After saying this, Princess Chunhui was urged by her nanny, and pretending to be proud and refusing to lower her head, she walked towards the boat.
Li Shiyue didn't take it to heart at all. She just tilted her head and looked into the hall. It was still a scene of clinking glasses and lively conversation. Even Xu Yunci, who was next to the Duke of Rong, had drunk a lot. When he looked over, there seemed to be a little bewildered in his eyes.
Through the figure of the singing girl, Xu Yunci immediately saw the person outside the palace. He even thought of getting up and going over, as if he was worried that Princess Chunhui might do something to her. His worries were not unfounded.
He swallowed, and when he looked up, his eyes were clear, as if his confusion just moments before was merely a fleeting illusion.
Only he himself knows what he is thinking, and he has finally begun to take this worry seriously.
Xu Yunyang was the closest person to him. He took in Xu Yunci's reaction and sneered inwardly.
Looking up, following Xu Yunci's gaze, Li Shiyue and Xu Lingzi stepped over the high threshold and into the hall, their steps light and graceful, like obedient kittens, as if afraid of disturbing others.
The county princess... Xu Yunyang's eyes flashed with greed for a moment. If she could become his bride, with such a beautiful face, just thinking about it made Xu Yunyang feel as if the wine he drank was flowing down to his body as if it were scalding hot.
But when I think of the look of disgust in Li Shiyue's eyes when she was avoiding me, I realize that she might not have looked the same way when she was dealing with Xu Yunci.
There was a feeling that to Li Shiyue, he was like a plague to be avoided at all costs. This thought flashed through Xu Yunyang's mind, and a shadow fell over his eyes. He would always find a way to get what he wanted.
Turning his head to look at Xu Yunci, he saw him sitting upright like a gentleman, as if he were a celestial being untouched by the mortal world. Xu Yunyang saw his calm and composed demeanor and all the pent-up frustration in his heart over the past ten years poured out into his wine glass.
I always thought my brother was as noble and refined as outsiders described, but now he's fallen head over heels for my little cousin. Men understand men best; to be honest, the way my brother looks at me is no different from how I look at my little cousin.
Xu Yunyang raised his wine glass, his gaze leisurely falling on Li Shiyue's face as she looked over, and raised his glass towards her.
As expected, Li Shiyue ignored him and looked away without getting angry. He swallowed the sweet and slightly spicy wine, wiped the water from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, and looked at Li Shiyue's beautiful profile with deep eyes.
Li Shiyue naturally didn't want to pay any attention to Xu Yunyang. Such actions might be charming to other women, but she only felt disgusted by them and thought they were an eyesore.
She felt she should wash her eyes before even glancing at such a hypocritical, sanctimonious person.
Yunguang Palace was specially built for palace banquets during the reign of the late emperor, and everything used there was luxurious. The string and wind music in one's ears and the clinking of cups before one's eyes, the extravagance and luxury were so dazzling that it was easy to feel dizzy.
Fortunately, she had gone outside for a cool breeze, and now Li Shiyue felt refreshed and much more awake. Looking at the newly served dishes, Li Shiyue picked up a small bite with her chopsticks; it turned out to be white radish.
It was raw, but dipped in the broth below, it tasted sweet and crunchy. After swallowing, there was a slight spiciness unique to radishes, as if the stuffy heat in the palace had instantly dissipated.
After taking several bites, just as I was about to pick up my chopsticks again, I saw a piece of duck meat on the plate in front of me.
Li Shiyue looked up and met Yang's gentle gaze. She glanced at her only once and then looked away to talk to the woman next to her.
The duck meat in front of her was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with oil glistening under the skin, but it didn't look greasy at all. Li Shiyue subconsciously licked her lips.
She wasn't ignorant of etiquette; she picked up a piece of duck meat and put it in her mouth. Instantly, the crispy skin and tender meat combined, leaving a lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth. Holding her chopsticks, she glanced at the plate of white radish before turning her attention to the other dishes.
She really likes this radish. I wonder if eating it will help cool her down when it gets hot.
The banquet ended, and it was almost evening when all the officials' wives had left.
The young prince was already fast asleep in his wet nurse's arms. The emperor doted on him and specially allowed the wet nurse to take him back to his bedchamber in the imperial palace to rest.
The Kyoto Imperial Palace was just like the Imperial City, with the Crown Prince's residence arranged in the Chengming Hall. Xu Lingyu had settled the young grandson before coming out of the back hall. Now that there was no one around except for Lady Yang, she showed some fatigue on her face.
Li Shiyue followed beside Madam Yang; she had come along today only to deliver a message.
The surprise in Xu Lingyu's eyes when she saw her disappeared in the blink of an eye. However, her current fatigue was not concealed, and sitting in the chair, the fatigue seemed to be driven away a little.
"Now that the first birthday party is over, I can finally relax."
Madam Yang placed her hands in front of her and looked deeply at her eldest daughter. Seeing that she raised her hand to let Qing Suo guard her, and everyone else withdrew, she finally sighed: "Now that the Crown Prince has passed his first birthday, with your father and Erlang in the court, your future support is secure."
"However, there are some things I must remind you of. The Emperor's grace is boundless, but personal relationships are secondary among members of the royal family. Do not do anything wrong because of personal relationships."
With a pointed remark, Madam Yang paused her conversation and glanced at Li Shiyue. The latter understood: "I wonder what my cousin thinks of the two young ladies?"
Almost a month has passed since the Awakening of Insects, and the two concubines had long since been carried into the Chonghua Palace in a red sedan chair. However, today, the two concubines did not appear, and even stayed in the Chonghua Palace in the imperial city, instead of coming to the temporary palace with them.
Xu Lingyu shook her head slightly, her face still dignified: "It's alright, just say what you want to say."
Li Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief and then recited all of Madam Xu's instructions: "Grandmother was worried that my cousin might lose her mind, so she gave me a lot of instructions."
"Now that the Xu family is powerful, my cousin has done a great job. She has protected the Crown Prince and His Highness, managed Chonghua Palace and even the Great Forbidden Zone, and has not disappointed the Emperor. That is already very good. Grandmother does not ask my cousin to win His Highness's favor, but only that my cousin and the Crown Prince can live in peace."
Xu Lingyu instinctively maintained her dignified and graceful demeanor, but as the conversation grew increasingly warm and familiar, she finally leaned on Yang's shoulder like a child.
Even if she knew, the reality was right in front of her. The thought that her husband, whom she usually treated, would treat other women the same way made her heart ache the most.
In a moment, she sat up straight, without a trace of injury on her face. It was as if she were still the dignified Crown Princess, no longer a child, but the Crown Prince, the future Emperor, who would naturally not stay with her alone.
Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze, and couldn't help but admire her. A Crown Princess who could be respected by both the Emperor and the Crown Prince must not be a woman confined to the ways of the inner palace.
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