Chapter 60 They're more like a married couple
The gentle music at the banquet could cure insomnia. Jiang Fenghua's cheeks were already a little red after drinking two glasses of wine. She began to doze off, and leaned against Xie Shang's shoulder.
Jiang Fenghua suddenly woke up and sat up straight, straining her eyes as if they were fixed on the dancer. She had no idea what the dancer was doing, as if she were blind with her eyes open.
Xie Shang looked at her and smiled, asking with concern, "Did you get up too early this morning?"
Jiang Fenghua nodded. "Mm."
Xie Shang glanced around the room. The banquet had only just begun, but everyone seemed sleepy, and quite a few people were even dozing off. The banquet organized by the Ministry of Rites was indeed rather dull. "I'll take you to the Chenxi Palace to rest for a while, and then I'll send you out of the palace after the banquet."
Jiang Fenghua shook her head and whispered, "I can hold on a little longer. The honored guest has not yet left the table, so how can the host leave first?"
Su Tingwan leaned closer and whispered, "I'm a little sleepy too. Let me accompany Your Highness to rest for a bit! This banquet is really quite boring." She spoke the truth.
Jiang Fenghua neither agreed nor disagreed; she wanted to see what tricks Su Tingwan was up to with her sudden enthusiasm.
Xie Shang said, "The concubine will accompany the princess. After the banquet, I will come to pick you up from the palace."
Jiang Fenghua couldn't refuse, so she advised, "Your Highness, please drink less."
"I'll try to drink as little as possible." Xie Shang looked somewhat embarrassed. His alcohol tolerance wasn't very high, and it was because he had drunk too much with Jiang Jinyan that day, so...
He only realized he had embarrassed himself in front of Jiang Fenghua when he met Lin Feng the next day.
Seeing the interaction between the two, Su Tingwan felt as if her heart was being torn apart. From that day on, A Shang never went to the Sandalwood Courtyard again, and after returning to the mansion, he spent every day enjoying himself with Jiang Fenghua.
She felt like they were the real couple, and she was the outsider.
Stepping out of the banquet hall, it was already dark outside. Jiang Fenghua walked slowly, feeling utterly bored.
Su Tingwan's attention wasn't on walking; she started looking around. Jiang Fenghua saw that she was very nervous but didn't expose her.
Yunfang has returned to the palace, but I didn't see her at the banquet. Knowing them as Jiang Fenghua does, they must be planning something against her tonight! I hope Wuxin can bring good news.
Jiang Fenghua said, "It was too stuffy inside. Now that I've come out for some fresh air, I suddenly feel refreshed and not sleepy at all. I'd better go back and go with the Prince."
She made a move to go back, but Su Tingwan quickly said, "There's nothing fun inside. Why don't I accompany Your Highness for a stroll in the garden?"
“Alright,” Jiang Fenghua agreed.
Su Tingwan said in a flattering tone, "I don't know what kind of dance those dancers were performing. Not a single one of them was worth watching. They were not even a fraction as good as the Princess's. The songs they sang and the music they played were also terrible. It was hard to listen to. The Princess's music was much better."
"Has the concubine ever heard me play the zither?" Jiang Fenghua asked her.
Su Tingwan clicked her tongue and quickly said, "I overheard it by chance when Your Highness was practicing the zither at Lan Yue Pavilion, and I thought it was very beautiful."
Since marrying into the Prince Heng's mansion, Jiang Fenghua has never played the zither herself. At most, she would have Hongxiu accompany her so that she could choreograph dances.
Her mind raced. It seemed that the women Lin Yu had seen at Yichun Tower that day were indeed them. Lin Yu wasn't sure, though, because the two women were disguised and wearing veils.
Since Su Tingwan went to Yichun Tower and she heard her play the zither, it seems that she already knows about her performance at Yichun Tower. Given her personality, why didn't she tell Xie Shang about it? What bad thing is she up to?
Xiao Yu took her out of Yichun Tower that day. Could it be... that they saw it too?
Jiang Fenghua instantly understood. No wonder Su Tingwan was so restless at the banquet, constantly looking towards the men's section. She was looking at Xiao Yu.
