Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Too Terrible
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the palace banquet.
Early in the morning, Yu Li was surrounded by maids to wash and change clothes, and then she was made to sit in front of the dressing mirror. The maids were busy dressing her up.
When she was dressed, she felt stiff all over.
This was the first time she dressed up so formally, making her feel as if she had turned into a tree, with all kinds of decorative jewelry and gems hanging all over her body, none of which could be taken off.
Seeing her standing there stiffly, Qing Huan said softly, "Madam, please be patient and wait until the palace banquet is over."
Yu Li finally calmed down, then reached out to adjust the crown bead on his head, "It's okay, I'll get used to it."
She walked forward a few steps casually, gradually getting used to having so many things hanging on her body, and soon felt comfortable again.
Seeing this, the maids couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
Although the lady was dressed very formally, she did not seem restrained at all. Seeing her strolling around freely made people feel cheerful.
It's the lady's etiquette...
Qing Huan couldn't help but sigh when he thought about the maids' behavior of turning a blind eye in recent days.
Madam's etiquette was only sloppy, and she didn't learn it carefully, just perfunctorily. However, even though she knew she was not up to standard, even the strictest Madam Hai didn't correct her, and she just did what she liked.
Forget it. As a lady, her status is there. As long as she can live up to her expectations, it’s fine. I believe the nobles in the palace won’t find fault with her.
When Yu Li was dressed, Fu Wenxiao came to pick her up.
He was also wearing the court robes of the Duke of Zhenguo, which made him look tall and heroic, with a handsome face that was extremely outstanding. He was dignified and solemn, making people sincerely praise him as a handsome man.
The carriage was ready, and Fu Wenxiao helped her get in.
When she approached, the horse knelt down and the carriage leaned forward as if to greet them.
When Yu Li saw the stool under his feet, he thought of the etiquette he had learned in the past few days. He took a deep breath, stepped politely onto the stool prepared by the servants, and entered the carriage.
Fu Wenxiao also got in the car.
The servants around him lowered their heads and stood in silence, catching a glimpse of this scene from the corner of their eyes. No matter how many times they saw it, they were always amazed.
After seeing it so many times, they could probably understand the special nature of the lady's identity.
It is because of this special thing that whenever the servants in the mansion see the lady doing something against the rules, they will turn a blind eye, as long as the lady is happy.
The carriage drove out of the Duke's Mansion and headed towards the Imperial Palace.
Yu Li lifted the car curtain and looked outside. The streets in the inner city were spacious and clean, but there were few pedestrians. Ordinary people seldom went to such places, giving people a sense of solemnity.
Yu Li looked at it for a while, then lost interest, and turned to ask, "Xiao brother, will mother attend the palace banquet today?"
"No." Fu Wenxiao said, "Mother is not in good health. She needs to rest."
Hearing this, Yu Li looked at him. No one knew better than her whether Princess Yuan An was in good health.
After more than half a year of treatment, the princess's mother-in-law's health had almost recovered. However, except for some confidants, outsiders did not know about this and still believed that Princess Yuan'an would not live long.
The Duke's Mansion was very close to the Imperial Palace, and we arrived there in no time.
The carriage stopped, Fu Wenxiao got off first, then reached out to help her get off.
In fact, Yu Li did not need anyone's help and could jump off the carriage by himself. He saw a carriage not far away and a man in official robes helping a formally dressed woman get off the carriage. He followed the woman's example and put his hand on the hand that Fu Wenxiao extended, and let him help him get off the carriage.
There were many carriages parked in front of the palace gate, all of which were carriages of court officials who were going to enter the palace to attend the palace banquet.
Today's palace banquet was ordered by the old emperor himself. All court officials and royal family members must attend, and they all brought their families with them. The number of people is comparable to the court officials entering the palace to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Day.
This is considered the most grand palace banquet held this year.
As soon as the two got off the car, many people came over to greet them.
There were court officials and royal family members, all of them were polite and smiling, as if they had a very good relationship with Fu Wenxiao, the Duke of Zhenguo.
Fu Wenxiao also responded politely, but compared to the enthusiasm of those people, his reaction was rather cold.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fu Wenxiao took Yu Li's hand and entered the palace.
As soon as he entered the palace gate, a palace eunuch came to greet him attentively and said with a smile: "Greetings to the Duke of Zhenguo and the Duke's wife. The sedan chair is ready."
Fu Wenxiao hummed lightly and helped Yu Li into the sedan.
When Yu Li got on the sedan chair, he noticed that it seemed to be only prepared for them, and everyone else had to walk.
Before entering the palace, she listened to Nanny Hai and others talk about many things that need to be paid attention to in the palace. Except for the emperor and high-ranking concubines, princes, and princes' wives, everyone else in the palace can only walk, and the rules are extremely strict.
But there were actually sedan chairs prepared for them here, and Fu Wenxiao acted as if he was used to it.
The people behind looked at the Duke of Zhenguo and his wife with envy as they walked away.
Only nobles in the palace could ride in sedan chairs, but the Duke of Zhenguo was naturally different. The Saint had always favored him, so he would naturally make an exception for him. Whenever he entered the palace, someone would prepare a sedan chair.
