Chapter 136 Flower Appreciation Banquet
Three days passed quickly, and the day for the flower viewing banquet arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Imperial Household Department had prepared the venue well in advance, and all the arrangements were in place. The Empress Dowager, unusually, dressed up and changed out of her usual sandalwood-colored clothes into brighter fabrics. She wore a phoenix hairpin and her usual sickly appearance was almost undetectable. In a good mood, she sat in the middle and watched the young ladies below.
Consort Jing, standing to the side, had also changed into a dark blue auspicious robe that she rarely wore, and her makeup was more vibrant than usual. She glanced at everyone, seemingly unintentionally.
Originally, Consort Nian could have attended, but she had no sons. Now, her temperament had changed, and she didn't like joining in the fun. Besides, many of the young ladies here had fathers who had impeached Nian Gengyao, and Lü Jiaying was genuinely afraid that Consort Nian's fiery temper might lead her to unleash a torrent of violence again. So, she simply didn't come.
Looking at the girls standing there like flowers, Lü Jiaying felt for the first time that she was truly getting old. Although her appearance hadn't changed, seeing their pretty little faces and their lively, curious eyes made her feel that they were always full of vitality.
She thought to herself, "No wonder the Emperor selects concubines every three years, and they're eating such coarse food."
The Empress Dowager had clearly already chosen one of the young ladies. She smiled and waved to Lü Jiaying. Following her gaze, two girls of similar age and with somewhat similar faces came into the Empress's view.
Seeing this, Xue Xin leaned closer and whispered, “The two over there are daughters of the Uya family. The one on the left in the peach-colored dress is the youngest legitimate daughter. Her mother is from the Tongjia clan. She is related to Empress Xiaoyiren and Lord Longkodo. The one on the right in the light blue dress is the eldest illegitimate daughter. Her mother is from the Han Banner.”
Lü Jiaying smiled knowingly and cast an approving glance at the Empress Dowager at the head of the table—"I wonder which one Your Majesty has chosen? I think both girls are quite good, and I'm almost spoiled for choice."
The Empress Dowager had already made up her mind, and now that she saw them in person, she was even more certain—"Just like the Empress, I think they are all wonderful. The elder sister is steady and cautious, and the younger sister is generous and kind. They are all excellent."
Lu Jiaying sensed something was amiss in the conversation, and sure enough, what she said next made even the usually composed Consort Jing turn her head in surprise.
“Hongshi and Hongkai are brothers. If they become brothers-in-law, it will make them even closer.”
Upon hearing the words, Consort Jing almost lost control of her expression. She frowned slightly and looked at the Empress for help, but Lü Jiaying had already cultivated a calm and composed demeanor.
The Empress Dowager has always favored the Uya and Ulanara families, but unfortunately, neither of these families can produce a single capable member. Therefore, she has no choice but to focus on the daughters. If two royal consorts were to emerge from this family, it wouldn't be just her struggling to keep things going.
However, the Wuya family were originally bondservants. If they were officials of the third rank or higher, it wouldn't be so bad, but the sisters' father was only a sixth-rank official. If it weren't for their close relationship with the Empress Dowager, which granted them special favor, their daughters wouldn't even have been allowed into this flower-viewing banquet.
Lu Jiaying's smile remained unchanged, her clear eyes still brimming with laughter as she spoke—"I think Your Majesty prefers that younger sister. I find her more lively and compatible with Hongkai's temperament. As for the elder sister..."
Lu Jiaying deliberately dragged out her words, keeping everyone in suspense. She turned to look at Consort Jing and winked reassuringly at her, saying, "Our Hongshi is a steady child, and this older sister seems to be quite calm as well. Although her status is somewhat lower... with the Empress Dowager's gracious favor, it would be fine to make Hongshi a concubine. Given time, she might even give birth to a grandson of the Emperor, and she might be promoted to a secondary consort."
The Empress Dowager's face stiffened instantly, and she repeated in a low voice, "What did the Empress say? Princess? Consort?"
“Yes.” Lü Jiaying nodded as if it were a matter of course, and continued naturally, “Your Majesty doesn’t know yet, but Hongshi is the first child the Emperor has arranged a marriage for. The Emperor has been very careful in choosing a family. Consort Jing, you should come and take a look.”
