Linque

The palace banquet begins at the beginning of the unitary hour.

The emperor and the empress dowager sat at the top, and on the left and right were the seats for the crown prince and King Jing. Qingyan was young, and the female officer in charge of the Eastern Palace followed him to serve him. In the past, he could join his father at the banquet, but not today. Being looked after by the female officer in charge, she sat obediently at the bottom.

After disembarking, there were several respected elders of the clan. Princess Changning was the first on the right, and she personally entertained Nanxi Guoshi Jing Xueli who was sitting next to her.On both sides of the main hall, rows of tables and chairs were laid out, and the courtiers and female relatives sat in separate seats.

Chu Heng was not with the people in Zhong Pinghou's mansion. After meeting and talking with Zhong Pinghou, he and Ye Shuli sat behind Mu Xiyun who was attending the banquet on behalf of Ye Gucheng's lord.Lishan Ye's family is one of Dayin's sixteen aristocratic families, and they are seated in the front. Chu Heng can see His Majesty when he looks up.But correspondingly, it is more convenient for His Majesty to watch him eat and drink.

At the beginning of the palace banquet, just as Chu Heng took his seat, a palace attendant standing on the aisle came over with a wine jug lightly, bowed to him, and reached out to replace the wine on Chu Heng's table. jug of liquid.After finishing all this, the palace man stepped aside, and stood in an impartial position, just a few steps away from Chu Heng.

Seeing this, Chu Heng felt chills, knowing that he was destined to miss the red soup hot pot today.

The Qianqiu court banquet is a grand ceremony, and the process is cumbersome.Both the emperor and the empress dowager took their seats. After everyone saluted and worshiped, they began to celebrate the empress dowager's birthday according to their seats. It took nearly half an hour after the first-class ceremony was completed.

When the banquet started, most of the dishes on the table were already cold, leaving only the hot pot and soup hot.After simmering for a long time, the dishes in the pot became soft and rotten, and lost their fresh taste. Chu Heng picked up a chopstick and tasted it. As soon as the dishes were in his mouth, even the red soup hot pot next to him that His Majesty forbids him to eat was tasteless. Interested, he turned directly to the dim sum on the table—fortunately, when His Majesty sent someone to look for him just now, he didn't pretend to not see him. He ate a bowl of silver noodles with His Majesty before the palace banquet, and he wasn't very hungry at the moment.

Chu Heng raised his head and glanced at the emperor on the throne. He was sitting in the crowd. Although he was not seated at the back, in the eyes of the emperor at the top, he should be just one of the crowd. There were many eyes looking at the emperor at the same time, and his eyes were not conspicuous.

Chu Heng never thought that he would get a response, but the moment he raised his head, he found that His Majesty's gaze was also directed in his direction.

The two eyes suddenly met in mid-air, separated by Danbi and the crowd, the two looked at each other quietly, I don't know if it was an illusion, Chu Heng felt that Ling Ye raised the corners of his lips slightly.

—The emperor did indeed smile.

Princess Changning is so close that she can be seen from one side.Today is the Empress Dowager Qianqiu. In order to maintain the superficial filial piety of mother and son in front of his subjects, the emperor has been dealing with it all day, with a gentle fake smile on his face all the time.

But Princess Changning subconsciously felt that the emperor's slight smile just now was not for entertainment, he was really smiling, seeing someone, so he was happy from the bottom of his heart.The eldest princess's heart moved, and she hurriedly followed the emperor's line of sight, but to her disappointment, there was no girl from any family in the group of people.

Maybe I misread it, the eldest princess looked away, thinking with some disappointment.

The clan members who sat at the front moved their chopsticks a few times and began to toast the emperor and queen mother. The famous family heads also stood up to raise their glasses.

Gao Bandit stood aside and poured wine for the emperor. Ling Ye had a cheerful expression on his face and would not refuse anyone who came, but he was not really interested.The pot was a mandarin duck pot, which was divided into two parts, one half was filled with wine, and the other half was warm water mixed with honey.Bandit Gao has been serving the emperor for a long time, and he can tell whether he wants tea or wine just by looking at him.A group of people bowed down, and the emperor didn't take a sip of the good Qiu Lubai in the pot, and his mood was obviously bad.

Bandit Gao almost thought that this night was just fooling around, until Mu Xiyun, the wife of the Lord of the Eastern Capital, raised his glass, and Chu Heng and Ye Shuli who were sitting behind her also stood up.

Ling Ye's eyes were stained with a smile, and he glanced at Bandit Gao. Eunuch Gao understood, lightly pressed the handle of the pot, and handed a full cup of Qiulubai to His Majesty.

The eldest princess of Changning was eating snacks, and inadvertently raised her eyes, only to notice that the person standing up to toast was the emperor's servant Mo.She didn't pay much attention to it, she restrained her gaze, and glanced casually in the direction of the emperor——

This glance could not be taken back.

The Eldest Princess was sure that she was not mistaken this time, the emperor was indeed smiling, exactly the same as the smile just now, the brows were stretched, the corners of the mouth were raised, it was a joy from the heart - facing his Imperial Attendant Mo.

The princess's heart skipped a beat, she thought of a lot in an instant.

