The following evening, a palace banquet was held.
The palace was brightly lit, and the banquet hall was filled with the sounds of singing, dancing, and string and wind instruments.
Qing is a land of etiquette and propriety; although this meeting between the two countries was not a pleasant one...
But since the envoys have come from afar, there is no reason not to hold a banquet in their honor.
"Princess Anguo has arrived!"
The eunuch's high-pitched, shrill voice rang out, and the ministers who had been raising their cups and exchanging pleasantries in the banquet hall all stopped and straightened their clothes.
Upon hearing footsteps, they quickly stood in their proper positions according to their official ranks, and upon seeing the princess's elegant dress, they all bowed in greeting.
"Your humble servants pay their respects to the princess!"
Shang Changge: "No need for formalities."
Because it was a palace banquet, Shang Changge wore a palace dress symbolizing the supreme nobility and glory of the eldest princess tonight.
The hairstyle was also very elaborate, from the gold hairpins dangling from the bun to the earrings, bracelets, and jade pendants worn with it.
Each piece was an extremely valuable item, priceless, illuminated by the bright glow of dozens of enormous luminous pearls in the main hall.
It reflects a dazzling and eye-catching brilliance, captivating all who look at it.
But,
Tonight, Shang Changge's exquisitely made-up, aloof, and noble face is even more dazzling than any gold or silver jewelry.
Every feature of her face was perfectly proportioned and flawlessly beautiful, especially her beautiful, long, narrow phoenix eyes.
With slightly upturned corners of her eyes, her beautiful eyes sparkle and dart with captivating charm.
All the officials shouted in unison, "Thank you, Princess!"
When they straightened up and saw Shang Changge clearly, everyone's eyes were simultaneously filled with amazement.
Shang Changge searched through the original owner's memories and matched the official in charge with his maternal grandfather, Prime Minister Qingyan Murong Yu.
Murong Yu wore the official robes of the prime minister, the head of the civil officials, though his temples were slightly gray.
His back was ramrod straight, showing a vigorous and energetic spirit despite his advanced age.
Following the way the original owner of this body treated her maternal grandfather in her memory, Shang Changge stepped forward and personally helped the man up:
"Grandfather, please get up. How have you been lately?"
Murong Yu: "Fine, fine! You..."
Murong Yu's smile was very kind and gentle, despite showing no affection whatsoever for his seemingly useless granddaughter who had only recently proven useful.
He disguised himself so well that no one could tell a thing was amiss, and during his conversation with Shang Changge, he mostly scrutinized and examined her.
His granddaughter has changed quite a bit lately, and this old man wants to use his shrewd eyes, which can easily see through people's hearts, to see exactly where the changes lie.
It's a pity I didn't see it.
Murong Yu's eyes lit up when he noticed Xiao Ji, who had been watching them.
He was calculating in his mind, then smiled and exchanged a few words with Shang Changge before leaving to chat with his colleagues.
Shang Changge raised her eyes, her gaze following the direction Murong Yu had indicated, bypassing everyone else and landing unabashedly on Xiao Ji, meeting his eyes.
Her full lips, painted with deep red lipstick, curved upwards, revealing the dignified elegance of the eldest princess; her smile was radiant and captivating.
"General Xiao."
Xiao Ji's eyes were deep; from the moment Shang Changge appeared, his gaze remained fixed on her, never wavering. Hearing the sound...
A smile spread across his usually stern face, making him look like a wolf king being publicly acknowledged and marked by his mate, his heart overflowing with joy.
"Your subject is present."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chao Shang Changge walked over.
The two were engaged, a fact known to everyone but not openly acknowledged.
Officials who were closer to the two men wisely stepped back and returned to their proper positions.
As the music of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments resumed, people raised their glasses again and exchanged pleasantries with acquaintances or those they wished to befriend and curry favor with.
Amidst the singing and dancing, and the laughter and conversation of the officials,
Shang Changge smiled at Xiao Ji, who seemed completely oblivious to humility and girlish shyness, and asked:
"General Xiao knows you've been staring at me, but couldn't you say a few nice words to praise me?"
