The palace banquet was held on the fifteenth of each month, and it could also be considered a royal family banquet.
The princesses, princes, and concubines in the palace, along with the emperor, were all enjoying themselves immensely.
Princes from the capital were also required to attend with their families.
Chen Shi decided to stay in Yanxi Palace until the afternoon, intending to go to the banquet with Empress Wang.
Before leaving, Empress Wang asked her aunt to serve some snacks: "Don't rush, have a bite first, or you'll be hungry again at the banquet!"
What Empress Wang said was indeed true; the monthly banquet was a good opportunity for the concubines, princes, and nobles to vie for the emperor's favor.
People from all walks of life displayed their unique talents, some offering treasures and others offering beautiful women.
Even more so was an old prince whose favorite thing to do was to kneel down and sing praises of the merits of Shen Tu Nan's rule.
Unfortunately, these were the very things that Shen Tunan loved to hear most, and the emperor was always delighted by them, bestowing many rewards upon the old prince.
He does this at almost every banquet; it's an old trick of his.
Shen Shi couldn't help but suspect that the old prince was waiting for the palace banquet every month so he could "trick" his father.
The most pitiful were Chen Shi and his ilk. Whenever the old prince knelt and begged for the emperor's grace with tears streaming down his face, the rest of the people could only kneel down as well.
After a dinner party involving several rounds of activities, going hungry is a common occurrence.
Chen Shi also felt that it would be better to eat something first to fill his stomach.
So, while drinking tea, he leisurely ate a few pieces of pastry before leaving Yanxi Palace with Empress Wang.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Greetings, Fifth Prince!" Gu Yuanbai and Qingyu, who were waiting at the door, immediately bowed upon seeing the two.
"Get up." Empress Wang had been in charge of the inner palace for many years and was used to the custom of bowing. Without even looking at the two of them, she led Shen Shi into the carriage.
Gu Yuanbai, kneeling on one knee, watched the mother and son leave, his eyes filled with intense resentment.
They are all of similar blood, so why should they be worshipped while we are slaughtered and treated like dogs, being ordered around by others?
"Why! Why!" Gu Yuanbai said through gritted teeth, his head bowed.
Seeing that he was still standing up, Qingyu, who was standing to the side, nudged him as if he were crazy: "What are you standing there for? Master is almost far away, why don't you hurry up and catch up!"
After saying that, he didn't care about Gu Yuanbai anymore and jogged after him.
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived! The Fifth Prince has arrived!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress! May you live a thousand years!"
"Greetings, Fifth Prince!"
As the eunuchs called out their names, the people below bowed in greeting.
"This is a family banquet, no need for formalities, please rise!" Empress Wang said to the crowd after taking her seat in the main seat.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Then came the sound of everyone taking their seats.
Such a banquet would invariably have the emperor and empress in the main seats, with several high-ranking concubines below them.
These princes sat below the old princes.
Because Shen Shi was born to the Empress, even though she was disrespectful to the Emperor, she was still placed next to the Crown Prince.
"I just heard from Mother about my brother's happy news, so I'm here to offer my congratulations!" Shen Shi said, bowing to Shen Yu.
"Hahaha!"
His wife's pregnancy was indeed a great blessing. Shen Yu looked forward to the birth of their child and was overjoyed.
Just as Shen Shi was about to find an opportunity to remind Shen Yu to be careful about how to bring up her thoughts,
But then he noticed that Consort Zhang's seat was empty.
What's going on?
"The Emperor has arrived! The Imperial Concubine has arrived! The Fourth Prince has arrived!" The eunuch's announcement answered his doubts.
Gu Yuanbai, who was standing behind Shen Shi, immediately looked up when he heard the name of the Imperial Concubine.
A woman, nearly forty years old yet still youthful-looking, followed the figure in bright yellow into the room.
Looking at that almost unchanged face, it was as if time had stopped fifteen years ago.
He was still a carefree child; the massacre of the royal family had never happened, and he was still enjoying the company of his parents.
Gu Yuanbai was stunned for a moment, and he only managed to kneel down to pay his respects after being pulled down by Qingyu.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Greetings, Fifth Prince!"
Everyone stood up and bowed.
"Rise, all of you!" Shen Tunan waved his hand at the people below.
He turned around and helped Empress Wang up, explaining in a rare manner, "I was busy with official duties today, and I'm sorry to have troubled you to wait for so long."
He brought the imperial concubine along, yet claimed to be busy with official duties?
"This is my duty," Empress Wang curtsied.
Shen Tunan patted Empress Wang's hand, and the two remained silent for a moment.
Just then, Consort Zhang, who was behind Shen Tunan, stepped forward to "smooth things over," saying, "Your Majesty, please don't take offense. It was all my fault for keeping His Majesty occupied in the Imperial Study for too long."
Anyone could tell from her tone that she was showing off; in the entire harem, only Empress Wang and she were allowed into the Imperial Study.
Empress Wang would generally not go unless she had something to do, but Consort Zhang would occasionally send some tonics and snacks.
Many ministers encountered the Imperial Concubine when they went to the Imperial Study to discuss matters.
A few years earlier, there was a pedantic old minister who, the day after encountering this situation, directly advised Shen Tunan in the main hall to focus on national affairs and put aside his personal feelings.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tunan flew into a rage and cursed the old minister: "You stubborn old fool!"
Is spending time with the imperial concubine in the imperial study considered being incompetent and ruining the country?
However, this old minister was too old and a veteran of three reigns with great prestige. Apart from angrily cursing him as an "old stubborn man," Shen Tunan only punished him with three months' salary.
This matter should have been left unresolved.
However, this old minister had a very strong temper, and he died on his deathbed, still blaming Consort Zhang, saying that she was a wicked concubine who brought disaster to the country.
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