Chapter 543 Princess Chang'an
Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Changheng.
Xiao Changheng said calmly:
"I have always taken it as my duty to protect the country and would never slack off. However, I have no intention of becoming the crown prince. Please, my royal brother..."
The emperor suddenly started coughing violently, interrupting what he was going to say next.
Concubine De quickly reached out and patted his back to calm him down.
Xiao Changheng's expression tightened and he looked at the emperor worriedly.
The emperor coughed until his face turned blue, but he finally stopped coughing. Concubine De immediately offered him some tea to calm him down, and gently advised:
"Your Majesty, there is no rush to appoint a crown prince. It would be better to wait until after the New Year."
The emperor drank a few sips of water and finally recovered. He sighed heavily and glared at Xiao Changheng:
"Oh, forget it. Today is New Year's Eve. I won't force you. We can discuss this matter later!"
Xiao Changheng frowned slightly and wanted to say something else when he suddenly felt his sleeve being pulled.
He was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw Yun Qingqing looking up at him and shaking her head imperceptibly.
Xiao Changheng hesitated for a moment, then sat down quietly without saying anything.
The Second Prince and the Fourth Prince were also in a difficult situation. How could they not see that the Emperor was only temporarily shelving the matter, saying that he would discuss it later? It was obvious that he still intended to make the Regent the Crown Prince.
Although the Regent claims that he has no intention of competing for the throne, how can such words be taken seriously? If he really didn't care about that position, how could he have controlled the court for so many years and held both the government and the military power firmly in his hands!
The banquet continued, and everyone had their own thoughts. Seeing that the atmosphere was dull, Concubine De smiled and suggested that the concubines present perform to liven up the atmosphere, and the emperor agreed.
With the emperor present, it was a perfect opportunity to compete for favor. The concubines in the harem were the most active, and they all tried their best to show off their abilities, making the place lively all of a sudden.
After a few performances, the female members of the family seemed to be in high spirits. Princess Duan and Princess Qi took the initiative to perform their own dances, and also asked the eldest princess to perform with them.
Xiao Yuejun was originally just savoring the food and wine with a calm expression, but after being persuaded several times by the two princesses and some concubines, she had no choice but to nod helplessly.
She stood up and walked to the center of the hall. She had a table brought in, paper and pen prepared, and bowed politely to the emperor.
"Father, I will paint a picture today as a New Year's gift. I hope you will not be disgusted."
The emperor was in a much better mood at this moment, and raised his eyebrows and said:
"Okay! I'll wait and see!"
Xiao Yuejun turned around, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink. He wrote with a flick of his wrist. Soon, a landscape painting appeared on the paper, with birds singing and streams gurgling in the mountains. The exquisite brushwork and rich ink color made everyone present marvel in admiration.
Even the emperor showed some surprise and admiration. The eldest princess has always been low-key and has little presence. Even the emperor only found out today that his only daughter can paint so well.
Xiao Yuejun picked up the pen and wrote something on the blank space. When she put down the pen, she asked the eunuch to blow the paper dry carefully and then took it up to show it. Next to the landscape painting was a poem "Ode to Mountains and Rivers".
This poem depicts the mountains and rivers vividly, with delicate brushstrokes and profound artistic conception. Reading it makes people feel as if they are there, and it is fascinating. The emperor couldn't help but feel his eyes brighten again.
"Yun'er, this poem... did you write it yourself?"
Xiao Yuejun nodded gently:
"While I was painting this picture, I was suddenly moved and brought it up. Father, please don't despise me."
The emperor smiled and said:
"How could that be! Your poem is well-balanced and rhythmic, it's truly a masterpiece! Come on, take it and let everyone appreciate it!"
The servant immediately stepped forward and showed the painting to everyone present, winning unanimous praise from everyone.
Yun Qingqing had excellent eyesight and could see all the details of the painting and the poem early on. She couldn't help but look at Xiao Yuejun a few more times.
