The emperor's concubines, children, and relatives all gathered in the hall, waiting for the emperor to come out.
Standing next to Concubine Xiang were the Prince of Wu and his wife, the Prince of Yongqing, and the concubine's family members who came back with the Prince of Wu. Concubine Xiang was the biological mother of the Prince of Wu and an old lady close to the Emperor.
The mother and son haven't seen each other for many years and are not very close. Maybe it's to avoid people.
On the other side, Prince An and his family were accompanying Concubine Xian. Prince An was the emperor's late-born son, and his children were still young.
The virtuous concubine was not very capable, she was calm and low-key. She was related to the queen, who had no children, so she treated Prince An well and stood up for him. He was the only prince that the queen could treat well.
Prince Yun died outside a few years ago, and his mother also died of illness a long time ago.
The emperor felt a little distressed, but maybe also relieved!
He specially invited Princess Yun, her son Prince Yongping, and her daughter Princess Yongan back to the capital, and treated them all very well.
The mother of Prince Kang was gone, and he had few children. Over the years, he had done a few things and reported them to the emperor, which greatly impressed him. One of them conflicted with the affairs of Prince An, which caused his dissatisfaction.
There were also several concubines who either had daughters but no sons, or had nothing at all. They had no worries about food and drink, but their lives were hard.
After the Emperor was over fifty, he was no longer interested in women, and in recent years, no new women entered the palace. The old ones died, and the new ones did not replace them. So, now there are only a few people.
Next to them were three princesses, the emperor's cousin, and brothers and cousins.
There are all kinds of people.
I don’t know what they are thinking in their hearts, but on the surface, they all look friendly.
The emperor is suspicious and ruthless. These people can eat, drink and have fun, and it's okay if they go out of the circle. But there are some things that must be done with caution. Otherwise, the end will be miserable.
He has killed a son.
The prince was wrapped in thick mink fur and was supported in by the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince.
As soon as he came in, he bowed to Xiang Guifei and said, "Xiang Guifei, other Guifeis...uncle." Although his complexion was not good and his breath was weak, his voice was gentle and soft, and his manner was elegant.
No one dared to provoke the prince's health, even Xiang Guifei hurriedly said, "Prince, don't be so polite, please sit inside."
King Wu and King An also stood up, with their hands hanging down: "Second brother!"
The princes and others were even more respectful and polite.
The princesses are usually flamboyant, but they have to restrain themselves in front of the prince.
The prince nodded. He was polite but not overly polite. He walked to the innermost part, next to the emperor's throne.
The Crown Princess helped him take off his thick mink fur. The Crown Prince had a thin cloak draped over his arm, which he carefully put on.
Many people watched coldly and laughed in their hearts: This family is relying on this sickly child, and who knows how long he can last. If he can't hold on... Opportunities and crises coexist! The prince sat on a chair covered with thick cushions.
The grandson treated his father very considerately and told the prince: "Today, when you are having dinner with the royal grandfather, you can only drink some hot water, and you can't even touch the tea."
The prince looked at him and said mischievously, "What about the wine?" After saying that, his mouth moved slightly, and it was obvious that he was greedy.
The Crown Princess looked at her husband and son with tenderness.
"Ask the Emperor. If he allows you to drink, I will pour it for you."
"Ask me what?"
A gentle voice came from a little old man who walked in from the side hall.
He is not tall and very thin.
The eyebrows are very long, almost covering the upper eyelids.
He walked out casually with his hands behind his back, without any sign of imperial majesty.
Behind them followed the queen dressed in bright yellow.
But this little old man made everyone present stand up at once.
The Crown Prince also quickly helped the Prince up. He did not dare to be careless in his heart, but a shameless smile appeared on his face. He said, "Grandfather, my father wants to drink!" He looked like he was making a complaint.
The emperor glanced at the prince with dissatisfaction.
The prince smiled but said nothing.
The Queen laughed and said, "Does the Crown Prince know whether he can drink or not? You don't know, Grandson? You bring up something that has no basis and make the Emperor anxious? What's the point..."
The prince pretended not to hear anything. He came close to the emperor and whispered something. The emperor didn't know what he said to him.
It seems that the father and son are quite close.
