nucmednet Chapter 12 Celebration Banquet
Chapter 12 Celebration Banquet
Madam Yan, Yan Qingwan and Yan Qingge got off the car one after another and met up with Old Madam Yan and others.
A well-trained eunuch came forward with a respectful look on his face, bowed courteously, and then carefully led everyone into the palace.
Officials from the surrounding area came with their families.
Under the guidance of the eunuch, Yan Qingwan followed the large army through the long official road, then stepped onto the stone steps covered with red carpet and entered the magnificent and majestic Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Everyone took their seats in order, and in the middle of the Si hour, ceremonial music began. Then, dancers in light clothes and wide-sleeved robes walked into the hall with light steps and began to dance.
They have graceful figures and elegant movements, and their veils flutter, which is truly a breathtaking sight.
Yan Qingwan admired the scenery intently, completely attracted by the beautiful scenery before him.
While he was watching intently, Zhao Shuhan, who was sitting at the next table, gently patted Yan Qingwan on the shoulder and said jokingly in a tender voice, "Take away that stupid expression of yours, your eyeballs are about to fall out!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingwan calmly turned his head and glanced at her, saying faintly: "Such a beautiful scenery, if you can't enjoy it to your heart's content, wouldn't it be a pity?"
Zhao Shuhan shook his head gently, then lowered his voice and gossiped mysteriously, "Oh my, you, you only know how to watch girls dancing all day long. Don't you notice that today, the noble ladies of various aristocratic families are dressed up so gorgeously, competing with each other for beauty, just like a peacock spreading its tail."
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingwan simply replied in a low voice: "Oh, I see, I've already noticed it, okay?"
Zhao Shuhan couldn't help but widen his eyes and raised his voice, "Why are you wearing so plain clothes? Put on that new golden hairpin inlaid with red and blue sapphires and butterflies!"
Yan Qingwan knew something was wrong when he saw her expression. As soon as he stretched out his right hand, Zhao Shuhan's words poured out like a flood.
Yan Qingwan made a helpless expression towards her, then silently withdrew his hand and sat down as if nothing had happened.
Yan Qingge, who was sitting next to her and heard everything they were talking about, quickly lowered her head when she saw Yan Qingwan glance at her. She smiled back sheepishly.
Yan Qingwan just nodded slightly at her.
The people around heard the noise and turned to look.
Zhao Shuhan realized that he had said something wrong. He looked embarrassed and awkwardly adjusted his hair. He smiled at the people around him who were looking at him and explained, "Oh, it's all my fault. I forgot to change the golden hairpin on my head when I went out this morning. Now that I think about it, I really regret it."
Zeng Yulan, who was sitting on her right, looked at the hairpin on her head and said with disdain, "It's really ordinary. I guess Miss Zhao doesn't have good taste and likes something so plain."
As soon as he finished speaking, some mocking voices from the noble ladies around him were heard.
Zhao Shuhan glared at her fiercely and responded, "That's much better than those people who have all kinds of ornaments on their heads, like peacocks spreading their tails. If you don't know, you would think they emptied the entire Treasure Pavilion!"
Zeng Yulan immediately stood up from her seat, glared at her, and said with raised eyebrows: "Zhao Shuhan, what do you mean by this?"
Zhao Shuhan showed a disdainful expression on his face, and said indifferently: "What else can it mean? You are just full of passion. Maybe the other party can't even remember what you look like. Lululu, you are a self-indulgent annoying guy."
At the end, she even made a face at Zeng Yulan.
Then, Zhao Shuhan turned around and sat down in his seat.
At this moment, Zeng Yulan was about to step forward to argue with her when she heard the eunuch's loud voice coming from the gate: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."
When everyone present heard the noise, they stood up from their seats and knelt respectfully to welcome the Holy Emperor.
For a moment, the sound of orderly worship echoed throughout the entire palace.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and Your Highness, Your Highness."
The singing and dancing dancers had already stopped, and stepped aside in an orderly manner, kneeling down in unison to pay their respects.
The Emperor and the Empress walked side by side, followed by the elegant Crown Prince.
They walked slowly and steadily up to the high platform in front. After they stood firmly, the emperor turned around and said in a steady tone: "All the ministers, please stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Everyone stood up and returned to their seats.
Yan Qingwan kept his head down the whole time, sitting properly, without even a curious glance at the person above him.
There were some bolder noble ladies, such as Zeng Yulan, the daughter of the Queen's family, the Minister of Revenue, whose eyes were fixed on Crown Prince Si Jinchen with admiration in their eyes.
Later, Mrs. Zeng couldn't stand it anymore, so she reached out and forced her head down, and scolded her in a low voice.
Although Zeng Yulan was unwilling, under her mother's stern gaze, she could only hum reluctantly and dared not continue her outrageous behavior.
After everyone sat down, the emperor smiled gently and said, "Today is a celebration banquet for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. There is no need to be formal. Please feel free to do as you please."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After the ministers stood up to express their gratitude, they exchanged a few polite words with each other, and then the banquet officially began.
With the Emperor sitting at the top, the ladies below all seemed a little restrained, and their original attempts to secretly peek at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince decreased a little.
Just at this moment, a melodious sound of stringed instruments slowly sounded, breaking the seemingly peaceful banquet.
The dancers who were standing aside cautiously began to twist their waists and sway their dance.
Yan Qingwan took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and quietly approached Zhao Shuhan at the next table, lowered his voice and smiled, "You've learned a lesson just now."
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned this matter, but as soon as he did, Zhao Shuhan became furious.
She pouted her lips and looked at Yan Qingwan with resentment: "Humph, you are really my good sister. You left me alone to face such an embarrassing situation just now."
Yan Qingwan said in an awkward but polite voice: "Well, that's all your fault. Who told you to speak so loudly all of a sudden? I didn't have time to stop you, but you were pouring beans..."
Zhao Shuhan looked at her with wide eyes when he heard this, and snorted, "You still want to talk?"
Yan Qingwan: “…”
After thinking for a while, she shook her head and said, "Okay, I'll shut up."
Zhao Shuhan immediately revealed an expression that said, "You'd better be sensible."
The Queen, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly spoke: "Is that the Duke of Wei's daughter?"
Yan Qingwan's gaze followed the direction Zhao Shuhan was looking.
A young woman wearing a pea green gauze cross-collared shirt and a scarlet vest stood up from the crowd, walked calmly to the middle, knelt down to salute, and a clear and pleasant voice rang out in the hall: "Your servant Wei Miaozhu pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen."