Chapter 59 Consort Su Offends a Distinguished Guest from Chaoxi Kingdom
Jiang Fenghua quickly caught up with her and smiled gently, "Please wait, Miss Pianpian."
No wonder it felt familiar; it turned out to be the red-clad woman who entered Yichun Tower that night to compete for the title of courtesan. Among the women that night, Pianpian did indeed win first place. However, after that night, the courtesan Pianpian disappeared, and Lin Yu even investigated it.
It turns out she was a distinguished guest of the Kingdom of Chaoxi.
Yu Pianpian looked back at her and felt that the woman in front of her was gentle and noble, dignified and virtuous, and extremely beautiful. She was exactly the kind of lady from a prominent family in the Central Plains that she had heard people describe.
She asked, "What is it?"
"A guest is a guest. I admire Miss Pianpian's righteousness."
Yu Pianpian was stunned.
Jiang Fenghua continued, "The Kingdom of Chaoxi has traveled thousands of miles to come to the Great Zhou, presumably with the sincere intention of peaceful coexistence with the Great Zhou and not wanting to cause further conflict between the two countries. My concubine was ignorant and said the wrong thing. I hope Miss Pianpian will forgive her and not make a big deal out of this."
“Madam’s words are quite pleasing to the ear. I, Yu Pianpian, am not a petty person. Since Madam has said so, I will not report this matter to my princess.” she said.
Jiang Fenghua gave her a way out, after all, Chaoxi Kingdom was really a small place, they really didn't want to fight, and they didn't want to pay tribute every year.
“You are such a magnanimous person, Miss Pianpian. If you are willing, I would like to be your friend.” Jiang Fenghua said sincerely.
"But I am just a maid."
"In our Great Zhou Kingdom, there is a saying: friendship is not about rank or social status, but about sincerity."
"Hello, my name is Sang Yu Pianpian. You are the first friend I made in Da Zhou." Sang Yu is the royal surname of Chao Xi Kingdom, and she has already revealed her identity.
"Princess Consort Jiang Fenghua welcomes Princess Pianpian to the Great Zhou." Jiang Fenghua was neither humble nor arrogant, and her appearance was beautiful. At the same time, she also knew that Sang Yu Pianpian was the Crown Princess of Chaoxi Kingdom and would rule the entire Chaoxi Kingdom in the future.
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When the Empress and Jiang Fenghua entered the banquet hall, it was already filled with ministers and their families.
Jiang Fenghua spotted Sang Yupianpian at a glance. She had changed back into her princess attire, looking elegant and dignified. Besides the other two envoys from Chaoxi Kingdom, her servants surrounded her.
Looking back at the graceful girl from last night, she is completely different from how she is today.
Just then, a eunuch announced loudly, "His Majesty has arrived, and Consort Ya has arrived."
The Empress stared intently, almost forgetting to move. She hadn't expected the princess of Chaoxi Kingdom to move into the Great Zhou palace so quickly.
Jiang Fenghua helped the Empress up and stood respectfully to one side.
Even the Empress had to respectfully give way, and only after the Emperor had settled into his high seat would she follow the others in bowing and paying her respects before taking her seat. Who would have thought that the Empress of the mighty Great Zhou would be so humiliated?
Jiang Fenghua's eyes were also fixed on Consort Ya, whose name was Sang Yuqianya. She married into the Great Zhou palace as a princess to show that the two countries would forever be united in marriage.
Whether she was a real princess or not, no one cared; all they cared about was whether she was beautiful enough to catch the eye of the Great Zhou Emperor.
Only after the emperor ascended the throne did the empress move towards the main seat. She only wanted to secure her position as empress and plan for her son; everything else was insignificant.
Jiang Fenghua then obediently went to Prince Heng's side.
Xie Shang saw her gracefully approaching, pulled her to sit down, and leaned close to her ear, "Why are you and Mother so late?" He had been busy receiving envoys all day and had only just had the chance to sit down, so he naturally didn't know what had happened in the inner palace.
He only learned later that the Crown Princess of Chaoxi Kingdom had disguised herself as a maid and infiltrated the group.
Before Jiang Fenghua could speak, Su Tingwan appeared beside them at some point. Her face was veiled, and she was dressed in a proper palace gown. "This concubine greets Your Highness."
Xie Shang had not yet had time to learn about what was happening in the harem, nor had he seen her wearing a veil, and said, "Sit down."
Su Tingwan sat in the empty seat on the other side of Xie Shang, a seat that had originally been prepared for her.
As the music of string and wind instruments began, dancers entered the dance floor and began to dance gracefully. Everyone clinked glasses and enjoyed a lively scene.
Su Tingwan glanced around the main hall and saw that Xiao Yu and a group of young men were indeed sitting in the men's section. They were all students of the Imperial Academy and had been invited by the royal family to attend the banquet, which was why they had the opportunity to enter the palace.
