As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the emperor held a grand banquet and invited all civil and military officials.
The news that the Crown Princess had been chosen spread like wildfire, and everyone was discussing it privately, saying that the Emperor would personally grant the marriage today, and that good things would come in pairs.
So for those ministers who have daughters, they are not the main guests at this banquet, but their daughters are.
The most likely candidates at the moment are the youngest daughter of Prime Minister Yao and the eldest daughter of the Grand Censor.
As for the girls from other families, although they have no chance of becoming the Crown Princess, they all hope to be appreciated by the Crown Prince or the Emperor. If they cannot become the Crown Princess, being a concubine is also good. They can stay in the Crown Prince's Mansion for a few years and wait for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. Naturally, they will be made concubines, which is better than slowly enduring among the concubines.
The news that the prince was interested in taking Yu Man as his concubine had already spread. Therefore, when Su Man followed Yu Yuanbai into the palace, she attracted everyone's attention.
The emperor and the crown prince had not yet appeared, and the dragon throne was still empty. However, from the dragon throne down there were square tables, and officials and concubines were seated according to their ranks.
Yu Yuanbai held a high position, his seat within the Third Ring Road. Walking inside, Su Man felt like she was walking on the red carpet, drawing attention wherever she went. It nearly gave her a professional urge to strike poses.
After Su Man sat down at her seat, she realized that her and Yu Yuanbai's table was right below Nie You and Princess Pingyang's.
Princess Pingyang was wearing court robes, with Nie You sitting beside her. When she saw Su Man, she turned her nose up and snorted coldly.
Su Man was a little confused at first. If she hadn't made room for her, Princess Pingyang wouldn't have been able to marry in. It would have been fine if she didn't thank her, but why did she have such an expression on her face? It was really puzzling.
But if you think about it, you will understand. Princess Pingyang grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she always wants to be the first in everything. Although they have only met a few times, she still feels offended by the fact that she shares a husband with her, so she is not in a good mood when she sees Su Man at this moment.
But Nie You didn't look sideways, didn't provoke, and didn't look at her. It was really strange.
"Sister Princess is so beautiful today."
A soft voice was heard. It turned out to be the daughter of Prime Minister Yao, Yao Ruoyun.
Because her father was the prime minister of the current dynasty, she sat opposite Princess Pingyang and was greeting her with a smile.
Princess Pingyang knew her father was powerful in the court, so she smiled to show her respect, "Sister Ruoyun is also very beautiful today."
Yao Ruoyun covered her mouth and laughed coquettishly, "No matter how I dress up, I can't compare to Sister Yuman's peerless beauty."
Su Man was suddenly called out, and when she looked up, she met Yao Ruoyun's smiling face. She had inherited her father's hidden dagger behind his smile, appearing kind, but with a dark undercurrent surging inside.
Su Man was forced to open her mouth and said politely, "Miss Yao, your pink dress looks really nice today. I am old and ugly, so naturally I cannot compare to Miss Yao's youth and beauty."
"hehe."
Yao Ruoyun covered her mouth and laughed again, "Sister, you are too modest. Although you have been married and have a daughter, you don't look old at all. Even the Crown Prince is very fond of you."
“…”
The officials' wives and children nearby all looked at him sideways.
Yao Ruoyun brought up her divorce in front of so many people, hoping to embarrass her. Sure enough, some people had already started whispering, saying that she, a divorced wife, was unruly and had seduced the prince.
"Hey, Sister Ruoyun, that's not right. Although Sister Yuman is pregnant with a daughter, her heart is still the same as those of us unmarried girls, hehe..."
The one who came up with this was the daughter of the Imperial Censor. Although she had been competing openly and secretly with Yao Ruoyun, she was now working together to face Su Man.
They usually racked their brains to find opportunities to get close to the prince, but the prince was always indifferent to them.
They originally thought that the prince was not interested in women, but he turned around and showed his courtesy to Yuman, a woman who had already given birth to a child, and even got intimate with her in public. They really couldn't swallow this.
Su Man looked at the murderous eyes of the two girls and naturally knew what they were thinking.
She pretended not to understand the hidden meaning in their words and said heartlessly, "Thank you for your compliments, my two sisters. You keep talking about getting married and having children, but are you in a hurry? You are both in the prime of your life, so why worry about not finding a suitable husband? There is no need to rush."
The rank of the Imperial Censor's daughter was obviously not as good as Yao Ruoyun, so she immediately turned her face away.
Was this a mockery of her not being liked by the Crown Prince? If she became the Crown Princess in the future, she would definitely teach this bitch a lesson!
"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived, and the Crown Prince has arrived."
The eunuch's shrill voice sounded, and then all the officials and their wives stood beside the table and bowed to the person in the high position.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness."
"Stand up."
"Thank you, Emperor."
Although Su Man was curious about what the emperor looked like, she didn't dare to look up when she saw everyone else looking down like children who had done something wrong. She found an opportunity to sneak a peek. He was wearing bright yellow clothes. Although he was over sixty years old, he still looked majestic, worthy of being the emperor.
This kind of Mid-Autumn Festival dinner is indispensable for singing and dancing to liven up the atmosphere, and there are also talent shows by the concubines from various palaces.
After the singing and dancing, Prime Minister Yao stood up and toasted, "Today is the night of the full moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. I wish our emperor a long and healthy life."
"Good." The emperor raised his glass and drank it all. He then said, "I heard that Lord Yao had caught a cold a few days ago. Lord, please take care of yourself."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I have prepared a poem today to entertain the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince. I wonder if you would allow me to give it a try."
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