Hundred Flowers Banquet (1)
The hushed whispers, like mosquitoes buzzing, burrowed into her ears. Jiang Wanzhi felt a chill run down her spine, and could only manage a composed smile, while inwardly she was screaming: This isn't a flower-viewing feast, it's a massive gossip session!
She was led to a seat arranged for her in Lanyue Pavilion. The seat was neither too far forward nor too far back, neither conspicuous nor disrespectful. Next to her were several daughters of officials whom she could usually talk to.
The group chatted in hushed tones, discussing nothing more than clothing, jewelry, flower arranging, and tea ceremony. Jiang Wanzhi responded absentmindedly, but her eyes couldn't help but wander around furtively.
She saw King Zhao surrounded by a group of scholars and literati, his imperial rule evident.
Today, he was still wearing that signature "white moonlight" outfit: a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns, his hair tied up with a jade crown, holding a jade fan in his hand. He was all smiles and had an elegant demeanor, still the most gentle and dazzling presence in the entire room.
He seemed to notice her gaze, looked up at her from afar, nodded and smiled, his smile as warm as a spring breeze.
Jiang Wanzhi quickly bowed slightly in return, but her heartbeat did not quicken because of that perfect smile.
Her gaze continued to search uncontrollably, and finally, in a quiet corner near the main seat, she spotted the figure in black.
Unlike the others who joined in the lively conversation, he sat alone behind his desk, his posture upright like a pine tree, his usual black and gold-plated casual clothes standing out starkly and coldly amidst the colorful array of clothes.
A wine cup sat before him, but he did not drink from it. His slender fingers rested casually on his knees, and his gaze was lowered, as if all the noise and bustle around him were irrelevant to him, creating a cold and desolate world of his own.
As if sensing her gaze, he suddenly raised his eyes and his gaze precisely captured her.
Jiang Wanzhi's heart skipped a beat, as if she had been caught doing something wrong. She hurriedly lowered her head, picked up the teacup in front of her and pretended to drink water, but her cheeks involuntarily became slightly hot.
He... really came. He clearly didn't fit in here.
Just as she was feeling flustered, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies announced loudly: "The Empress Dowager has arrived! His Majesty has arrived!"
The entire hall fell silent immediately, and everyone rose from their seats and knelt down to welcome the emperor.
The Empress Dowager wore a crimson palace dress adorned with phoenixes and peonies, exuding elegance and grace, with a kind smile.
The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow robe, wore a smile, but his long-held imperial authority still commanded respect. After a series of elaborate rituals and routine opening remarks, the Hundred Flowers Banquet officially began.
As the music of string and wind instruments began, palace maids moved about, and delicacies were presented in a flowing stream. Then, talented men and beautiful women began to perform, reciting poems, playing the zither, or painting, creating a lively and extraordinary scene.
Jiang Wanzhi tried her best to minimize her presence, taking small bites of the delicate pastries in front of her while quietly observing her surroundings.
She noticed Zongzheng Mingchen, who had been demoted to a commoner. The emperor still cherished his son. Although he was a commoner, he was still of royal blood and was allowed to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet.
The Empress Dowager must have put a lot of thought into this, since in the original novel, her favorite grandson was Zongzheng Mingchen.
At this moment, Zongzheng Mingchen's gaze seemed to sweep over Jiang Wanzhi from time to time, his eyes filled with scrutiny and calculation, making her very uncomfortable.
King Zhao maintained a perfect smile throughout, occasionally chatting and laughing with others, but his gaze would subtly drift towards her.
As for Prince Heng, he remained aloof and unapproachable, barely responding to questions from the Emperor and Empress, almost like a statue.
Inside the Lan Yue Pavilion, melodious music filled the air, and toasts were exchanged. Noble ladies showcased their talents, taking turns demonstrating their skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, drawing compliments and laughter—a scene of peace and prosperity.
