Chapter 463 Lantern Festival Banquet 1
The banquet hall was decorated with unparalleled luxury, and the entire hall was filled with lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere. At first glance, one could only feel the awe and extravagance.
The extravagance outside the palace was far greater than that within the palace itself.
The family members who had entered the palace were all talking about it. "When I went out today, the streets were so lively. People were all out. This year's Lantern Festival is really unique."
"I heard it was Consort Tang who planned and organized it. That daughter of the Tang family is quite resourceful. The Empress Dowager assigned her the task of making this year's Lantern Festival banquet unique."
Another lady asked, "How do you know that it was the Empress Dowager who instructed Consort Tang to organize this banquet?"
Madam Li said, "My nephew works in the Ministry of Rites. The Empress Dowager is now in charge of the inner palace. She has entrusted Consort Tang with the task of assisting her. The fact that such an important festival as the Lantern Festival is entrusted to Consort Tang shows that she values her highly."
"I also heard that the Empress Dowager disliked the Empress, so she directly stripped her of her power. It's really puzzling that the Empress, who should be in charge of the harem, is instead being bossed around by a mere concubine. I suspect that if the late Emperor hadn't directly appointed Jiang as Empress, the Empress Dowager would have made Tang's daughter Empress instead."
Lady Li deliberately said this to make people think that Jiang Fenghua might not necessarily become empress. However, the late emperor issued an edict that the current emperor could not disobey. Jiang Fenghua's position as empress was secure, but she was only an empress without any power.
Upon hearing Madam Li's gossip, everyone shut up and dared not approach her. Everyone knew that the Jiang family had stolen the Li family's daughter-in-law, and that her son was of questionable character. Who would let their daughter marry into the Li family?
Seeing the disdain in everyone's eyes, Madam Li's face also darkened. She simply felt that Jiang Fenghua was not cut out to be Empress.
"Shh, you can't say things like that. The Tang family is just lucky. The Emperor would never make her Empress." Madam Zhang said, "I think the Empress is much better. What does it mean to be the Empress? She is not only beautiful but also has great temperament. She is also loved by the Emperor. The Empress is pregnant and that's why she doesn't have to worry about these tiring things."
"That being said, I still think the Tang family is incredibly lucky. They only started to prosper after the former Minister of Justice was murdered. I heard that their daughter was once engaged to the Lu family... Tang Jinrong was originally just a minor general, and he was only temporarily serving as Minister of Justice. But after his daughter entered the palace, it solidified his position, and he became the official Minister of Justice..."
“I saw Consort Tang when she was still a young lady. She and that boy from the Lu family were inseparable back then. They were childhood sweethearts. Later, the Tang family became powerful and dumped the Lu family. The two families broke off their relationship because of this. Didn’t you know that?”
Another person said, "Tang... that person is actually just a vain fool. What ideas could she come up with? The reason why Consort Tang was able to come up with a way to share happiness with the people so quickly was largely due to the Tang family's think tank helping her come up with ideas."
However, everyone can only see the surface, but they cannot see that there are people behind the scenes who are using the Tang family's influence to push things along.
The Tang family gathered workshops that knew how to make lanterns and worked day and night to make all kinds of lanterns. By the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the lanterns filled the palace and the entire street.
At this moment, Madam Tang, dressed in a magnificent gown, slowly walked in. When everyone saw Madam Tang arrive, they fell silent and exclaimed, "Madam Tang looks so beautiful today! Her clothes are so gorgeous, and her hairpins are so pretty and exquisite."
She smiled and said, "You ladies are all very beautiful."
Madam Tang, of course, had dressed up meticulously. Her daughter was in charge, and she couldn't let her daughter down! Naturally, she had to dress in a splendid and luxurious manner: "This fabric was a gift from the Empress Dowager..."
Just as everyone was praising Madam Tang, Feng Jingyuan slowly arrived, and instantly everyone surrounded her, saying, "Madam Jiang is here, Madam Jiang, hello."
Feng Jingyuan was dressed elegantly and appropriately. In addition, she was beautiful and didn't need any clothes or jewelry to enhance her appearance. She could stand out in a crowd and make people's eyes light up. Good-looking people are more likable.
“I arrived right on time, I’m not late, am I?” Feng Jingyuan said with a smile.
"It's not late, it's not late, we're too early."
"Mrs. Jiang's earrings are so beautiful! I've never seen them before. Where did you buy them? I'll buy a pair myself."
"Madam Jiang's orchid hairpin is also beautiful, exquisite yet not vulgar."
"I also like Madam Jiang's clothes. I've never seen this style before. It must be the latest model! It's so beautiful!"
Before Feng Jingyuan could speak, Madam Li said sarcastically, "Madam Jiang's second daughter married a merchant who sells clothes and jewelry. Throughout history, most merchants are only interested in profit and will do anything to cheat and swindle money from the people. They don't feel guilty selling a piece of clothing for thousands of taels of silver. No wonder they will suffer retribution..." I heard that Zhang Yumo has become a living dead. Isn't it because she has done too many evil deeds that she is on the verge of death?
Upon hearing this, Feng Jingyuan walked up to Madam Li. Her expression was calm, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She asked Madam Li in a deep voice, "Madam Li's clothes are quite magnificent, they must have cost over a thousand taels of silver! But the fabric of these clothes isn't worth a thousand taels either. Could it be that Madam Li has been ripped off? Someone as shrewd as Madam Li is already doing well by not ripping off others, how could she be ripped off? Madam Li would never wear clothes costing only a few taels of silver to a banquet in the palace. Such a cheap price is not commensurate with Madam Li's status! But the color scheme is like a chaotic and discordant hodgepodge. Is it not the clothes' fault, but the person's? No, that doesn't make sense either. So, Madam Li has been ripped off by over a thousand taels of silver? If you really have been ripped off, then report it to the authorities!"
Everyone chuckled upon hearing this. Madam Jiang was truly humorous. Who would dare to trick the wife of the Minister of War, unless she herself was foolish enough to willingly be tricked?
Everyone looked at Madam Li's clothes again. At first glance, the clothes were indeed gorgeous, but upon closer inspection, they were not made of particularly good material, the embroidery was not very exquisite, and the color combination was ugly. Madam Li had a fierce appearance, so wearing such brightly colored clothes made her look very awkward.
"Why is Madam Li's dress in this color? It is indeed a bit gaudy."
"Madam Jiang's clothes were elegant yet noble, and the colors were perfectly matched. She was also very beautiful..."
Seeing everyone staring at her, Madam Li couldn't help but glance at her clothes. These were new clothes she had specially made to wear for the Lantern Festival, and they were indeed quite expensive. She liked them very much and had always thought they were nice. Now, however, she was being stared at and pointed at.
She looked at him coldly, "Madam Jiang's clothes aren't very nice either!" But upon closer inspection, they were indeed dignified and elegant, not at all ostentatious. Looking at her own clothes, they simply couldn't compare to Feng Jingyuan's.
Feng Jingyuan smiled slightly, her pretty face beaming. "My second daughter embroidered it. As long as it's comfortable to wear, that's all that matters."
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