This time the palace banquet was held in the Imperial Garden. There was a lot of traffic in front of the palace, and it was extremely noisy. High-ranking officials and dignitaries came with their families, their clothes fluttering, and the air was filled with fragrance. It was a very lively atmosphere.
After the carriage came to a steady stop, Zhuang stepped down with graceful steps. Following suit, the women of the Zhenguo Mansion also disembarked, each supported by two maids and nannies, as they followed Zhuang and slowly entered the palace.
It was the first time for Jin Linlin and Cao Jiao to witness the splendor of the ancient imperial palace, and their eyes were wide open.
I saw the red walls like blood, the yellow tiles like gold, magnificent and beautiful; the pavilions and towers were scattered high and low, like stars; the carved beams and painted buildings were ingeniously crafted and exquisite.
Jin Linlin couldn't help but gently tug at Cao Jiao's sleeve, lowering her voice to exclaim, "This palace is a hundred times more magnificent than what you see on TV!" Cao Jiao also softly agreed, "Yes, it's worthy of being the royal residence. It's like being there in person."
While they were marveling at this, Cao Qiang, who was standing behind Cao Jiao, nodded to her elder sister and turned to chat with her younger sisters. Zhuang was also chatting and laughing with the ladies beside her.
Jin Linlin and Cao Jiao hurriedly bowed and saluted, then stepped into the imperial garden, where they saw lanterns and decorations everywhere, and singing and dancing.
The queen sat high on the main seat, smiling, dignified and elegant.
The two of them found a place to sit and looked around. They found many unmarried girls, like beautiful flowers, with their jewelry jingling and their laughter as clear and sweet as silver bells. A melodious sound of stringed instruments rang out, and the dancers danced like fairies descending to earth.
Both of them are married, and now they sit down like spectators who are not involved in anything, just watching the fun and enjoying the singing and dancing of the beautiful women!
This palace banquet was held for the four princes to select concubines and concubines, so all the noble ladies in the capital who were eligible for the selection were summoned to the banquet by the Empress! Jin Linlin was watching with great interest when she suddenly heard a faint sound of discussion.
"Look at Cao Qiang, she's dressed up so gorgeously. I'm afraid she's really hoping to be noticed by the prince."
"Yeah, you don't even consider your own worth."
Jin Linlin followed the gaze of the crowd and saw Cao Qiang talking with several princes with a sweet smile, her eyes drifting towards them from time to time.
Cao Jiao couldn't help but frown and sighed softly, "My sister is too impatient." At this moment, a prince in a bright yellow brocade robe stood up and slowly walked to the center of the dance floor. His posture was like a tall and straight pine tree. He was the fourth prince, the most favored prince in the world.
The Fourth Prince raised his hand slightly, signaling the dancers to stop, and said in a loud voice: "Today, for this grand event, I would like to play a piece of music for you ladies to enhance your enjoyment."
The entire audience was stunned by these words. The ladies all stood up. Cao Qiang was so excited that her face turned red. She was the first to squeeze to the front.
Jin Linlin and Cao Jiao exchanged a glance, each seeing endless helplessness in the other's eyes. This palace banquet was destined to be extremely lively.
At this time, Jiang Shiwei, the concubine of the Duke of Zhenguo, was looking at the Fourth Prince. She fainted after a conflict with her sister-in-law yesterday. When she woke up, she was reborn from the thirty-fifth year of Chenhe to the fifth year of Chenhe.
At this time, the Zhenguogong Mansion still existed, the princes had not yet been betrothed, and she had not yet been married to the eldest prince as a concubine. Her entire life was spent in the eldest prince's backyard, engaging in intrigue and deception, and was ultimately plotted to death. The fourth prince had not yet ascended the throne.
Now that she has been reborn, she will definitely choose the most noble man as her husband. She wants to become the most noble woman in the world.
She stared intently at the Fourth Prince dancing in the field, knowing full well that with her status as a concubine, it would be impossible for her to become his principal wife. And how could the Queen allow a woman with no background to become the Fourth Prince's principal wife?
However, although the position of the principal wife was out of reach, the position of the concubine could be planned. Once she entered the Fourth Prince's backyard, she would slowly make plans, and the position of the principal wife would eventually fall into her hands.
Unfortunately, she is only 12 years old now and cannot marry him immediately. She can only wait for another three years and find a way to arrange the marriage.
The afternoon banquet concluded, and the women of each household, accompanied by their daughters, returned to their homes. At the palace gates, Zhuang glared fiercely at Jiang Shiwei before turning and getting into her carriage. Following behind, Jin Linlin and Cao Jiao stared at Jiang Shiwei curiously, as if he were a monster.
Many people around them used strange eyes, like knives, to scrutinize Jiang Shiwei and Cao Qiang. Jin Linlin wondered what had happened and why everyone was looking at them so strangely.
Cao Jiao dragged Jin Linlin into her carriage and told her the whole story. It turned out that at noon, Jiang Shiwei and Cao Qiang had both fallen into the lake for unknown reasons.
The Fourth Prince happened to pass by and rescued the two. However, in public, the two hugged each other, as if they were close friends. Such behavior was simply disreputable.
The Empress had no choice but to promise to grant each of them a concubine position. With Cao Jiao's father's official position and military power, any prince would have married him as a principal wife. Unexpectedly, in the end, he only got a concubine position, which naturally made him angry.
Jin Linlin was so frightened that her mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg. Wasn't this the common plot in TV dramas where someone drowns and is falsely accused? She always felt that Jiang Shiwei was involved in this matter.
Jiang Shiwei used to be lively and cute, like an innocent little white rabbit, without any scheming at all. But today at the banquet, her expression made Jin Linlin feel like Jiang Shiwei had become a completely different person.
Cao Jiao went on, "When I saw Jiang Shiwei fall into the water, there was a cunning and calculating look in her eyes. Cao Qiang is the same. She likes to show off like a peacock spreading its tail tail, as if she is afraid that others don't know her." Jin Linlin nodded repeatedly, secretly alert in her heart.
After returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Zhuang was like an enraged lion. She angrily called Jiang Shiwei into the room and cursed at her.
"Look at what you've done. Just for the position of a concubine, you've caused a huge uproar in the city, and everyone knows about it!" Cao Qiang cried like a child who had suffered a great injustice.
"Mother, it was Cao Qiang who dragged me into this. I didn't want this to happen."
"My Lord has warned us many times that His Majesty is in his prime now, and if he gets involved in the power struggle among the princes, he will not have a good ending. But you insist on delivering yourself to them. You are so stupid! When My Lord comes back, go and explain to him yourself!" After saying that, Zhuang waved her hand and told her to leave quickly as if to shoo away a fly!
Jiang Shiwei returned to her room, a barely perceptible smile curling up the corners of her mouth like a crescent moon. She knew very well that this was only the first step in her plan. Next, she would find ways to make the Fourth Prince truly notice her.
One evening, Jin Linlin was strolling in the yard when she heard a faint noise. Following the sound, she saw Jiang Shiwei sneaking toward the garden. Curious, Jin Linlin quietly followed, wanting to see what she was up to.
Jiang Shiwei stopped in the corner of the garden, took out a small bottle from his arms, and sprinkled the contents among the flowers, his eyes full of calculation...
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