Chapter 207 Small Banquet
"Hey, why are you so lost in thought today? What are you thinking about?"
At the small banquet in Yongshou Palace, Hongjin curiously nudged Hongzhao beside her. Her younger brother, the Crown Prince, was usually a strategist and rarely appeared so dazed.
Hongzhao snapped out of his daze upon hearing the sound and turned to look at his sister beside him.
Hongjin was undoubtedly beautiful. Even though Hongzhao saw her every day, he couldn't help but say something about her. Unlike Hongzhao, who inherited his mother's peach blossom eyes, Hongjin, though his twin, had eyes like his father's. Her pair of bright and spirited phoenix eyes were the finishing touch to her already outstanding face.
If Mother's appearance was as gentle as a moon goddess, then Hongjin's was as straightforward as a blazing flame, striking people directly on the face. Adorned with the various silks and jewels she always loved, she was someone whose mere presence made it impossible to look away.
Hongzhao glanced at his sister, then his gaze slowly drifted to Amur across from him. Amur's skin was rough from the previous campaign, and the complexion that had returned to its original whiteness after several years of recuperation in the capital had disappeared again, replaced by a wheatish color that was not much better than when he came to the capital from the northern desert.
He must have just rushed back from the training ground to attend the banquet. Even though he was wearing a long robe, you could still see the soft armor underneath. The fabric stretched taut over his body, making him look even more robust and strong. Just sitting there, he was two or three times stronger than Fu Yuzhuang, who was always worried and couldn't eat.
Hongzhao closed his eyes in despair, secretly determined to find the best whitening cream in the world for this kid. He and his sister had never known what it meant to be dark-skinned since they were little, and he couldn't let this kid affect the genes of his future nephews and nieces.
The Emperor's desire to bestow a marriage upon Hongzhao and Amur was something he had never revealed to anyone else. Not only did Hongjin not know, but even the Empress had not received any information about it.
Hong Jin, seeing his face alternating between pale and red, grew even more curious and followed his gaze to the opposite side...
She playfully raised an eyebrow, stretched out her hand and deliberately waved it exaggeratedly in front of Hongzhao. Seeing that the Empress Dowager hadn't noticed them, she lowered her voice and teased, "Oh—what are you looking at? After looking for so long, have you decided which one you want to be our Crown Princess?"
Hongzhao suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at her. The banquet was divided into several small tables. The table next to Amur and Fuyu's was occupied by Hongjin's study companions. He didn't expect her to think of that. In a way, the two of them were of the same mind.
"What nonsense are you talking about? If Father hears this, he'll say you've learned to be glib from Mother."
Hongjin shook his head nonchalantly—"Father has always said since we were little that not only me, but also you, Hongzhou, and Hongyan, any of them who are sharp-tongued will not be recognized by their father as being like him, but rather like their mother."
She noticed that Hongzhao was changing the subject, and unwilling to let it go easily, she leaned closer to ask, "I know which one you like. The blue jade pendant on Sister Fucha's waist is of excellent quality. Ever since she suddenly put it on me one day, I have never seen it off, which shows how precious it is."
Hong Jin tilted her head playfully, and couldn't help but smile as she watched Hong Zhao's annoyed expression, wanting her to leave quickly.
"Sister Shushen next to me is also quite good. Unlike that 'Green Cherry' from before, she sees things clearly and is kind and intelligent." Hongjin glanced at her younger brother out of the corner of her eye. His usually dignified and refined face in front of outsiders was now showing a rare look of sharpening his knife. She straightened her shoulders with a smile, as if her previous unruly behavior was not her fault.
In a voice only Hongzhao could hear, he teased him one last time—"Oh dear, I'm just worrying for nothing. She'll be my sister-in-law sooner or later anyway."
Hongzhao couldn't help but grind his teeth as he looked at her. He was really worrying about her for nothing. She was even thinking about finding some whitening cream. He would find some melanin cream and make her apply it every day, so that she would have to live with a Filipino maid from now on!
Amur keenly sensed a sudden gust of cold wind whistling past him from behind, but when he turned around, there was no one there. He rubbed his sweaty palms and moved his stiff back. Perhaps it was because he was too nervous with the princess on the other side.
"Your Majesty, Consort Meng is entering the palace tomorrow. Don't you think the harem will be in turmoil again?"
In the evening, Xuexin was removing the hairpins and jewelry from the Empress. Inevitably, the conversation between the mistress and servants turned to the "important events" of the next day.
Lu Jiaying rubbed her temples, which were sore from being tense all day. After hearing Xue Xin's words, she shook her head. It wasn't that she was sure it wouldn't happen, but rather—"I don't know either. I've heard about Consort Meng's affairs before. If a young lady who hasn't even left the palace has such a legendary story, she probably won't be a troublemaker once she enters the palace."
"This servant has seen that our harem has finally become more stable in the past two years, but with the arrival of new concubines, Your Majesty will have to work harder again."
Lu Jiayingfeng simply smiled at Xuexin's concerns: "Does becoming empress mean you can live a leisurely life every day? It's only because our emperor is busy with state affairs every day that I can be a little lazy. I can keep the people in the harem from fighting over each other, but how can I possibly control whether the emperor wants to take concubines?"
Her concern is...
Consort Meng should have been among the first batch of consorts selected after the Emperor ascended the throne. She was older than Consort Hui, and would have been thirty by now. If she entered the palace at the age of thirty, was it solely because of that fleeting glimpse of her extraordinary bravery?
"Alright, we'll only know how to deal with people once they come in. You can't tell someone's true character just by listening. Let's see them first."
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