Chapter 51 (Meeting Princess Mingyue)
Kunning Palace.
Bang!
The porcelain clattered to the ground. The Empress, barely containing her anger, sneered, "You've grown bolder, you've got brains now. You know you can't get your fiefdom from me, so you go to His Majesty to warn me. Ha! I truly underestimated this daughter. She is indeed Consort Shu's child, an ungrateful dog!"
"Your Highness, please don't be angry." Yuejian quickly brought over tea to help her calm down. "This fiefdom originally belonged to the princess. It's unreasonable for Your Highness to keep it in your hands. Let her take it if she wants."
"However, getting there is one thing, but whether you can control the people below is another. Given her temperament, Your Majesty might as well sit back and watch the show, why bother worrying?"
The Empress took a sip of tea and gradually calmed down. "You're right. With His Majesty watching, I can't do anything unnecessary. In that case, Yuejian, go and bring the account books over and send them to the Princess's residence."
"I'd like to see how she manages the accounts and keeps those people under her thumb..."
*
The Empress sent over a great many account books, and every single entry had to be carefully checked. Shen Panyan was so busy that she completely forgot about the Spring Festival banquet.
Currently, she has two head maids by her side, namely Zhuzhi and Qingdai, who were her personal maids selected after she moved into the princess's residence.
With personal maids, she didn't have to worry about everything, but Shen Panyan didn't trust them. So, she didn't let them stay by her side all the time, and they weren't allowed to enter or leave the study where important account books and documents were kept at will.
Bamboo Branch and Green Indigo were obedient and never bothered her, quietly doing their own thing.
But now, they have no choice but to bother them.
Princess Showa had already received Emperor Gan Ning's instructions, and on the day of the Spring Festival banquet, just as dawn was breaking, she sent someone with a carriage to invite the guests.
Zhu Zhi tiptoed into the study, curtsied, and said, "Princess."
"What is it?" Shen Pan didn't even lift his cigarette butt, his voice indifferent.
"The carriage sent by Princess Showa to fetch you for the Spring Festival banquet has been waiting outside the residence for quite some time..."
"A Spring Festival banquet?" Shen Panyan finally looked up from the mountain of account books and rubbed her temples.
What kind of Spring Festival banquet?
Zhu Zhi whispered a reminder, "It's a banquet that all eligible young ladies and gentlemen from noble families in the capital attend."
In the Zhaoyan Kingdom, there was no strict separation between men and women. Banquets like the Spring Festival Banquet, which were ostensibly for appreciating spring but were actually matchmaking events, were commonplace.
Since the host of this banquet was Princess Showa, the daughter of the late emperor and the sister of the current emperor, it goes without saying that the families invited by her were exceptional.
Everyone was desperate to get in, except for their own princess, who didn't care.
Zhuzhi whispered again, "Princess, almost half an hour has passed. We can't afford to waste any more time. Princess Zhaohua is an elder, and her carriage has been waiting outside the residence since early this morning..."
Shen Panyan then remembered what her father had said that day, and sighed, "I understand."
After instructing the accountant to proofread carefully, she got up and walked out of the mansion.
Let's go.
Seeing her leave like this, Zhuzhi immediately became anxious, "Princess, today is the Spring Festival banquet, why don't you dress up and change your clothes..."
"No need." Shen Panyan didn't want to get married so soon in the first place. She couldn't refuse her father, so she wanted to postpone the matter as long as possible.
Her outfit was just plain and simple, nothing wrong with it.
Unable to dissuade the princess, Zhuzhi had no choice but to anxiously follow.
*
Princess Showa was favored by the late emperor, and her residence occupied a vast area. Now, in the spring, flowers were in full bloom, and the garden was filled with fragrance. Servants carried tea and pastries back and forth, while elegantly dressed noble ladies chatted and laughed, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
The Spring Festival banquet was divided into men's and women's tables, separated by a gauze curtain. Neither side could see the other's face, only their slender figures and tall stature, standing or sitting. The wind blew, and the gauze curtain fluttered, creating an atmosphere of inexplicable elegance that stirred the imagination.
The noble ladies who arrived early had already gathered in twos and threes with acquaintances.
Although the banquet was hosted by Showa no Chō, it was not she who was in charge of the arrangements, but her daughter, Princess Minami.
Princess Nanhe was easygoing and had excellent relationships with the noble ladies of the capital; she could chat with almost anyone. Seeing that the banquet was about to begin, yet she only invited everyone to take their seats without moving herself, the host became curious. "Princess, is there someone who hasn't arrived yet?"
Who dares to arrive so late? This is a banquet hosted by Showa no Chō-kō.
Princess Nanhe smiled and said, "There is still one distinguished guest who has not yet arrived."
"My mother told me to take good care of her. You don't need to worry about me, go and have fun. We'll be playing games soon, and there are many good young men on the other side, so don't miss out."
Her words made everyone blush, and they stopped asking questions. They all looked towards the gauze curtain, whispering amongst themselves, suppressing their shyness as they discussed the matter quietly.
As the curtains of the Spring Festival banquet were slowly lifted, Shen Panyan finally arrived late.
"Princess Mingyue has arrived!"
As the young woman, with her flowing robes, graceful demeanor, and gentle, beautiful face, slowly approached, everyone at the banquet fell silent and turned to look.
"That's Princess Mingyue?"
"I've heard that Princess Mingyue is very quiet and never attends banquets. Why is she here for the Spring Festival Banquet today?"
"Princess Mingyue has already come of age and is well past the age of marriage. She is probably choosing a husband."
"I wonder who she'll take a liking to..."
The crowd whispered among themselves. Princess Nanhe quickly went to greet her with a warm smile, "Sister Mingyue, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so long."