At the same time, Sang Yupianpian glanced at Su Tingwan intentionally or unintentionally. It turned out that the woman who spoke so arrogantly was a concubine of Prince Heng. She really didn't know what kind of taste Prince Heng had, that he would marry such a woman into the mansion to disgust him.
It's incomprehensible that men in the Great Zhou Kingdom all like to have multiple wives and concubines. Why would they want to marry a concubine who doesn't know the rules when they already have a beautiful queen?
She glanced around again, and amidst the cacophony of voices, a sense of decay pervaded the air. At that moment, she seemed to see a white figure in the men's section outside.
It was that touch of white that evoked a different emotion in her, as if it had added a touch of tranquility to the filth filling the room.
Sang Yupianpian suddenly stood up and walked towards the outer room. She moved with the speed of the wind, her eyes fixed on the front. She felt that the person was dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, with a bright and clear appearance.
She went straight up to Jiang Jinyan and said directly, "I recognize you."
Jiang Jinyan was drinking with Xiao Yu and other students when a woman dressed in finery walked up to him. Her clothes were also from the Kingdom of Chaoxi, and she was dressed so richly. He immediately realized who she was and said, "Your Highness must have mistaken me for someone else."
“You know I’m a princess,” she said.
"Isn't it obvious enough? Her Highness is the only one who stands out in the entire banquet hall," Jiang Jinyan praised.
His words made Sang Yupianpian quite happy.
This was a large round table, with seven or eight men sitting at it. They had all drunk some wine and were quite tipsy, so they had become bolder. "Brother Jinyan knows the princess, and we are fortunate to have met him. Come, let me offer the princess a toast."
Sang Yu Pianpian squeezed into a seat. She didn't mention that she had seen Jiang Jinyan at Yichun Tower. After all, as the princess of Chaoxi Kingdom, she couldn't easily spread the word that she had been competing in various arenas.
"So, your name is Jin Yan, not Wu Shuang." She stared at Jiang Jin Yan, cupped her hands in greeting, and said, "Sang Yu Pianpian, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Everyone was slightly taken aback, thinking to themselves that the princess of Chaoxi Kingdom was being so enthusiastic towards Jiang Jinyan, perhaps she had taken a fancy to him and wanted to recruit him to Chaoxi Kingdom as her consort!
Jiang Jinyan instantly understood what she meant by saying she knew him. Pianpian? So that's it, she mistook him for the Peerless Young Master.
He raised his glass in return and said, "Jiang Jinyan, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Surname Jiang? Today, this princess has met two friends with the surname Jiang," Sang Yupianpian said.
Jiang Jinyan said, "The friend with the surname Jiang that the princess mentioned, could it be my younger sister, Princess Heng?"
"Indeed, your sister is very good, it's just a pity that she married the wrong person, and her husband's concubine is even worse."
The group chatted amongst themselves, spouting drunken ramblings. Only Xiao Yu, upon hearing this, clenched his fists, downed a cup of wine, and declared that Xie Shang was indeed unworthy of Jiang Fenghua.
His gaze drifted unfocused to the distance, where he saw Jiang Fenghua sitting properly, listening to the music, as did Xie Shang; the two treated each other with the utmost respect.
He happened to glance at his concubine and saw her looking towards the outer palace. He wondered what she was looking at.
Xiao Yu raised his wine cup, using his sleeve to shield his eyes, and noticed that Consort Su was indeed acting strangely. She seemed to be looking for something, as if something outside was attracting her attention.
He put down his wine glass, suddenly got up, and walked outside.
Seeing Xiao Yu's unusual behavior, Jiang Jinyan put down his wine glass. "You guys keep drinking. I'll accompany Xiao Yu to the restroom."
Sang Yu Pianpian drank a few more cups with these young men and became familiar with them. In addition, she was Princess Chaoxi but had no airs and did not care about the separation between men and women, so everyone liked her. She said, "Go and come back quickly."
Jiang Jinyan didn't say much. He caught up with Xiao Yu, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Xiao Yu?"
"Brother Jiang, why are you out here?" Xiao Yu asked.
Jiang Jinyan lowered his voice, "I was about to ask you what's wrong. This is the palace. You must not wander around casually, lest you cause trouble."
Jiang Jinyan knew that he had feelings for his sister. He had once thought Xiao Yu was a good person, but his sister was too young and she didn't have those feelings for him, so he gave up on the idea.
“You’ve crossed the line tonight. She’s already married to someone else. Forget all the messy thoughts in your head. Think about her and your own future.” Jiang Jinyan warned softly. “Remember, whatever happens today has nothing to do with you, Xiao Yu. She has a husband and doesn’t need your protection.”
Moreover, Ruan Ruan had her own plans, but Xiao Yu interfered, only causing more trouble.
Seeing that Prince Heng was indifferent to her and that his concubine was restless, Xiao Yu was afraid that Jiang Fenghua would be bullied. Upon hearing Jiang Jinyan's words, Xiao Yu's heart suddenly trembled, and he was stunned for a long time, not knowing how to answer.
He obediently followed Jiang Jinyan back.
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