Chapter 361 New Year's Eve Palace Banquet
After a brief pause, Emperor Defeng spoke, "Promote him to the rank of General Zhenwei, to assist in the defense of the three garrisons. Ren Zongping, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, will be promoted to the position of Military Supervisor of the Xiping Army, holding the imperially bestowed tiger talisman and overseeing the allocation of food and weapons, as well as the supervision of military discipline. Each of them will perform their duties, and in the event of war, they must consult together and act. Submit a secret report to me every ten days."
Gu Qishan's heart sank again.
The emperor really appointed his own confidants. With Ren Zongping in charge of Xiping, Xu Bai would probably be constrained in the army.
But this is the king's order, and the king's order cannot be disobeyed.
Gu Qishan kowtowed again to express his gratitude.
Seeing that he had no objection, Emperor Defeng leaned over again and reached out to help him up.
"Lord Ge is young and vigorous, while Lord Ren is mature and steady. Like a sword and a scabbard, they can secure the border forever. Lord Gu, you can rest assured and recuperate in the capital."
Gu Qishan was grateful and bowed before leaving.
After leaving the hall, Gu Qishan's face was covered with a layer of gloom.
He looked up at the sky and saw snowflakes falling.
The world has changed.
New Year’s Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.
This was Lu Zhiran’s first New Year’s Eve in the palace.
It is said that a new official starts with three things, and the same is true for Princess Lu Zhiran.
She has sorted out the accounts and personnel of the palace.
The accounts of the palace were very simple. Originally, the treasury was empty. Before they got married, Concubine Rou ordered people to send good things to fill the treasury.
In the past, Concubine Rou took care of these things for Xiao Yanci, but now they have all been handed over to Lu Zhiran, with a list attached.
Lu Zhiran counted the items according to the list, and then recorded and stored the dowry she brought, and the matter was settled.
There were only two masters in the palace, and the daily affairs were simple. She gave orders one by one and they just had to follow the procedures.
The first New Year celebration in the palace must be well prepared.
The palace had been decorated inside and out. Red silk was wrapped around the pillars, paper-cuts were pasted on the window frames, and even small red lanterns were tied to the branches of the plum trees in the courtyard.
When Xiao Yanci returned home, he saw the newly renovated palace, and a layer of tenderness covered his brows.
It’s really different to have someone who understands you.
It’s New Year’s Eve in a blink of an eye.
There is a banquet in the palace tonight. All the concubines, princes and their families need to enter the palace to attend the dinner, and even the ministers in the court must attend.
There is a huge screen in the middle of the hall, one side for male guests and the other side for female guests.
Xiao Yanci and Lu Zhiran dressed up and entered the palace early.
Inside the magnificent palace, auspicious lanterns were hung between the vermilion pillars, delicacies were displayed on the imperial table, jade plates and golden cups reflected the candlelight, and the whole palace was filled with the rich aroma of imperial wine and sandalwood.
Xiao Yanci was not interested in this.
These dishes and wine only look good, but they are actually cold and not tasty at all.
It would be more comfortable to have a hot meal with my princess in the house.
Xiao Yanci looked a little lazy, but Lu Zhiran sat upright, looking very dignified.
She is the Princess of Jin and represents the reputation of Prince Jin. She must not be wronged by anyone.
Prince An Xiao Yanheng and Prince Wu Xiao Yanqing also attended the event with their princesses.
Lu Zhiran also saw the second prince, Prince Ping, and the third prince, Prince Su, who had both rushed back from their fiefdoms with their families.
Both princes had gained weight. They were already tall, and when they gained weight they looked like mountains, looking exceptionally bloated.
On the other hand, Prince Rui, the emperor's uncle, has an extraordinary figure and demeanor.
The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow court robe with a dragon pattern, looking majestic and smiling.
Empress Sun finally showed up.
Long-term illness made her face pale, and the cinnabar flower between her eyebrows was so pale that it was almost faded, which made her eyes look even more calm, like an ancient well, without any ripples.
Compared with the concubines in bright clothes, Empress Sun's plain brocade phoenix robe was a little dull. She sat quietly in the center of the bustling city, but seemed to be detached from the world.
Lu Zhiran felt that she was like a stick of agarwood that was about to go out, as if it would be blown away by the wind in the next moment and disappear in the curling green smoke.
When this thought came to his mind, Lu Zhiran was suddenly frightened and quickly suppressed it.
The emperor raised his glass to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and the people. Everyone drank together, and whispers and laughter gradually broke out among the table.
As an important official in the court, Gu Qishan naturally attended as well.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but his position was exactly opposite to Concubine Rou’s.
Even though there is a screen in the middle, you can still see the figure on the opposite side through the dim shadows.
Seeing this arrangement, Lu Zhiran's back tensed up again.
Is this really just a coincidence? She doesn't believe it.
This was probably another test from Emperor Defeng, as his suspicions about the previous incident had not yet been dispelled.
Lu Zhiran was nervous, but she didn't dare show it on her face, and she didn't even dare to glance at the two of them.
Concubine Rou also looked normal, smiling sweetly with the concubine beside her, and not glancing in the wrong direction.
A palace maid accidentally spilled tea on her, and Concubine Rou's dress was wet. The palace maid immediately knelt down and apologized.
Concubine Rou frowned slightly, but considering that it was New Year's Eve, she did not scold him.
In order to avoid losing decorum in front of the palace, Concubine Rou had no choice but to get up and go change her clothes.
Lu Zhiran noticed the movement here, and with a glance, she was shocked to find that Gu Qishan opposite her had left the table at some point.
Lu Zhiran's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.
But on second thought, they had already seen through Emperor Defeng's suspicion, and they were both rational people, so they would definitely not do anything stupid that they shouldn't do.
On the other side, Empress Sun looked a little tired. She apologized to Emperor Defeng and left early.
Emperor Defeng knew her physical condition and agreed.
Empress Sun was helped away by the palace maids, and Prince Rui's eyes followed her until her figure completely disappeared.
Princess Rui also quickly stood up and followed quietly.
After leaving the warm hall, Empress Sun coughed twice because of the cold wind. Nanny Wu immediately wrapped her cloak more tightly for her.
"Your Highness, I will go get you a sedan chair. It's quite a distance from here to Kunning Palace."
Empress Sun shook her head. "No need. I want to take a walk."
Nanny Wu still quietly ordered someone to prepare the sedan chair so that they could rest if they got tired.
At this time, Princess Rui quickly caught up.
She knelt and saluted towards Empress Sun, "Greetings, Imperial Sister-in-law."
When Empress Sun saw her, she did not look too surprised and just smiled faintly.
"Get up, no need to be polite."
At the beginning, it was Empress Sun who chose the Princess Consort of Prince Rui.
Her maternal grandparents' home was in Shu, and coincidentally, Prince Rui's fiefdom was also in Shu, so she paid more attention to them when they met.
Prince Rui also nodded, and the marriage was settled.
Princess Rui stood up and looked at Empress Sun with concern.
"Sister-in-law, how is your health?"
Empress Sun smiled and said, "It's just an old ailment, nothing serious."
Everyone could tell that it was just a polite remark. Princess Rui's eyes turned slightly red, but she quickly suppressed the tears.
"I've eaten all the nourishing foods you sent me earlier. They're very good. Thank you very much for your kindness."
"As long as the meal is good, it's all arranged by the prince. For the past ten years, the prince has been thinking about you."
Empress Sun's expression softened. "How has Xuechen been these years? I've been thinking about him all the time."
Prince Rui's name is Xiao Xuechen, and the only one who would call him that is Empress Sun.
"Everything is fine."
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