Shen Panyan bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling well this morning, which is why I was delayed for so long. I'm so sorry to have kept Sister Nanhe waiting. It's all Mingyue's fault."
Princess Nanhe said, "We're family, why are we talking like this? You're not late, the Spring Festival banquet is just starting now, Mingyue, please come with me to your seat."
The Spring Festival banquet was held around a winding stream, with men seated at the top and women at the bottom.
After the banquet begins, the host will place wine cups on the upper reaches of the stream. The wine cups will float downstream, and whoever the wine cup stops in front of when it passes the men's seats must compose a poem.
Next, the wine cups will continue to flow down the river until they reach the women's table.
If a noblewoman is interested in the gentleman in front of her when the wine cup stops, she must continue the poem that was recited before her.
After the poem is recited, if the young man in front also takes a liking to her, he can have someone scoop up his wine cup and drink it. If he is not interested, he must compose another poem as an apology, and the two of them will be eliminated, and the next person will take his place.
However, if the noble lady is not interested, she will place a fallen flower on the wine cup and let the wine continue to flow down until the two people either take a liking to each other or are eliminated from the game.
The so-called fate is predetermined. The rules of this game are not complicated, and everyone is just looking for fun. Later on, it even turned into a poetry contest between men and women, which was quite lively.
During the Spring Festival banquet, if a man and a woman truly take a liking to each other, they will get up and leave their seats to stroll in the nearby waterside pavilion.
The best spot is where Chenpanyan sits, and it's also the winding path where the wine cups almost always stop.
She was very uncomfortable with this kind of game, especially when the wine cup stopped. Faced with the curious, eager, and nervous gazes of everyone, Shen Panyan became restless. She forced a smile, picked up a flower petal from the side with her pale fingertips, and gently placed it in the wine cup. Then she picked up her teacup to hide her unnatural expression.
Watching cup after cup of wine slip through her fingers, Princess Nanhe, who had already been instructed to do so, couldn't help but feel a little anxious. She stood up and whispered in her ear, "Hasn't Sister Mingyue taken a fancy to any young master?"
She assumed that Shen Panyan, having spent most of her time in the palace, was unfamiliar with the scions of prominent families in the capital, so she introduced them to her in a low voice.
"Look, Mingyue, that's the youngest son of the Minister of War, named Wang Linzhi. He's of excellent stature..."
"And that one too, he's quite good, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel..."
Shen Panyan appeared to be listening, but her mind was already wandering far away. Then, coincidentally, Princess Nanhe pointed to a man in a snow-blue robe with a handsome face, and his wine cup stopped right in front of Shen Panyan.
Princess Nanhe quickly reached out and tugged at her sleeve, suppressing the joy in her eyes, "Sister Mingyue, the wine cups are here. Quickly compose a poem. This is Lu Yunqi, the son of the Minister of Rites, who was the top scholar in the previous imperial examination."
Princess Nanhe lowered her voice, "I've heard that he's been virtuous and devoted to his studies since childhood, never even having a concubine. Not only is he kind, but he's also handsome. Most of the noble ladies at today's Spring Festival banquet are here because of him, so you absolutely can't miss it..."
Having no other choice, Shen Panyan looked up, only to find that Lu Yunqi also seemed to notice someone watching him and turned to look at her.
Shen Panyan froze on the spot, her pupils shrinking sharply.
The man turned his head and saw that it was Princess Mingyue looking at him. He was taken aback for a moment, then cupped his hands, his eyes and brows smiling gently, and said silently, "Greetings, Princess Mingyue."
—His feeling was so familiar... too familiar, so familiar that she almost thought it was Lin Xiao sitting there.
Shen Panyan could barely control her emotions; her fingertips, which were holding the flower petals, trembled.
"Sister Mingyue, what's wrong?" Princess Nanhe was very close to her and quickly noticed that something was wrong with her.
"You do know him?"
Shen Panyan quickly looked away, forcing a smile, "No, I don't know her."
"His name is Lu Yunqi?"
"Yes, I heard that he was in poor health since childhood and was raised by the Lu family in his hometown until three years ago when he returned to the capital for the imperial examination. He was extremely talented and was personally awarded the title of top scholar by His Majesty." Princess Nanhe explained in a low voice.
Shen Panyan calmed her flustered emotions and placed the flower petals in the wine cup. "Sister Nanhe, since he was personally appointed the top scholar by the Emperor, he must have great ambitions. How could he possibly cut off his career to become my son-in-law?"
Princess Nanhe said in a low voice, "Sister Mingyue, the Lu family is just a newly emerging noble family in the capital. In the court, only Lord Lu is a second-rank Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. The other members are all minor fifth-rank officials. Don't be fooled by how popular Lu Yunqi is. The truly well-established young ladies of noble families would look down on the Lu family."
"The Lu family's foundation is too weak. If they make a mistake, they will be doomed. Now, they have gained the Emperor's favor, which is like adding oil to a raging fire. Who knows when they might burn themselves to ashes?"
"If you agree, the Lu family will have an extra lifeline. As long as they don't do anything reckless, the Lu family can enjoy three generations of wealth and honor. It's just that one member will lose real power. Noble families always seek stability. This is a good thing that many people would rather die than have. How could Lu Yunqi be so ungrateful? Don't overthink it."
Shen Panyan frowned.
Although marriages among prominent families in the capital are mostly for profit, the feeling of having everything so openly displayed for others to choose from still made Shen Panyan very uncomfortable.
She pursed her lips into a thin line. "Sister Nanhe, I'm not feeling well. I'll go for a walk first. Excuse me, I'm sorry."
After saying this, she got up and left her seat. Princess Nanhe sighed as she watched her receding figure.
She probably won't be able to complete the task her mother assigned her.
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