Not to mention that on a special day like today, the saint would naturally not be stingy in showing favor to him.
The sedan chair stopped in front of a hall.
This hall is where the palace banquet will be held today. Quite a few people have already come here, and they are gathered in groups of three or four to talk.
When the two got out of the sedan, they attracted a lot of attention.
It was not surprising that they recognized Fu Wenxiao. The Duke of Zhenguo had always received special treatment in the palace, more honorable than those princes, so riding in a sedan chair was nothing.
No one would be so tactless as to accuse someone of violating the rules. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face of the old emperor?
As soon as she got off the sedan chair, a palace maid came to ask Yu to leave Fengyi Palace, as the Empress wanted to see her.
There was still some time before the palace banquet, and the nobles in the palace had not appeared yet, and the queen was still in Fengyi Palace.
After hearing this, Fu Wenxiao said nothing. He turned around and called Yuzhan over, "Accompany the Madam to Fengyi Palace."
Yuzhan came from the princess's mansion and was very familiar with the rules and taboos in the palace. She was specially sent by Princess Yuan'an. Whenever Yu Li entered the palace, Yuzhan would accompany him.
Fu Wenxiao said to Yu Li again: "The Queen has a very good temper. You can be more casual when you go over there. You don't have to be restrained."
Yu Li said, "You won't go with me?"
He raised his hand to straighten the hairpin in her hair and said apologetically, "I have to go to the saint and can't accompany you." He felt a little regretful and actually wanted to continue to accompany her, but he couldn't do so now.
Yu Li just asked casually. He couldn't accompany her, so forget it.
Fu Wenxiao was inexplicably concerned. He wanted to say something, but couldn't open his mouth in public. In the end, he just said, "Go ahead. Don't let yourself be wronged."
The thing he could not tolerate the most was that someone had wronged her. There were so many people in the palace and there were always some short-sighted people.
Yu Li said goodbye to him, took the jade cup and left with the palace maid.
The palace maid brought them to Fengyi Palace, where the queen was already waiting.
The queen was not very old, about forty years old, and had a dignified and beautiful appearance.
She was the old emperor's empress, and had been childless for many years, and she was not very prominent in the harem.
Today is her birthday. The queen is dressed quite solemnly and sits high up in the sky, with several concubines of lower status around her, chatting and laughing with her.
Seeing Yu Li coming over, the Queen smiled and said, "The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo is here, please take a seat."
Yu Li bowed to the queen and sat down, not at all restrained.
When she came in, everyone in the hall watched her secretly.
Most of these concubines, like the queen, are childless and unfavored in the palace. They don't have much to pursue now and just want a stable life, so they are very relaxed.
These concubines had no conflict of interest with the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, they were just a little curious about her. When they met her now, they couldn't help but observe her carefully and found that her rules and etiquette were not very good, but because she was too frank, it was not so unbearable that people were more tolerant of her. Instead, they were more tolerant of her.
Even if her rules were not good, no one would blame her. After all, she had the Duke of Zhenguo Fu Xiao behind her. He was the saint's beloved one, and there would be no good end to going against him.
No one would be stupid enough to get against the Duke of Zhenguo and give orders to his wife.
There are many smart people in the palace, and they all know what to do.
The Queen smiled and said, "The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo is indeed a rare beauty. No wonder the Duke of Zhenguo is tempted."
"That's right." The concubines next to him echoed, "This child is really good-looking. We like him very much when we see him."
"The Duke of Zhenguo is truly blessed."
“…”
Yu Li listened silently to these people praising her and felt that the people in the palace were really good at talking. They were almost praising her into a flower that everyone loved.
The Queen Mother was very gentle. She asked her some simple questions and had someone give her some snacks.
Yu Li didn't hesitate and started eating in silence. He felt that the snacks in the Queen's Palace were not bad, but not as good as those at the Princess's mother-in-law's. The snacks made by the imperial chef there were better.
Seeing the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo eating snacks without any hesitation, the concubines present were silent.
It was the first time for them to see someone eating and drinking without any scruples in such a place. After all, there were many rules in the palace, and it would be inconvenient if they needed to change clothes or go to the toilet later.
Most people would not drink tea when entering the palace to avoid losing their composure.
But she ate with great relish. The concubines, who originally had no appetite, suddenly felt a little greedy and seemed to be hungry too.
Seeing that she was eating with relish, the Queen asked someone to bring her another box of snacks and looked at them for a few more seconds.
Yu Li continued to eat as usual.
Everyone: "..." Did she eat too much?
The queen took a look and for a moment couldn't tell what kind of character this girl had.
Yesterday, the Saint came and specifically told her to help check on the temperament of the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo. Needless to say, it is clear that the Saint is afraid that the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo will be in trouble and the Duke of Zhenguo will be wronged.
The Queen thought that he was doing something unnecessary. This was the wife chosen personally by Duke Zhenguo Fu Xiao. Even if there were many flaws, as long as Fu Xiao liked her, it was fine.
If an elder does too much, it will make people dislike you.
