
As soon as they met, both sides understood each other tacitly and no one mentioned the matter of Concubine Jiang.
Instead, you and I all speak in official language and say some high-sounding formalities.
After three rounds of drinking, Concubine Xie saw that the time was almost right. She suddenly picked up the wine bottle and smiled in the direction of Amur.
"I've long heard that the King of the Western Regions is a man of great valor. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved. Such a demeanor of a dragon and a phoenix is truly rare in the world."
She raised her eyelids and pretended to be concerned, "I just heard that the king has no concubines and has always kept himself clean. It is really admirable. I wonder if the girls from the Western Regions are not pleasing to the king?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room fell silent.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little weird.
Everyone knew clearly that Amur had always been harboring feelings for Concubine Jiang in his heart. It was obvious that Concubine Xie's words were intended to deliberately poke at Concubine Jiang's sore spot in public in order to embarrass her.
The Emperor Chu's expression also turned ugly.
He glared at Concubine Xie, who was startled and lowered her head, not daring to say anything.
At this time, a minister saw that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he wanted to continue testing Amur's attitude based on Concubine Xie's words.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Concubine Jiang came from the Western Regions. Do you know her?"
The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on Amur.
Amur looked calm and had a broad smile on his face. His eyes slowly swept over everyone in the hall, finally stopping on Emperor Chu.
"Since you asked, I might as well speak frankly."
"That's right. Concubine Jiang was born into a noble family in the Western Regions. I met her several times when she was young. At that time, she was smart and talented. I really admired her."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole place fell silent!
King of the Western Regions, this is...
Did he publicly admit that he had an affair with Concubine Jiang?
Before everyone could react, Amur continued:
"But the friendship between gentlemen is open and aboveboard. Your Majesty's entry into the palace as a concubine is a blessing for the Great Chu. As the ruler of the Western Regions, how could I not know my limits? This time I came to the capital, in addition to celebrating the birthday of the King of Chu, I also wanted to take the opportunity to visit old friends and maintain the friendship of our former hometowns."
After that, he raised his glass and saluted the King of Chu: "If this causes criticism, it is my fault. I am willing to drink a glass as punishment. I hope the King of Chu will not blame me."
These words not only acknowledged that he and Concubine Jiang were old acquaintances, but also showed his frank attitude.
At the same time, he was fully polite without losing the bearing of a King of the Western Regions.
In an instant, the tense atmosphere in the hall eased a little.
The King of Chu's eyes darkened for a moment, then he smiled heartily: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is normal for old friends to meet each other. How can I be such a narrow-minded person?"
He raised his glass and said, "Come, let's drink this cup together!"
At this moment, a notification came from the palace: Concubine Jiang has arrived——
Everyone's eyes turned to the palace gate.
Amur's hand holding the wine glass paused, and his eyes involuntarily looked towards me.
I saw Concubine Jiang, wearing a moon-white palace dress, walking slowly with the standard steps of the concubines in the harem. Her hair was combed meticulously, and she only had a simple and elegant white jade hairpin in her hair. Her skin was still as white as snow, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and she looked very calm and elegant.
Like an orchid blooming alone in the corner.
Amur's heart skipped a beat.
Twenty years have not left many traces on her face. Her face is still the same, but her temperament is completely different.
She is still as beautiful as ever, but she is no longer the girl in my memory who rides a horse and whips the horse with a laugh as loud as a bell.
Now she is dignified and quiet, and her every move and gesture is full of the elegance and restraint of a court lady.
Years of palace life have worn away her wildness and spirituality.
Amur's heart suddenly shrank, as if he felt a sharp pain.
At this time, Concubine Jiang had already walked to the center of the hall. She bowed to the Emperor of Chu and said softly, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
The King of Chu nodded slightly, "My beloved concubine, there is no need to be so polite."
"I summoned you here today so that you can meet the distinguished guest who has come from afar." The Emperor of Chu raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Amur.
"This is the King of the Western Regions, and he is also your fellow countryman. I believe there is no need for me to introduce him to you. Since you are from the same hometown, if you have the chance in the future, you can talk about some old stories in the Western Regions."
The words of the King of Chu seemed to give enough respect, but in fact they put the relationship between the two of them back in front of everyone.
Amur tightened his grip on the wine glass, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
Concubine Jiang finally turned around and faced Amur with a calm expression, as if she was just facing a stranger she met for the first time.
"Greetings to the King of the Western Regions."
Amur was stunned!
She called her the King, not 'Brother Amur' as she did in her youth.
In her eyes, there was no joy of reunion after a long separation, only courtesy and distance.
Amur's Adam's apple rolled, and he suppressed the thousands of words in his heart: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite."
Afterwards, Concubine Jiang stood up, glanced at him indifferently, and then quietly stepped aside, trying to minimize her presence.
But with so many people present, and people with bad intentions like Concubine Xie around, how could Concubine Jiang get her wish?
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