Chapter 37: The Hongmen Banquet
"Princess, the Emperor has summoned you to the palace for dinner."
Have a meal?
How did the emperor know that she was slandering the imperial food in the palace!
Su Yunyao muttered to herself.
"Ah! Royal brother, how can I live without you?"
Chen Qiu Nian, Doctor Li Zhenzhu:?
"Let's go into the palace."
Chen Qiu Nian, Imperial Physician Li Zhenzhu: ...
"Princess."
Seeing Su Yunyao turn around and leave, Shen Qiunian quickly followed.
"Princess, wait a moment."
Su Yunyao turned around with a look of despair on her face, "Master Shen, what's the matter? Are you going to buy another hairpin for your sweetheart?"
Chen Qiu Nian was speechless for a moment.
"When we get to Jinjinglou, it costs more to mention my name."
Shen Qiunian: ...
Su Yunyao was too lazy to continue arguing with him, "Make way, a good dog doesn't block the road."
Chen Qiu Nian:?
When she arrived at the palace, Su Yunyao realized that this was not a meal at all, but a Hongmen Banquet.
The emperor's dinner was, as usual, a full banquet of Manchu and Han cuisine.
A huge food plate was filled with delicacies from land and sea.
But next to the emperor sat a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes, covered in pearls and jade.
Even if she used her toes to think, Su Yunyao knew who this woman was. She was the head of all officials, the prime minister's daughter, Concubine Shu.
As soon as Concubine Shu saw Su Yunyao coming in, she hurriedly stood up and walked over.
"Princess, the Emperor and I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Yunyao looked at the hand that she stretched out enthusiastically to hold her arm, and took a step back calmly.
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine, may the Imperial Concubine live in peace and happiness."
The expression on Concubine Shu's face froze for a moment. "Why is the eldest princess so polite today? Normally, the eldest princess doesn't even bow when she sees the emperor. How can this concubine tolerate this?"
The women in the harem are really cunning and full of schemes.
Saying that she didn't salute the emperor means that she has no manners in her daily life?
Su Yunyao bowed politely and walked to the emperor and sat down.
She was not like usual at this time. She sat down and started eating her favorite food.
He just sat upright, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, behaving very properly.
This made the emperor feel uncomfortable.
He coughed dryly, as if trying to hide something.
"Royal sister, don't just sit there, eat."
Su Yunyao smiled without saying anything, folded her hands in front of her chest, her eyes dark and unclear, and asked doubtfully.
"My brother, your majesty, truly dotes on Consort Shu. This hairpin is so finely crafted. I wonder which skilled artisan in the palace made it. Should I ask her to make one for me too?"
The smile on Concubine Shu's face froze obviously.
Buyao?
How did the eldest princess notice this?
She raised her hand with an unnatural look and adjusted the hairpin that Su Yunyao mentioned.
"You are too kind, Princess. This hairpin is not a valuable item. It was just a birthday gift from my father on my birthday."
"So it's not from the palace? Then it came from outside the palace?"
The expression on Su Yunyao's face became even more confused.
"The largest gold shop in Shengjing right now should be my princess's Jinjinglou. Could this hairpin be from Jinjinglou?"
Concubine Shu smiled reluctantly, "Princess, I don't know who made this hairpin. If you like it, I will give it to you."
After Shu Guifei finished speaking, she took off the hairpin from her head and handed it to the eldest princess.
Su Yunyao said no, but she reached out her hand honestly.
Concubine Shu: ...
"This is the birthday gift from the Prime Minister to the Imperial Concubine. How can this princess have the nerve to take away someone else's love?"
Concubine Shu: ...
Concubine Shu didn't want to give it to her at all, but words spoken were like spilled water, which could not be taken back.
Su Yunyao was also not polite. She "took" the hairpin from her hand and bowed excitedly.
"Thank you, Imperial Concubine, for giving me this." Su Yunyao smiled and raised her wine glass. "This glass of wine is from me to the Imperial Concubine."
Concubine Shu held herself in high esteem, forcing a smile that looked uglier than crying. "As long as the princess likes it, that's good. However, the largest Golden Tower in Shengjing belongs to the princess. There are all kinds of rare treasures in the Golden Tower. This hairpin of mine is really nothing."
Concubine Shu's words were so clear, but Su Yunyao still pretended to be stupid and pretended not to understand.
"This hairpin is truly beautiful. Look at the workmanship. Every silk thread is wound with pinpoint precision. And the decorations on the sides are all made of kingfisher feathers. This princess has never seen such an intricately designed hairpin."
Concubine Shu: ...
Su Yunyao praised the buyao so highly that the emperor, who didn't care much about these things at all, turned around and looked at the buyao in her hand.
What happened to the imperial sister today?
All kinds of gold and silver jewelry in the palace have never been left out of the princess's mansion.
Why is it that today, she is praising a hairpin so much?
Is this hairpin really so beautiful?
The emperor stared at the hairpin thoughtfully for a long time.
"Now that my sister mentions it, this hairpin is truly unique. The turquoise on it is especially fresh and natural, combined with the lotus flower, and connected to the golden tassels. It sways gently as she walks, giving her a gentle and graceful look. It's truly beautiful."
Concubine Shu: ...
She felt as if she had swallowed a fly in her throat.
She had worn this hairpin on her head for so long, but the emperor never thought it looked good.
Now that it has been snatched away by the eldest princess, this hairpin is almost praised as a rare treasure that is rarely seen in a century.
I just received a letter from the Prime Minister's Mansion.
It was said that a distant relative of the third concubine in the mansion had an argument with the shopkeeper in Jinjinglou and accidentally injured the shopkeeper.
Later, a young woman came to the store and showed special concern for the shopkeeper, asking about his well-being.
They didn't know whether the woman was the eldest princess, but it looked more like the shopkeeper's lover.
Then he sent a letter to let her know about this.
Regardless of whether the woman in the store today is the eldest princess, Jinjinglou belongs to the eldest princess.
He's just a shopkeeper, so just beat him up, it's not a big deal.
But the eldest princess was notoriously willful, unreasonable and unruly, but the emperor doted on her.
The Prime Minister was afraid that the eldest princess would get carried away and run to the emperor to complain, and then make things difficult for Concubine Shu in the future.
That's why I thought of letting her know about this in advance so that she can deal with it better.
Concubine Shu thought about it and decided that instead of waiting for the princess to go to the emperor to complain, it would be better to take the initiative...
But the eldest princess was so unreasonable that not only did she not accept the challenge, she also snatched her hairpin from her.
That hairpin was a birthday gift from her father.
The more Concubine Shu thought about it, the angrier she became, but at this moment, she couldn't show it.
She was furious, but still had a smile on her face as she picked up the wine glass and stood up.
"Princess, I heard today that a distant relative of Third Auntie accidentally injured Shopkeeper Xu in your shop..."
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