Even Shen Shi hadn't expected Gu Yuanbai to be so emotional.
His desperate expression, however, seemed less than ideal to Shen Shi. This man still had great potential, and they couldn't let him die for the sake of Shen You.
Having finally had enough of the commotion, Shen Shi spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "Fourth Brother, why are you so angry? Quickly drink some plum soup to calm down."
The Fourth Prince, of course, did not accept Shen Shi's overtures. Instead, he felt that Shen Shi was guilty and shouted even louder.
"How dare a mere guard disrespect the royal family! Guards, drag him out and behead him..."
Shen Tunan, who was seated at the head of the table, suddenly spoke up: "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket at a palace banquet!"
Gu Yuanbai is still his child, and Shen Tunan certainly doesn't want the two brothers to fight to the point of killing each other.
Unexpectedly, his father, who had always doted on him, reprimanded him in public, all because of a guard who was standing next to Shen Shi.
Shen You couldn't help but defend himself, saying, "Father, it was my fifth brother's guard who disrespected me, he..."
Hearing that he was still relentless, Shen Tunan could barely contain his anger and shouted, "Sit down when I tell you to! Do you think I'm ignoring you?"
Seeing that things were not going well, Consort Zhang quickly spoke up to persuade him: "Alright, You'er, listen to your father and sit down obediently."
Forced by Shen Tunan's intimidating presence, Shen You had no choice but to obediently sit down.
Seeing that he had calmed down, Consort Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't forget to glare fiercely at the "culprit," Gu Yuanbai.
This scene was keenly observed by Gu Yuanbai, who had been watching her out of the corner of his eye.
She probably doesn't even remember her own son anymore, how ridiculous, Gu Yuanbai thought to himself.
This minor incident, like ripples in a pond, quickly disappeared under everyone's deliberate cover-up.
The dancers entered to the beat of drums, further heightening the atmosphere of the banquet.
"Good, reward me!" Overjoyed, Shen Tunan bestowed countless amounts of gold and silver treasures as a reward.
Shen Shi and his brother drank and chatted.
Shen Shi has always loved drinking, and his biggest regret after arriving in ancient times was that he could no longer drink red wine or whiskey.
But the banquet also featured rare and fine wines, which Chen Shi drank one after another.
Using his wife's pregnancy as an excuse, Shen Yu shamelessly substituted tea for wine.
The brothers' hearty drinking style drew frequent glances from Empress Wang, who was seated at the head of the table.
After all, Shen Shi was only fifteen years old and hadn't drunk much before, so there was a risk that he would harm his health if he drank too much.
Empress Wang couldn't help but want to offer a reminder, but she couldn't bring herself to do so because of the palace banquet.
"Your Majesty need not worry, Shi'er is no longer a child!" Shen Tunan advised after realizing this.
"Your Majesty is right." Empress Wang subconsciously turned around, her eyes still filled with worry as she looked at Shen Shi.
Shen Tunan couldn't help but say again, "You just spoil him too much!"
She could detect a hint of jealousy in Shen Tunan's tone.
Shen Tunan is jealous of her own son? Has she gone mad?
Empress Wang shook her head slightly, trying to banish this absurd thought from her mind.
"I see you dote on the Fifth Prince even more than the Crown Prince," Shen Tunan said again, his tone still tinged with sarcasm.
Empress Wang felt that something was wrong with Shen Tunan, but as a mother, she didn't want to be accused of favoritism.
Besides, Yu'er has the love of her father, while Shi'er was born at an inopportune time and received very little fatherly love.
As a mother, she couldn't help but care more.
Empress Wang couldn't help but defend herself, saying, "Yu'er is already grown up and has a wife. If I continue to care for him as I did before, it will only be a burden for him."
After saying this, Shen Tunan nodded noncommittally, and Empress Wang couldn't tell whether he believed her or not.
Midway through the banquet, it was time for the princes to present their treasures.
The first to step forward was the late emperor's eighth son.
Because he was too young, Shen Tunan was still playing in the mud when he seized the throne. The two brothers had a good relationship, and Shen Tunan immediately made him the Prince of Huai.
This Prince of Huai was extremely amorous; at the age of twenty-eight or twenty-nine, he had already taken in dozens of beauties in his palace.
His most frequent activity was sourcing beauties for Shen Tunan; he introduced several of the concubines to the harem.
"Your Majesty, I have searched the whole world and found this beauty. Today I present her to you, my brother." The Prince of Huai clapped his hands, and a woman with a white veil on her face walked out of the palace.
Although her face is not clearly visible, her demeanor suggests that she is a beauty.
What smells like?
As the woman gracefully stepped forward, the hall was filled with the faint fragrance of crabapple blossoms.
"This woman is not only exceptionally beautiful, but most remarkably, she possesses a natural, unique fragrance."
The Prince of Huai beckoned to the woman: "Ying'er, quickly pay your respects to His Majesty."
"Greetings... Your Majesty..." As soon as the woman spoke, everyone realized that she seemed to be from the Western Regions and did not understand Chinese.
Looking at the beautiful woman in the prince's seat, Shen Tunan, seated above, did indeed become quite interested.
"Take off your veil and let me see you."
"Your Majesty... the veil can only be removed by the beloved..." The woman named Ying'er knelt before the prince, her Chinese broken but her stance firm.
"Haha, interesting!" Shen Tunan laughed heartily upon hearing this.
Disobedience by court officials is a grave offense, but a beautiful woman's occasional, not excessive, insistence can be a delightful way to enhance a relationship.
"Eighth Prince, you've really found a wonderful person for me this time!" Shen Tunan said to Ying'er with great interest.
"By imperial decree, Ying'er is hereby granted the title of Beauty and shall enter the Xiangying Pavilion!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of your beautiful bride!" the people present congratulated.
This was the first time the Prince of Huai had sent people to His Majesty, and everyone present had become accustomed to it.
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