"His Majesty has arrived!"
The head eunuch shouted loudly, and everyone knelt down on the ground.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
May Your Majesty the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless happiness and peace!
"My beloved subjects, rise."
Looking at everyone at the table, Yun Beiye said, "My Ninth Princess has returned safely from the Northern Frontier and has even established a clinic there to treat the poor and needy."
"Congratulations! Today is the Flower Festival, and I invite all my beloved subjects to join in the festivities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The ministers shouted in unison.
"Serve the meal!"
Yun Beiye glanced at Zhao Zhongquan beside him, and Zhao Zhongquan shouted loudly.
Upon hearing the announcement, the palace maids dressed in light pink palace gowns bowed their heads and quickly walked up.
The dishes and pastries, such as borscht, pickled cabbage with vinegar sauce, spicy perilla chicken, stir-fried fish fillets, four kinds of stir-fried dishes, and deer antler and three delicacies, were placed on the table one by one.
"Mother, this is your favorite lotus seed soup."
Yun Beiye presented a bowl of lotus seed soup to the Empress Dowager.
"I'm in a good mood today. I've seen quite a few beautiful young women. Your Majesty, have the music hall play, and tell everyone to relax and go dance in the central dance floor!"
Yun Duoduo listened to what her grandmother said, and then looked at the people chatting and laughing in the room.
[Wow, this is basically a matchmaking event for high-ranking officials and bureaucrats!]
"Yes, Mother." Yun Beiye nodded slightly.
"Zhao Zhongquan, have the musicians play!"
"play music!"
Zhao Zhongquan shouted loudly, and the center of the dance floor immediately became lively.
Upon hearing that they were to dance, some shy and timid young ladies from official families quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at the male relatives opposite them.
Some of the bolder ones stared intently at their sweethearts, itching to make a move.
Have the people of Nanyang become this open-minded?
Yun Duoduo idly munched on sunflower seeds, ate watermelon, and drank milk tea in her VVIP seat, watching the young men and women present, their eyes sparkling with affection, exchanging flirtatious glances, and gossiping amongst themselves.
"I am Ge Tiange, and I have long admired your name, sir. May I have the honor of dancing with you?"
Ge Tiange is the daughter of Ge Tiancheng, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. She wore a pale yellow silk dress embroidered with roses, and a long robe embroidered with Suzhou flowers. She was tall, with willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and thick, long eyelashes. She looked gentle and kind.
Xiao Jinyu was stunned, looking at the woman in front of him with some confusion.
"I've heard that Young Master Xiao in the capital is a master archer who can shoot arrows without a beard. I wonder if there will be an opportunity to witness this in the future?"
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Seeing Xiao Jinyu standing there blankly without saying a word, Xue De nudged him and said, "Why is this guy just standing there like a block of wood?"
He grabbed Xiao Jinyu's sleeve and pulled him up.
Xiao Jinyu let Xue Deyi drag him along, and he and Ge Tiange went to the dance floor.
Yun Duoduo watched the people swaying and dancing on the dance floor. It was a kind of dance she had never seen before. There was no physical contact between the men and women, but both seemed to be dancing with great interest, spinning their feet, as if two people were circling around a pillar.
After watching for a while, Yun Duoduo felt a little dizzy and turned her head away.
Then, her gaze was drawn to the Third Prince at the next table.
[Wow, Third Brother's luck with women is pretty good!]
Yun Yishu was sitting on a stool eating melon seeds when a beautiful young lady from a respectable family walked gracefully to his side, looked at him shyly, and reached out her hand to invite him to dance.
Yun Yishu paused for a moment, then showed a look of sudden realization, and with a smile, grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the plate and placed them in the hands of the young lady from a prominent family.
With a "pfft," Yun Duoduo almost spat out the tea in her mouth, and looked at Yun Yishu in surprise.
Why is this child so slow to learn?
Does she still owe you that handful of sunflower seeds?!
The young lady's face turned pale and then red, and she turned away in shame and anger.
[Alas, Third Brother, what a missed opportunity!]
All those stories my eldest brother read to you were for nothing!
After watching for a while, Yun Duoduo felt a little disappointed.
All the excitement belongs to others; I have nothing.
She was just a six-year-old toddler, so naturally no one invited her to dance.
She could only watch longingly.
I wonder how Sumire-nii-san is doing lately?
She noticed several swallows flying low in the sky, and those swallows seemed to be having a lot of trouble flying.
It's going to rain!
There's a bug up ahead! Quick, don't let it get away!
She heard the swallows whispering.
【rain……】
Yun Duoduo suddenly remembered that when she was in elementary school, she had recited a line by swaying her head: "When swallows fly low and snakes cross the road, heavy rain is coming soon."
Before heavy rain, the air contains a lot of water vapor. When the water vapor comes into contact with the relatively cold bodies of insects, it condenses into water, causing the insects to become heavier and unable to fly high.
In order to catch these insects and fill their bellies, the swallows also have to fly low.
Suddenly, Yun Duoduo had a flash of inspiration. She jumped off the stool and sat down next to Yun Yishu.
"Third brother..."
"Does Your Highness wish to go dancing?" Yun Yishu asked her with a smile.
"Oh dear, Third Brother, stop fooling around. I'm talking to you about something serious!"
Yun Duoduo and Yun Yishu whispered to each other.
Consort De felt somewhat gratified as she watched the brother and sister with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Consort De no longer had any greed. She did not want her son to become the crown prince, as that would be too tiring and that kind of life might not be suitable for Shu'er.
It would be good to get to know the little princess better, especially since it was she who saved my son from the poison he had been afflicted with.
Yun Duoduo has been smart since she was little, and she's also kind and understanding. If Shu'er follows her, at least she won't go astray.
[Ever since Shu'er started following her, the Gu poison in his body has been cured, and he's even been granted the title of Prince of Wuzhu. This child is truly a lucky star.]
...
The dance floor remained bustling with activity, as people seemed tireless, exchanging toasts and drinks without stopping.
"Boom..."
The deafening sound in the sky attracted everyone's attention.
Slowly, small raindrops began to fall from the sky, and then the rain grew heavier and heavier.
"It's raining! It's raining!"
The officials' families at the banquet raised their hands to shield themselves from the rain and fled in panic. Several ministers sitting in the corners had already run to the pavilions near the Imperial Garden to take shelter from the rain, but the pavilions were too small to accommodate all the ministers and their families.
Where Yun Beiye and the Empress Dowager sat, there were naturally items to shield them from the sun and rain. The palace servants quickly opened the umbrellas, ensuring that not a single drop of rain fell on them.
"Third brother, have you prepared everything I just told you?" Yun Duoduo asked, moving closer to Yun Yishu.
After sensing that it was going to rain, Ah Xiang went back to Fu Shuang Palace to get an umbrella and a cloak, worried that the sudden change in weather would make Yun Duoduo catch a cold.
"Ready?" Yun Yishu raised an eyebrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
