Five days later, it was Mid-Autumn Festival.
This year, the palace held a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and invited royal relatives, aristocratic families and some high-ranking officials to attend.
As Su Wanti expected, Xiao Huaihe came to Youxiangyuan yesterday and asked her to attend the palace banquet and asked her to act like a virtuous and generous wife.
Su Wanti didn't want to waste time talking to him, so she agreed and drove him out.
Xiao Huaihe was already holding his breath, and seeing that she was not in a good mood towards him, he became even more angry.
He spat at the tightly closed courtyard door, thinking angrily: Let's see how long you can be so arrogant! When Su Ruohua gives birth to the child, I will lock you up completely. When I ascend to the throne, I will sentence you to death! Humph!
In the evening of the second day, the golden crow set in the west and the silver plate rose in the east.
The palace gates were wide open to welcome the royal family members and dignitaries who came to attend the banquet.
Luxurious carriages and horses flow like water, and beautiful women with swaying silk clothes are fragrant.
Su Wanti did not dress up too extravagantly. She only wore a honey-colored soft silk double-breasted skirt embroidered with lotus flowers. Her long black hair was tied up, and she wore two gold hairpins. She was neither gaudy nor vulgar, but dignified and decent.
Su Ruohua knew that Xiao Huaihe would ask for a title for her tonight, so she dressed up very beautifully and luxuriously.
After entering the Marquis's Mansion, Xiao Huaihe doted on her and bought her a lot of good things. A few days ago, the Marquis also rewarded her with a lot of gold and silver jewelry and silks and satins.
This time when she entered the palace, she wanted to surpass Su Wanti, so she put on all the good things she got.
She wore a full set of ruby headpiece, a coral red brocade outer garment embroidered with peony patterns in gold thread, and a soft silver lily skirt.
The whole person is covered in jewels and dazzling, shining like a god descending to earth.
The guests who passed by knew Xiao Huaihe and knew that he brought a wife and a concubine to the banquet.
Seeing Su Ruohua's gorgeous dress, some people who were not familiar with her thought she was the legitimate daughter of the Earl's Mansion and Xiao Huaihe's legal wife.
Su Yue was indignant, but Su Wanti didn't care. She squeezed Su Yue's hand and said gently, "This is in the palace, don't lose your manners."
The palace banquet began and the guests took their seats.
The emperor sat on the high seat, with the empress dowager on his left and the empress on his right. Then, the concubines above the rank of concubine took their seats in turn.
Royal relatives and noble ministers also took their seats in order of closeness and rank.
The Xiao family was considered a royal family and a marquis, so they sat relatively close to the front and the emperor could see them just by looking up.
Su Wanti silently watched the emperor's actions. When she found that the emperor was about to look over here, she rubbed her eyes and prepared to act.
The three of them sat together, Xiao Huaihe and Su Ruohua snuggled up to each other, tightly together, while there was a large gap between Su Wanti and Xiao Huaihe, which was enough for two people to sit down.
The corners of her eyes were red, there were faint tears in her eyes, and the tip of her nose was slightly red, making her look pitiful.
Her cherry lips had lost their color and were tightly pursed. Her eyes were filled with envy and resentment as she looked at the loving couple beside her.
Then, he lowered his head, his chest heaving, and pressed the corners of his eyes weakly with a piece of silk.
When she raised her head again, her sorrow and resentment were gone. She sat upright and looked like the dignified daughter-in-law of the marquis again.
Emperor Xiao Ping saw her as soon as he raised his eyes, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
He didn't expect that the woman he had been dreaming about for days would appear at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet!
After returning to the palace to deal with the matter, he asked the royal guards about the woman's residence, and the royal guards answered truthfully.
The next day, he arranged for secret guards to go to the woman's residence to secretly protect her.
He also specifically instructed the secret guards to investigate the woman's identity and family situation, whether she was married, and whether there were any men close to her, and report to him one by one.
