Chapter 510: Entering the Palace
In autumn, the suburbs of Wuchaojing are full of red leaves, and are bustling and prosperous.
The street leading from the city gate to the palace was crowded with people, and everyone wanted to see the elegance of Queen Mother Di Lu and the princess.
The Di tribe and the Wu Dynasty had been in constant conflict for generations, so it was difficult for them to accept the idea of establishing friendly diplomatic relations.
Under the escort of the imperial guards, the carriage finally passed through the sea of people and entered the palace.
The hall was filled with civil and military officials. Duke Anguo led the officials of the Hongluan Temple and led Lady Wu Ya and Song Liyun into the Jinluan Hall with a full ceremonial guard.
The Emperor of the Wu Dynasty did not stay in his seat, but stepped down. In front of everyone, which almost shocked everyone, he received them with the courtesy of a junior.
Madam Wu Ya and Song Liyun did not think much about it and still replied with state gifts.
After some exchanges of ceremony, the Emperor Wu of the Dynasty also issued an imperial decree to confer the title of Princess Pingyuan on Lady Wu Ya.
This was already agreed upon in the letter.
During the Wu Dynasty, the title of Princess Pingyuan was generally only given to noble ladies of the royal family, such as the empress's biological mother, stepmother, grandmother, or other noble ladies of the outer vassal states.
In the final analysis, she was the best among the noble ladies, on the same level as the Empress Dowager Wu.
Song Liyun is a princess of a foreign country, so it is not appropriate for her to be given a title, but she was given one as a gift.
The Emperor Wu of the Dynasty gave a royal mansion as a gift, with mountains and water, a front hall and a back yard, as well as a private garden.
Because Madam Wu Ya and Song Liyun were both female relatives, the palace banquet was chosen to be held in Shoukang Palace where the Queen Mother lived. In addition to several high-ranking ministers, royal relatives and nobles, the banquet also included female relatives from various high-ranking families.
As the lights came on, Shoukang Palace was already brightly lit with singing and dancing.
Palace maids in bright clothes brought fruit plates and cakes, musicians played and sang, dancers' sleeves fluttered in the wind, and there were more noble ladies dressed in gorgeous flowers.
These noble ladies surrounded the Queen Mother and the wife of Duke Anguo as usual, but their eyes could not help but glance towards the VIP seats.
The emperor and the empress sat side by side in the main seat, and from time to time they raised their glasses to invite Madam Wu Ya and Song Liyun, who were sitting in the main guest seat.
At the accompanying banquet, Duke Anguo was all smiles, and his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at Madam Uya.
Although the Duke's wife had been married to Zhao Yanjiao for more than forty years, she had never seen her old man so happy.
She glanced at the still-beautiful Madam Wuya again, lowering her aged eyelids. She said angrily to the Crown Prince's wife who was serving beside her, "A lowly concubine, relying on her Di clan heritage, is so presumptuous that the Emperor, in order to maintain border security, has to indulge her. She dares to flirt with me in this great palace!"
She hated Zhao Yanjiao for being disrespectful to his elders. She already had many children and grandchildren, but suddenly a concubine appeared, and the two of them sat together drinking and enjoying themselves so unscrupulously.
The Crown Prince's wife, who is next to the Duke's wife, is also nearly forty years old. When the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion was suppressed by the old emperor in the early years, she developed the habit of forbearance.
Now that he had already received the Empress's hint, he dared not respond. He could only change the subject: "Mother, it's getting cold at night. Should we go to the side hall to add more clothes?"
Madam Uya is a foreign queen mother, and Duke Anguo is the regent, so they should accompany each other.
Moreover, the two of them did not act inappropriately in public.
Even if the father-in-law toasted Madam Uya, it was allowed by the emperor.
She thought that her mother-in-law would be less bothered if she didn't see her, so she used the excuse of putting on more clothes to temporarily avoid her.
The Duke's wife snorted coldly, "The Crown Prince is a man who doesn't fight or compete, and you are so weak and incompetent. But I just said that if that barbarian woman dares to step into the Duke's Mansion, she will kneel down and serve tea!"