Xiao Ji was in a very good mood. In any other situation, he would have unhesitatingly pulled his beloved into his arms and kissed her.
Unfortunately, it was a palace banquet and there were many things to consider. Even the thought of holding the little rascal's hand in public had to be suppressed.
But it's okay to praise the little rascal to please him, so I sincerely praised him:
"The princess is of unparalleled beauty and elegance."
Shang Changge nodded in satisfaction, then waited a while but still received no further comment. A deep smirk appeared on her face in disbelief: "That's it?"
Her outfit tonight was the result of Qingyao and a dozen other maids working hard for a whole hour to get it right, and this is it?
Xiao Ji took in Shang Changge's incredulous expression, chuckled, and added:
"So beautiful, I can't take my eyes off her. If I could, I would want to stay by the princess's side forever."
Let everyone know that the princess and I have a close relationship, so that those with covetous intentions will keep their distance.
The words were well said and beautifully phrased, which Shang Changge enjoyed listening to, but he still had the self-awareness to say:
"Come on, although I possess unparalleled beauty and have many merits, shining points, and boundless charm..."
But I am infamous for being vindictive, contemptuous, and lacking in social skills.
People with such discerning eyes as General Xiao are rare, so there's no need to worry.
No one will covet me, and no one dares to covet me.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!" "His Highness the Third Prince has arrived!"
Two more announcements were made, and the two stopped talking.
Shang Changze and Shang Rui entered the banquet hall one after the other, and once again, the hall was filled with the sound of orderly bowing.
Almost as soon as the greetings fell, Emperor Mingde arrived with the Empress and four consorts.
Under the deathly gaze of the Empress, her stepmother, Shang Changge distanced herself from Xiao Ji and stood with Shang Changze.
The Empress's dignified and elegant face finally softened, and she and the Emperor ascended to their high seats amidst the sounds of bowing.
The banquet officially began upon the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.
The Southern Liang envoy, as the protagonist of the evening, was quickly summoned into the palace as a guest.
"Summon the envoy from Southern Liang to an audience!"
As the announcement ended, the Southern Liang envoys entered the palace.
Shang Changge didn't know the total number of people from Nanliang who came to Qingyan, but six people entered the hall.
Two of them were women, women whom Shang Changge had heard Shang Changze mention before.
One was the eldest princess of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and the other was the younger sister of a general of the Southern Liang Dynasty.
"Um?"
Shang Changge noticed that while she was observing others discreetly, they were also observing her.
The eldest princess of Southern Liang only glanced at her; that glance was relatively normal.
The other one, the younger sister of the Southern Liang general, looked at her with a complicated expression.
However, he seemed to only glance at her briefly before looking towards where Xiao Ji was.
There seemed to be hatred and resentment in his eyes, as well as a kind of inexplicable sadness and helplessness.
The eldest princess's position is excellent, with a superb view.
The advantage of the excellent view was that Shang Changge was sitting in his own seat, and apart from the three people mentioned above,
She knew exactly what the people below her were doing, their expressions, and their eyes.
She naturally noticed the glance that the Southern Liang general's younger sister gave Xiao Ji, and then she got excited:
Tsk, there's a story behind this?
Interesting, intriguing, I want to see what happens!
Does anyone know the details? She wants to hear them!
"Your humble servants pay their respects to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! We pay our respects..."
In the short time that Shang Changge was in high spirits, the envoys from Southern Liang had already arrived at the center of the hall and were paying their respects.
Emperor Mingde, dressed in a bright yellow five-clawed dragon robe symbolizing imperial power, was displeased because a general from the Southern Liang dynasty was hiding in the capital.
He told them to rise and not to stand on ceremony. However, instead of his usual cheerful smile, he looked at the Southern Liang envoys with scrutiny.
The emperor's invisible pressure poured down from his high position, directly targeting the leader of the Southern Liang envoys, who was none other than the second prince of Southern Liang—Changsun Yanheng.
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