Chapter 125 Prince Yong's Birthday Banquet
"Lure the snake out of its hole? Do you have any specific plan?" Zhang Guifen was very interested.
Mingxi stroked Minglan lovingly, "Minglan may have to suffer a little for this plan."
"As long as I can hit the target in one shot, I'm not afraid!" Minglan said.
"It's not that easy to topple a mountain. You have to dig it one hoe at a time to slowly move it. What we have to do is to be prepared at all times. From today on, Minglan, you must not leave the house unless it is necessary. If you don't leave the house, then the Lord of Jiacheng County will not have the opportunity to take action. Then, after a long time, when you have to leave the house, the Lord of Jiacheng County will definitely not miss that good opportunity. This is to lure the snake out of the hole, and what we have to do next is to catch it all in one fell swoop!"
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief, "Then we will need everyone's help!"
...
Prince Yong's birthday banquet
Prince Yong held a birthday banquet this time and invited half of the dignitaries in Bianjing City. Princess Pingning and Duke Qi and his wife were naturally invited.
The servant came to report that when Princess Pingning and Duke Qi and his wife arrived, the Lord of Jiacheng County was chatting with Princess Yong, surrounded by a group of noble ladies. Upon hearing that the couple had arrived, the Lord of Jiacheng County, who had been lazily leaning on Princess Yong, suddenly became excited and wanted to go to greet them in person.
Outside the door, Lady Jiacheng received Princess Pingning who came over alone. She stepped forward to greet her, then stood up and looked behind Princess Pingning, "Princess, has the young master gone to the men's room?"
Princess Pingning looked a little unnatural, "Yuan Ruo can't come to the banquet today. He caught a cold a few days ago, and he was afraid that he would pass the disease on to the guests, so he asked me to apologize to you and the princess." When
Lady Jiacheng heard that Qi Heng didn't come, she let go of her hand that was affectionately around Princess Pingning's arm, and her face darkened. "Young Master, don't you want to come?"
Princess Pingning saw everything that County Lord Jiacheng did, but pretended not to see it, still thinking: "How can that be? Who wouldn't come to the birthday banquet of Prince Yong? Besides, the County Lord personally invited us. He is really not feeling well, and we can't pass on our illness to him after seeing him!" As she spoke, she took County Lord Jiacheng's hand and patted it to show her affectionate comfort.
Seeing Princess Pingning's affectionate attitude and natural demeanor, County Lord Jiacheng believed her words a little and turned to ask about Qi Heng's condition. "Is the young master okay?"
"Please worry about him. He is young and in good health. He just has a headache, but nothing else."
The two chatted about their daily lives as they went into the house.
The women in the house looked at the Lady of Jiacheng County and Princess Pingning coming in arm in arm. They were all confused. They were always very polite to Princess Pingning, and today they were even more polite. Princess Pingning was lucky in the past, as she became the adopted daughter of the Empress. She was called a princess, but because she was favored by the Empress, she was no different from a princess. But with a new master, Princess Pingning would not be able to enjoy her glory for a few more days. Unfortunately, she gave birth to a good son, who was favored by the Lady of Jiacheng County early on, and could ensure the wealth of the Duke's Mansion for several more decades.
Princess Pingning was just as smart as the others, so she knew what they were thinking. But she was the one who was suffering. She had never thought of currying favor with the Yong family. She was worried that her position would be lost after the new emperor ascended the throne. But the Empress was still there, so she wanted to be like the Empress. Now it was nothing more than talking to each family. Who would have thought that the Princess of Jiacheng County would take a fancy to Qi Heng, and the Yong family insisted on inviting them to be guests. The banquet was not a good one. Not to mention that Qi Heng didn't want to come, even if he wanted to come, the Princess would not let him come. Princess Pingning
cheered up and dealt with these people.
During the banquet, a maid whispered something in the ear of Jiacheng County Lord. Jiacheng County Lord looked very happy. Princess Pingning only heard her say, "Don't let them go." She was secretly shocked and felt a little uneasy. She just wanted to return home as soon as the banquet was over.
What was terrible came true. After the banquet, Prince Yong and Princess Yong held Duke Qi and Princess Pingning respectively and refused to let them go.
Seeing the meaningful looks that everyone gave them before leaving, Duke Qi and Princess Pingning felt like they were on edge.
"My Lord Duke, Princess Pingning, I have summoned you here today because I have important matters to discuss. Our Song Dynasty is prosperous, but the position of crown prince is still undecided, and people in the court and the country are worried. As a member of the royal family, I should consider the country and the people of the world." Prince Yong had a smile on his face, but his tone revealed that he could not afford to be questioned.
Duke Qi said nothing, while Princess Pingning bowed slightly with a cautious look on her face, "Your Highness Prince Yong, you are too kind. As subjects, we should be loyal to the emperor and obey his holy judgment. If your highness has any instructions, my husband and I will do our best." Princess
Yong saw that Princess Pingning's words were nice but still meant to shirk the responsibility. She smiled gently but her eyes were as sharp as knives, "Your Highness, you are too kind. How can you say you have instructions? However, the situation in the court is changing rapidly. As the elders, we must always consider the younger generations more. The young prince is of the same age as Jiacheng, and we also think that Qi Heng is a young and talented child who is a perfect match for Jiacheng. If they can have a happy marriage, wouldn't everyone be happy?"
Duke Qi frowned slightly. Wrinkled her lips, still refusing to give in, "Your Highness, Princess, we are endlessly grateful for your love. But marriage is a serious matter and no joke. Yuan Ruo and the county lord must love each other to make it a happy marriage."
Seeing that the couple was arguing, Prince Yong lost his patience and said bluntly, "Your Highness, what you said makes sense, but things are unpredictable. If you don't plan for some things early, you may miss the opportunity. The prince and the princess are very optimistic about the marriage of Yuan Ruo and Jia Cheng. If the two families are united in Qin and Jin, they will be one family. Your Highness, please help me a little more. When I ascend the throne, Yuan Ruo will be my son-in-law, and your Duke of Qi's Mansion will be able to move to a higher level."
Duke Qi and County Lady Pingning looked at each other and saw the complex emotions in each other's eyes. Finally, Princess Pingning spoke slowly: "Your Highness and the Princess' proposal need to be carefully discussed by my wife and I. Regarding marriage, we also need to respect the opinions of our children."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. We in the Duke of Qi's Mansion have received Your Majesty's grace and are loyal to Your Majesty and the court. When Your Majesty ascends the throne
in the future, we will also be loyal to You." Seeing that the two of them were so ignorant of courtesy, Prince Yong slammed the table and stood up, "You two should think it over clearly. Half of the court are now my people. I just asked you two to show your attitude, but you are really making excuses. My daughter likes Qi Heng, which is a blessing for that boy, but you have been refusing again and again. You two should stay in our house for a while! Since you don't care about our children's marriage, I won't worry about it!"
Prince Yong and Princess Yong got up and left, ordering someone to lock the door.
After going out, Prince Yong ordered his men, "Go to the Duke's Mansion and invite the young prince!" He added, "No matter what means! I just want to see him!"