Chapter 44 The Banquet Begins [VIP]
Chapter Summary: She mustered up the courage to attend the banquet for him.
Liu Shiyu, dragging his long white fox fur robe, walked down the long steps of Shiguang Hall.
She raised her head.
A cold wind surrounded her, and layers of dark clouds obscured the sunlight that fell upon the earth. For some reason, Liu Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't curious about what Wei Jingshan had tried to say in the main hall. She only wanted to get to Xu Luchuan's side as quickly as possible.
"Your Highness, you finished your business so quickly?" Lian Yue walked in from the passageway. Liu Shiyu looked up at her and smiled. "Lian Yue, quickly prepare the carriage. I need to go to the Guangcheng Prince's residence. I hope it's not too late."
"Yes." Lian Yue stopped and bowed in response.
After Liu Shiyu finished speaking, she lifted her foot and strode quickly onto the passageway. Looking back at her, Wei Jingshan stood proudly at the entrance of Shiguang Hall, leaning on his sword and gazing at the empty long staircase.
After a long while, when the figure had completely disappeared, he slowly spoke and murmured, "The Prince of Guangcheng's residence..."
"Liu Shiyu, you'll never get rid of me in this lifetime..."
...
Liu Shiyu left Shiguang Hall and went all the way out of Wanshe Palace, where he changed into a carriage bound for the Prince of Guangcheng's residence.
As the carriage began to move, Liu Shiyu sat upright inside, breathing out warm air, feeling the bumps and jolting of the journey, and couldn't help but urge, "Lian Yue, hurry up!"
Lian Yue did not respond to his words, but instead vigorously swung the long whip in her hand twice.
Liu Shiyu's emotions were mixed, so she tried to look out the car window to clear her mind. But perhaps it was because of the cold weather, the city was deserted, with only a few pedestrians, most hurrying by, making the scene seem rather desolate. So she turned her gaze back to the outside world.
The palace was not too far from the Guangcheng Prince's Mansion, and they arrived at the mansion in just a quarter of an hour.
The carriage had just stopped when the gatekeeper of the Prince's residence, seeing this unusually unassuming and antique carriage, sternly barked, "Where did this carriage come from? How dare you! The Cold Mountain Banquet has begun; no one is allowed to enter. Immediately move the carriage away and don't block our Prince's residence gate!"
Lian Yue put down the reins, turned around, and glared fiercely at the person who was shouting.
To everyone's surprise, the gatekeeper turned out to be a hothead.
Seeing Lian Yue glaring at him, he continued to rely on the prestige of the Prince's Mansion to retort, "Hey? Can't you hear what I said? You dare to glare at me? Don't you know where you are?"
"What place? Isn't this the Guangcheng Prince's Mansion?" Liu Shiyu's disdainful voice came from inside the carriage. "I'll take a look at this Cold Mountain Banquet today. Whether I can get in or not, I'll have your Princess Ningzhen come and fetch me personally."
Liu Shiyu left those words hanging.
But this gatekeeper was truly stubborn; he remained unperturbed and continued to shout, "Ha! You have quite the nerve! What right do you have to make our Prince's most beloved Third Princess come out to greet us?"
Seeing this, Lian Yue jumped down from the carriage, drew her long sword, and pressed it against the gatekeeper's shoulder, saying contemptuously, "Enough nonsense. You can only choose one: die here or go in and call your princess out."
Choose.
As Lian Yue spoke, she extended her sword even further, and her ruthlessness was exactly the same as Lian Xing's.
"I...I...I'll go fetch the Third Princess right now, you all just wait."
Seeing this, the gatekeeper retreated a few steps and ran into the mansion in a flash. Taking advantage of the situation, Lian Yue sheathed her longsword and stood in front of the carriage, waiting quietly with Liu Shiyu inside for Liu Shuangshuang's arrival.
...
Inside the Prince's mansion, the banquet had just begun, but everyone was already chatting enthusiastically.
The gatekeeper searched the banquet hall but couldn't find Liu Shuangshuang. Puzzled, he grabbed a passing maid and asked, "Have you seen our Third Princess?"
"Third Princess? I just heard from the people in the West Garden that the Third Princess is still getting ready. Why don't you go and look for her in the West Garden?" The maid replied and hurriedly left. The gatekeeper scratched his head upon hearing this. The banquet has already started? Why is the Third Princess still getting ready?
But he didn't have time to think about it and hurriedly walked towards the West Garden.
The gatekeeper had just reached the West Garden gate and hadn't even had a chance to announce his arrival when Liu Shuangshuang sauntered out, leading people out. Upon seeing this, the gatekeeper hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully said, "This servant greets the Princess. May the Princess be well."
