banquet
News came from the border that the peace talks with the Northern Desert had made some progress. The emperor was overjoyed, and since the Crown Prince's birthday was approaching, he granted permission for the birthday banquet to be held in the palace, inviting many princes, nobles, and young ladies.
On the surface, it was a birthday celebration, but intentionally or unintentionally, it was also a way to let the Crown Prince see if there were any candidates for his Crown Princess.
Both sons of the General's Mansion were among those invited.
Upon entering the palace gates, the servant following He Lin kept looking around, his gaze unabashedly surveying his surroundings. Who else could that person be but Jiang Yi?
Upon hearing that He Lin could attend the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, she rushed over to find him, wanting to go together. Unfortunately, Jiang Yi was already a married woman, and according to the rules, she could no longer attend any banquets casually. A woman should stay at home obediently, and it would be inappropriate for her to run around outside all the time.
Jiang Yi didn't care about anything else and followed He Lin around, pleading and begging for a long time. Later, He Yu, who had gone with her, came to plead for her, saying that it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look, since no one would notice and it wouldn't be a problem to disguise herself as a servant. Jiang Yi also solemnly promised not to cause any trouble, so He Lin reluctantly agreed.
Finally, he abandoned women's clothing and disguised himself as a servant to sneak into the palace.
The young eunuch leading the way noticed that "he" was not behaving himself and couldn't help but remind him, "This young man is probably entering the palace with the two young masters for the first time. The palace is not like the outside world. The palace rules are very strict. You must not offend the nobles."
Jiang Yi felt a little uncomfortable listening to his high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat and deliberately lowered and husky her voice: "Yes, thank you for your advice, Father-in-law."
The young eunuch was quite satisfied with "his" understanding and nodded with a smile.
He Lin glanced at her sideways, a warning flashing in his eyes, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer. Jiang Yi, taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, raised an eyebrow in return, as if to reassure him.
Led by the young eunuch, the group soon arrived at the East Palace Villa.
Behind the artificial hill lies a lush green landscape with a babbling brook, a scene often seen by scholars and literati for their elegant gatherings. A few withered yellow leaves float on the water, creating an extremely refined and picturesque scene.
Jiang Yi was seeing this for the first time and found it very novel and interesting, so she couldn't help but take a few more glances.
The flowing wine cups were not the main theme of today's banquet. The little eunuch led them to the back of the building, which was filled with seats. Some people had already taken their seats, but the host of the banquet was nowhere to be seen.
Guided by a young eunuch, He Lin and He Yu sat in the front row, very close to the Crown Prince's throne, which was enough to show how much the Crown Prince valued the two sons of the General's Mansion.
The guests gradually arrived, leaving Jiang Yi dumbfounded and dazzled.
This trip was definitely worth it!
So many handsome men and beautiful women! Good heavens, were people in ancient times all this good-looking?! Each one of them is even more beautiful than movie stars; their faces must have been meticulously sculpted by Nuwa!
Jiang Yi, acting as a servant, knelt beside He Lin and poured him wine. She didn't even notice the wine overflowing from the cup, as she was only focused on looking up at him. He Lin, unable to bear it any longer, snatched the jade wine pot from her hand and coughed twice to signal her to be careful.
A loud shout came from outside: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
With a whoosh, everyone in the hall stood up and bowed to greet him. Jiang Yi hurriedly stood up and retreated behind He Lin.
Wow, as expected of the Crown Prince, his entrance is quite something.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince—"
Then a clear voice rang out from the platform: "Get up, all of you."
The crowd exclaimed again, "Thank you, Your Highness."
After all the guests had returned to their seats, Jiang Yi secretly looked up and glanced at them.
The man appeared to be about the same age as He Lin, wearing a jade crown with cloud patterns, a beige-gold casual robe with ink bamboo and red patterns embroidered on the hem, a carved gold belt around his waist, and a white jade pendant with tassels hanging on his right side. From a distance, he truly exuded an extraordinary air and noble demeanor.
He first took a glass of wine from the tray brought by a servant, looked around, and said loudly, "Thank you all for accepting the invitation to my birthday banquet. Today, let's just have fun and enjoy ourselves. There's no need to stand on ceremony. Please."
After saying this, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, and the others followed suit and drank a cup of wine.
Qi Junyuan sat back on the high platform, and a little eunuch stood up and clapped. The sound of orchestral music came from outside, like heavenly music. Then a group of graceful dancers with flowing dresses appeared on stage.
After so long, Jiang Yi finally heard music again. Although she didn't understand how to appreciate the orchestral music, at least there was a melody, which made her want to cry.
She knelt forward slightly, and while pouring wine for He Lin, she whispered, "He Lin, what gift did you give the Crown Prince?"
He Lin didn't want to talk to her much, but thinking that if he didn't answer, she would probably keep pressing him on the question, he could only reply in a low voice, "A painting."
"Painting? What painting?"
He Lin took a sip of wine and said casually, "You ruined that painting last time."
"What?! You...you're too audacious! Aren't you afraid the Crown Prince will blame you?"
"It's alright."
Jiang Yi swallowed hard. She knew about the painting He Lin mentioned, after all, she was the culprit.
What was originally a beautiful painting of the land and its people was accidentally stained with ink by Jiang Yi. He Lin said it was ruined, but she never expected that He Lin would give the damaged painting to the Crown Prince as a congratulatory gift.
Jiang Yi moved closer to He Yu again: "Pfft, big brother?"
Using the excuse of watching the dance, He Yu subtly glanced at her and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"
What gift did you give me?
"A knife, is there a problem?"
"No, no, I was just asking casually."
Jiang Yi moved back to her original position, gritting her teeth in exasperation, and said, "Did you hear that? My brother gave me a precious sword, and you gave me a worthless painting?!"
He Lin pretended not to hear and focused on watching the song and dance performance.
The attendant bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, the gifts from all the guests today are here. Would Your Highness like to take a look?"
Qi Junyuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the various items being held by the eunuchs behind him, and nodded.
The attendants explained who had sent each item. Qi Junyuan examined each item for a moment, his lowered eyes revealing no hidden emotions, but the slight upturn of his lips indicated that the Crown Prince seemed to be in a good mood.
"..."
"This is a knife sent by Young Master He. He said it was forged from diamond and is extremely sharp."
"He Yu is very thoughtful." Qi Junyuan drew the blade, examined both sides, and then sheathed it, praising, "Hmm, it is indeed good, a fine knife."
After saying that, Qi Junyuan looked up at He Yu sitting below, smiled at him, and waved the knife he had given him, indicating that he had accepted it.
He Yu raised a glass of wine to him and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, Jiang Yi felt a pang of sorrow.
Look at them, then look at He Lin. Just thinking about how he gave her a tattered painting, Jiang Yi couldn't help but sigh. People's emotional intelligence is just like that. They are both cousins, one is a blood relative and the other is a concubine's cousin, but how come the difference is so big!
If you're unsure about what gift to give, she could offer advice! Now look what's happened—we've completely lost face in front of the Crown Prince…
"..."
"Who sent this?"
The servant answered truthfully, "It was a gift from Young Master He."
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