bookrandom Chapter 552 The Imperial Banquet Begins, All Parties Take Their Seats
Chapter 552 The Imperial Banquet Begins, All Parties Take Their Seats
The Chunhua (Chunhua) Imperial Banquet officially begins.
Officials and their families came to the table one after another. The flickering candlelight illuminated the magnificent carved beams and painted buildings even more brilliantly.
The ladies from various families gathered together in groups to chat, with delicate makeup, exquisite clothes, and sweet smiles, creating a spectacular scene of flowers in full bloom.
The young men from noble families also sat in the men's area in an orderly manner, greeting people they knew and talking about recent interesting things.
From their calm and composed expressions, it can be seen that this is not the first time for these people to attend such a royal banquet.
"Huh? The eldest son of the Right Prime Minister is here this year too!" The eldest son of the Yan family didn't like to attend such events in previous years, and it was always the second son who came. Why is he rebelling today?
At the entrance of the hall, Yan Yuze was seen wearing a top-quality emerald jade hair crown on his head, a luxurious royal blue robe, and a wide black belt with dark patterns around his waist, which made him look extremely luxurious, low-key, and noble.
In front of him was the right prime minister Yan Bai.
He didn't look very happy. He didn't greet anyone and just walked straight to his seat and sat down.
The farce at the Yan family's wedding banquet made people in Kyoto laugh for several days. If it weren't for the scandal of the Ninth Prince that spread everywhere, the Yan family would probably still be laughed at at this time!
However, the Ninth Prince's live sex scandal cast a heavy shadow over the Yan family.
After all, the hostess in that live pornographic incident was Shu Yue, who almost entered the Yan family and became the second daughter-in-law of the Yan family!
Speaking of Shu Yue, during that period, everyone in the Yan family wanted to tear her apart alive!
If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have been like cowards, hiding in the mansion for so many days and not daring to go out!
He even let the second brother use this as an excuse to marry the singer...
"Prince Lanzhi is here too!"
"And Princess Zi Yan!"
On the red silk carpet outside the hall, Shen Lanzhi was wearing a crescent-shaped white brocade robe. She looked cold and noble, with a handsome face. Her eyes, half cold and half deep, seemed to reveal an indelible melancholy, which made him fall into an unpredictable mystery.
Shen Ziyan came into the wind in a bright red brocade robe. On her tight and slim red tube top dress, there was a large peony pattern embroidered with fine gold thread. It was noble and elegant, as if showing luxury and grandeur.
Her makeup was exquisite, and her face was noble and cold, with an imposing aura. At this moment, there seemed to be an unbridgeable gap between her and the ordinary noble ladies around her.
"Princess Zi Yan is worthy of being the most beautiful princess in Beidi. She is truly stunningly beautiful, stunningly beautiful and enchanting!"
"Indeed, the Eighth Prince is truly blessed. Such a beautiful princess was eventually betrothed to him."
Zhang Chong, the eldest son of Zhang Qinghu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, showed some displeasure upon hearing this. "Hmph, are you saying that you think the Eighth Prince is unworthy?"
"As the prince of Tianqi, what does it matter if I can collect all the beauties in the world? It is an honor for a mere Beidi princess to be able to enter the palace of our Tianqi Eighth Prince!"
What's more, the current Eighth Prince is no longer the Eighth Prince of the past!
Song Mingxuan's face was slightly embarrassed. "My Lord, that's not what I meant. When Princess Zi Yan first came, the one she arranged to marry was the Ninth Prince..."
"Let's not even mention the Ninth Prince! He did something so shameful at the Shanghe Mansion Flower Banquet. His reputation is completely ruined. How can he possibly marry a princess?"
"If we really let the Ninth Prince marry the princess, wouldn't the Northern Di think we are humiliating them?"
Song Mingxuan shut his mouth.
This choking Zhang Chong is really hard to resist. He didn't say anything, so why did he let him get caught?
A young man in brocade clothes followed behind Song Mingxuan. He pulled his sleeve and whispered behind his ear.
After hearing his words, Song Mingxuan's expression changed slightly, and he silently retreated with the young man.
Zhang Chong ignored the two men. After all, they had different ideologies and could not work together!
Song Mingxuan was some distance away from Zhang Chong when he whispered to the person behind him, "Huaiyu, is that true? The Eighth Prince has also joined the fight for the throne? Isn't he always selfless, just like the Fifth Prince?"
The young man in brocade clothes is Sima Huaiyu, the youngest son of the Imperial Censor Sima Xiang. He has two older sisters and is the only son in the family, so he is specially trained by the Imperial Censor.
He has a mental ledger of many things happening in the court.
"Brother Mingxuan, believe me, the Ninth Prince is currently battling the Fourth Prince fiercely and is basically losing ground! This is the perfect time for the Eighth Prince to shine!"
"So, it's best for us not to have anything to do with anyone from the Eighth Prince's lineage!"
"It's best not to let them notice us, otherwise, we might become stepping stones for the Eighth Prince's actions!"
In the fights among the princes, it is not uncommon for officials in the court to be used as sharp weapons, so these children of officials who have no powerful backing had better keep themselves clean and be careful in what they say and do!
"So, Zhang Chong is the Eighth Prince's man?"
Song Mingxuan felt a pang of fear in his heart. He didn't expect that the Minister of the Central Secretariat would actually join the Eighth Prince. Didn't he join the Ninth Prince before?
No, he had to go back and talk to his father about this, lest he offend those people in the court without knowing the situation!
After they finished talking, they sat down at the table in silence.
After the two men left, two people walked out from the strange rock not far behind them.
The man exuded a majestic aura, and a four-clawed golden dragon soared in the night, like a god looking down on all living beings in the darkness. Its deep and sharp eyes silently watched everyone's every move.
The woman standing next to him was elegant and quiet, with a refined temperament, as if she was a fragrant orchid standing in the darkness. She exuded an unobtrusive, yet refreshing and elegant power, which made people notice her stunning and uniqueness at a glance.
The two of them standing together looked like a pair of people with contradictory temperaments, yet inexplicably compatible!
"It seems that the Eighth Prince has already won over quite a few ministers!" Shu He said calmly, a hint of curiosity on his face. "Does the Emperor know about this?"
All those who once joined the Ninth Brother have switched to the Eighth Brother. This Kyoto is really "bustling"!
Baili Moqing rubbed his fingertips, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his cold and arrogant face. "In this capital, there are really not many things that can be hidden from him. Perhaps he also has some credit for the current situation!"
Shu He raised his eyebrows slightly, with surprise in his eyes.
At this time, Duke Zheng, his wife, and Zheng Zihe walked into the hall.
Behind the three men, there was a young girl. Although she had a timid look on her face, her clothes were still luxurious and bright enough, even more high-end and exquisite than those of the young ladies from second- and third-class families.
As soon as the Zheng family entered the banquet, some people were surprised. "It's Duke Zheng's family! Aren't they still in mourning? Why are they attending the palace dinner?"
"I don't know! But the Duke of Zheng's family is really miserable. Two sons died in one day, and not even two days later, their only legitimate daughter was gone..."
If this happened to someone else, they would have fainted from grief long ago. How come the Duke of Zheng and his family still had time to attend the dinner?
Many people were speculating about the purpose of the Duke of Zheng's family's visit, feeling that it couldn't be as simple as just attending a banquet.