As he spoke, he gently beckoned to Consort Jing, who, with great interest, also joined in to look into the crowd.
“The one in the middle wearing a light blue gauze overcoat is Dong Eshi, named Huiyi. She is from the Manchu Bordered Red Banner. Her great-grandfather was the chief minister of Emperor Taizong, and her father served as the Minister of the Three Ministries and the Left Censor-in-Chief during the reign of the late emperor. This child comes from a prestigious family.”
She then went on to introduce them one by one—"Niohuru clan, Shumulu clan, Suochuoluo clan..."
Every woman chosen by the emperor came from a distinguished family and had an outstanding status. Compared to that, the concubine's daughter from the Uya clan was completely out of the running.
The Empress Dowager's good mood, which had been on her face since the banquet began, vanished instantly. In her mind, Hongkai was naturally no less capable than Hongshi. Hongshi's lack of intelligence was practically legendary; he was nowhere near as shrewd and intelligent as Hongkai. However, she had personally arranged with the Emperor to choose a consort from the Uya clan for Hongkai. Seeing this, she could only stiffen her expression and gather her breath several times before speaking again.
"Since the Emperor has made his decision, I will not interfere further. I like both children very much, but I feel it would be a waste for them to become princesses. They had a good relationship when they were at home. If they could marry into the same family, they could help each other out, which would be a wonderful thing."
The Empress Dowager meant that both of Wuya's daughters should be betrothed to Hongkai. The Emperor had already stated that the Empress Dowager would decide how Hongkai chose his consort, and Lü Jiaying naturally did not disagree.
However, looking at this group of people, she inexplicably felt that the emperor, who was over forty years old, was acting somewhat childishly in this matter.
In the years before Hongzhao, Hongshi was indeed the emperor's most favored son. Even after Hongzhao came into the picture, the emperor did not neglect Hongshi's studies in the first few years. Naturally, he would not be careless or negligent in arranging Hongshi's marriage. However, Lu Jiayingfeng found it somewhat amusing that the emperor was so attentive.
It was more like the emperor was sulking with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager wanted to choose a daughter from the Uya family for her beloved fourteenth son, Hongkai, so the emperor chose a daughter from the Uya family for his son.
"With so many women, I'm overwhelmed with choices. Your Majesty, which one do you think is more suitable for Hongshi?" Consort Jing knew that her understanding of these young ladies was certainly not as good as the Empress's. Therefore, she took this opportunity to directly ask Lü Jiayingfeng for her opinion.
This was the first time the Empress had organized a flower-viewing banquet. She, who loved lively gatherings, found it all very exciting, as if she had discovered a new continent. Her face was flushed with excitement. “Look at Dong E Shi, her pretty little face makes all the flowers around her pale in comparison. But you know, this child is a rare kind-hearted person.”
Consort Jing's eyes lit up as she looked at the woman in the green cloak. She was beautiful, from an outstanding family, and had a kind heart. She was truly a perfect match for Hongshi.
Behind the artificial rockery in the distance, two heads huddled together were faintly visible.
Hongshi, his face tense, watched from afar as the Empress helped him refuse the daughter of the Uya clan. Only then did his heart, which had been pounding, suddenly relax, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Hongzhao looked up at his third brother with curiosity, then at the daughter of the Wuya family, and asked with some curiosity, "Third brother, you seem to dislike her. Why? I think she is quite beautiful and graceful."
This was the first time Hongshi had ever skipped class, and the first time he had ever witnessed such a major event in his life. His heart was pounding so hard he couldn't calm down. "Marrying her daughter, with the Empress Dowager and the deposed Empress preceding him, is not marrying a princess consort, but rather inviting a Buddha statue."
His tense expression softened slightly—"Besides, my cousin Hongkai is the son of a Prince of the Second Rank, not even a Prince of the Third Rank. We are princes, sons of Father Emperor..."
Hongzhao naturally understood his unfinished intentions and nodded in agreement.
You've finally become sensible now. I hope that having a wife will help you settle down and stop chasing after your stepmother.
I wonder what it will be like when I become a candidate for the position of Fujin (a high-ranking official's wife).
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