When the wild geese flew south in the afternoon, they prepared their evening clothes.
Today, a family banquet will be held in the main courtyard.
First, welcome the Crown Prince.
The palace banquet is tomorrow.
Around the same time, she changed into a red jacket over a gold gauze skirt embroidered with butterflies.
As soon as a person moves, the butterflies flutter on their clothes.
She wore her hair in a high bun, adorned with red gold inlaid with yellow cat's-eye stones—exquisite, gorgeous, and vibrant. It suited her perfectly.
Her eyebrows and eyes were painted like willows in spring, and her eyes were naturally misty like a lake filled with condensed mist.
When someone came to tell her it was almost time, she put on a pure white cloak and went out.
Instead of going to the main gate, we went straight to the main courtyard.
Just then, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess returned, and everyone went to greet them.
There are plenty of beautiful women, but the southward migration of wild geese is definitely eye-catching.
Shu Chengfeng couldn't help but see it.
Although he helped Ye Liangdi and Su Liangdi to their feet, his eyes unconsciously glanced at Yan Nangui.
In the main hall of the courtyard, Shu Chengfeng and the Crown Princess sat at the head of the table.
Everyone stood up again: "Your Highness, we respectfully welcome you back to your residence."
"No need for formalities, please sit down," Shu Chengfeng said with a smile. "Let's begin the banquet. It's a family dinner today, so there's no need to be too formal."
Everyone thanked them, and soon the maids began serving the dishes.
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "On the 30th of August, Xia Zhaoxun gave birth to Princess Er, and both mother and daughter are safe and sound."
Xia Zhaoxun had long since finished her postpartum confinement period, and she came today as well.
She was ruthless; she controlled her diet after giving birth and managed to lose weight. Although she wasn't as slim as before having the baby, she definitely didn't look bloated.
"It's all thanks to Her Highness the Crown Princess's care; both I and the Princess are doing very well," Xia Zhaoxun said.
"Very well, reward me! It's cold, I'll go see the child again in a few days." Shu Chengfeng said with a smile, "Your Highness has worked hard these days, so I should reward you properly."
The Crown Princess smiled and thanked her, saying shyly, "It's all my duty."
Shu Chengfeng said a few more nice words and then asked about the others.
When they arrived at Yan Nangui's place, Shu Chengfeng frowned. He had noticed that she had lost a lot of weight, and now that he looked closely, she was indeed much thinner.
"Why has Nan Gui lost so much weight? Is it because of his diet?"
"I caught a cold a while ago and was in a daze for several days. I didn't want to eat anything, and if I forced myself to eat, I would vomit. That's how it was. But I've gotten better these past few days, and I'm eating more. I reckon I'll gain weight by spring," Yan Nan Gui said.
"Take good care of yourself, and have the imperial physician examine you tomorrow," Shu Chengfeng said.
Yan Nangui shook her head: "Please don't treat me like this. I'm already hated by Sister Xiao for being like this. We had such a mess over a little bit of red snail charcoal. If you continue to treat me so well, I don't know what will happen next."
"Yan Liangyuan, don't make false accusations!" Xiao Liangyuan said angrily.
"Oh, alright, alright, it was my fault. Sister Xiao, please don't be angry right now. His Highness has just returned and made a contribution; he should be happy. It's my fault for bringing this up now. Please calm down, Sister." Yan Nangui quickly said.
Consort Xiao looked at everyone and took a deep breath: "I have lost my composure."
Shu Chengfeng didn't say anything, but glared at Yan Nangui.
Yan Nangui raised her cup in celebration: "I congratulate Your Highness on your victorious return. I knew Your Highness would return in triumph."
Shu Chengfeng smiled and raised his glass.
He had to admit that hearing these simple words of congratulations reminded him of the day he left, when she also gave him a simple farewell.
Yes, she believed that removing his hat would bring him a triumphant return, so she delivered it at a leisurely pace...
Xiao Liangyuan realized at this point that Yan Nangui had done it on purpose, but it would be inappropriate for her to bring it up again.
We can only suppress it.
And there's also the matter of her maid, which I always need to tell His Highness, but unfortunately today isn't the right time.
The meal was so unappetizing that I couldn't taste anything.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, it was finally time for the third round of drinks, and it was already late at night.
Shu Chengfeng was also tired, after all, he hadn't slept all night in order to get into the city at the right time.
Tonight, we will naturally stay overnight in the main courtyard.
I don't have the energy to do anything else, but I'm determined to stay with the Crown Princess.
Back at Jiyue Pavilion, Yan Nangui was also tired; it was getting late.
So there was nothing more to say, and I decided to take a nap first.
The next morning, the main courtyard was filled with greetings, and the Crown Prince was still there.
He has been getting up late these days, and it's afternoon when he enters the palace. After having his meal in the main courtyard, he catches up with everyone paying their respects.
He only said a few words before waving his hand and saying, "I have to go to the palace this afternoon, so let's call it a day. If it's not important, we can talk about it tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Xiao swallowed back what she wanted to say.
Today's palace banquet should be lively, but the generals won't be back until the twelfth lunar month, so today's banquet is mainly for the royal family.
The state banquet will be held in the twelfth lunar month.
Yan Nangui didn't dress up in any special way; she just wore an exquisite and gorgeous dress.
It's too cold to go out, but I can't stay home all the time.
His Majesty is not well yet, and to be honest, he doesn't want to hold any banquet.
He was feeling better initially, but the bumpy ride back made him feel unwell again.
The problem is that the snake venom is too potent, damaging the immune and circulatory systems. Although recovery is possible, it takes time.
After the Crown Prince and his family entered the palace, the women first had to pay their respects to the Empress.
After everyone had paid their respects, the group headed to Yaoguang Palace.
The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, with His Majesty and the Empress on either side.
After everyone paid their respects and took their seats, all those in the royal family who were qualified to enter the palace naturally came.
This included the eldest princess.
And since Princess Chang was coming, Lady Yin would naturally be present.
Not to mention, Lady Yin was originally the wife of the heir apparent, and now Yan Nanxu is still an earl, so her status is more than enough.
The main reason is that the Yan family is already honored today. Even though it is a royal banquet, she is nominally the daughter-in-law of the eldest princess, so the eldest princess naturally had to bring her along.
Besides her, there are also Yan Jinsi and Meng Junxian. By getting involved with Princess Yan Jinsi, he has a chance to enter the palace.
Yan Jinfei is also indispensable.
The old lady didn't come today.
When the banquet began, there were songs and dances. These were arranged by the Empress.
Everyone in the harem was present, and Consort Hua, whose belly had grown large, sat much closer to the front.
Although His Majesty was not feeling well, he was in a good mood.
They had no choice but to reward the crown prince, but since he was already the crown prince, what could they possibly reward him with? Nothing more than some gifts.
His Majesty bestowed a reward upon the Crown Prince, and the Empress followed suit by bestowing a reward upon the Crown Princess.
For a time, everyone was quite happy.
After bestowing rewards upon the crown prince, it was inevitable that rewards would be given to the princes of those families as well.
Shu Zhongjing kept smiling, and when the banquet was halfway through, he said, "There are still too few people in the Crown Prince's harem. I heard that the Cao family has a nice young lady?"
This question was directed at Consort Zhen.
Consort Zhen's expression changed, but she still managed a forced smile: "My niece is still young."
Shu Zhongjing was not one to accept such rejections, and he was displeased upon hearing this: "She's fourteen already, and will be a fifteen-year-old girl after the New Year. She can't get married yet?"
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