Chapter 586: Crown Princess’ Birthday Banquet

"Zihang——"

Wei Shuangyan rushed in, tears streaming down her face, and knelt in front of Wei Zihang's bed, "It's my second sister who is sorry for you. If you want to blame me, I won't hold any grudges against you."

Wei Zihang was lying in bed with a severe headache and couldn't get up. He sighed when he heard what Wei Shuangyan did and said weakly: "...Second sister, get up. I don't blame you."

Hearing this, Wei Shuangyan's eyes were filled with tears: "Zihang, you really don't blame me?... It's okay if you don't forgive me. I will kneel here until you forgive me."

Wei Zihang responded with a good temper, but his voice was extremely weak: "Second sister, I don't blame you, it's okay."

Wei Shuangyan wanted to say something else, but Princess Jiping suddenly got angry and suppressed her anger: "Your brother just woke up, if you have anything to say, we can talk later."

She looked at Wei Zihang again: "Zihang, have a good rest. Mother will come to see you later."

Wei Zihang responded weakly and his eyes fell on Xing Xing beside him.

Xing Xing obviously didn't understand what Wei Zihang meant, she also stood up: "Okay, it's time for me to go home too."

Ju Ge'er stepped forward and said to Wei Zihang, "Brother, I'll come to see you in two days. I'm going to take my sister back first."

Princess Jiping hurriedly said to Wei Zihang, "Yes, yes, yes, Zihang, you were injured yesterday, and it was the Lord who saved your life with medicine. Last night, I was afraid that your condition was unstable, so I specially let you stay overnight in the guest house. Now that you are awake, it is time for the Lord to go back and rest."

When Wei Zihang heard that it was Xing Xing who saved him and stayed with him for so long, he was so moved. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt that the pain in his head was not that severe anymore. He felt so happy in his heart: "Well... I know, Xing Xing, go back and have a rest."

Ju Ge'er couldn't help but complain that his brother was really something. He only had his sister in his eyes and never mentioned him at all!

Ju Ge'er suppressed his temper and said a few words to Wei Zihang, asking him to take good care of his injuries, and then fell behind.

When Xing Xing and Ju Ge'er went out, they heard the Princess of Jiping standing in the yard scolding Wei Shuangyan coldly: "Look, are you talking like a human being just now? Your brother has just woken up, and there is still such a big bloody hole on his head. What did you say to him? You just kneel there until he forgives you? Aren't you forcing him to forgive you?"

Wei Shuangyan subconsciously defended herself: "I didn't, I..."

Princess Jiping suppressed her anger and said, "Look at your brother, how much he loves you, his second sister! Look at yourself, what have you done?"

"Go reflect on yourself!"

After the Princess of Jiping County finished scolding, she turned around and saw Xing Xing and Ju Ge'er standing at the door awkwardly. She didn't know whether to say yes or no, and she didn't know whether to say no or no.

She hurried forward, changed her expression, didn't even look at Wei Shuangyan, and smiled as she sent Xing Xing and Ju Ge'er out of the house.

When Princess Jiping returned, Wei Shuangyan went to greet her with tears in her eyes: "Mother, I know I was wrong..."

The Princess of Jiping County ignored Wei Shuangyan and shouted to the nanny, "Go get the key to the storeroom. I will personally select a thank-you gift for Lord Fusui!"

Wei Shuangyan stood there in a daze, crying uncontrollably.

She didn't really want to harm her brother, she just accidentally did it, and didn't she admit it later? She also sincerely apologized to her brother, why did the mother still do this?

Could it be that, could it be that she really had to die?

…

Not long after Xing Xing and Ju Ge'er returned, cartloads of thank-you gifts from Prince Jiping's mansion were delivered to their residence.

They are all rare treasures, and each one is a valuable treasure.

Bai Xiaofeng, the current acting housekeeper, easily loaded all the carts of rare treasures into Xingxing's private storage.

She teased, "How can our Xingxing be a small rich woman? She is clearly a wealthy woman."

Xingxing smiled awkwardly with her head tilted.

She hadn't told her second aunt yet, but she had come across a betting game where everyone was betting on the top scholar, and few people bet on her third brother. In a fit of rage, she bet all the banknotes she had on her third brother. Even though it wasn't much, just a few thousand taels, the odds were high at the time!

It’s enough to win nearly 100,000 taels of silver!

Later, when her third brother passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, she exchanged the nearly 100,000 taels of silver, used a quarter to carefully select gifts for her family, invested a quarter in her mine construction, a quarter in her second brother's business, and donated the remaining quarter to the charity.

Xingxing's current wealth is simply inestimable!

…

Crown Princess Mu Rujun’s birthday party is coming soon.

In the court, since Mu Rujun had not been pregnant for a long time and the prince was unwilling to take in any concubines, it was foreseeable that this birthday banquet would be unusual.