The Crown Prince's wife felt the hairs on her back stand on end.
My mother-in-law is old and is the uncle of the emperor who governs the country, so she is a little arrogant. Normally, no one would care if she said a few words in the mansion, but now she is in the palace.
The Crown Prince's wife whispered, "Mother, the Queen Mother Da Di has her own residence and probably won't enter the Duke's Mansion."
She already knew that not only did the Queen Mother of the Di tribe have a mansion, but even the military girl had a reward.
After all, it is because of a good marriage that the black chicken can turn into a phoenix.
The Duke's wife remained noncommittal: "A woman who gets married without even being included in the family tree is nothing more than a lowly concubine, no matter how capable she is!"
The Crown Prince's wife's mouth twitched slightly.
She wanted to say that being a mistress in such a glorious way is probably what all women want to do.
She doesn't have to deal with an aging and confused mother-in-law who is a troublemaker, nor does she have to engage in intrigues with concubines. She also doesn't have to worry about her husband saying or doing something wrong that will implicate the entire clan!
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both angry with each other, and the Empress Dowager was also very unhappy. She looked at Song Liyun who was leisurely eating the imperial meal with a cold look.
She remembered that she had sent four palace maids and noble ladies to the grassland specifically to serve as concubines for Zhao Tingduo.
At first, Aunt Xu sent some replies, but eventually there was no news.
Only now did she know that two of the four noble ladies had died, the surviving one was rewarded to the tribal chief, and the other was just married to an ordinary member of the tribe.
Although the man named Abu now leads troops to garrison Xuyang Grassland, he is just a soldier after all.
Such contempt for imperial power and not taking the Wu Dynasty seriously was a naked provocation to himself.
The Empress Dowager and the wife of Duke Anguo remained silent. Only the Empress asked about the grassland scenery from time to time, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
The Emperor couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked Song Liyun, "Princess Di, I heard that Mida City has developed a new kind of can that can spray air. It's called a steam engine. What's so special about it?"
As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, the whispers around him stopped immediately. Everyone stopped watching the singing and dancing and looked at Song Liyun.
The steam engine was manufactured before Song Liyun left to provide power for the spinning machine. It was made by several senior blacksmiths hired from the Wu Dynasty.
Song Liyun said softly, "Your Majesty, the steam engine can provide power, and its function is similar to that of the windmill on the grassland.
It’s just more convenient to use and you can use it wherever you want.
If placed in a carriage, it can replace horses pulling the carriage!"
Her words caused a burst of laughter in the hall, and one minister said loudly: "Putting a piece of iron on a carriage can make it run, this is really absurd and misleading.
Your Majesty, although Princess Di is the queen of the Di tribe, she is a military household of the Wu Dynasty and has little experience. Unless she explains it in detail, everyone will be convinced!
The man's voice was so loud that it couldn't even cover the sound of stringed instruments next to him. Such rude words immediately left the whole audience speechless!
The dancers who were spinning in the hall also put away their colorful silks and retreated.
Madam Wu Ya's face darkened, and she put down the wine cup in her hand heavily. She said, "What I, Princess Di, said is the truth. Believe it or not, there is no need to explain!"
The emperor's face darkened. "Come here, Mr. He has drunk too much. Send him away!"
Several eunuchs trotted forward and tried to pull him out of the hall.
The Empress Dowager, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up: "Your Majesty, I think what Lord He said is true.
How can this piece of iron run away by itself?
If Princess Di didn't deliberately deceive us, she should explain herself."
Song Liyun stood up slowly and stared at the man with sharp eyes. She knew that her identity as a military daughter of the Wu Dynasty would be criticized sooner or later.
Someone deliberately brought this up at the palace banquet today. There must be a reason for it. Instead of hiding it, it’s better to make it public.
"Does this sir know what this is?"
Song Liyun raised her hand, pulled out a gold hairpin inlaid with gems from her bun, and waved it in front of everyone in the hall.
(End of this chapter)
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