Chapter 457 The Welcome-Away Banquet 2
"Just throw it away!"
Princess Chuxia's tone was very unpleasant, and she showed no intention of restraining herself even in front of the Empress.
As the mother of the nation, the Empress had to put on a smiling face and greet her in order to maintain appearances, saying, "Eighth Princess, you must be tired from standing for so long. Please come in and have a cup of tea!"
Since the Empress was giving her such face, Princess Chuxia immediately nodded and sweetly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
Once the Empress had led everyone into the house, Princess Changxing reluctantly withdrew her gaze.
Gu Shuyan followed the group inside when she suddenly felt a gaze on her from behind. Turning around, she was met with Sun Ruoyun's face.
In previous years, Sun Ruoyun would usually decline invitations to palace banquets or similar events, but this time it was rare for her to return to attend.
Even though she was caught peeping, Sun Ruoyun didn't feel embarrassed. Instead, she gave Gu Shuyan a gentle smile.
Gu Shuyan was not to be outdone, and immediately nodded, giving her a kind smile, though both of their smiles carried an imperceptible chill.
"This is the Imperial Longjing tea that was just harvested this year. Eighth Princess, please have a taste."
When the Empress announced that this was Imperial Longjing tea, the eyes of all the ladies and young women present lit up. It was called Imperial Longjing because its production was limited and it was a premium tea, usually only available to the Emperor and those bestowed upon him, making it extremely rare.
"Aren't they all tea? How can there be a difference?"
The Eighth Princess took a sip, smacked her lips, and looked down on it as if it were nothing special.
Princess Changxing was still angry about what had just happened. Seeing that she now looked down on even the tea her father was drinking, she immediately shot her another displeased look.
"Isn't the Eighth Princess afraid of making a fool of herself? But it's no wonder she's so ignorant. The Yan Kingdom doesn't produce tea, so it's normal for her not to know the difference between good and bad tea."
Princess Changxing, not to be outdone, raised her eyebrows and, mimicking the tone of the Eighth Princess, also disparaged the State of Wei.
What do you mean by that?
The Eighth Princess was easily provoked and immediately stood up, looking ready to fight Princess Changxing.
The Empress was also displeased with what the Eighth Princess had just said. After all, the Imperial Longjing tea was such a fine tea, yet she had made it sound so worthless. The Empress was furious.
However, due to her status, she couldn't confront Princess Chuxia directly! Just as the Empress was pleased to hear Princess Changxing's words, the Eighth Princess suddenly lost her temper.
"Princess, please don't be upset. Changxing just misspoke. Please don't take it to heart, considering her young age."
The Empress will naturally side with Princess Changxing this time. Not to mention that she had already made Changxing back down before, she can't possibly speak up for Princess Chuxia now for the sake of the Great Zhou's reputation.
Originally, the Eighth Princess wanted to have a serious talk with Princess Changxing, but looking at her, who was only twelve or thirteen years old, she realized that if she really wanted to fight her, she would inevitably be accused of bullying the younger one.
"Since Her Majesty the Empress has said so, Chu Xia will not hold a grudge against a child."
Princess Chuxia had thus found a way to save face. Although Changxing was displeased with her words, he did not move again because of the Empress's gaze.
However, due to the two unpleasant incidents, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a while.
"I heard that two cranes flew to Her Majesty the Empress's palace a couple of days ago. Is it true?"
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Lady Jinning exchanged a glance with Lady Ji and simply asked about the rumors she had heard earlier.
Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately smiled. "It's quite a coincidence. A couple of days ago, I had the palace servants dig up the open space behind the palace to plant some rice seeds. Who knew that as soon as the seeds were planted, two cranes came. His Majesty said this was an auspicious sign, proving that I planted the right rice, and he specifically told me to take good care of it!"
The Great Zhou Dynasty held cranes in high esteem, especially since they rarely appeared in public. The arrival of two cranes in the Empress's palace was surely an auspicious sign.
This was the first time Gu Shuyan had heard this rumor. Seeing how much the Empress praised it, she was afraid that the story of the crane was something the Empress herself had made up.
As for why she fabricated such a story, it's all because of the deposed crown prince. Now that the deposed crown prince has become the heir of the empress's family, the empress naturally wants to create conditions for him without any reservations so that he can have a chance to make a comeback.
Gu Shuyan listened to the ladies talking about this matter while quietly drinking her tea.
It must be said that this Imperial Dragon Well tea is truly a wonderful product. The aroma alone is enough to captivate anyone. When brewed with snow water from winter, its mellow and fragrant taste is simply unforgettable.
While Gu Shuyan was enjoying her tea, Sun Ruoyun's gaze continued to linger on her.
This time, however, Gu Shuyan ignored her completely, as if she hadn't noticed that Gu Shuyan was looking at her at all.
After everyone had been in the flower hall for about an hour, a palace maid hurriedly walked in from outside. After whispering a few words to the Empress, the Empress immediately addressed everyone: "The main hall is still ready. Please join me in taking your seats, ladies and young ladies."
After the Empress finished speaking, she turned to Princess Chuxia beside her and gestured for her to enter.
Following behind the Empress, the group stepped into the main hall. Compared to when they first arrived, countless small tables had been prepared in the hall. And a group of officials were already seated around the small tables.
Upon seeing this, the women naturally went to where their husbands were, while the empress went to sit next to the emperor in the main seat.
"I am very pleased that His Highness the Crown Prince of Wei and Princess Chuxia have arrived today. I would like to invite all my ministers to join me in toasting His Highness the Crown Prince and Princess."
As soon as everyone was seated, the emperor picked up his wine cup and looked at the crowd below the stage.
"Respectfully to His Highness the Crown Prince, and respectfully to the Princess."
Everyone stood up at the same time, raised their glasses and shouted in celebration.
After drinking one cup of wine, the emperor raised a second cup to the Crown Prince of Wei and said, "Your Highness has graced our country with your presence; this cup is a toast to Your Highness."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou," said the Crown Prince of Wei, rising to raise his cup.
The emperor toasted the Crown Prince of Wei alone, while the others simply watched silently as the two drank their cups.
After downing two cups of wine, the emperor picked up his chopsticks and said, "Everyone, don't just sit there, try the dishes prepared by the imperial kitchen."
Gu Shuyan watched as the emperor picked up some food and put it in his mouth before turning to look at Yun Yichen sitting in front of her. Yun Yichen was not wearing his bright red robes today, but had changed into a proper court dress, which made him look more composed.
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