Soon, the secret guards sent out sent back information that the manor belonged to the Marquis of Ji'an Mansion, that courtyard belonged to the master's house of the Marquis of Ji'an Mansion, and that woman was most likely from the Marquis of Ji'an Mansion.
The new young lady of the Marquis of Ji'an's mansion fell seriously ill and came to this farm to recuperate. She lived in that courtyard and now they have returned to the mansion.
Perhaps she was a maid from the Marquis of Ji'an's mansion? Emperor Xiao Ping pondered.
He could not forget the woman's exquisite figure, the smooth touch of her skin, and the fresh and warm body fragrance.
At ten in the middle of the night, when he woke up from his dream, he thought of that woman and felt a burning sensation all over his body. No matter how many Buddhist scriptures he recited, he could not calm down.
He thought that after the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, he would find an opportunity to go to the Marquis of Ji'an's mansion in person to see if he could meet the woman again. Unexpectedly, he met her at the banquet!
He saw the woman's loss and forbearance, and waved to call Eunuch De.
Eunuch De followed the emperor's gaze, understood what was going on, nodded repeatedly, and then stepped back.
After a while, he came back after finding out everything. He leaned forward, approached the emperor, and whispered:
"Your Majesty, I have learned everything. That woman is none other than Su Wanti, the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Yongning and the newly married wife of Xiao Bianxiu, the only son of Marquis Ji'an."
Xiao Huaihe is now an editor in the Hanlin Academy, so Eunuch De calls him Xiao the Editor.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xiao Ping frowned and unconsciously clenched the wine glass in his hand.
Eunuch De continued, "Next to Editor Xiao is the concubine he took in on his wedding day. She's also the daughter of the Earl of Yongning, though a concubine. Her name is Su Ruohua. It's said that on the third day of her wedding, Miss Su fell ill and was sent to a farm outside the capital to recuperate. She only returned to the Marquis' Mansion a few days ago."
Eunuch De grew up with the emperor and served him for many years, so he understood the emperor's thoughts very well.
So he cleverly called Su Wanti Miss Su instead of Mrs. Xiao.
Emperor Xiao Ping looked at how considerate Xiao Huaihe was to his concubine but ignored Su Wanti. His eyes darkened and he said in a cold voice, "It turns out that Xiao Huaihe favors his concubine over his wife."
Eunuch De echoed, "That's right, I really didn't realize that Xiao Bianxuan was such a person. Poor Miss Su, if a woman in this world has a bad marriage and her husband doesn't love her, she will have a very difficult life-"
I see!
When Emperor Xiao Ping heard this, he instantly understood why Su Wanti wanted to go to Master Xuankong to ask about her marriage.
I also understand why she would risk her own life to save others and accumulate merits.
It turned out that she wanted to win back her husband's heart.
At this moment, her eyes were still red, and there was a layer of mist in her pupils, making her look pitiful.
However, in the face of her husband's cold treatment, her concubine's arrogance, and the curious and mocking eyes around her, she still held her head high, looking straight ahead, fragile but strong.
Emperor Xiao Ping's heart was gripped tightly, and he looked at Su Wanti with a hint of heartache.
He sighed softly, "What a poor man—"
Su Ruohua was a smart person. She felt the emperor's gaze and her heart was pounding. Then, while Xiao Huaihe was lowering his head to pick up some food, she boldly raised her head and met the emperor's gaze.
The smile on her lips is extremely charming.
Unexpectedly, the emperor just glanced at her coldly and turned his head away.
"Hmph." Su Ruohua felt a little uncomfortable, so she twisted her body and pouted to Xiao Huaihe, "My husband, you said you wanted to ask for a reward for me. Now the banquet is halfway through. When will you ask the emperor for a reward?"
Xiao Huaihe looked up at the emperor and felt that he was in a good mood, so he wiped his mouth and hands with a silk cloth and said, "Don't worry, I'll go now."
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