However, the prince also specified that this birthday banquet should be a grand one, and the money should not go from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but directly from his private treasury.

When the news came out, many families were extremely jealous and even racked their brains to send their daughters to the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince is so loyal and righteous. If his daughter follows him before he ascends the throne, and then waits for him to ascend the throne in the future, wouldn't that mean she will be able to rise to the top overnight?

If I were luckier, I could give birth to a prince...

The wealth that was so huge was simply unimaginable!

Those who received the invitation and had girls of the right age at home were simply going crazy with joy!

Xingxing was naturally invited as well.

She prepared two huge Dongzhu as a birthday gift for Mu Rujun, dressed up beautifully, and went to the East Palace with her second aunt Bai Xiaofeng.

This was Bai Xiaofeng's first time in the East Palace. She was so nervous that she didn't know where to move her feet.

Xingxing then slowed down her voice and chatted with Bai Xiaofeng, telling her some interesting things that happened recently. Only then did Bai Xiaofeng gradually relax and a smile appeared on her face.

In the East Palace, several ladies with royal titles were already walking towards the door with their daughters.

Bai Xiaofeng couldn't help but get nervous again and asked Xingxing in a low voice: "Xingxing, have we put away our invitations? They shouldn't be lost, right?"

Xing Xing smiled and comforted Bai Xiao Feng: "Don't worry, Second Auntie, Sister Rujun is a very nice person. Even if we accidentally lose our invitation, she will let us in."

Bai Xiaofeng smacked her lips in surprise and whispered to Xing Xing in a low voice, "Is this true? She's the Crown Princess. If we accidentally lose her, won't she blame us?"

As the two were talking, they arrived at the gate of the East Palace.

Bai Xiaofeng couldn't help looking at Xingxing nervously. She wanted to see Xingxing take out the invitation with her own eyes before she could feel at ease.

Before Xingxing could even move, the eunuchs and palace maids at the gate of the East Palace all greeted her with a smile on their faces: "Hello, my lady."

"Is Xiangjun here?"

Bai Xiaofeng felt a little dazed as she looked at those enthusiastic eunuchs and palace maids.

Because of Xingxing, the eunuchs and palace maids treated Bai Xiaofeng very warmly even though they didn't know Bai Xiaofeng's identity, and they were eager to lead the way for Xingxing and Bai Xiaofeng.

Xing Xing smiled and declined: "There are many people here today, and everyone is busy. Second Aunt and I will go by ourselves."

The eunuchs and palace maids also took Xingxing's refusal very seriously and responded to it repeatedly.

Xing Xing then went to the East Palace with Bai Xiaofeng, whose face was smiling a little stiffly.

Only when they walked a little further inside and there was no one around did Bai Xiaofeng let go of her tension, exhaled, and lowered her voice: "Xingxing, how come these servants in the East Palace seem to be quite familiar with you?"

Xing Xing smiled shyly: "Maybe it's because I've been to the East Palace several times?"

Bai Xiaofeng couldn't help but sigh a few times.

When they entered the reception hall, Crown Princess Mu Rujun had not come out yet.

There were already many noble ladies and young ladies in the palace, all chatting in a familiar manner.

When many ladies saw Bai Xiaofeng and Xing Xing, their eyes lit up and they hurriedly pulled their daughters over to greet Bai Xiaofeng.

——This is someone who knows Bai Xiaofeng and knows that this is the mother of Yu Yongliu, the newly crowned number one scholar. If she can't enter the Eastern Palace, marrying Yu Yongliu is also the best choice!

There was so much trouble around Bai Xiaofeng that she didn't have time to get nervous!

Xing Xing smiled secretly.

Seeing that Lou Ruhui was also there, she said something to Bai Xiaofeng and went to play hand in hand with Lou Ruhui.

After leaving the hall full of elegant ladies, Lou Ruhui breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that no one was around, she stuck out her tongue and complained to Xing Xing: "I am almost suffocated by this suspense. It feels like many ladies in there look at people with swords in their eyes: Do you want to enter the East Palace too? Do you want to compete with my daughter for favor?... Oh my god, I am so annoyed."

Xingxing exclaimed "Ah", she remembered that Lou Ruhui hadn't mentioned her yet.

Could it be that the Marquis of Mingguang also wants to send their daughter to the Eastern Palace?

Ruohui whispered to Xingxing: "My father also wants to see if I can win a concubine position. I don't want to enter the palace. What's the point of being trapped in those four walls for the rest of my life? Besides, the Crown Prince is very good, but he only has the Crown Princess in his eyes. His Highness the Crown Prince has been willing to fight for the Crown Princess in the court for so long. They have such a good relationship. It would be so useless for me to force my way in."

Xing Xing looked at Lou Ruhui with admiration: "Sister Lou sees everything clearly."

Lou Ruhui shook her hair with some pride: "That's it!"

The two little girls were sitting on the porch and chatting happily.

