The chrysanthemum banquet was held in Yanbei Hall, not far from Prince Gong's residence. This was a hall set up by the founding emperor and empress of the Ming Dynasty. The residence was originally an exquisite garden trimmed by the previous dynasty, covering an area of several thousand acres, with grand and exquisite buildings. If it were not too far from the city, the emperor and empress would even want to transform it into a corner of the palace.
While this place is nestled between mountains and water, and while remote, it's a great place to enjoy the scenery. Especially in October, when the vibrant chrysanthemums bloom in all their glory, thanks to dedicated staff cultivating precious chrysanthemum seeds, the blossoms create a fairyland-like experience. And checking the chrysanthemums here is quite elegant.
It takes about an hour to drive the carriage from Yanbei Hall in the Shen Mansion, so some snacks and food are prepared in the carriage to prevent hunger.
Gu Yu opened the basket given by Nanny Gui and asked Shen Miao, "Young lady, why don't you eat something? The journey is long and eating will give you strength."
Shen Miao looked at the things in the basket.
Iced goat cheese, scallion rolls, spicy oil legs... at first glance, they look very appetizing, with bright colors and a fragrant smell.
Unfortunately, the smell of these things is too strong. Things like ice cheese and spicy oil legs are more likely to stain your lip balm and even stain your clothes if you are not careful. Aunt Gui really prepared these foods "meticulously".
The struggles among the women in the harem were mostly about overt and covert attempts to trip each other up, but when Shen Miao was in the Mingqi harem, she faced the competition for favor among the concubines, and the level of competition was even higher. These little tricks were not worthy of public display. She shook her head, asked Guyu to close the box, and asked Jingzhe, "No need, Jingzhe has it here."
Jingzhe carefully pulled out a small cloth bag from behind her back. Inside was a bag of small, exquisite pastries. Shen Miao didn't trust the kitchen at the Shen residence, so she had Jingzhe bribe the shopping manager to bring some pastries from outside. The manager simply assumed Jingzhe was greedy and didn't do anything. He was just a little surprised that Jingzhe, a maid, would be willing to buy pastries from Guangfuzhai.
Guangfuzhai is one of the best dim sum shops in Dingjing City, and even the concubines in the palace love to eat there. In her previous life, Shen Miao was not very interested in Guangfuzhai's dim sum, but Wanyu loved it very much and felt unhappy if she didn't eat it for a day.
At this moment, the cake was only the size of Shen Miao's finger, and was shaped like a flower, pitiful yet adorable. Shen Miao shared some with Guyu and Jingzhe. The two girls were hesitant at first, but then, seeing Shen Miao's insistence, they couldn't refuse. So they carefully took it, took a bite, and said in surprise, "Girls, this cake is really delicious."
Shen Miao smiled faintly. Actually, no matter how delicious the pastries were, they were just cute and delicately made, and girls always liked pretty things. When Wanyu was getting married, she even spent a large sum of money to hire a pastry chef from Guangfuzhai, hoping that in the bitter cold of the Xiongnu, Wanyu could still enjoy her favorite pastries.
Who knew... who knew that Wanyu would pass away halfway through the journey, and she didn't even see her body.
Shen Miao closed her eyes.
Wanyu's marriage was instigated by Madam Mei, with the collusion of Chen Ruoqiu's family, but the order was actually given by Fu Xiuyi. None of these people will be able to escape in this life. Those who killed Wanyu, she wants them to be repaid a thousandfold!
Gu Yu was enjoying his snacks when he looked up and saw Shen Miao beside him with a cold gaze, like a noble lady in a high position who was decisive and ruthless. For a moment, Gu Yu seemed to see the shadow of Shen Xin. Shen Xin was a man who had killed and seen blood on the battlefield. When he got angry, he was fierce in his bones. Shen Miao's eyes at this moment were exactly the same as Shen Xin's.
She almost choked on the snack, swallowed it hard, and asked carefully, "Miss, are you feeling unwell?"
“Nothing,” Shen Miao lowered her eyes, “Just thinking about something.”
Fu Xiuyi would also be present at today's Chrysanthemum Banquet and the inspection. Not just Fu Xiuyi, but also several of his brothers. The nine princes now had their own strengths and weaknesses, naturally divided into factions. Fu Xiuyi, however, acted the most harmless, remaining close to the Crown Prince's faction.
Who knew that in the end, the Crown Prince would be deposed and Fu Xiuyi appointed as the heir apparent? She had no intention of helping the Crown Prince. The people of the Mingqi royal family were the most ruthless. They looked upon these aristocratic families who had helped their ancestors build the country as nothing more than old dogs. It was clearly these hounds that had hunted down the rabbits for them in the first place, but now that they had the rabbits in their pockets, they were still worried that the dogs would bite them to death. So they squeezed the dogs dry of their blood and then killed and cooked them.
The world is unkind and the crown prince is unjust, so why should everyone be required to be loyal?
How about watching a dog-eat-dog fight first? Shen Miao's lips curled slightly.
…
Many noble families have come to Yanbei Hall at this moment.
Although today's examinations didn't distinguish between men and women, the banquet hall still divided the guests into men's and women's sections. In the men's section, the young men and their fathers were busy getting to know each other. It's natural for noble families to cultivate relationships and support each other. Moreover, these young men will one day succeed their fathers and shoulder the responsibilities of the entire family, so it's good to make more friends.
Women don't meet as often as men, but they often chat and gossip with each other, so the young ladies all have their own set of friends. Three or five of their acquaintances gather together to chat, feeling both nervous and excited about today's chrysanthemum banquet. Occasionally, they'll glance up at the young man they admire across from them.
Yi Peilan fiddled with the flowers on the small table and said, "Are you confident in today's inspection?"
"I don't have one," the woman beside her said with a smile. "With so many people here, I'm just mediocre and I'm really scared. I just hope I don't get picked later, and that no one picks me up on stage. I don't seek to stand out, just to avoid making a fool of myself."
Yi Peilan curled her lips. "It's better to at least give it a try. You know, His Royal Highness Prince Ding will be here today, and isn't the young master of the Li family, your favorite, here too? The young master of the Li family is so talented in writing, he will definitely be on stage. Why don't you seize this opportunity to show your skills?"
The girl pushed Yi Peilan, a hint of embarrassment on her face: "You're talking nonsense."
Jiang Xiaoxuan laughed when she heard this and said, "That's right, Bai Wei, don't be afraid. If we're talking about making a fool of ourselves, don't we still have the Shen family's fifth child to back us up? Anyway, you're better than her, right?"
"That's right." Yi Peilan also laughed heartily. "During the annual inspection, isn't Shen Wu responsible for entertaining people? It's hard for her to come every year. When I think about her performing her tricks again this year, I want to laugh. I wonder what kind of clothes she will wear, like last year's terrifying bright red with purple and red gold hairpins?"
Several girls giggled.
"That's enough." Feng Anning suddenly spoke up: "Is it funny?"
Yi Peilan was stunned for a moment, then said, "Feng Anning, you seem strange lately. Why, have you become friends with that idiot?"
Feng An Ning's face was furious. Just as she was about to speak, she heard someone on the other side say, "Hey, Madam Shen is here."
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