I wonder which prince the Loulan princess will marry?
As Yun Duoduo walked through the main hall, her ears were filled with all sorts of sounds.
Yun Duoduo listened intently to what the officials were thinking, and only then did she realize that the princess of Loulan was coming today.
Judging from the ministers' thoughts, is this Loulan princess here for a political marriage?
Among the princes of marriageable age, it seems that the eldest, second, and third princes are the most suitable.
She had seen many beautiful princesses from foreign lands in TV dramas, and today she wanted to see if the real-life princesses were truly exotic. Maybe she could even taste the grapes and melons of Turpan.
Having lived in ancient Nanyang for so many years, I must say that the variety of fresh fruits here is truly lacking. There are no papayas, dragon fruits, pomegranates, pomelos, or strawberries at all; there are only some pitifully small apples and dried-out crabapples, hawthorns, and wild berries.
Yun Duoduo fiddled with the exquisite blue-and-white porcelain teapot with intertwined floral patterns and the matching teacups on the table.
"The Crown Prince has arrived!"
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!" the ministers bowed.
The eldest prince, Yun Yibo, dressed in a purple palace gown, carried a wooden box in his left hand and a book in his right. He casually waved to the ministers who were greeting him with the hand holding the book, then strode over to Yun Duoduo's side.
He ignored the ministers who had come to greet him and chat casually.
"Royal sister, you look so radiant today!" Yun Yibo looked at Yun Duoduo, who was dressed in red, pinched her little cheek, and patted her head.
"Elder brother, you look very noble and festive today!"
Yun Duoduo joked that although Yun Yibo wasn't wearing a bright red outfit, his purple robe still looked quite noble.
"Royal sister, what gifts have you prepared for Father and Grandmother?" Yun Yibo asked her.
"Elder brother, guess?" Yun Duoduo said mysteriously.
"My younger sister is so clever, how could I possibly guess?"
"Let's leave you in suspense for now, eldest brother. You'll find out soon enough!"
"You're so clever!" Yun Yibo nodded at her head and went to sit down in his seat.
...
"The Second Prince has arrived!"
Yun Yizhong walked gracefully into the main hall, talking with the ministers as he went to his seat.
After putting away the prepared gifts, he walked to Yun Duoduo's side and said, "Royal sister, I have been busy with state affairs lately and have not been able to visit you at Fushuang Palace."
"You seem to have lost a lot of weight. How have you been lately?"
Yun Duoduo nodded with a smile. After the New Year, she will be six years old. She certainly won't be as soft and chubby as she was at three or four years old. Although she still looks very cute and adorable now, she will eventually develop into a graceful lady.
"Thank you for your concern, Second Brother. Duoduo is doing well."
Yun Yizhong felt that Yun Duoduo was much more distant when she spoke to her, [perhaps because she's grown up.]
Then the other princes arrived one after another.
The time was almost up, and the eunuchs and palace maids took their places in turn, ready for the banquet to begin.
"The banquet is about to begin!" the head eunuch in Anqing Palace shouted in a high-pitched, drawn-out voice.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived!"
Everyone rose and bowed, shouting loudly, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress!"
The Empress Dowager, dressed in a brown-red robe, walked inside with a solemn expression. Then, Zhang Mama helped her to sit on the rosewood chair in the center of the hall, which was carved with phoenixes and peonies.
Wearing a yellow dragon robe, Yun Beiye exuded an air of majesty. He slowly walked to the main seat, giving off an aura of supreme authority and dominance.
Empress Zhaoyuan was dressed in red, her skin was fair, her lips were bright red, and she wore a palace dress embroidered with large peonies, with a thin, light white gauze draped over it. Her hair was styled in a high bun and adorned with a gold peony, pearl, and jade hairpin.
Behind the two were Consort Chen and Consort De.
Consort Chen wore light makeup and a light blue dress embroidered with milky white gardenias on fine brocade. Her smooth, black hair was half-draped, and a simple hairpin was inserted diagonally into her hair bun.
Consort De wore a deep pink lotus-patterned palace dress and had a beautiful appearance.
The other concubines of lower rank had already arrived at Anqing Palace and taken their seats long before the Empress Dowager and Yunbei arrived.
"My beloved subjects, please rise. Today is the New Year's Eve banquet, and it is also a welcome feast for the envoys and princess of Loulan. There is no need to be so formal."
Yun Beiye sat in the main seat, gesturing with both hands. The Empress sat beside him, while Consort Chen and Consort De sat to his left.
After everyone was seated, Yun Duoduo looked around at the people in the seats and did not see anyone who looked like a princess. She guessed that the princess of Loulan had not yet arrived.
"Serve the meal!" the head eunuch at the entrance of the main hall shouted in a shrill voice.
Upon hearing the announcement, the palace maids, dressed in light pink palace gowns, lowered their heads and carried hot dishes into the main hall in unison, one plate after another.
Yun Duoduo straightened her body, stretched her neck, and stared longingly at the plates of food that the palace maids were carrying.
There was borscht, pickled cabbage with vinegar sauce, spicy perilla chicken, stir-fried fish fillets, the four imperial stir-fries, deer antler and three delicacies, and some other dishes and pastries whose names I didn't know.
All kinds of dishes and pastries are served on fine white jade plates, sappanwood cups, and jadeite and gold thread dishes.
In modern times, it is customary to eat dumplings during the Lunar New Year, and a coin is often placed inside one of the dumplings. Whoever finds the dumpling with the coin inside is said to have good luck for the year ahead.
Yun Duoduo looked at the table and was a little disappointed when she didn't see any dumplings.
If I had known, I would have wrapped some myself.
What's special about this year's Lunar New Year's Eve banquet is that some dishes used spices unique to Loulan, spices that are rarely seen in the past.
"Look, I've never seen this brown, five-pointed thing before."
"It seems that many of these dishes were made with spices brought from Loulan."
The dishes were placed on the table, and the ministers discussed them.
Yun Duoduo looked at the plate and saw some spices that she often ate in modern times, such as star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and fennel, which she couldn't find in Nanyang.
The royal nobles picked up their chopsticks and began to eat, exchanging greetings with each other.
"Hey, this dish is good, you should try it."
"The spices added here make it taste numbing."
After Yun Beiye coughed twice, everyone looked up at each other, put down their chopsticks, and waited for Yun Beiye to speak.
Everyone knew that this was the time for presenting gifts, a time when the concubines in the harem would compete to see whose gift was the best and vie for praise.
"Bye out the old year, welcome the new, a bountiful year awaits!"
"On New Year's Eve, the whole country celebrates!"
"The New Year's gift ceremony is about to begin! All concubines, princes, and princesses, please present your offerings!" Zhao Zhongquan shouted loudly.
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