Jiang Wanzhi kept her father's teachings in mind, keeping her head down and focusing on the exquisite tea and snacks in front of her, striving to blend herself into the background and become a little flower that no one would notice.
Midway through the banquet, palace servants brought out dozens of pots of carefully cultivated, precious flowers and placed them among the guests for their appreciation and enjoyment.
A pot of flowers with unusual colors, petals that fluttered like drunken butterflies, and a rich, sweet fragrance was specially placed in the spot closest to Jiang Wanzhi's seat.
However, Jiang Wanzhi gradually felt a little uncomfortable. She looked at the pot of blue flowers that resembled butterflies and had an eerie color, placed near her seat. It emitted a cloyingly sweet fragrance that, when mixed with other floral scents, made her feel dizzy and unable to concentrate.
"Spring Peach, what kind of flower is that? Its fragrance is so unique," she asked in a low voice.
Chun Tao glanced at it and shook her head: "This servant doesn't recognize it either. Perhaps it's a novel variety brought as tribute from a foreign land. Miss, are you feeling stuffy? Shall this servant fan you?"
Jiang Wanzhi nodded, trying her best to maintain a dignified sitting posture, hoping that this discomfort would pass quickly.
Also noticing the potted plant and Jiang Wanzhi's slight discomfort was Yan Cheng, who was always keeping a close eye on everything. He quickly glanced at the "Cleome" flower and then looked at his own Highness.
Zongzheng Hengyu tapped his fingertips very lightly on his knee, his eyes as deep as the night.
The Night Hawk Pavilion's plan, like precise gears, has already quietly begun to turn.
Just then, several palace maids carried fresh wine and drinks to each table. A palace maid with a flustered expression and her head down walked hurriedly to Jiang Wanzhi's table and carefully poured her tea.
A faint, cool fragrance emanated from the maid's sleeve. Jiang Wanzhi assumed it was the scent of incense burning in the palace and didn't think much of it.
Just then, the Empress Dowager was in high spirits and ordered someone to bring a pot of extremely rare "glass pearl" peonies from a foreign land into the hall for everyone to admire.
The peony flowers were vibrant in color, their petals as clear as glass, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, drawing gasps of admiration and praise from everyone present.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said to the Emperor beside her, "Your Majesty, look, these flowers are blooming so profusely. This is truly an auspicious omen, which shows that our Great Shang Dynasty will enjoy lasting blessings."
The emperor nodded with a smile: "What the Empress Dowager says is true."
Just then, the palace maid who had poured the tea was withdrawing her hand and preparing to leave. As she passed behind Jiang Wanzhi, she stumbled, as if she had tripped over something. She looked down and exclaimed in surprise, her arm accidentally bumping into Jiang Wanzhi's back!
Jiang Wanzhi was feeling uneasy due to the inexplicable dizziness when she was suddenly bumped. She lost her balance and cried out as she fell forward!
In front of her was the much-anticipated "Glassy Pearl" peony!
Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Jiang Wanzhi lost control of her momentum, and her sleeve flipped up, knocking over the precious sandalwood flower stand displaying the peonies!
A crisp "clang!"
The flowerpot shattered, scattering dirt everywhere.
The peony, considered auspicious and exquisitely beautiful, was buried under a broken flowerpot and soil, its petals scattered and its branches and leaves broken.
The entire hall fell silent! The music abruptly stopped.
All eyes were focused on Jiang Wanzhi, who had fallen to the ground, her hair slightly disheveled, her skirt stained with mud, and her face deathly pale, as well as the completely destroyed peony in front of her.
The Empress Dowager's gentle smile froze instantly, and her gaze turned serious.
Jiang Wanzhi's face turned deathly pale, and the dizziness vanished in fright. She hurriedly rose and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This humble woman... this humble woman did not mean it!"
Emperor Zongzheng Hong, sitting on the high throne, frowned instantly.
