Chapter 56
As the New Year approaches, although the streets are bustling, it has snowed for several days in a row, making it difficult to go out.
Even Lao Lin was complaining that auspicious snow means a good harvest, so why did it snow continuously from the 28th to the 1st?
These days, Jian Xinyi hardly went out and stayed at home to continue drawing the extra chapters.
Under the warm yellow light, there are carved window frames in the palace.
Every year, the scheming lesbian and the heroine have to attend the New Year's Eve banquet.
It's just some red tape and empty rituals, accompanied by exquisite but meager dishes.
After the heroine drank the third glass of wine, her cheeks became more red, so she had to make an excuse to get some fresh air and leave the table temporarily.
The imperial garden was particularly bleak in winter, and there was not much scenery to speak of, so the heroine leaned against the red pillars in the pavilion and took a rest.
But after a while, she felt someone approaching her.
But I was so sleepy that I only felt at ease when I raised my eyelids and smelled a familiar smell.
The sinister man gently took her into his arms and put a cloak on her.
Fireworks continued to bloom as the two of them snuggled up to each other in the pavilion.
Until the end.
Jian Xinyi stopped writing and looked into the distance.
I guess there must be a New Year's banquet being held in the palace at this time.
A bonfire was burning brightly above the solemn Chengtian Hall.
In the main hall, a man was wearing a black dragon robe and a crown on his head. He had a regular gait and a dignified demeanor, and the crown beads did not shake at all while he walked.
"The old year ends and the new year begins."
The shouts of New Year's greetings started from the main hall and then spread throughout the entire palace.
The banquet began with the sound of stringed instruments and wind music.
Just after a few cold dishes were served, the man coughed lightly.
The Queen beside him lowered her eyes and quickly consoled him, "Your Majesty, it has been snowing for several days now, and you just caught a cold outside the palace. You should return first."
"No need, I just choked, I'm fine."
The emperor covered his sleeve with his hand and coughed lightly, glancing at the ministers below with his peripheral vision.
A minister in purple court robes spoke first, saying bluntly, "Your Majesty, the capital is experiencing continuous heavy snowfall. Soon, a large number of refugees will flock to the capital. In my opinion, we should expedite the repair of various charity halls in the capital for emergency use."
"Minister Wu is truly impatient. It's only been snowing for less than five days, and auspicious snow signifies a good harvest, yet why are there already so many refugees pouring into the capital?"
At this time, Prince Geng stepped forward and bowed gracefully. "Father, this snow has been falling for several days straight. It's really worrying. How about I lead the team to repair the Charity Hall and relieve your worries?"
The emperor coughed lightly a few times and said nothing.
It was the Queen who intervened and asked Prince Geng to stand up. "It's a good thing that the Third Prince is now willing to consider His Majesty's interests."
"Good thing, I can't afford it."
He sat in the hall, looking down at King Geng, "Do you admit your guilt?"
Seeing this, King Geng was so frightened that he didn't know how to react and had to kneel down again.
"Father, I really don't know."
"It's New Year's Day, and it's also a family dinner. We shouldn't be discussing state affairs. Yet, not only are you discussing them, you're also asking me for work?"
The people inside couldn't help but gasp when they heard this almost outrageous reason.
This Prince Geng must have offended the emperor somehow.
Seeing that everyone in the court was in danger and no one could speak for his brother, Qian Yuan stood up himself.
"Father, it was an unintentional mistake by Third Brother."
When the emperor said this, he became even angrier and threw all the glass cups on the table.
"I don't know if you are really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. You are so kind and soft-hearted."
When these words were spoken, all the court officials dared not even breathe.
"Since this is a family dinner, why is the emperor so angry?" The queen smiled and asked Qian Yuan to stand up. "In a few days, I plan to hold a Qionghua Banquet in the Imperial Garden. What do you think?"
"Okay."
The banquet went on as usual.
But holding the Qionghua Banquet at this critical juncture must have been intentional.
When everyone left the table, he hurried to Yuhua Palace.
Inside Yuhua Palace, the scent of incense rose.
"Why, you want me to help you again?"
The Queen gently took the tea bowl from her hand and glanced at Qian Yuan. "The Emperor has never lost his temper this badly, and you're still running into his gun. It seems the Jinwu Guards haven't done enough."
“I didn’t do enough.”
Qian Yuan knelt down in response, his face gloomy.
“Nonsense!”
The Queen sat up from the couch and couldn't help but scold him, "Prince Geng has made one mistake after another, angering His Majesty. This is your chance. Not only did you not fight for it, you even pleaded for mercy. Haven't you learned your lesson from last time?"
"I just said that his crime was not serious enough."
"The Emperor was originally using today's incident to attack him, and you're now speaking up for him. What's that?" The Queen tapped Qian Yuan's head. "You two have a deep brotherly love, but you've let down your father's kindness."
"Even if Third Brother did something wrong, he should be dealt with according to the law. I am only addressing the matter based on facts."
Seeing the two of them deadlocked, Rong Gu could only console them, "Your Highness, Prince Xing has a kind heart. He simply doesn't want to be separated from his siblings."
"He treats others as his brothers, and others treat him as a joke."
