It’s not that Xu Yixing looks down on others or anything. Jade is not only valuable in Daxia, but also a symbol of status and elegance.
From the emperor to the officials, everyone in Daxia considered wearing jade a beautiful thing. Even my father, a martial artist who couldn't easily wear jewelry, had several jade pendants and jade belts hidden at home, waiting to be worn on important occasions.
It is said that gentlemen are like jade, beauties are like jade, and it is appropriate for the host to wear jade. But if even your servants wear jade belts around their waists, what will the guests who come with jade think?
"I have so much money I don't know where to spend it. After all, I own a silver mine, so who can say anything? Well, it's just a silver mine, not a gold mine..."
Before Lu Anyuan could finish his words, Xu Yixing pinched his waist and stopped him: "Shut up now. Last time you said Qibei had iron and silver, and now you say he has gold. Do you think he is not rich enough?"
"Hehehe." Lu Anyuan stopped talking and looked around the table. There were not many empty seats left, and it seemed that everyone was about to arrive.
Xu Yixing was also paying attention to the guests. There was one thing that was very strange. Those who came to the banquet today were all peers or subordinates of the Second Prince. Even for elders such as Prince Cheng and Madam Jing, the Second Prince did not seem to have reserved seats for them. It seemed that he had no intention of inviting them this time.
"Everyone, thank you for attending my housewarming party today. Now that everyone is here, we can start the banquet!" The second prince had somehow moved from the reception position to the main seat, and the second prince's wife was also accompanying him with a kind smile on her face.
"Second brother, are everyone here? Why don't I see my uncle and the others?" The eldest prince was sitting at the front table. He took a quick glance and knew that there were fewer people. Naturally, he was reluctant to pick up his chopsticks.
"Ah, big brother, today I've invited all of us brothers and some of my closest friends, and haven't invited any of the elders. Firstly, we're all brothers, so it's easy for us to talk to each other. Secondly, I'll choose a day to invite the elders, so there won't be any conflicts!"
What the second prince said made sense. The eldest prince smiled and raised his glass. Of course, the others also raised their glasses to congratulate the couple on their new home.
Xu Yixing could hear that the Second Prince knew it was inappropriate to invite elders like this, so he invited them to come and show off. When the time came to invite Prince Cheng, the Second Prince would probably be extremely low-key and act like a good boy.
After the banquet and the wine, the next step was naturally singing, dancing, vocal music and acrobatics to liven up the atmosphere. The Second Prince was indeed a big spender. The most famous opera and acrobatics troupes in the capital were all here today, and the performances were so exciting that it was overwhelming.
"Everyone, I don't have anything good to give you since you've all come here today. I'll just give each of you a guest gift. Please accept it!"
As soon as the second prince finished speaking, attendants came in one after another from the side, each holding a large box and giving it to each seat.
Xu Yixing saw that the eldest prince's face turned dark as soon as he opened the box, so he opened the box a little with a little caution to take a look.
"Uh..." Xu Yixing finally understood why the eldest prince had an ugly expression. In the box was a beautifully carved jade with a long tassel. It seemed that each person had a forbidden step.
"This is too much." Lu Anyuan said angrily, but his expression was full of disdain and ridicule. Even the servants in your family wear jade pendants, and now you give this to guests, doesn't it mean that everyone here is on the same level as your servants? Second brother really knows how to stir up hatred.
"Look, a fight is about to start." Xu Yixing drank a glass of wine. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that after everyone received their gifts, the temperature in the hall dropped a little and it became a little cold.
The Second Prince was so arrogant and a mean-spirited person, was he afraid that he didn't have enough enemies? Xu Yixing didn't understand. The Second Prince had never been a reckless person, but his behavior today was incomprehensible.
"Second brother is so thoughtful." The eldest prince did not get angry on the spot. He just slammed the lid shut and asked the guards to take the box away without putting it in front of him.
"Actually, there is one more thing today. I would like to ask everyone to unveil the sign in front of my mansion for me." The second prince was still in high spirits, as if he had not noticed anything unusual in the hall.
Speaking of plaques, Xu Yixing actually remembered that when he just entered the door, there was no plaque hanging where the gate should be, but it was just covered with a red cloth. It turned out that they were waiting here.
The fourth prince was the most understanding and, as always, never let the atmosphere get dull. "Okay, second brother, quickly show us your new plaque!"
The second prince clapped his hands twice, and two servants came in from the front of the hall, one on the left and one on the right, holding a huge sign. They passed all the guest seats and walked all the way to the main seat. Only at the second prince's gesture did they turn around and face the sign to everyone.
The Second Prince walked down from the main seat and said, "Everyone, please look!" Then he lifted the red cloth with one hand, and six large characters appeared before everyone's eyes:
The emperor ordered the construction of the Prince of Qibei’s Palace.
"Uh..." This was the nth time today that Xu Yixing felt puzzled by the Second Prince's actions.
Everyone in the hall was originally very expectant, but when they saw the plaque, their expressions changed slightly.
"What's wrong, everyone? Is the calligraphy not good?" The second prince stood next to the plaque, showing it to everyone as if showing off new clothes, but few people dared to respond.
The eldest prince stood up and was about to leave, but was stopped by the second prince: "Royal brother! The banquet isn't over yet, how can you leave first?"
The eldest prince turned around and spoke righteously, "Chi Yan, you are being disrespectful. Do you know that the words 'imperial construction' can only be used on mansions built by order of the Emperor, the Father himself?"
This was the first time Xu Yixing heard the Second Prince's name. It sounded quite nice, so he quietly asked Lu Anyuan, "What two characters are they?"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Everyone in the room wanted to speak out in response to the eldest prince's question, but no one dared, except him.
Unexpectedly, the Second Prince was unconcerned: "Yes, this mansion of mine was renovated by my father's personal order. What's wrong with using imperial decree?"
The eldest prince clearly heard that he had taken advantage of the language, but he couldn't think of a reason to retort, so he could only continue to ask with a blushing face: "Then what about the King of Qibei? When did the emperor confer the title of king on you?"
The Second Prince stepped forward, still looking shameless. "Brother! You don't know yet, but Father summoned me this morning and ordered that from now on, the right to mint silver and coins within the territory of Qibei will be entirely mine. Besides, we all have fiefs, aren't we all kings? You could have written Jizhou Prince's Palace on the front of your mansion, but you didn't want to!"
The loophole that the Second Prince exploited in his words was an obvious mistake in rank.
In reality, every prince is indeed the king of his own fiefdom, but when the Qibei Palace comes out, people who don’t know will think that the second prince has been conferred the title of prince. The difference of one word makes a big difference in the meaning.
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