Jiang Shi's external image was that of a frail and sickly person, so whenever he attended a palace banquet, the palace maids and eunuchs would pay special attention to his seat and would not serve him drinks.
Today, he had Yu Tanqi by his side, and the women of Wanjin State could naturally drink, so the palace maids and eunuchs served some wine.
By the time Jiang Shi realized it, it was too late and he had already swallowed the wine.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The eunuch's shrill, high-pitched voice rang out, and the noisy palace instantly quieted down.
Jiang Shiye had no choice but to purse his lips and restrain himself from losing his composure.
Yu Tanqi didn't notice his subtle change, and secretly looked at the group of people walking in from the hall door with curiosity.
The man in the bright yellow dragon robe at the head is naturally the emperor.
The emperor was nearly forty years old. His long years of hard work had left him with white hair on his temples. He had a slight beard, sharp eyebrows, and a dignified expression, which made people intimidated.
Empress Zhang walked slightly behind the emperor.
The few women in gorgeous clothes at the back were all the emperor's concubines. Some were young and beautiful, some still had charm, and there were almost no ugly concubines.
Of course, ugly concubines cannot be selected into the harem.
In the original novel, Concubine Wang was still in favor at this time. She and Empress Zhang followed the emperor on his left and right. But now that Concubine Wang and her son have fallen, although new concubines have shared the emperor's favor, no one dares to stand on the other side of the emperor.
After the emperor, empress and concubines took their seats, everyone began to stand up and perform the ceremony.
Yu Tanqi bowed his head and followed Jiang Shi in bowing.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty, and may Your Majesty live a thousand years ...
I don’t know if it was Yu Tanqi’s illusion, but I always felt that there were several scrutinizing eyes falling on me.
It should be because of Jiang Shi. After all, she is Jiang Shi’s fiancée now and is with him.
"No need to formalize, please take your seats." The emperor's voice was majestic and steady, and everyone took their seats quietly.
The sound of stringed instruments and orchestral music began, the dancers began to enter, and the palace maids and eunuchs brought wine and delicious food to the table.
The Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet officially begins.
Because it was a palace banquet and concubines and female relatives were present, government affairs were generally not discussed, but there were always some people who jumped out to cause trouble.
Zhai Zhichang's arm still hurts. He looks at Jiang Shi angrily, gritting his teeth.
He stood up and saluted the emperor, then said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wu'an's son is now well and will surely be able to drink. I would like to offer three toasts to the Crown Prince Jiang to congratulate him on his imminent recovery."
Zhai Zhichang was the grandson of Zhai Taiwei, a veteran minister who had served three dynasties. The emperor had always been respectful to the wise and virtuous and respected veteran ministers. Toasting was just a small matter, and he had no reason to disagree.
When the emperor looked at Jiang, the boy's previously pale face now had a faint crimson hue. Perhaps it was the candlelight or something else, but his complexion was indeed much better, and his appearance became even more charming and beautiful.
"Prince Jiang, can you drink now?" The emperor chose to ask Jiang Shi first.
Zhai Zhichang looked at Jiang Shi provocatively and said with an ambiguous smile, "Prince Jiang, all you need is a glass of wine. Didn't you say you're feeling better? Prince Jiang, you won't refuse me this favor, will you?"
As long as Jiang Shi dared to refuse him, he would dare to say that Jiang Shi was almost recovered and why couldn't he drink, and asked if he didn't like him. He wanted everyone to know that Jiang Shi was not as weak and harmless as they saw!
Zhai Zhichang secretly rubbed his sore arm, and felt more and more resentful towards Jiang Shi.
Yu Tanqi looked at Jiang Shi. This was a plot that was not in the original novel, but Jiang Shi seemed not to be able to drink, because the original novel described him as "teetotaler". He never drank, believing that alcohol would paralyze the brain and make people lose their minds, and he did not like this feeling.
So Jiang Shi would definitely refuse.
Jiang Shi slowly stood up. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he remained calm and composed, with the corners of his lips slightly curved, forming a sharp contrast with Zhai Zhichang's aggressive attitude. He was like a spring breeze, making people feel refreshed just by looking at him.
This is also why officials and concubines have always been selected for their good looks. They even specially select a "Tanhua Lang" in the imperial examinations. Just looking at a good-looking person standing there will make people feel much better.
It was obvious that Zhai Zhichang just wanted to toast Jiang Shi, but his words were a little extreme. Some people thought he was really going too far. He treated Prince Jiang like this even though he knew that he was not fully recovered. If something happened to Prince Jiang, could Zhai Zhichang afford the compensation?
But the emperor was present, so they didn't dare say anything and could only worry about Jiang Shi silently in their hearts.
At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what Prince Jiang would look like when he was drunk?
No one has ever seen it.
They couldn't help but look at Yu Tanqi with envy.
As the fiancée of Prince Jiang, Prince Jiang will definitely drink on their wedding day.
By then, Yu Tanqi will not only be able to see with his own eyes how drunk Prince Jiang is, but will also be able to do whatever he wants to him. It really makes people envious, jealous and hateful!
The nobles who read storybooks when they have free time have very wild thoughts in their hearts, but they still appear dignified and elegant on the surface, without any trace of evil thoughts.
Just when most people thought Jiang Shi would refuse, he smiled slightly and said helplessly: "Although my body has not yet fully recovered, Master Zhai has such good intentions that I naturally will not refuse."
After he said this, everyone looked at him in surprise.
Why did he agree?
Yu Tanqi looked at Jiang Shi in confusion.
He could have easily refused Zhai Zhichang, and even if Zhai Zhichang took advantage of the situation, he could have responded calmly.
Compared with Yun Xuan, Zhai Zhichang is just a clown, so Jiang Shi doesn't need to worry too much.
So there must be other reasons why he agreed to toast.
Yu Tanqi seemed to be lost in thought.
What could be the reason?
Yun Shu frowned and looked at Jiang Shi worriedly. Can he really drink now?
However, in this situation, no matter how bold Yun Shu was, she did not dare to act rashly in front of the emperor. She could only try her best to suppress her worries and glared at Zhai Zhichang.
This person is so annoying!
The emperor was also a little surprised, looking at Jiang Shi who was calm and composed, as if thinking about something.
Zhai Zhichang was secretly delighted and quickly said, "I'll have someone pour you some wine."
Jiang Shi said: "Don't bother, I have some wine here."
He picked up the wine glass that originally belonged to Yu Tanqi and gestured to Zhai Zhichang.
Zhai Zhichang frowned slightly, a little surprised: "Why is there wine on your table?" Wasn't there any before?
Jiang Shi said softly, "This is my fiancée's wine."
He wanted to drink his fiancée's wine, and Zhai Zhichang seemed to have no reason to stop him.
Zhai Zhichang felt a little sorry, but still picked up the wine glass and said, "Then I'll toast you first."
He raised his head and drank it all in one gulp, then looked at Jiang Shi.
The young man smiled gently: "Didn't Master Zhai say that he wanted to toast with three cups of wine?"
Zhai Zhichang: “…”
He glared at Jiang Shi fiercely, drank two more glasses in a row, put down the glass, and said with a forced smile: "Can you drink now?"
He stared at Jiang Shi. If Jiang Shi dared to make an excuse that he couldn't drink at this time, he would never let him go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