"You, Jiang Wanzhi!" The Empress Dowager's voice trembled with anger as she pointed at the withered flower. "My Hundred Flowers Banquet, my Glazed Peony! Are you dissatisfied with me, or with the Emperor, that you would dare to destroy such an auspicious omen?!"
The emperor's gaze swept coldly over Jiang Wanzhi, who was kneeling on the ground, his voice calm before the storm: "Jiang Wanzhi, what is your explanation?"
However, the palace maid who bumped into her had already silently hidden among a group of palace maids behind her, leaving her with no evidence. The others only saw Jiang Wanzhi "suddenly" stand up and fall to the ground.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I don't know..." Jiang Wanzhi was speechless. She did feel a shoving, but she couldn't figure out who it was. "Your Majesty, I suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't stand up for a moment... Please forgive me, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager!"
"Dizziness?" A maidservant beside the Empress Dowager said coldly, "At today's grand banquet, all the ladies and young misses were unharmed. Why is it that only Miss Jiang suddenly experienced dizziness? Is this some kind of excuse?"
Emperor Zongzheng Hong's face also darkened. He had been troubled by the factional struggles in the court recently, and Prime Minister Jiang was at the center of the vortex. His daughter's rude behavior at the Empress Dowager's banquet was enough to displease him, no matter what the reason was.
"Is this how Prime Minister Jiang disciplines his daughter?" The Emperor's voice was not loud, but it made everyone present shudder. "Offending the Empress Dowager and losing all decorum! It seems the Prime Minister's family has neglected its discipline!"
These are extremely harsh words! They almost directly accuse the Prime Minister of dereliction of duty. If he is truly punished, Jiang Wanzhi's punishment is a minor matter; the damage to her father's and the Prime Minister's reputation is a much bigger one!
Jiang Wanzhi knelt on the cold stone floor, her fingertips icy, utterly speechless. Whether the palace maid's push was unintentional or staged was indeed suspicious, but she had no evidence.
Just then, Prince Zhao, Zongzheng, stood up, bowed respectfully, and spoke gently: "Grandmother, Father, please calm your anger. I was not far from Miss Jiang's seat just now, and I did see her sway slightly and look unwell. Perhaps she was unwell and not intentionally offending me. Today is the Hundred Flowers Banquet, a joyous occasion. It would be unseemly to make a big fuss over a momentary lapse. Perhaps the imperial physician should examine Miss Jiang before we decide what to do?"
He spoke earnestly and acted humbly, trying to ease the tension and attributing the incident to an accident.
The Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly, as if she hesitated.
However, how could Ming Wang Zongzheng Mingchen let this opportunity pass by? He secretly gave a wink to a member of the imperial clan.
The young man immediately spoke up: "Your Highness Prince Zhao is kind, but I believe that breaches of etiquette before the Emperor are no small matter. If everyone uses 'illness' as an excuse, what will become of the palace rules? Moreover, if Miss Jiang was truly unwell, why didn't she ask for leave in advance? Why did she have an attack just as a palace maid was passing by, and what she knocked over was precisely the precious flower 'Glassy Pearl' presented to the Empress Dowager? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"
Upon hearing this, King Zhao frowned, attempting to refute: "That is incorrect..."
However, the other party spoke one after another, citing classical texts and insisting on palace rules and etiquette, even subtly implying that it was "disrespectful to the Empress Dowager," thus blocking King Zhao's defense one by one.
Despite his best efforts to maneuver, Zongzheng Zhaoran gradually found himself on the defensive under the opponent's well-prepared offensive, and his words became weak and powerless.
The emperor's expression grew increasingly grim, his gaze towards Jiang Wanzhi now icy. Just as the situation seemed about to spiral out of control…
That's enough.
A cold, deep voice, not loud, yet clearly drowned out all the other voices, rang out with an unquestionable authority.
Having remained aloof and seemingly detached from the situation, Prince Heng, Zongzheng Hengyu, slowly put down his wine cup.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com