The Crown Prince bowed and smiled at the Queen without saying anything.
The Crown Princess' face turned pale with anger.
Of course the Queen knew that the Crown Prince was just joking, and given her status, it was very unbecoming of her to say that.
But she was going to say it.
"..." The prince didn't want to agree, "Father, there is a football game today. Qi Huan is going to play..." He wanted to watch, so he pleaded with the emperor in a low voice.
"You mean, you want me to cancel the game!?" the emperor said slowly.
“Father…”
The emperor snorted and sat down in the main seat.
Everyone knelt down and saluted, congratulating the emperor on his longevity.
After the ceremony, stand up and present the gift.
The gifts were placed on the table next to them and on the ground. The gift list was handed to the emperor, who flipped through it casually.
“You’re so thoughtful!” He didn’t take it seriously.
The prince returned to his throne and the crown prince helped him sit down.
The queen slowly sat on her throne.
This queen has a temperamental personality. She doesn't seem to be afraid of the emperor and often does things that are not appropriate for a queen.
But the strange thing is that even as a cruel emperor, he didn't care much about her.
…
Wen Yu didn't come after all.
Because there seems to be an unwritten rule: girls who are engaged but not married cannot run around everywhere, otherwise they will be considered disrespectful.
Therefore, Mrs. Qi didn't care whether Wen Yu went or not.
Old Mrs. Wen and Mrs. Yuan, as well as Wen Huan and Wen Jiao, dressed up and got in the car and left.
Wen Wan and Wen Su were left behind, filled with envy.
When they arrived at the palace gate, there were female officials and guards who would check them in. Each family could only bring in one servant at most.
According to the instructions on the post, we arrived at the designated place and found that just as Yuan said, the Wen family could not get to the front.
But wherever she can reach, Old Lady Wen can see it.
Looking carefully: This hall is so big and so high!
The roof is decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, with colorful palace lanterns hanging from it, tall doors and windows, thick pillars, and huge carpets. Bronze cranes are spewing fragrant mist...
Oh my god, it really is a royal palace, so magnificent! I don't know where to look, it's dazzling...
Those present were all women and girls, all wearing jewels and precious stones, and none of them spoke loudly.
When I meet someone I know, I only make eye contact...
So many people, yet they are so quiet! They are all my sons, and I have a day to stand here! Old Mrs. Wen was excited, and her pride was beyond words. Her eyes were wet... She wiped them quickly.
Wen Jiao is usually spoiled, but when she comes here, she is like a little lamb, with eyes fluttering and following her grandmother's every move.
Wen Huan was very generous. When he saw an acquaintance, he smiled and waved quietly to say hello.
Yuan also looked very relaxed, nodding or whispering to the people around him in a graceful manner.
Yuan secretly observed her mother-in-law and felt a little contempt for her when she saw her behavior.
A path was laid in the middle of the hall with a single-colored carpet. From time to time, a lady with a girl in her best clothes would walk by and head into the hall.
It is obvious from the aura that he is not an ordinary person.
Occasionally, someone would walk by and whisper: This is from XX's...
Old Mrs. Wen saluted.
Wen Jiao suddenly pulled old lady Wen: "Grandma! Madam Qi!" She didn't dare to speak loudly, and leaned close to the old lady's ear excitedly.
Old Lady Wen followed Wen Jiao's finger and saw that it was indeed Madam Qi! She was dressed in her best clothes today, looking straight ahead, and walked in slowly.
Yuan didn't hear what Wen Jiao said, but seeing her pointing so excitedly...
She also looked over. There were several people in the group, whom she didn't recognize. Suddenly, she understood: the Qi family? The first one was a woman who should be quite old, but looked quite young. She had a smile on her face, and was very easygoing! Maybe she met an acquaintance, so she would smile more deeply at a certain place or a certain person.
The person following behind her had very fair skin and ordinary looks. She didn't wear many pieces of jewelry, but each piece was extraordinary.
A little arrogant, but not abrupt... Maybe I'm used to it!
This is probably Madam Qi...
Yuan pursed her lips. She looked so picky and difficult to get along with, so why would she fall for Wen Yu?
If it's because of appearance, the girls here are all as pretty as flowers, so who is wrong?