The imperial servant who was suddenly elected, the person closest to the emperor when he was dealing with government affairs, the twenty sticks that were written on his body but had not fallen, the rumors of the emperor's deliberate training, and the emperor who mentioned the people around him before the winter festival. The absent-mindedness, the figure who stepped into the apse just before the palace banquet, and now, the sincere smile on the emperor's face over and over again.

Princess Dachang's gaze sank slightly, and she looked at Chu Heng opposite again, her hand holding the jade chopsticks tightened unconsciously.

She had a strong premonition that the person in front of her had an extraordinary meaning in the heart of her emperor's nephew.

Chu Heng raised his glass and drank it all, only to find that the jug was not filled with fruit wine as he thought, but warm water mixed with honey, it tasted very sweet and tasted very good.

After drinking for three rounds and singing and dancing a few times, Ling Ye was originally in a low mood, but today was the Empress Dowager's Qianqiu Banquet, and there would be a fireworks show later, so he didn't leave the banquet early as usual. The handrails lowered their eyes to rest their minds, and glanced quietly in Chu Heng's direction from time to time.

A dance music on the field was coming to an end. After the last dancer left, the sound of the silk and bamboo orchestra in the hall stopped for a while. Ling Ye didn't care about it. He was just walking, when suddenly a melodious melody came from his ears, as clear as splashing jade Trembling like a dragon's chant, the noise in the hall stopped, and everyone looked at the field in unison——

Sitting behind the guqin is a woman with crescent eyebrows. She lowered her head slightly and couldn't see the whole picture, but her smooth and fair forehead and black eyebrows as beautiful as distant mountains have already shown that she is a national beauty. Tianxiang, a rare beauty.

But she is not a kabuki, the lingling clear sound of the guqin gurgles in the hall, and what she plays is Gagaku.

It is a piece of music presented by a daughter of Dayin's aristocratic family in a large audience.

Ling Ye realized something was wrong when he heard the first sound.This is not the music and dance arranged by the Ministry of Rites, nor is it a gift to the Queen Mother, it is for him.

The ethereal and meaningful sound of the qin gurgled between the woman's fingers, and when the song was over, the woman behind the qin bowed profusely, and the old prince, who was sitting first on the left side of His Majesty Dan, stood up.He is Ling Ye's great-uncle, the most senior person in the entire imperial family. The old prince raised his wine glass, stroked his beard and asked loudly, "What do you think of this elegance, Your Majesty?"

——This is a tactful question. There is an unspoken rule in court music. If the emperor says "yes", it means keeping the person, and if he says a few words of encouragement, it means refusing.

But now, the old prince doesn't seem to intend to leave him room to say "no". Before Ling Ye could speak, the old prince looked around at the clansmen around him, and said with a smile: "When this person gets old, what he likes most is having children and grandchildren. Your Majesty, Your Majesty's heirs are now weak, which makes Her Majesty the Empress Dowager lose a lot of fun in caring for her life. Your Majesty takes care of the Empress Dowager with the world, so naturally there is nothing lacking. We old guys discussed it, and it is better to give Duan Family happiness." The old prince pointed to the kneeling woman in the arena: "I wonder if the Queen Mother and Your Majesty can appreciate this little thought from the clansmen?"

The hall was suddenly quiet.

The emperor and the queen mother sat at the top, and the long-lost mother and son reached an agreement for the first time.Of course the Empress Dowager likes children and grandchildren to be around her knees, but it shouldn't be the emperor's child - King Jing is sitting at the head of the Empress Dowager right now, with the pregnant Concubine Jing next to her.

But the clansmen seem to have made up their minds, and it is inevitable that they will win. The two hats of "compassion" and "filial piety" will be buckled at the same time. In addition to the face of the old prince and other clansmen, neither the queen mother nor the emperor can say "No".

Ling Ye's face remained unchanged, his gaze had completely cooled down, and he looked indifferently at the kneeling people in the field.

Those who can present elegant music at court ceremonies must be from innocent family members, and they must have some status, but they are not comparable to the noble daughters of major families.

It is indeed a heartfelt choice to pick out such a person, with bright eyes and bright teeth, and a stunning beauty, anyone who sees it will have to praise her as a beauty.A piece of gala music was played so well that it was like the sound of nature. There was no mistake in her demeanor and etiquette. It seemed that she had spent a lot of effort to train her.

But Ling Ye's uncle was used to idleness, and was always the most impatient of being entangled in mundane affairs. He rarely even intervened in clan affairs, let alone devoted himself to raising people.It wasn't him who really wanted to give it away, it was a stepping stone handed over by the great families present through the hands of their clan relatives.

Accepting this person means the beginning of the harem, and then the women of the major families will enter the palace to accept grace.And the one in front of him, doesn't have enough background, can't be granted a high position, and won't hinder the way of the aristocratic ladies.

The abacus was well calculated, and several respected and respected clan elders united together and pulled out the flag with the word "filial piety". Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was caught off guard.The draft brochure handed over a few days ago was just a cover, and the real trick turned out to be waiting for him here.

The old prince used the title of "clan" and the elders around Dan Bi probably knew about it, but no one mentioned it to the emperor before—even if they went to meet the emperor before the palace banquet, they didn't. Said a word.

Ling Ye's eyes turned to Princess Changning.

The eldest princess turned her head and didn't look at him.