Everyone was praising Xiao Yuejun's excellent landscape paintings and his vivid descriptions of the scenery in his poems, but no one noticed the chessboard placed in the square pavilion in the corner of the painting, and the detailed and clear chess game on it.
Every sentence in that fu poem describes mountains and rivers, but not every sentence really only describes mountains and rivers.
The whole landscape can be seen in one painting, and the principles of justice and righteousness are all on the tip of the brush, which clearly and implicitly conforms to the way of behaving as a person, managing a family and governing a country.
The eldest princess Xiao Yueyun's talent and knowledge far exceeded their knowledge.
Or maybe the emperor and the princes were not completely blind to it, but they felt that a woman could only see beautiful scenery, romance, and love. It was not easy for her to write such beautiful words, so what deep meaning could there be? The fact that they seemed to have rich connotations was just a coincidence.
Yun Qingqing's gaze fell on Xiao Yuejun, and she saw that her face was calm and her eyebrows were indifferent. The low-key curve of her lips showed no sarcasm or resentment. It seemed that she was just as everyone knew, and she just painted a beautiful landscape painting to add some color to the new scene.
She suddenly realized something, turned her head and met Yun Qingqing's gaze. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled warmly at her and nodded slightly, being very polite.
Yun Qingqing was about to look away when she suddenly saw Xiao Yuejun's gaze pause for a moment, and then fell on Xiao Changheng intentionally or unintentionally, and seemed to frown slightly.
Her expression flashed across her face and she turned her head back. It was extremely difficult to detect, but Yun Qingqing still caught it sharply and was stunned.
It was obvious that Xiao Changheng was dissatisfied with the eldest princess. Why?
Yun Qingqing couldn't help but turn her head to look at Xiao Changheng, and saw him facing the emperor and speaking:
"Royal brother, the eldest princess is extremely talented and has reached the age required. Isn't it time to bestow a title upon her?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, coughed lightly and looked a little embarrassed, but soon smiled and said:
"Chang Heng's words make sense. Yun'er should also have a title. Let me think about what characters should be given to this title..."
Xiao Yuejun seemed a little dazed, and quickly lowered her eyes to hide it, and did not look at Xiao Changheng again.
Yun Qingqing understood why the emperor was embarrassed. The eldest princess's mother was originally a palace maid with a humble status and no backing. She gave birth to a daughter and is still a talented person today. Both mother and daughter are so low-key that they are almost invisible.
According to the ancestral system of the Liang Dynasty, princesses should usually be given titles when they reach the age of 15. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it has been ignored. Now the eldest princess is already twenty years old, but she still has no title.
Until Xiao Changheng pointed it out, the emperor was only slightly embarrassed. The two princes did not think there was anything wrong, but smiled at Xiao Yuejun:
"Imperial sister, you are lucky today. The Imperial Uncle, who usually ignores these trivial matters, actually speaks up for you."
"Yes, it seems that the uncle also appreciates the emperor's poetry and painting skills!"
Xiao Yuejun lowered her eyes calmly and nodded slightly, seemingly accepting it with pleasure, but in fact, she was not moved at all.
The Emperor pondered over the title and said:
"Yun'er has always been prudent and elegant, so why not give her the title 'Shuxian'?"
He looked at Xiao Changheng, who had first proposed it: "What do you think, my royal brother?"
This is usually just a courtesy. Who would have any objections to the title given by the emperor?
Xiao Yuejun also lowered her eyes and waited for the final decision, her face calm.
But Xiao Changheng put down the wine glass in his hand and said bluntly:
"I think the name 'Shuxian' is not suitable for the eldest princess. It would be better to give her the title 'Chang'an'."
Xiao Yuejun's expression suddenly fluctuated. She raised her eyes slightly, then lowered her head again.
The emperor obviously didn't think much about it, he just picked two characters that were suitable for the girl to confer the title. After hearing what Xiao Changheng said, he raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment, then said happily:
"Good! Chang'an, long-lasting prosperity and peace! These two words, suggested by my brother, are even better! Come, draft the decree!"
The emperor ordered that an imperial decree be drafted on the spot to confer the title of Princess Chang'an on Xiao Yuejun and grant her a mansion and fiefdom.
Amidst the congratulations, Xiao Yuejun accepted the order, thanked the emperor, and returned to her seat. Yun Qingqing noticed that she glanced at Xiao Changheng calmly again.
This look contained a complex expression, and his brows were still slightly furrowed as if he was dissatisfied.
If Yun Qingqing might have been overly suspicious before, she would never think that she was wrong this time. She could not help but turn her head to look at Xiao Changheng.
He was seen sipping the tribute wine with his eyes downcast and an expressionless face, as if he didn't care about anything at the banquet at all.
Noticing Yun Qingqing's gaze, Xiao Changheng turned his head and looked at her, his expression normal as he asked in a low voice:
"how?"
Yun Qingqing's eyes flickered with clarity as she calmly glanced at the causal line connecting Xiao Changheng and the eldest princess, and fell silent.
Although Xiao Changheng is not much older than these princes and princesses, his seniority is clear. Naturally, there are corresponding causal lines between the royal family members, which is normal.
The problem was that just now, when Xiao Yuejun was canonized as Princess Changning, the causal line between her and Xiao Changheng, representing their blood relationship, suddenly emitted a faint golden light, which Yun Qingqing could not ignore.
"Hmm?" Xiao Changheng saw Yun Qingqing frowning and silent. He put down his wine glass and leaned slightly towards her. He lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Another incident?"
Yun Qingqing retracted her gaze and shook her head lightly:
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask, this party should be almost over."
All she could say was that everything was fine for now, but she wasn't in the mood to explain.
During this period of time, she had discovered that it was becoming increasingly difficult to deduce everything and everyone related to Xiao Changheng. Whether there was any problem with the golden line of cause and effect would have to wait until she broke through the current bottleneck.
Xiao Changheng looked at her for a moment, without asking any further questions, just nodded slightly and looked away.
“Almost.”
The two of them had just finished their conversation, and Yun Qingqing was making her next plan when she suddenly heard someone from the concubines' seats speak:
"Speaking of which, all the women in the families have performed their skills today, but the Princess Regent has yet to show her skills."
Yun Qingqing looked up and saw that the person who was speaking was a palace concubine in a pink dress. Judging from her appearance and dress, her rank was at most a concubine.
When the pink-skirted concubine spoke, several other concubines immediately echoed:
"The Princess Regent is the Phoenix of Daliang. She must be incredibly talented and brilliant. I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to see her perform today!"
"Yes~, I heard that the Regent Princess is very accurate in her divination. It would be great if you could show us your skills!"
Yun Qingqing lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought. Seeing her expressionless face, Xiao Changheng thought that she was unwilling but couldn't refuse. His eyes suddenly turned cold and he slammed the wine glass on the table.
Several concubines who were whispering to each other were startled, their faces changed slightly, and they stopped moving.
Xiao Changheng glanced coldly at the concubines and was about to speak when he was stopped by Yun Qingqing.
"Okay." Yun Qingqing smiled slightly and looked at Concubine De. "Since Concubine De has proposed it and everyone is willing to support us, I will perform a song to liven up the atmosphere."
Everyone showed an expectant look.
Xiao Changheng turned his head and looked at her with a frown, then lowered his voice and said:
"You don't have to force yourself..."
"No compulsion, that's exactly what I want." Yun Qingqing winked at him.
Xiao Changheng was slightly stunned, and then he saw her raise her hand and wave secretly under the table, and watched as a piano appeared under the table.
His eyelids twitched suddenly.
He had seen that zither before. It was the magic weapon that his master and senior sisters praised so highly, Liufang!
???
He took out this guitar, so it can't be just to play a song, right?
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