Chapter 155: Taking Charge
The second day of February, Flower Festival, early morning.
When the first ray of sunlight broke through the thick fog and cast a golden glow on Mount Zhou, the ceremonial officials looked solemn, the musicians played majestic ceremonial music, and the bells and drums rang out in unison, shaking the sky.
Emperor Sheng, wearing a dragon robe and a crown on his head, stepped steadily onto the altar. The sunlight shone on him, and the embroidery on the dragon robe sparkled.
Only when he reached the center of the altar did Emperor Sheng look up at the sky with a solemn and pious expression. He slowly raised his hands, indicating that the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky had officially begun.
......
At the foot of the mountain, the sound of music could be heard, and the families of the ministers, led by the Crown Princess, were offering sacrifices to the flower goddess and praying for divine protection.
There was a solemn atmosphere throughout Zhoushan.
......
At the end of noon, the music on the mountain gradually died down, indicating that the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky was coming to an end.
It was not until 1:00 p.m. that everyone at the foot of the mountain dared to relax. As soon as they relaxed, they felt their stomachs were empty.
Fortunately, afternoon meals had been prepared in the palace and official residences, so after everyone had their hearty meals, it was a great time to rest and have fun.
In the palace, according to the customs of previous years, many banquets and entertainments were arranged, including butterfly catching parties, making flower cakes, wearing flowers in the hair, and tasting flower tea.
If you want to go outing and enjoy the flowers by yourself, that is also possible.
Wearing flowers in the hair has always been the most popular entertainment. There are the most ladies here, including Shen Jiasui and Zhao Huaizhen.
The two of them were chatting and laughing when they suddenly heard some noise. Looking where the noise came from, they saw that it was Ning Fengzhi who had not attended the party for a long time.
On the Lantern Festival, everyone had heard about the feud between Ning Fengzhi and Gu Xizhi in Qingyue Pavilion.
Since Ning Fengzhi was indeed deceived by Gu Xizhi in the beginning and the storm has passed, there is naturally no reason for everyone to treat her coldly anymore.
Zhao Huaizhen's eyebrows were slightly curved at this moment, and he was happy from the bottom of his heart.
"It seems that Fengzhi has really let go of her worries. I called her to the last welcoming party at the Imperial Garden, but she said she was sick and didn't go."
"Jia Sui, I'm going to go talk to Feng Zhi, do you want to come with me?"
The two of them did not avoid others in their conversation. People around them looked over and saw Shen Jiasui shaking his head and saying with a smile:
"Huaizhen, go ahead. I'll make a wreath for you. Come and see it later."
Zhao Huaizhen didn't force him when he saw this. He just squeezed Shen Jiansui's hand before leaving. When he looked up, he revealed a bit of panic and uneasiness.
Shen Jiasui pinched back with the help of his sleeve and nodded gently at Zhao Huaizhen.
Seeing this, Zhao Huaizhen let out a breath and walked away as if nothing had happened under the gaze of everyone.
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel flattered when she saw Zhao Huaizhen taking the initiative to approach her.
When she heard that the princess and Shen Jiasui were now best friends, she thought the princess had forgotten about her.
Thinking of this, before he opened his mouth to speak, Ning Fengzhi's eyes were already wet.
Zhao Huaizhen's heart softened when he saw this, and he took the initiative to pull Ning Fengzhi outside, as if he wanted to say something personal.
Apart from Zhao Huaizhen, the others were more unfamiliar with Shen Jiasui. Seeing that she was absorbed in making the wreath, they did not approach her to talk to her.
But when he heard that she was engaged to the famous Jiang Xun, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a palace maid suddenly came in from outside, looked around, and walked straight to Shen Jiasui.
"Ms. Shen."
The palace maid called out loudly, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Shen Jiasui turned around when he heard the voice and saw a strange face. He tilted his head and asked, "Who are you?"
The maid knelt down and saluted to Shen Jiasui, and said calmly: "Miss Shen, I am a servant of Princess An Ning. I am here on the orders of Princess An Ning to invite Miss Shen to have a chat."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions suddenly became subtle.
Just as they thought of the name Jiang Xun, Princess An Ning's men came after them.
Coincidentally, Princess Huaizhen had just left. If you didn’t know, you might think that Princess Anning’s people had been waiting outside, waiting for this “right” opportunity.
Shen Jiasui's expression changed slightly, and he immediately looked in the direction where Zhao Huaizhen left, then said with difficulty:
"Could you please wait for a moment, Princess An Ning? When Princess Huai Zhen returns, I will go with her."
The maid seemed to have received instructions, and she looked fearless. Shen Jiasui was the daughter of General Dingguo after all, but the maid gave her a cold face and said in a cold voice:
"Miss Shen, my princess said that she wants to see you soon. I think it's better not to keep her waiting for too long."
Shen Jiasui hesitated for a moment, then put down the wreath in his hand, looked around, and said to the people around him:
"If Princess Huaizhen doesn't want to see me when she comes back, please tell her that I went to Princess Anning's place. Thank you."
