Chapter 228 The Emperor's Birthday Begins
Xi Jianan felt that tomorrow's palace banquet would be full of gossip and extremely dangerous, so asking Xi Qingtong not to go was to protect her and also to protect the Xi family.
But Xi Qingtong has always loved this kind of world of fame and fortune. Even though she is only Song Yunhe's wife now, she would be arranged outside the main hall if she went there. But she still wants to go. Maybe she can see Xi Qingwu making a fool of himself. Can she handle such a banquet?
And there is Lin Shanshan, she will let Lin Shanshan know what a noble lady from a wealthy family is like.
For this reason, Xi Qingtong took pregnancy-maintaining medicine twice a day. No matter how bitter the medicine was, she didn't say a word. She even drank a bowl before leaving the next morning to pray for safety. She did not disappoint her. The careful care over the past two days made the dull pain in her lower abdomen disappear, and Xi Qingtong felt more relieved.
*
On the morning of June 20th, the 23rd year of Deyou's reign, just as the sky was getting light, many people were already hurrying on the streets of the capital. In addition, the gates of many dignitaries' mansions were already wide open, and luxurious carriages were parked in front of the doors.
A farmer selling vegetables from outside the city passed by with his load on his shoulder. When he arrived, he asked the old woman who was setting up a stall with him, "What day is it today? Why are all these wealthy people up so early?"
"You don't know yet? Today is the emperor's birthday, and all the elderly people over 80 years old in the capital are invited by the emperor to the palace for a banquet."
"Eighty years old, that's a really long life. But what does this have to do with ordinary people like us..."
The farmer shook his head and lowered his head to put out the vegetables in the basket. Not long after, several eunuchs hurried to his stall. He greeted them with a smile, "What vegetables would you like to buy, my lords?"
The leading eunuch shrilled, "The Emperor has decreed that today is the Emperor's birthday. The Imperial Kitchen has specially purchased vegetables from the people to celebrate with them!"
Without asking the price, he waved his hand and told the eunuchs to start taking the vegetables. Before the farmer could react, a whole load of fresh vegetables was loaded into the palace baskets.
"Sir! This...this vegetable money..." The farmer rubbed his hands anxiously.
The eunuch casually threw down a few copper coins and sneered, "It's your good fortune to enjoy the emperor's blessing!"
The old woman selling eggs nearby saw this and hurriedly tried to put away her basket, but the young eunuch snatched it away: "Old thing, why are you hiding? The nobles are eating your eggs to give you face!"
The entire street was thrown into chaos. The stall owners watched helplessly as their hard-earned goods, carried from outside the city, were looted, leaving them with only a few copper coins, or even nothing at all.
An old woman selling fish knelt down and begged, "Sir, please be kind! My granddaughter is still sick..."
The eunuch grabbed the fish basket and said, "Get out of the way! Don't block the Emperor's errand!"
The morning market, bustling just moments ago, was suddenly filled with cries. The farmer picking vegetables stared at the empty stall, speechless for a moment. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed, "How can this be irrelevant? It's his birthday, and we're suffering..."
The sound of ritual music emanated from the direction of the imperial palace, forming a stark contrast to the despair in the streets. The processions of carriages from the various prominent families passed by in a long line, seemingly oblivious to the suffering of the people beneath them.
When the sun rose, there was already a cloud of carriages and horses in front of the palace. All the officials of the sixth rank and above in the capital were accompanied by their wives, including those who had won the first place in the imperial examination and stayed in Beijing.
The rising sun cast its golden light on the white jade steps in front of the palace gates. As soon as the Zhao Palace carriage came to a stop, Xiao Ji was the first to alight. He was dressed in a crimson gauze prince's formal attire, a jade belt tied around his waist, and his posture, as straight as a pine tree, perfectly embodied his good looks.
"Be careful." He turned around and extended his hand, helping Qingwu out of the car. Qingwu was also wearing the royal princess's court dress today, with a phoenix-tail gold hairpin on her head, looking more solemn and elegant than before.
This made Xiao Ji a little uncomfortable. He reached out to help Qing Wu adjust the tassels hanging from her hair under her golden hairpin and joked, "Today, she looks more like someone else. Who wouldn't call her a noble lady?"
Suddenly, a chuckle came from the side: "Sixth brother and his wife are really in love."
Prince An and his wife came over. Princess An's eyes pierced Qing Wu like a knife, and her tone was quite sinister: "I really can't tell from the way my sister-in-law is dressed today..."
She paused deliberately, a meaningful smile curling up at the corner of her lips. Qing Wu felt uncomfortable being stared at by her, and when he looked up, he met the eyes of Princess An, which were filled with undisguised malice.