Upon hearing the voice, Liu Shuangshuang lowered her eyes and looked at the person in front of her impatiently, saying, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"
The gatekeeper bowed and reported, "Your Highness, I am the gatekeeper at the gate. There is a disturbance outside, shouting that you must come out and greet me personally. She even said that if I do not come in to invite you, she will kill me. It is extremely arrogant, so I have come to report this. Please make a decision, Your Highness."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shuangshuang immediately flew into a rage, her eyes widening as she angrily rebuked, "Who dares to make this princess personally greet them? How dare they! Are they tired of living?! Come, lead the way! This princess wants to see who dares to cause trouble at the Guangcheng Prince's residence!"
Xiao Fan, the maidservant serving Liu Shuangshuang, knew her domineering nature best and quickly spoke up to dissuade her, saying, "Princess, the banquet has already started. It would be quite impolite if you didn't go. As for the matter outside, just have Lingfeng take a few servants to drive them away. Why do you have to go yourself?"
"Impolite? Who dares to say I'm impolite? Let them wait and see. I'm going to meet the truly impolite person outside the gate."
Unexpectedly, Liu Shuangshuang insisted on her own way, and after saying those words, she stormed out of the mansion.
Xiao Fan shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to hurry after them.
...
Liu Shuangshuang arrived at the gate of the mansion in a menacing manner.
Standing on the steps, she put her hands on her hips, not even glancing at Lian Yue, and began to call out loudly to Liu Shiyu's carriage, "Let me see which ungrateful person is so shameless as to ask me to come and fetch them!"
Upon hearing her voice, Liu Shiyu let out a cold laugh inside the car.
She wasn't angry.
She had forgotten how long it had been since she had seen her cousin, who had been spoiled and domineering since childhood by the Prince of Guangcheng. Hearing her speak for a moment even brought a touch of nostalgia. Remembering how Liu Shijin had bullied her and left her humiliated, Liu Shiyu couldn't stop laughing in the carriage.
"What is she laughing at?" Liu Shuangshuang was confused by the reaction of the people in the car, while Xiao Fan remained silent.
Liu Shiyu slowly descended from the carriage, lifting the cotton curtain. She glanced sideways at Liu Shuangshuang and asked, "Is it someone as shameless as me who made you, Princess, come to fetch me personally? Does the Princess have any complaints?"
Liu Shuangshuang turned around upon hearing the sound, and was immediately stunned when she saw Liu Shiyu's face clearly. She lowered her hands from her hips and stumbled a few steps towards Liu Shiyu.
Liu Shiyu quickly caught her, and Liu Shuangshuang gently supported her in her arms, smiling apologetically, "Princess Cousin, you...you've come."
"What? Princess Ningzhen doesn't welcome me?" Liu Shiyu said expressionlessly, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. The chill in her eyes made Liu Shuangshuang tremble.
Liu Shuangshuang, shameless as ever, completely ignored what had just happened. She continued with a smile, "Welcome! It's Shuangshuang's honor that my cousin could come. I'm overjoyed. How could I not welcome her?"
The oblivious gatekeeper behind them, seeing this scene, finally understood what fear meant.
He turned to Xiao Fan and asked softly, "Princess...?"
Xiao Fan glanced at the incompetent and troublesome gatekeeper and said irritably, "Do you know who you've offended? This is no ordinary princess; she is the Grand Princess who protects the country, serving His Majesty. You're finished. Good luck to you."
Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper lost all his previous arrogance. He hurriedly rolled to Liu Shiyu's feet and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Liu Shiyu listened to Liu Shuangshuang's words but didn't reply. Instead, she helped her up and looked down at the gatekeeper on the ground.
Liu Shiyu's eyes instantly sharpened as he addressed the man, "How could the Prince's mansion raise such a servant? Send him to Ninth Uncle. Tell him everything that happened today. Let Ninth Uncle make the decision himself."
"yes."
Xiao Fan was quick-witted. As soon as Liu Shiyu finished speaking, he quickly called several servants to drag the hateful gatekeeper away from the front of the Prince's Mansion.
Turning back to the stunned princess, Xiao Fan quickly spoke up to smooth things over, "Your Highness, Princess. That ungrateful fellow has already been sent away. Please don't let such a person spoil the mood. It's getting late, and the Cold Mountain Banquet has begun. Please, both of you, enter the mansion."
Hearing this, Liu Shuangshuang seized the opportunity while Xiao Fan was talking and took Liu Shiyu's arm, "Yes, cousin. Don't let anyone spoil the fun, please come into the mansion with Shuangshuang."
Liu Shiyu looked at Liu Shuangshuang and said nothing more. She was letting her off the hook today for the sake of Prince Guangcheng. If there was a next time, she would never be so lenient again.
Liu Shiyu lifted his foot, and the group entered through the mansion gate and walked onto the road leading to the Cold Mountain Banquet.
On the way, Liu Shuangshuang confidently swung her arm around Liu Shiyu's, saying, "Cousin, I invite you every year, but you're always busy. Why did you come in person this year? Oh, right, since you're here, I'll send someone to inform Father. He should be walking his birds in the East Garden right now!"