As Shen Jiasui spoke, he knelt down before the crowd and then left behind the palace maid.
As soon as the two figures disappeared, a loud buzzing sound was heard in the field. Everyone guessed that Shen Jiasui was likely to suffer a loss.
Everyone knows that Princess An Ning is very popular with the emperor, and with the support of the eldest princess, she is a powerful figure in the capital.
At this time, someone in the dark retreated quietly and spread the news.
Shen Jiasui followed the palace maid through twists and turns in the palace and was soon brought to a palace. The maid guarding the door was wearing Yue Kingdom costume.
The palace maid stopped and Shen Jiasui walked in by herself. At a glance, she saw Aya who had been waiting in the palace for a long time.
Aya's brows relaxed slightly, she nodded to Shen Jiasui, and led her into the inner hall.
As soon as the curtain was lifted, a figure jumped over and pounced on Shen Jiasui.
"Sister Jiasui!"
Although Shen Jiasui and Tuoba Ning had secretly exchanged letters twice through Jiang Xun, they had not seen each other for nearly a month.
Shen Jiasui took a closer look and found that Tuoba Ning looked whiter and fatter, which made him smile.
"Ning'er seems to be doing well these days?"
Tuoba Ning's face fell, "No way! Staying in the Princess's Mansion all day is really boring."
"When can I go for an outing with you and Huaizhen and ride a horse?"
Shen Jiasui took Tuoba Ning's hand and said with a smile: "I am also looking forward to this day coming soon. After passing this hurdle today, I think we will be one step closer to achieving our wish."
Tuoba Ning straightened his face slightly after hearing this, and whispered: "Everything is ready, when are we going to act?"
Shen Jiasui glanced at the clepsydra beside him and shook his head, "Ning'er, don't worry, let's wait for the news from Lord Jiang first."
"Where is the Crown Princess? Where is she now?"
Tuoba Ning pointed to the northwest, "We should have reached Lansheng Tower by now."
There is a tall building in the northwest, named "Lansheng", which overlooks the entire palace. It was the favorite place for Prince Xianhuai to go when Emperor Daisheng offered sacrifices to the sky at Zhoushan.
Shen Jiasui took a deep breath after hearing this and nodded with a firm look in his eyes.
Since all parties have their own plans, let’s just strike first and turn the tables today!
————
At this time, Qingle Palace.
After the sacrifice to heaven was over, Emperor Sheng, the princes, grandchildren and ministers had their meals here.
After eating and drinking, everyone went their separate ways. The little grandson Zhao Yuanye was still young after all, and after following the ceremonies for the entire morning, he could no longer hide his sleepiness.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Sheng ordered people to send Zhao Yuanye back to Qingyan Palace.
At this moment, there were undercurrents underneath. Not long after Shen Jiasui was called away by the palace maid beside Princess An Ning, the news had already reached here.
Prince Rui sat behind the desk and looked at Jiang Xun who was sitting down without making any expression.
At this time, a eunuch came up from behind to pour the wine. He leaned forward and said softly:
"Your Highness, the Concubine Shu has transferred some personnel from several places and asked us to keep it secret. I dare not conceal it, so please make the decision, Your Highness."
After saying this, the eunuch stood up and stepped back, standing still with a normal expression.
King Rui frowned slightly when he heard this.
He had no doubts about his mother, but no matter what she wanted to do, why would she hide it from him?
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Prince Rui suddenly raised his eyes, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and the wine glass at his hand fell over, spilling over the low table and dripping onto his brocade robe.
Everyone looked over when they heard the voice. Prince Rui had already stood up slowly and said to Emperor Sheng respectfully, "Father, I would like to leave the banquet temporarily and change my clothes."
Emperor Sheng waved his hand nonchalantly.
Prince Rui then turned around and walked outside. The moment he walked out of the palace, his face instantly became as gloomy as water.
Ajin...
Apart from attacking Ajin, he couldn't think of anything else his mother needed to hide from him.
He has his own plans, and his mother's presumptuous attitude will ruin his plans!
Thinking of this, King Rui frowned, and on the way to the changing room, he suddenly turned into a small road and left quickly.
When Jiang Xun saw Prince Rui leave the table, he casually turned the wine glass on the table.
King Rui has so many people at his disposal, how could he possibly recognize every face?
So, it is not quantity that matters, but quality.
Furthermore, Prince Rui has always wanted to use his old acquaintance with the Crown Princess to do things, but today he will shoot himself in the foot!
The eunuch who was delivering the message to Prince Rui was still standing respectfully. At this moment, he noticed from the corner of his eye that the wine glass in front of Jiang Xun had turned, so he retreated without making a sound.
After a moment, Zhao Huaizhang, the son of Prince Rong, who was sitting opposite him, stood up without warning and walked into the hall. He knelt down in front of Emperor Sheng and said in a deep voice:
"I apologize to His Majesty."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent and everyone looked over with wide eyes.
After the meal, Zhao Huaixiang suddenly raised his eyes and slowly clenched the wine glass in his hand.
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