Chapter 4: Emerald Duck Cheeks
"Yes, her name is Xianzhu... Eh? Changhua Palace?" Mingjiu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So she is the granddaughter of the Prince of Changhua?"
"Exactly. She is the only descendant of Prince Changhua."
Mingjiu was so surprised that he dropped the small bow in his hand and laughed heartily: "She actually tried to trick me. Now wait and see how I can laugh at her after I marry her!"
The Emperor hesitated and looked at the Empress: "How could it be the Princess of Lingling County?"
After all, there are still a dozen men sent by the court in the backyard of Lingling County Lady. If a huge rock falls into the muddy water, it is likely to stir up huge waves again.
The officials of the Tang Dynasty were all silent. The prince clenched his hands again and again, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "The Princess of Lingling County cannot marry."
"Why?" Ming Jiu pointed at the Qifeng Pavilion and asked the emperor directly, "Your Majesty promised me a night banquet to marry me, and I will choose the bride myself. With gold and gems stuffed in your mouth, you won't go back on your word, will you?"
The messenger hurriedly corrected him: "It is the golden words, the golden words."
The prince interrupted them solemnly: "Lingling already has a husband selected!"
"No? Your slap princess told me that she has too many men around her and she's overwhelmed by the choices. She hasn't settled on anyone yet, so if I want her to marry, I have to grab her quickly!"
"There is no Slap Princess, it's the Grand Princess." The interpreter corrected him with a bitter face.
When everyone heard the name of the Grand Princess, they knew that it was the Grand Princess of Gao State who was causing trouble. After all, her grudge with the Princess of Lingling was known to everyone in the capital.
The prince's face turned pale as he stared at Princess Gao who was pulling Xiao Fuyu to watch the fireworks in Qifeng Pavilion, unable to utter a word.
There was an undercurrent here, and there was also a flurry of activity at Qifeng Pavilion.
Everyone saw a ray of colorful light passing through the crowd like a meteor and shooting straight into Qiandeng's chest, leaving a red mark on her heart, and they were all shocked.
Mrs. Cui hurried over to support her and asked repeatedly, "Are you okay?"
Qiandeng shook his head, stroked his aching heart, and held the small colorful arrow in his arms.
Mrs. Cui was relieved when she saw that it was a colorful sandalwood arrow used in tossing pots, and the front was tightly wrapped with silk, so it would not hurt anyone, and the red mark on the Thousand Lights Clothes was just a trace of rouge.
Princess Gao glanced at her, then looked towards Hanyuan Hall. Under the hallway, the Uighurs were indeed causing trouble.
In the darkness, she sneered softly, pulled Xiao Fuyu up, and walked to the other side to watch the fireworks.
Qiandeng held the small arrow and looked at its source in surprise.
The man who had harassed him on Longwei Road was looking up at him. Under the light, he raised his eyebrows and grinned at him, revealing his snow-white teeth, like a satisfied lion about to harvest its prey.
Qian Deng felt an ominous premonition in his heart and hastily threw the small colorful arrow onto the small table next to him.
The palace clock sounded, signaling the second watch. The fireworks had ended, the hustle and bustle had ended, and it was time to leave.
Everyone left the Qifeng Pavilion and lined up in front of the Hanyuan Hall. After bidding farewell to the emperor and empress in the hall, they got into their cars outside the palace gate.
The wind blew fiercely, and after nightfall, a few snowflakes drifted by. Aunt Xuanji hurriedly spread out her green feather fur coat and covered Qiandeng with it to protect her from the wind and snow.
Qiandeng gathered her green feather fur coat around her, but found that people around her were looking at her strangely, and Aunt Xuanji seemed a little embarrassed.
She looked up and saw that the green feather fur coat she was wearing, although different in style from the cloak Xiao Fuyu was wearing not far away, had almost the same pattern. Both were made of feather satin with a green background, and under the light, they were a emerald green that was dazzling.
Tao Luojia, the six-year-old granddaughter of the Duke of Jing, didn't understand the embarrassment of the crowd. Curiously, she touched Qiandeng's cloak, then Xiao Fuyu's cape, and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, they look exactly the same, but they feel different!"
Xiao Fuyu rolled his eyes in frustration and raised his hand to pull his cloak back.
The maids at the princess's mansion wouldn't let their princess suffer such a loss. They came over and brushed off the melted snow on her cloak, sneering, "A mere emerald feather fur coat will lose its color and become mottled when it rains or snows. But our princess's is made of rare duck feathers, so extravagant and precious!"
A duck-cheek feather cloak was made by killing thousands of similar-colored mallard ducks and weaving the short green feathers on their cheeks one by one. It was gorgeous and eye-catching, and was impervious to rain or snow. As the maids brushed it away with their fingers, water droplets rolled down, and the emerald green cloak was not wet at all.
Although Qiandeng was a second-rank county lady, she single-handedly supported the entire palace after her father and grandfather's death. The family's farms and shops were damaged in the war, and she had to maintain the mansion and attend to her mother's funeral. Aunt Yingluo's monthly calculations of the palace's rations were always tight. Therefore, the emerald feather cloak she wore today was simply made from ordinary bird feathers, dyed and twisted, then trimmed to make the feathers fine and neat. The emerald green dye on the feathers, while still bright, would be washed away by rain and snow.
Tao Luojia was young and ignorant. After touching the duck-cheek fur coat, she turned back and took Qiandeng's sleeve, saying with a smile: "The princess's clothes are beautiful, and the county lady is beautiful!"
The wet nurse was terrified. Looking at Princess Gao's expression, she quickly brought her back and stuffed a small piece of cake into her mouth.
"How can you imitate the good things in this world just by wanting to? They are just intimidating at first glance and cannot be seen from a closer look." Princess Gao pulled Xiao Fuyu, who had a grim expression, into the carriage, left after saying something and left in a huff.
The young men waiting for Qiandeng outside the palace gate were all angry and depressed when they saw the people in the princess's mansion singing in unison to disparage the county lady.
Shangluo snorted and said to Qiandeng, "County Lady, ignore her. Even a child can see that you look better in the same clothes than she does!"
Jin Tang said, "Isn't it just a duck-cheek fur coat? County Lady, wait, I'll get you one in a few days!"
"There's no need to hunt thousands of mallards for a piece of clothing. I can't afford to wear such clothes." Qian Deng signaled them not to bother with such people. He gathered his green feather fur coat, smiled, and was about to get in the car.
"Princess Lingling, please stay." The female official beside the Queen came over and stopped her in her tracks. "Her Royal Highness invites you to the palace. We have something to discuss."
Qiandeng quickly agreed, and seeing that the wind and snow were getting heavier, she hurriedly told Aunt Xuanji to let the gentlemen go back first. Then she and the female officials walked all the way to the small pavilion behind Hanyuan Hall, took off her cloak, and went in to pay her respects.
The lights in the pavilion were bright. Not only the queen was waiting for her, but also the emperor, the crown prince and the Uighur envoys.
Ming Jiu's eyes fell on her, and he gave her a smug smile that showed he was sure of victory.
Qian Deng had a sudden ominous premonition in his heart. After respectfully paying his respects to the emperor and empress, he stood up and stood quietly in the hall, waiting for instructions.
The palace lanterns were bright, casting a faint glow on her lowered face, like the radiance of pearls and jade, which could not be looked at directly.
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