Lou Ruhui was actually very curious, and whispered to Xingxing, "...I wonder how long the Crown Prince can resist. I heard from my father that Prime Minister Pang and several other ministers wrote a letter yesterday, saying that the Crown Prince cannot be without an heir. Judging from the situation, it seems that they are threatening the Crown Prince that if he does not take a concubine, they will replace him."

At this point, Lou Ruhui speculated gossipy, "Xingxing, let me tell you, they all say that Pang Xiang is so up and down because he has a little daughter, Pang Xinyue, who is waiting to be married. I also heard that Pang Xinyue asked Pang Xiang to find the Crown Prince to write a letter and copied it all day long..."

Xing Xing was listening to the gossip with great interest, but she didn't expect an angry voice to come from behind her: "Luo Ruhui! What bad things are you saying about my family? I heard you say the word Pang!"

One of the most embarrassing things in life is being caught gossiping about other people...

Pang Xinyue and several other young ladies stood in the corridor not far behind Lou Ruhui and the others, their faces filled with sullen looks.

Although Pang Xinyue didn't hear what Lou Ruhui said, she felt a little guilty. She coughed and changed the subject: "No, no, I just told Mr. Fusui about Miss Pang's calligraphy practice these days."

Xingxing still has an impression of Pang Xinyue.

When she first came to the East Palace, she accompanied the Crown Princess for a walk in the garden and happened to meet Prime Minister Pang and Pang Xinyue. At that time, Pang Xinyue talked about copying and practicing calligraphy.

Xingxing said nothing.

Pang Xinyue looked Lou Ruhui up and down coldly, and suddenly snorted with disdain in her eyes: "Not everyone can imitate the Crown Prince's calligraphy!"

She is somewhat arrogant.

Lou Ruhui had a good temper and didn't want to quarrel with Pang Xinyue. She clasped her hands together and said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, Miss Pang is right."

Pang Xinyue turned her head and walked away arrogantly.

As soon as Pang Xinyue left, Lou Ruhui immediately said "It's over", and turned around to whisper to Xingxing again, "Looking at Pang Xinyue's expression just now, why do I feel like her position as concubine is secure?"

Lou Ruhui was really worried for Mu Rujun: "The Crown Princess is such a good person, alas."

Lou Ruhui sighed and shook her head.

Xingxing also became nervous after hearing this.

When it was almost time for the banquet to start, Xingxing and Lou Ruhui returned to the hall.

Crown Princess Mu Rujun has arrived. With a faint smile on her face, she sits high on the main seat in the hall, looking at everyone in the hall and saying auspicious words.

When Xingxing and Lou Ruhui walked into the hall, Mu Rujun's faint smile deepened a little. In front of everyone, he waved to Xingxing: "Xingxing is here."

Xing Xing stepped forward and saluted with a smile: "Sister Rujun, Xing Xing wishes you eternal youth and may you have a happy and beautiful life every year."

Mu Rujun smiled deeply, and it was obvious that she was in a much better mood.

Everyone looked at Mu Rujun with some suspicion as he treated Xing Xing so intimately.

Some of the families exchanged glances.

They heard a rumor that the Crown Princess preferred the young Fusui Xiangjun to enter the East Palace as a concubine because Fusui Xiangjun was still young and could buy the Crown Princess some time to give birth to a legitimate son.

In the past, they had scoffed at the vague rumors, but today, seeing how cordially the Crown Princess treated Fusui Xiangjun, they were no longer sure. Could the rumors be true? Was the Crown Princess trying to get Fusui Xiangjun hooked up in advance?

Just as everyone was having a flurry of thoughts, they heard the ceremonial officer outside shouting, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

The prince, wearing a robe with a four-clawed golden dragon and a golden crown on his head, strode into the hall.

Everyone in the hall knelt on the ground: "I have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Crown Princess Mu Rujun also came down from the main seat, smiled and knelt down to salute: "Your Highness."

The prince held Mu Rujun in his arms, with a sincere smile in his eyes: "No need to be so polite, Princess."

The couple looked at each other and understood each other.

The couple took each other back to the main seat and sat down. The Crown Prince Wei Shiqing smiled and said, "Ladies and young ladies, please stand up."

Only then did the ladies who had come to the palace to attend the banquet dare to stand up.

Countless fiery eyes were cast towards Crown Prince Wei Shiqing, either secretly or boldly.

However, Wei Shiqing seemed to ignore all these looks and just smiled and said, "The hairpin that Fusui Xiangjun is wearing today looks very familiar to me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall changed.

Xing Xing raised her hand and touched the pearl hairpin on her temples, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, this pearl hairpin was given to me by Sister Rujun."

Wei Shiqing smiled and nodded: "No wonder I felt it looked familiar."

It was just a greeting, but it seemed to add fuel to the rumors.

In the crowd, Nie Yuke almost broke his own armor!