Chapter 87 Family Banquet
They talked for a while, and suddenly they heard the shrill voice of a young eunuch outside.
"The Emperor has arrived, Prince Qi has arrived, Prince Rui has arrived... Prince Xuan has arrived!"
As soon as the emperor arrived, many concubines' faces became more lively. Many of them quietly adjusted their clothes and hairpins, and looked towards the door with anticipation.
Song Yuning knelt down and saluted with everyone else.
The emperor said "no need to bow", then personally helped the queen to stand up, and the two of them sat together in the main seat.
After the princes knelt down to pay their respects to the queen, they sat down beside their respective princesses in order.
The emperor and the empress whispered a few words, then turned around and saw Song Yuning. She felt that Song Yuning looked much better and rounder than the last time she saw her.
Thinking that Song Yuning was also Xiao Yunzhan's sweetheart, he showed some concern, hoping that Xiao Yunzhan would feel less resentful towards him. The emperor said, "Princess Xuan arrived early."
The Queen explained with a smile, "She said she wanted to come early to thank me. I gave her some medicinal herbs as a reward, but I didn't expect her to remember it.
It's so cold, but he came early. He's a well-mannered and sensible child. I like him very much."
Song Yuning also stood up and said, "The Empress is an elder, and she is so kind to me. I have no other way to repay her, so I can only come early to show my filial piety."
After the Emperor heard what the Empress and Song Yuning said, a smile of an elder looking at a younger person appeared on his face. He said with a smile: "Since the Empress likes you so much, then you should come to the palace more often in the future and talk to the Empress."
Song Yuning quickly agreed.
No reward is as valuable as the favor of the Emperor and Empress. After today, the news that Princess Xuan is favored by the Emperor and Empress will probably spread.
Seeing how much the Emperor and the Empress liked Song Yuning, the Second Prince, Prince Rui, the Fourth Prince, Prince An, and the Sixth Prince, Prince Xin, all looked unhappy.
Prince Rui's mother, Concubine Ming, and Prince Xin's mother, Concubine Shu, both narrowed their eyes and glanced at Song Yuning.
I didn't expect that this concubine princess would be so loved by the emperor and the empress.
Xiao Yunzhan just smiled and looked at Song Yuning with a look of both honor and regret.
After that, the emperor exchanged some intimate words with his concubines. With a wave of his hand, the New Year's Eve family dinner began.
The songs and dances were performed one after another, grand and classical, completely different from modern dance. Song Yuning was interested in watching them at first, but later she felt that they were all the same and lost interest.
Although the dishes were produced by the imperial kitchen, some of them were already cold by then and had lost some of their flavor. Song Yuning only tasted two chopsticks and stopped eating.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunzhan whispered to Song Yuning, "I don't really like the cold meals in the palace either. Zhao Xin and Baozhu both know this, and they must have prepared dishes that you and I like at home this year.
If you don't want to eat these, don't eat them. We'll have something good to eat when we get back." As he spoke, he touched Song Yuning's hand.
Song Yuning's eyes lit up, but he didn't dare show it. He just nodded slightly.
The Empress was not in good health, so halfway through the banquet, she took her leave from the Emperor and returned to Fengyi Palace. As soon as the Empress left, the concubines felt much more at ease and began to frequently seek out the Emperor to toast.
Song Yuning watched from below and couldn't help but admire the emperor. It turned out that those who could become emperors were not ordinary people. With so many concubines and a round of drinking, the emperor was not drunk at all. It can be seen that the emperor's alcohol tolerance is still good.
After sitting like this for another half an hour, Song Yuning felt that his waist was almost stiff, and the emperor finally announced the end of the banquet.
When they returned to the palace, it was already night. What Xiao Yunzhan said was indeed right. Baozhu had already prepared a table full of hot and delicious dishes, all of which they liked.
What surprised Song Yuning was that there was a brass pot burning in the middle of the table. It was a hot pot.
"Every winter, I love eating hot pot. I boil some vegetables and cook some meat slices. It's really delicious. But it's all beef and mutton. I don't know if you can get used to it."
Song Yuning still likes to eat hot pot, but due to health problems in his previous life, he could only eat clear soup. After coming here, he would also eat hot pot on October 1st every year in the Song Mansion. I heard that it is a tradition.
But the soup base is always a light three-fresh soup, which always tastes a bit bland.
Xiao Yunzhan, on the other hand, was a strong eater and loved spicy food. Song Yuning looked at the bubbling hot pot, her eyes lighting up: "I can handle it! I've always wanted to try spicy hot pot, but unfortunately no one in the Song Mansion can eat spicy food. Now that I can, I'm going to eat my fill."
Xiao Yunzhan smiled, then looked around. Song Yuning's mind moved, and there was a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Who are you waiting for? Are you waiting for mother to come?"
"Yes! For the New Year's Eve family dinner, of course the whole family should eat together. I guess we will be back soon, so Baozhu should have gone to invite mother over." Baozhu was no longer around. She must have gone to see if Mrs. Wei had arrived.
As soon as the two finished talking, Mrs. Wei came into the room wearing a cloak.
It's not that she is rigorous, but her identity is complicated. If she is discovered, it may cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, she is very careful when entering and leaving the palace.
"Mom, you're here!" Song Yuning smiled and pulled Mrs. Wei to sit next to her, and Xiao Yunzhan sat on the other side of Song Yuning.
"We haven't eaten much in the palace. Although the royal chefs are good, I still can't eat cold dishes. Mother, have you eaten yet?"
The three of them sat together and chatted.
During this period, Mrs. Wei felt really good after returning to her daughter. She was no longer like before, unable to eat or sleep because of worrying about Song Yuning.
So my health improved a lot, I gradually gained some weight, and my complexion became more rosy.
"I ate a little too." Mrs. Wei looked at Song Yuning with a smile.
Xiao Yunzhan stood up and personally served the dishes to the mother and daughter, with a relaxed smile on his face: "Okay, stop talking, let's eat quickly, I'm almost dying of hunger!"
The family of three then happily enjoyed the food, laughing constantly, which was very heartwarming.
Just after finishing the meal, there was a sudden burst of lively firecrackers outside. Song Yuning walked to the window and looked out, only to see colorful fireworks blooming in the sky, which was a beautiful sight.
Just now in the palace, they had already enjoyed a grand fireworks display, but now every household in the city also lit up fireworks.
It was even more grand than what I had just seen in the palace, winning by sheer numbers.
Xiao Yunzhan walked to Song Yuning's side and admired the beautiful scenery outside the window with her. Suddenly, he whispered, "Grow up quickly. When you grow up, we can have more children around us.
Then the whole family sat together and enjoyed the beautiful fireworks."
Hearing this, Song Yuning couldn't help but smile. Thinking of that scene, wasn't this what she had been longing for in her previous life?
Song Yuning turned his head to look at Xiao Yunzhan, smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
