Chapter 247 Chrysanthemum Banquet
When I returned to Tangyuan, the sound of the piano could no longer be heard.
Instead, there were some lively sounds.
Sun Wei was stunned.
Cao Song came out and saluted her: "The princess is here."
"Why are you here?" Sun Wei looked inside in surprise, "The Crown Prince and Princess..."
"The princess is in the garden, admiring the chrysanthemums with the ladies of the other families." Cao Song said, "They are all waiting for the princess."
"Waiting for me?" Sun Wei was puzzled.
As soon as he finished speaking, Princess Wanshou came out.
Seeing Sun Wei, she said angrily, "The prince invited us to come and appreciate the chrysanthemums, but why did the princess come only now?"
Sun Wei was about to speak when he suddenly saw Sima Jun coming out.
"My lady is back," he said.
Sun Wei looked at him suspiciously, only to see a calm expression on his face, as if everything was natural.
She had no choice but to agree with a smile and go in with everyone else.
"Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. When the late king was alive, a chrysanthemum banquet would be held every year on this day." Arriving in the garden, Cao Song said to Sun Wei, "This chrysanthemum banquet is specially held for women. Those who come are the relatives of the families on good terms with the palace. Last year, due to the late king's recent death, it wasn't held. This morning, the crown prince said that although the late king is gone, his reputation lives on. While banquets and entertainment aren't allowed, the relatives of the families can still be invited to enjoy the chrysanthemums. So, he sent out his officials early to deliver invitations to each family. This was a very rushed event, so only twenty or thirty people have come. In previous years, there would have been hundreds of people. A buffet would have been set up in the garden, and the feast would have lasted until night."
Sun Wei understood.
No wonder Sima Jun agreed so readily that day, it turned out he had planned it all along.
Arriving at the Chrysanthemum Garden, they found that all the visitors were women. They were all dressed in plain clothes, looking solemn and dignified in the Chrysanthemum Garden.
Seeing Sun Wei coming, everyone came forward to greet him.
"In the past, when Prince Yuzhang was still alive, he knew that I and I loved the flowers in this garden. Every festive occasion, he would invite me to admire the blossoms and scenery," an elderly woman lamented to Sun Wei. "Now that he's gone, looking at these flowers again, everything has changed. How can I not feel nostalgic?"
Everyone responded, and there was sadness in their words.
Princess Wanshou said, "Although Prince Yuzhang is gone, we still have the princess and the crown prince. The splendor of Tang Garden remains. You should mourn for him and not let him down."
When everyone heard this, they looked relieved and agreed.
Sun Wei did not dare to be negligent and entertained the women with a solemn expression on his face.
Wang Xuanji was also among them, looking uncertain.
"After the princess left, guests arrived one after another," Wang Xuanji said, "and then the prince went to greet them."
As she spoke, she kept glancing at Sima Jun who was talking with Princess Wanshou.
Sun Wei cursed Sima Jun in her heart, and could only speak kindly to Wang Xuanji, "I didn't know the prince had invited guests today. Please don't blame me, my lady."
Wang Xuanji smiled and shook her head slightly.
"How could I blame the princess?" she said. "I've known the prince's character since I was a child. Whatever he doesn't want to do, he always finds a way to ruin it, and no one can stop him."
Sun Wei looked at her: "Are you disappointed, Lady?"
"It's already hopeless, so how can I be disappointed?" Wang Xuanji curled her lips. "Just to hear the prince play the zither for me today, I'm already satisfied. I remember that the prince once said that he only plays the zither for those closest to him. Even the eldest princess wanted to listen, but he refused."
That look was full of longing.
It’s really great.
Sun Wei thought that she had never heard Sima Jun play the piano in her previous life.
This chrysanthemum banquet consisted only of appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking tea, with no other entertainment. After appreciating the chrysanthemums and paying tribute to Prince Yuzhang, the imperial family members dispersed.
Sima Jun personally escorted Princess Wanshou back to the mansion. Sun Wei had no choice but to send Wang Xuanji onto the carriage, and then went back to the mansion himself.
When returning to Wufeng Courtyard, Sun Wei suddenly heard Sima Jun's voice behind her: "Madam, please stay."
She turned her head and watched him walking towards her.
In Tang Garden, she had thought angrily that when she returned to the palace, she would definitely scold this brat and ask him why he was acting so recklessly, making her almost embarrassed in front of Wang Xuanji.
But there are bigger things weighing on my mind.
Seeing Sima Jun, Sun Wei suddenly didn't want to argue with him anymore.
Today, there are too many things she can't do anything about.
"I'm tired. If the prince has something to say, let's talk about it tomorrow." Sun Wei said lightly and turned away.
The footsteps behind me suddenly got closer.
Sima Jun took two quick steps and blocked Sun Wei's way.
Fortunately, Sun Wei stopped in time, otherwise she would have hit him head-on.
She glared at him.
Sima Jun just looked down at her and asked, "What happened?"
He actually came to ask her.
"Nothing, I'm just tired." Sun Wei replied calmly, "The prince has something to say, we'll discuss it tomorrow."
Sima Jun looked at her for a while, then said "hmm" and made way.
Watching Sun Wei's figure disappear at the other end of the corridor, Sima Jun immediately asked someone to call Yin Wen to the study.
"I followed Madam all the way to the pier outside the South Gate." Yin Wen reported.
Sima Jun asked, "What is she doing there?"
"Madam was just in the car, apparently looking towards the dock from afar." Yin Wen paused, then said, "Master Yu was also there, seeing off a guest at the dock."
Sima Jun raised his eyes.
"The guests that Master Yu saw off were none other than the Sun family who lived in Chunzhi Lane. However, the Sun family stayed. That day, Sun Zhi, the man the Crown Prince met in Chunzhi Lane, suddenly arrived at the dock and detained the Sun family."
Sima Jun listened and suddenly found it interesting.
"How do you know that it is the Sun family?" he asked.
"Sir, do you remember the young master named Sun Qiao whom I met that day in Chunzhi Lane? I have seen him. He was traveling with a couple. I believe that couple is the owner of the house in Chunzhi Lane, Sun Zhi's uncle Sun Nian."
Sima Jun nodded slightly and suddenly thought of Lu.
She went to the dock, perhaps not for Yu Yi, but for the Sun family.
She and the Sun family...
A pair of eyes suddenly flashed through Sima Jun's mind.
——"I would like to ask, how can I become a disciple of the Crown Prince?"
The young man looked up at him, his eyes bright and familiar.
He stood up suddenly.
"What's wrong with the prince?" Yin Wen was startled by his sudden action.
Sima Jun suppressed his fluctuating emotions: "Anything else?"
Yin Wen continued, "After leaving the dock, the princess went to Yongfu Pavilion, the same place she had bought agarwood earlier. She stayed there for quite a while. During that time, three people entered the pavilion. I sent people to follow them and discovered that one of them had come from Master Yu's residence."
Sima Jun's eyes were sharp, yet increasingly profound.
He thought for a moment, then turned to Deng Lian and Yin Wen and instructed, "Listen carefully, the two of you. Don't let anyone else know what happened today."
The tone was quite stern, and the two of them quickly agreed.
Sima Jun then said to Yin Wen, "Go to the Sun residence in person and find Sun Qiao alone. Tell him I want to see him."
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