It seemed like this was her first time meeting Princess An. Could it be that Xi Qingtong had offended her in the past?
Even Xiao Ji noticed it, and took a half step forward to block Qing Wu behind him, and said to Princess An: "Princess An, can't you tell anything about my princess's attire?"
Seeing Xiao Ji being so protective of his younger brother, Prince An immediately tugged at the princess's sleeve, reminding her that it was not time to act arrogant. Princess An then reluctantly lowered her gaze, but still smiled and said, "I'm just remembering what my younger brother's wife was like when she was still a concubine."
She and Xi Qingtong didn't get along well, so what was wrong with her being a little sarcastic?
Xiao Ji glanced at her and said calmly, "Princess An has a really good memory, but she should still remember what we look like now."
Seeing him being so protective of her, Princess An was speechless for a moment. She could only suppress her anger and sneered inwardly: Later when you find out that the girl you are protecting is actually a country girl, you will see if you can still protect her like this!
Seeing the two people leave first, Qing Wu seemed to be thinking about something. He approached Xiao Ji and said, "Do you think it could be them..."
After the words fell, there was no response from Xiao Ji. Qing Wu turned his head and saw Xiao Ji's face flushed slightly. He coughed lightly and said, "You don't have to get so close to me in public..."
Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke, Qingwu couldn't help but twist his arm, then picked up the shelf and walked inside.
The palace road, which used to be wide, was now bustling with people. Arriving at the square in front of the Zhonghe Hall was even more surprising. One could see that the huge square was filled with tables and chairs, with a wide red carpet in the center leading directly to the Zhonghe Hall.
Those who could sit in the Zhonghe Hall were royal relatives, nobles, or officials of the third rank or above. Those outside the hall were naturally minor officials.
Xiao Ji took Qing Wu straight to Zhonghe Hall. The two of them were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. As they walked across the central red carpet, they naturally attracted a lot of people's attention.
Song Yunhe and Xi Qingtong were two of them. Song Yunhe was chatting with his colleagues, but when he followed the gazes of the people around him and looked at the perfect couple, he immediately forgot what he was about to say. Xi Qingtong froze instantly, and her nails dug deep into her palms.
On the red carpet, Qingwu was seen wearing the court dress of a prince's consort. Her crimson gown was embroidered with a pattern of a phoenix and a crane singing in harmony in gold thread, and faint cloud patterns could be seen on the winding hem of her skirt. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, her lips were crimson, and she possessed a dignified and elegant temperament. How could she be submissive?
Especially after hearing the woman beside him praise, "This Princess Zhao is indeed worthy of being a famous noble lady in the capital. With such beauty and bearing, it was really a waste of her talent to have been a concubine in the past."
Xi Qingtong wanted to bite her teeth to pieces. Now Xi Qingwu had completely replaced her, and all her former reputation was used to make a wedding dress for her!
That was the royal concubine's court dress! Thinking of Princess An's ridicule, Xi Qingtong's eyes turned red with jealousy.
Next to her, Xiao Ji stood, dressed in a crimson gauze gown, his tall figure outlined by a jade belt. Beneath his crown, his face was remarkably handsome. He leaned slightly to protect his princess, displaying both the dignity of a prince and a gentle, considerate demeanor.
"She is indeed the princess who accompanied Prince Zhao through his difficult times. Look at how much he cares for her..." the official beside him murmured in admiration, "They are truly a perfect couple."
Xi Qingtong found these words extremely jarring. She stared intently at Qingwu's royal court dress—that should have been hers! And then there was Xiao Ji's gentle support—that should have been her husband!
Song Yunhe noticed her loss of composure, secretly tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Pay attention to the occasion."
But after he finished speaking, even he himself could not help but continue looking at the two people in the field. Looking at the dignified and noble girl, Song Yunhe found it hard to associate her with the girl who used to cook for him.
It turned out that he thought that she was not presentable, which was just his fantasy. Qing Wu, who was so graceful and elegant, could even be a princess, so how could she not be the mistress of the Song family?
Xi Qingtong came back to her senses after Song Yunhe's reminder. Only then did she realize that many eyes were looking at her, either openly or covertly. However, most of them were looking back and forth in both directions. In an instant, Xi Qingtong realized that they were looking at her face and Xi Qingwu! She couldn't help but feel even more angry.
At this moment, Xiao Ji suddenly turned his head and glanced at them calmly. His eyes were calm and without any ripples, but they made the two of them feel an inexplicable chill.
What made Xi Qingtong even more embarrassed was that Qingwu followed Xiao Ji's gaze and looked at them, and even nodded slightly at them. His gesture was elegant and proper, as if he was really greeting them.
"Pretending!" Xi Qingtong squeezed out these words from between his teeth.
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