As Liu Shuangshuang spoke, she was about to raise her hand to call someone, but Liu Shiyu pressed her down, saying, "No need to disturb Uncle Jiu. I'm just here to attend a banquet to relax. I have nothing else to do."
"I see." Liu Shuangshuang nodded. "Then have fun, cousin! There are quite a few promising young men here today~ If you find someone you like, Shuangshuang will introduce you!"
Liu Shiyu remained silent and released her hand that was holding hers.
A promising young talent? No one's young talent can compare to even one ten-thousandth of Xu Luchuan's. She only came for one person.
As Liu Shiyu walked through the corridor, he could hear the bustling noise of people in the South Garden from afar.
The Prince Guangcheng's Mansion is bustling with activity today.
Liu Shiyu hadn't attended such a grand banquet in many years. She nervously tightened her fur robe slightly, concealing her anxiety. As they approached the South Garden, Liu Shiyu took a deep breath and followed Liu Shuangshuang inside.
...
The banquet at Hanshan was bustling with activity.
The crowd first noticed Liu Shuangshuang leading the way. Then, when someone noticed Liu Shiyu who followed, the crowd began to stir.
"Am I seeing things? Behind Princess Ningzhen... is that the Grand Princess Protector of the Nation? Good heavens! Why is the Grand Princess here? Isn't she the one who dislikes dealing with us the most?"
...
"What...what should we do? With this female demon around, how can we possibly have any fun?"
...
"Shut up! If you want to live, shut up."
The crowd cautiously murmured their complaints.
Liu Shiyu, however, remained as cold and aloof as ever, seemingly unconcerned about the criticism. She simply brushed away the chill in her eyes with love, piercing through layers of obstacles, and settling into a pair of eyes that had always been watching over her.
Standing tall beneath the green pine, Xu Luchuan gazed at it with deep affection, a mixture of surprise and joy.
They looked at each other. He didn't speak, but his meaning was clear.
Finally, for Xu Luchuan's sake, Liu Shiyu mustered up the courage to stand before them once again. This was also the first step she took in her new life.
Just as the crowd reached a stalemate, someone in the crowd who supported Liu Shiyu suddenly spoke up and shouted, "This humble subject greets the Protector-General Princess and Princess Ningzhen. May Your Highness and Princess be well!"
Upon hearing this, everyone echoed the sentiment. After all, no one would be foolish enough to truly want to oppose Liu Shiyu.
As the cheers subsided, Liu Shiyu waved her sleeve, displaying the majesty of a princess. She spoke, "Today there is no need for formalities between subjects; you need not stand on ceremony. I wish you all a pleasant journey and a pleasant journey home."
After speaking, Liu Shiyu glanced at Liu Shuangshuang beside her.
Liu Shuangshuang quickly chimed in, "Since my cousin has spoken, let's come with high spirits and leave with high spirits!"
As cheers erupted, the tense atmosphere finally eased. Liu Shuangshuang walked over to Liu Shiyu and invited her, "Cousin, please come with me. Let's take the seats of honor."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu smiled and nodded, a rare occurrence for her.
Seeing her long-lost smile, Liu Shuangshuang exclaimed in surprise, "Cousin, you're smiling? Shuangshuang hasn't seen you smile in ages! You look so beautiful when you smile. You always have that stern face. Even Shuangshuang is afraid of you, let alone others!"
Liu Shuangshuang, with a coquettish tone, pounced on Liu Shiyu.
Liu Shiyu reached out and gently took her arm, saying, "Alright, let's go sit down."
"Yes! Cousin, please come with Shuangshuang~"
Liu Shuangshuang still affectionately took Liu Shiyu's arm and led her to sit down in the high Rushuang Pavilion.
Once the two were seated, the servants around them served them fine wine and delicacies.
Looking at the table laden with delicacies, Liu Shiyu couldn't help but think of Xu Luchuan. She thought, "Our Xiao Lü certainly never gets to eat such good food." She really wanted to share it with Xiao Lü, but alas, she couldn't even get close to him right now. What a worry!
She felt that she and Xu Luchuan were truly a pair of star-crossed lovers. Even though they were so close, it felt like they were worlds apart.
Liu Shiyu casually picked up the winter wine poured by the maid and couldn't help but smile. She thought about the jar she and Xu Luchuan had brewed a few days ago, which would be ready to be opened around this time next year. At that time, she would definitely learn how to cook for him herself.
"Cousin, what's making you so happy? Tell Shuangshuang quickly." Liu Shuangshuang, who was sitting to the side, noticed Liu Shiyu smiling unconsciously again and immediately came over.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu put down the winter wine in his hand and silently looked towards the garden.
When she turned her head and saw a graceful young woman not far away, surrounded by a constant stream of young men who came to greet her, she couldn't help but ask Liu Shuangshuang beside her, "Shuangshuang, whose daughter is that? She's so popular."
[Author's Note]
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 20:05:42 on December 21, 2022 and 20:07:59 on December 23, 2022!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Summer Clouds (2 bottles); 54477256 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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