However, the old emperor always did things according to his heart, so the empress would naturally not go against him and let things go their own way.
The time was almost up, so the Queen did not keep Yu Li any longer and had someone send her away.
After leaving Fengyi Palace, Yu Li walked slowly because he was not in a hurry, looking at the scenery of the palace as he walked.
The palace was majestic, and the palace servants passing by were in a hurry and serious.
Everything demonstrates the majesty and solemnity of this palace.
Most people didn't dare to look around casually when entering the palace, but Yu Li had no such concerns. She looked very seriously and leisurely, making people almost think she was strolling in her own back garden.
Suddenly, there was a noise not far away, and people exclaimed.
Yu Li turned his head and saw a huge tiger suddenly jumped out from nowhere. The palace servants along the way screamed in fear and were so scared that their legs went limp and they collapsed to the ground.
Fortunately, the big tiger had no intention of hurting anyone for the time being. It slithered around, jumped around, and caused chaos wherever it passed.
"Oh my god, why is there a tiger?"
"It's from the Rare Bird Park!"
"How did it get out?"
"Hurry, run..."
“…”
The palace maids nearby screamed in fear and turned pale.
No matter what, they are ferocious beasts that can eat people. Who wouldn’t be scared when seeing such a big tiger?
Almost all the palace servants present were frightened out of their wits, and for a moment they couldn't understand why the wild beasts in the rare bird garden had escaped.
The tiger ran very fast and was about to jump towards Yu Li. Yu Zhan was so scared that she grabbed her tightly and wanted to take her away.
When it was only a few feet away from them, the tiger suddenly roared, its fur stood up, and it turned around and ran away at a very fast speed.
Yuzhan and the others were still a little confused, not knowing why the tiger suddenly ran away, then they saw Yu Li actually chasing after it.
"Madam!" Yuzhan called out quickly, picking up her skirt and following.
Yu Li was moving very fast. Even though he was wearing cumbersome clothes, it didn't affect him at all. Even the hairpin on his head didn't shake at all.
Normally, Yuzhan would have been unable to resist praising the Madam for her good manners, but now she just wanted to call the Madam away quickly.
Yu Li followed the fleeing tiger and soon discovered that in addition to the tiger, there were also leopards, lions, bears and other animals running out.
From the exclamations of the palace servants, she knew that these animals were raised in the palace's rare bird garden, but she had no idea why they ran out.
Worried that the wild animal might hurt someone, she naturally couldn't just sit there and do nothing, so she decided to go over and take a look.
Yu Li followed the tiger. The tiger was so scared that it roared continuously and ran faster, leaving an afterimage.
Not only the tigers, but other ferocious beasts also seemed to have encountered their natural enemies. When they saw Yu Li, they turned around and ran away, some of them were in a panic and had no idea where to go.
In the eyes of everyone, these ferocious beasts that ran out seemed to be so excited that they were roaring continuously and were extremely ferocious. It was so scary.
Just then, a group of people appeared in front.
Leading the group was an old emperor dressed in bright yellow clothes, and beside him were princes, court officials, etc. Yu Li spotted Fu Wenxiao following the old emperor at a glance.
When they saw this group of ferocious beasts appear and run towards them, everyone present changed their expressions.
Everyone screamed: "Protect the emperor!"
For a moment, the scene became extremely chaotic, with screams one after another, especially when a leopard was seen about to pounce on the old emperor, everyone's heart was about to jump out of their throat.
Fu Wenxiao's face changed, and he drew out the sword of the guard next to him and slashed at the leopard that pounced on him.
The leopard dodged swiftly.
Here, the ferocious beasts had already pounced in front of this group of people. These people were right in the middle of the road, blocking their way. They would not give way to humans and would just charge over directly.
"Stop!" Yu Li shouted and ran over quickly.
This time she did not slow down and moved incredibly fast, finally arriving in front of the group of people.
The beasts froze all over, and then just lay down. Some of them even bumped into the old emperor and others, pressing them all down like meat cushions.
In an instant, the scene was filled with a suffocating silence.
The palace servants screamed, "Saint!"
"Hurry up and save me!"
“…”
But there were so many ferocious beasts that no one dared to rescue him, for fear of being bitten by them.
Although they were lying there quietly at this time and did not suddenly attack or hurt anyone, people were so frightened that they could not react at all. They just felt that this scene made their hearts explode.
Yu Li ran over, rolled up his sleeves, and lifted up the lion in front, revealing the old emperor who was pinned underneath.
The old emperor seemed to have fainted.
She felt a little guilty and hurried to move other beasts. These beasts were fat and strong, and they were heavy. If a person was pressed by them, I'm afraid that the overnight meal would be pressed out.
The sound at the scene gradually faded away.
Everyone stared at this scene in amazement, forgetting even to figure out why the beasts were just lying there obediently without making a sound.
This scene was beyond their understanding.
When Yu Li lifted up a leopard, the third prince was revealed, who was pinned underneath the leopard.
The third prince was dizzy. When he opened his eyes, he saw Yu Li carrying a leopard. Their eyes met and he finally fainted.
Before he fell into a coma, he thought it must be a nightmare.
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