On New Year's Eve, the entire Kyoto is decorated with lights and colors, red and green. The lanterns on the main street are red from the beginning to the end of the street, firecrackers are heard one after another, and there are constant shouts from the stalls.
The palace was filled with the fragrance of fine wine and the beauty of exotic flowers.
The palace servants walked in an orderly manner between the palaces, and delicacies were sent to the main hall like a stream.
Today is a family dinner, and all the people coming are royal relatives, all dressed in their best.
The concubines worked harder than each other, wishing they could make a flower appear on their faces so that the emperor would look at them more.
The princes also dressed up carefully, looking dignified and energetic. After sitting down in order, they looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
When Lan Shuang came, many people's eyes fell on her, with different expressions.
Her status was no higher than that of a royal relative, but she was also second only to the emperor. Everyone who met her had to be polite to her. However, this was a royal family banquet after all, and few people really looked up to her, so the atmosphere in the hall was a little subtle.
Lan Shuang didn't care. With a faint smile on her lips, she saluted everyone and stood in her seat.
In fact, she should have come with the emperor, as she was the emperor's confidant. However, when Jiang Mu entered the palace today, the old emperor kept her there to talk privately, and she was then sent away.
After a cup of tea, the eunuch outside the palace shouted: "Your Majesty has arrived——"
The hall immediately fell silent, and everyone stood up and turned towards the door. However, the moment they entered, their attention was drawn to the people around the emperor.
Jiang Mu was wearing a palace dress with a black background and red edges today. It was embroidered with auspicious clouds and golden phoenixes in gold and silver threads, with wings flapping as if ready to fly. He wore a phoenix crown on his head with tassels hanging down, sparkling as he walked. A ruby hung from his forehead, making his skin as white as jade and his eyes and teeth bright.
The hall was as bright as day, which made her look even more radiant and beautiful. It even blurred the boundaries of beauty for a moment, making people forget whether he was a man or a woman.
The old emperor next to him looked terrifying in comparison.
His eyeballs were cloudy, the area under his eyes was dark, his skin was loose, and he was skinny. It was hard to tell what he once looked like, as if he had lost his handsome appearance. One could tell at a glance that he would not live long.
Lan Shuang took a look and immediately set her sights on Jiang Mu. Well, clean your eyes.
The old emperor didn't know what everyone was thinking and thought they were looking at him. He immediately straightened his body and walked in quickly.
Everyone bowed and greeted him. He waved his hand cheerfully and said, "Stand up. Today is a family dinner. No need to be so formal."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Everyone stood up and sat down, and Lan Shuang stepped forward and stood beside the emperor.
When Jiang Mu walked to his seat, he looked at her and winked at her.
Lan Shuang curled the corners of her lips.
Naturally, this interaction could not be hidden from the shrewd people below. Everyone watched silently, and believed the rumors even more. That is, the eldest princess had had enough of men and actually fell in love with the Ninth Thousand Year Old Man!
The fifth prince sat at the table, watching the two of them flirting with each other without reservation. He couldn't help but clench his wine cup tightly, until his knuckles turned white.
"Another year has passed in the blink of an eye. I feel more and more energetic and have vaguely comprehended the way to become an immortal. You all look at me, do I look a bit like an immortal?" The emperor couldn't wait to ask as soon as his butt touched the dragon throne.
Lan Shuang: “…”
As soon as she said this, her eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
The people below also had different expressions, and it looked simply distorted.
Normally, everyone is a good actor, and they can say anything good without any conscience, but...
Looking at the old emperor's sallow face, they couldn't even blow with their eyes closed!
Lan Shuang even heard everyone's inner thoughts from this brief silence.
Jiang Mu raised his glass and said to the old emperor, "Father is naturally an immortal, transcending the mundane world. Cultivating immortality requires enlightenment, which can only be achieved by those who have seen through the mundane world and are free from all attachments. Father's enlightenment is excellent, and he has obviously touched the threshold of immortality, waiting to cross it one day and ascend to heaven."
Jiang Mu opened his mouth and coaxed the old emperor so much that he couldn't close his mouth, and a row of yellow teeth were faintly revealed.
Lan Shuang: “…”
The fist is hard.
"Your Majesty, I offer you a toast and wish you all your wishes come true."
She raised her glass, and the old emperor was delighted. He also raised his glass and said, "Good! Mu'er is still the one who pleases me the most!"
The two of them clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
The people below were watching with their eyelids twitching.
I have to admit defeat, really. No wonder the eldest princess can walk around Kyoto so arrogantly. She must have some conscienceless abilities.
Someone started it, and the others immediately followed suit, clapping their farts. One after another, they came on stage, and the old emperor felt so relaxed and happy that he seemed to be flying.
Everyone was toasting and chatting, it was very lively.
Lan Shuang felt sick listening to this.
Fortunately, the dancer came on stage soon and the sound of the dragon's farts weakened.
The old emperor looked at her without any emotion, as he no longer felt any feelings for beauty.
However, just as the dancer finished her last move, he suddenly felt a pain in his heart, his vision went dark, and the hand holding the wine glass dropped weakly. The wine glass hit the plate with a crisp "pop" sound, which scared everyone into silence.
Lan Shuang was the first to react and shouted, "Your Majesty—"
The old emperor's lips moved, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his head tilted as he was about to fall.
Lan Shuang quickly supported the man and shouted outside, "Someone, call the imperial physician!"
The stunned crowd instantly came back to their senses and started moving in a flurry. Jiang Mu's eyes flickered slightly, and he met Lan Shuang's gaze in the crowd. Lan Shuang gave him a look that said "please be patient". Jiang Mu nodded almost imperceptibly and was about to speak when the imperial concubine on the opposite seat stood up and said, "Come here, cordon this place off. No one is allowed to leave without my permission, and the food on the table is not allowed to be touched."
The Jinyiwei who were waiting outside rushed in and looked at Lan Shuang.
Lan Shuang nodded: "Just do as the imperial concubine said."
"yes."
The Imperial Concubine glanced at her with an unfriendly look. The Second Prince also stood up and said, "Eunuch Lan, you are closest to the Emperor. Since the Emperor suddenly fell unconscious, you are also suspected. Until then, it is best for you to stay here."
Lan Shuang raised an eyebrow. Was this all directed at her? Had Jiang Mu's predictions really come true?
Just as he was thinking, Jiang Mu stood up and shouted angrily: "Father is injured and unconscious, and you still have the mind to be sarcastic here? And you——"
He pointed at the Jinyiwei and said, "Why don't you quickly move Father to the side hall?"
Lan Shuang also said, "The most urgent thing is to save His Majesty first. If the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince have anything to say, we should wait until His Majesty wakes up."
The Second Prince was unwilling to accept this, and his face showed annoyance: "How dare you, Your Highness—"
"Shut up! The emperor's condition is unknown, what are you blabbering about? Are you trying to kill your father?"
Jiang Mu glared at the Second Prince, and his expression changed.
The Imperial Guards lifted the emperor from his seat and hurriedly escorted him to a side hall. The imperial physician also arrived and wanted to salute, but Jiang Mu shooed him back in with a flick of his sleeve: "Why are you still saluting at this hour? If anything happens to our father, I will chop off your heads!"
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