AWB Chapter 111 Offering suggestions
Chapter 111 Offering suggestions
(I suddenly discovered that Prince Dun’s son is called Hongxuan. The sky fell.)
On New Year's Eve, the Forbidden City was decorated with lights and lanterns. Under the deliberate exaggeration of their masters, the palace maids also embroidered various patterns on their cuffs and pinned a few silk flowers on their heads to project the atmosphere that their masters wanted.
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a palace banquet was in full swing. The hall was ablaze with candlelight, and delicate lanterns hung down, casting a soft glow that illuminated the dragon-carved and phoenix-painted pillars and the magnificent golden dome. A thick red carpet stretched from the hall entrance to the throne.
On the throne, the emperor sat high in the main position, and on both sides of him sat princes, ministers, and concubines, all dressed in gorgeous court robes and palace costumes. The fabrics were all high-quality silk, embroidered with exquisite patterns, such as blooming peonies to symbolize wealth, or auspicious clouds to represent good fortune. Pearls and jade pendants swayed gently with their movements, making subtle sounds.
The table was laden with delicacies, each dish presented on exquisite porcelain plates. There was the steaming hot Eight Treasures Duck, its skin crispy and its meat tender and juicy, fragrant; the braised pork elbow, bright red, fatty but not greasy, and melt-in-your-mouth; and the exquisite plum blossom cake, shaped like a plum blossom and adorned with candied fruit. The wine was also the finest of the palace, poured into crystal jade cups, exuding a rich aroma.
Musicians played stringed instruments in the corners of the hall, the melodious music echoing throughout the hall. Dancers, dressed in colorful clothes, moved gracefully, waving their sleeves and dancing with graceful steps. There was no trace of the past when the palace musicians and dancers played diligently just to please the nobles.
Concubine Gong changed back into her orange dress and followed the dancer's steps without a care in the world, sipping the rich wine in her glass with ease. Meanwhile, the concubines below kept their eyes on Concubine Gong and chatted with her.
Jiang Ruyin wore a goose-yellow kesi silk palace gown with four auspicious patterns and a pearl and jade hairpin. Her presence was extraordinary, yet she lacked the opulence and brilliance of the previous day. As if she had agreed with Concubine Hua, she too wore ordinary clothes, with a head full of red gold ruyi-patterned jewelry. Perhaps for Concubine Hua, simply wearing gold jewelry was already extremely low-key. She sat quietly below Concubine Duan's empty seat, a seat between them. She anxiously searched for her brother across the seats of princes and ministers.
The emperor had a dull expression, and only revealed a hint of a smile when his eyes met Jiang Ruyin's.
When the song ended, the emperor said a few symbolic words to save face, and the singing and dancing continued. Then he heard discussions coming from the seats opposite.
"Today is New Year's Eve and the Emperor has invited all the royal relatives and important officials to the court, but why is Prince Dun not here?"
"Hey, sir, you didn't know a few days ago when I took leave. Prince Dun was reported by the censor when he went to the palace in military uniform. But as soon as he left the court, he beat the censor in the street. This is outrageous! So, the emperor ordered him to return home to reflect on his actions."
Another person lowered his voice, "He's not deposed, he's still a prince, why can't he even be released for the New Year's Eve palace banquet?"
The emperor's face darkened. Did he not want to invite him? It was clearly the Tenth Prince who refused to come! He silently remembered the person who said: Very good, you have already chosen your own death!
Prince Heng's gentle voice rang out: "My tenth brother has been rebellious since he was young. I will definitely give him a good scolding when I go back. The emperor has specially granted him permission to attend the banquet, so how can he not come? I hope the emperor will not blame him." He bowed to the emperor and said.
The emperor smiled knowingly and raised his glass to him, "That's all right, Old Eleven has always been like this."
Then, there was no more discussion at the table.
Jiang Ruyin touched her chin thoughtfully.
Jiang Ruyin always claimed to be ignorant of state affairs, and the emperor began to miss Zhen Huan.
Zhen Huan also heard the ministers' discussions on New Year's Eve, and she spoke freely when the emperor asked her questions.
So the next day, the empress dowager, who had been at odds with the emperor for a long time, received the oral order brought by Su Peisheng.
"Empress Dowager, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict has already gone to Prince Dun's mansion with it. After all, the emperor's will cannot be changed. If you have anything to tell the emperor, I will definitely bring it to you." Su Peisheng said with the utmost humility.
The Queen Mother's face turned pale, but she didn't get angry in front of him. "Who has been serving the Emperor these days?"
Su Peisheng couldn't help but answer, so he said carefully: "On New Year's Eve, it was Concubine Fang, and then I had dinner at Concubine Hua's place. After that, it was Concubine Wan."
"Is Concubine Wan also in the Yangxin Palace now?"
"Yes."
The Queen Mother frowned and waved her hand, "I understand. You can go back and serve the Emperor."
"Noble Lady Hui is here." Chunmao spoke carefully.
"Zhuxi, go and invite Concubine Fang! Is Concubine Hui here again? Alas, this child, I won't see her today..." The Queen Mother frowned and suddenly stopped Chunmao who was about to leave, "Forget it, please invite her in."
Shen Meizhuang brought Haokehua's Ruyi cake and red date yogurt, but heard Chunmao say that the Queen Mother was in a bad mood today and asked her to comfort her.
Shen Meizhuang frowned slightly, but immediately put on a smile when she got inside. She bowed politely and went forward to set the bowl for the empress dowager: "Your Majesty, winter is the most tiring. I cooked red date curd with only a little sugar and brought it when it was hot. It's just the right temperature now." Shen Meizhuang touched the temperature of the bowl and pot with her hand and said with a smile, "And this Ruyi cake is the easiest to digest. Please have some, Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother knew Shen Meizhuang had put in some thought at once. "I know your good intentions, but I really don't have the appetite."
"I dare to ask why the Empress Dowager is so worried."
The Queen Mother suddenly mentioned Zhen Huan and asked about their acquaintance.
Shen Meizhuang's heart was beating fast, but she answered truthfully, "When I was young, I lived in a rented house outside the capital. Because I was a stranger, no one wanted to play with me, except Huan'er next door." There was a look of longing in her eyes, and she said softly, "She drove away those domineering young men for me and took me to play in the capital. Later, my father was transferred back to Jeju, and I kept in touch with her through letters even when I was away from the capital. We met again until the day of the selection."
The Queen Mother nodded when she heard this, "So there was some correspondence between us."
Shen Meizhuang lowered her eyebrows, but did not refute.
"When judging a person, you can't just look at the surface. Their temperament and character behind the scenes are the most important. The same is true for managing a harem. It's not enough to just appear calm on the surface. The various little actions behind the scenes are the foundation of harem harmony."
Jiang Ruyin followed Zhu Xi in and heard these words.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. May you live long and blessed." Jiang Ruyin bowed her head and saluted gently.
The Queen Mother bent down and helped Shen Meizhuang, who was about to bow, to her feet. She said casually, "Concubine Fang, isn't that right?"
Jiang Ruyin lowered her eyebrows and said, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother is right. Please enlighten me."
Shen Meizhuang was still confused when she heard Jiang Ruyin say this.