The Queen sighed, "Prince Geng was raised by me when he was young. I happened to be pregnant with you at the time, so I didn't take good care of him. Now he has become like this."
"My Lady, these are just some old memories. Why bring them up?"
"Let's not talk about it anymore." The Queen took the list from the table and handed it to Qian Yuan. "You must come to this Qionghua Banquet. I will personally select the ladies of the right age from aristocratic families and let you meet them."
"This is exactly why I came here."
Qian Yuan knelt down suddenly, but before he could say anything, he saw the queen's face darken.
"Why, don't you want to see him?"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to do so."
The Queen was furious and had to close her eyes to avoid looking at him. "I just wanted to meet them, but I didn't ask you to get married to them. You don't want to do that, and you're still thinking about that wild girl outside the palace?"
"yes."
Qian Yuanben came to see the queen because of this matter.
"How dare you say yes?"
The Queen's already irritable temper was further aroused by him, and she stared at him with her almond-shaped eyes.
"You must attend the Qionghua Banquet. After you choose the Crown Princess, I will turn a blind eye to the rest and not pay any more attention to them."
Qian Yuan had obviously made up his mind and refused to give in at all.
"Mother, you know exactly what I mean."
After hearing this, the Queen sneered, her eyes full of sarcasm, "Affection? Do you want to rely on this to become the Crown Prince of Dali?"
"Mother."
He wanted to ask again, but was interrupted by Rong Gu beside him.
"Your Highness, the Empress has put so much thought into preparing for the Qionghua Banquet. Now that all the palaces know about it, it's difficult to change it."
The queen grabbed the white fox fur cloak at hand, took two or three steps to Qian Yuan, pointed at him and scolded him.
"Don't you like that wild girl? Well, I'll have someone invite her in so you can see the huge gap between a lady from a noble family and that wild girl from outside the palace."
"Mother, your son..."
Qian Yuan originally wanted to make a few more excuses, but the queen did not give him any chance.
"No need to say more, just kneel down and say hello."
Rong Gu looked at the prince kneeling below, shook her head helplessly, and helped him up, "Why are you doing this?"
As the two were pulling each other, they heard a sharp cry from the eunuch outside the house.
"The Emperor has arrived."
Upon hearing that the emperor was coming, the queen, who had just returned to her room, had to come out to greet him.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The emperor glanced at everyone in the palace, frowned, and asked, "What happened?"
"Father, your son..."
Qian Yuan took a few steps forward but was stopped by the queen.
"Your Majesty, I just had a few words with Prince Xing about starting a family. It's nothing."
The emperor naturally noticed that something was wrong with the two of them and continued to ask, "Why, are you dissatisfied with your mother's vision?"
Qian Yuan shook his head, "Father, I already have a candidate in mind."
At this point, it seemed that everyone in the hall held their breath and dared not move.
The emperor sat in the hall and took the tea bowl at hand. "Go on."
Qian Yuanbian knelt down and kowtowed without hesitation and spoke frankly.
"She is a woman I met during my time as a member of the Jinwu Guard."
In an instant, the tea bowl hit the table with a bang.
"You're not going to say it's a common woman, are you?"
"Exactly."
Before Qian Yuan raised his head, he heard a sneer from the emperor.
"Okay, I asked you to go to the Jinwu Guard to take up your post and train. Is this how you train?"
Seeing the situation was not good, the Queen quickly stepped forward to offer comfort, "Your Majesty, calm down. I have already ordered him to bring that man to the Qionghua Banquet. I believe that after seeing his rude and disrespectful side, he will give up."
"I will not give up."
Qian Yuan kowtowed countless times in the hall, but he still did not change his mind.
The atmosphere in the hall was already tense, and now no one dared to speak.
It was unknown how long it was before the Emperor turned around and asked the Empress, "How many days has it snowed?"
"Your Majesty, from the twenty-eighth to the first, exactly five days."
"Prince Xing, you have always been strict and respectful, generous and kind. Now that heavy snow has spread across the capital, as a prince, you don't offer to repair the charity hall and help the refugees. Instead, you shamelessly ask me to marry you. What are your intentions?"
"Father, I know I was wrong."
"Do you know your mistake?"
The emperor became even more angry and his tone became even more severe.
"Every time I came to court, I never saw you fight for anything, yet now you're asking me to marry a commoner woman."
Seeing that the emperor was so angry, the queen was at a loss as to what to do. She could only ask him to consider the relationship between father and son.
"Your Majesty, Prince Xing was simply confused for a moment and was blinded by that woman. Please give him more time."
When the emperor heard this, he felt as if his head was being tightly clamped. He strode out of the hall and turned back to scold Qian Yuan.
"As soon as the Qionghua Banquet is over, you will immediately go to Luoshan, the hardest-hit area, to oversee disaster relief efforts. You will not be allowed to return to the capital until your mission is complete."
Qian Yuan also knew that this matter was extremely difficult, and he didn't expect to get results overnight, so he had no choice but to agree.
"Your son obeys."
Unexpectedly, the emperor, seeing his humble and submissive appearance, became even more furious. "Go, kneel at the entrance of Chengtian Hall, and do not get up until the snow stops."
"Your son will follow your father's instructions."
Qian Yuan stood up, his back straight, and headed towards Chengtian Hall.
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