But she couldn't be sure if Xiao Yu could enter the palace. Unless Consort Su whispered in the emperor's ear, allowing the students of the Imperial Academy to attend the banquet, supposedly to show foreign envoys the abundance of talent in the Great Zhou Kingdom, it turned out to be to bring Xiao Yu into the palace.
Having figured all this out, Jiang Fenghua walked slowly. She knew that her older brother must be with Xiao Yu, and she needed to find a way to let him know, and also make sure that Xiao Yu wasn't left alone.
At this moment, Eunuch Wuxin happened to pass by and respectfully bowed to Jiang Fenghua, saying, "This servant greets Princess Heng."
"Doesn't Eunuch Wuxin serve the Emperor?" Jiang Fenghua asked politely.
“With a master serving me, there’s no need for a servant,” Wuxin added. “I’m now a free man, just waiting for my master to come whenever he calls.”
Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "I haven't thanked Eunuch Wuxin for taking me to the ancestral hall to copy scriptures last time. Otherwise, it would have been embarrassing to get lost in such a large palace."
Wu Xin respectfully replied, "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities. This is all my duty, and it's also thanks to Chief Steward Cao's thoughtfulness in instructing me to escort Your Highness. I dare not take credit for it."
"Eunuch Wuxin and Steward Cao have both worked hard." Jiang Fenghua sincerely took some silver from her purse and handed it to Wuxin. "This is also my elder brother's first time in the palace. I would appreciate it if you could take good care of him and make sure he drinks less so he doesn't get drunk and cause trouble. I'm afraid he might offend some noble person and get into trouble."
Wuxin's eyes were filled with greed as he secretly put the silver into his purse. His attitude became even more respectful and attentive. "Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will definitely pass on the message. If Your Highness feels bored, you can go to the lakeside to release lanterns. It's lively there. It's getting dark now, and it's the perfect time to release lanterns. The flowers in the Imperial Garden are also in full bloom. Although it's a bit of a walk from here, Your Highness can ask a palace maid to lead the way if you wish to admire the flowers."
"Thank you, Eunuch Xie." He meant that there was a good show to be performed tonight, and Jiang Fenghua naturally understood.
Only after she had no intention of leaving did Su Tingwan say sarcastically, "No wonder everyone says that Chief Eunuch Cao is the richest person in the palace. Now even a lowly eunuch has to be bribed by the princess. Besides corrupt officials, there are also greedy eunuchs in the world. I really don't know how to eradicate this evil trend. They are neither men nor can they carry on the family line. I really don't understand what they do with so much money."
Jiang Fenghua said, "These are just matters of human relationships. Consort Su grew up in the border region and has a cheerful personality. She can live as she pleases. But now that you have married Prince Heng as his consort, you should put the prince first in everything and consider his needs in everything you do."
There are some things Consort Su shouldn't say carelessly, lest she cause trouble for the Prince. Chief Eunuch Cao is the Emperor's close attendant; even Consort Su has to treat him with utmost respect.
Su Tingwan didn't expect Jiang Fenghua to lecture her, and she was somewhat resentful of Jiang Fenghua.
Su Tingwan even scoffed at the thought of how she hadn't considered A Shang's feelings. Everyone said that the Jiang family was a noble and respectable family, and that the Jiang family's daughters were well-bred ladies. She never expected that they would do something like bribery.
I wonder if Aunt Yunfang can lure Xiao Yu here.
She smiled and said, "I heard from the palace maids that the flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Why don't I accompany the Princess to admire them?"
"Oh, so many ladies from noble families gather by the lake." Jiang Fenghua pointed to the beautiful women by the lake. "Let's go for a stroll too!"
"Let's go to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers!" Su Tingwan kept urging her to go to the Imperial Garden.
Jiang Fenghua thought to herself: Could there be a tiger waiting for her there?
She deliberately refused to go, waiting for Su Tingwan to get anxious.
Seeing Jiang Fenghua walk towards the lake, Su Tingwan had no choice but to follow. If Xiao Yu didn't take the bait, Yunfang had made a backup plan.
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