The Empress Dowager would naturally not turn up.
Those at the women’s table were mainly the Empress, Imperial noble consorts Su and Wen. Imperial noble consort Su was especially highly regarded because she was King Chu’s mother. Meanwhile, Imperial noble consort Wen gave birth to the Sixth Princess. Even though she was of the same rank as consort Su, she was not as highly regarded. Furthermore, she did not seem to be in good health. The sixth princess, who sat beside her would show her concern from time to time.
The Empress sat in the middle. Imperial noble consort Su was seated on her right, and to consort Su’s right, was the Fifth Princess, who had an arrogant expression on her face. On the Empress’ left was Imperial noble consort Wen, and on her left was the Sixth Princess.
The Empress seemed like an overly stern woman. She sat in the middle and did not smile. Her eyes swept down the table and landed on the faces of noble ladies present who all trembled in fear. Fortunately, she did not look at them for too long. A faint smile appeared on the Empress’ face and she appeared to be kinder. She smiled and turned to speak with Imperial noble consort Wen.
Imperial noble consort Wen’s health was poor. She laughed a little and then started coughing softly, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. The Sixth Princess handed her some tea and she only stopped coughing after taking a few sips.
On the other side, Imperial noble consort Su had no intentions of entertaining anyone. She looked at the Empress and the Fifth Princess seated next to her and felt bored. She leaned against the large rosewood chair and smiled slightly as she looked at the faces of the noble ladies, looking rather thoughtful. Her eyes shone, and no one knew what she was thinking, but she seemed rather kind.
Everyone stood up and curtsied to the Empress, who waved her hand and gestured for everyone to sit. No one dared to move if the Empress did not.
“Mother, get them to eat first. Today is Grandmother’s birthday and New Year is coming. It is really bustling and they are still going to the lantern festival later. This is my first time seeing the lantern festival in the palace.” The Fifth Princess said cutely to her mother. She felt excited when she thought of the sea of lantern Feng Yuran designed. There were tens of thousands of lanterns in various shapes. There were even shapes that the Fifth Princess had never seen before.
“It is not time yet. Your Father said that we can only go at a certain time. It is said that the lanterns will suddenly light up then and it would be beautiful. It is still early, and you are a royal princess. Look at all the noble ladies down there. They are all more mature than you.” The Empress stretched over Imperial noble consort Su and patted the Fifth Princess’ hand with a slight smile.
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t say that of the Fifth Princess. She is an honorable lady, can she be compared to the girls down there? She is unique in the palace. His Majesty dotes on Fifth Princess the most and even I can only hope to have a daughter like her.” Imperial noble consort Su smiled as she spoke. She reached out her long, slender and soft hands for a teacup on the table and sipped at it.
The noblewomen and their daughters seated at the front all lowered their heads, pretending not to have heard what consort Su said. The ministers all knew that the Empress and consort Su pitted against each other. One of them was the Empress of the palace, the mother of the nation while the other had given birth to the gentle and elegant First Prince. No one dared to interrupt them. Even the usually arrogant Fifth Princess heard the underlying currents and only harrumphed coldly. She turned around and ignored them.
All the women in the palace wanted to give birth to sons. If they had a son, they would not have to worry for the rest of their lives. They would enjoy an unmatched status. So what if girls were obedient? They would still be married off. The fact that she had no sons was an eternal wound in her heart. If she had a son, would there be so much trouble in the palace?
If the Empress had a son, who could say anything?
The Empress looked at Imperial noble consort Su coldly. Consort Su was growing more and more audacious. She had dared to say something like this in front of so many daughters of court officials. This was practically revealing her thoughts.
“Whether she is honorable or not is up to His Majesty. Even though the Fifth Princess’ status is different, as a child of His Majesty, she has to listen to him. She has to behave like a princess and must not be like others and lust after wealth and name. Whether she is good nor not, and capable or not, only what His Majesty says counts.” The Empress smiled as if she was only talking about the Fifth Princess.
Lust after wealth and name? And whether she was capable or not? Imperial noble consort Su understood, as did Imperial noble consort Wen, the Fifth Princess, and the Sixth Princess. Imperial noble consort Wen’s health was poor and she leaned against the Sixth Princess, who hurriedly wiped the consort’s forehead with a handkerchief. Imperial noble consort Wen only had a daughter and her health was poor. She was no match for the others.
She could only pretend to be ill to avoid the trouble.
Imperial noble consort Su looked up with a mocking smile on her lips. She said, “Your Majesty, you are right. Whether one is honorable is indeed decided by His Majesty. I was wrong and thought that since Fifth Princess is most doted on by His Majesty, then she is the most honorable. I have offended the Sixth Princess. Sixth Princess is really caring and His Majesty really approves of her.”
Imperial noble consort Wen and her daughter were targeted even when they laid low. The Sixth Princess looked up and smiled gently at Imperial noble consort Su but did not speak. Instead, she continued to look after Imperial noble consort Wen.
The Empress was unhappy when Imperial noble consort Su said that the Sixth Princess and Fifth Princess were equally honorable. Her Fifth Princess was the legal daughter of the palace, how could she be the same as the other princesses? Furthermore, Imperial noble consort Su’s words did not count. As long as His Majesty liked that person, that person would be honorable. The eldest royal son was the Emperor’s first son, so he was highly regarded. Then would that make him the most honorable person? What kind of person was the most honorable? A person who sat on the throne? This was a slap to the Empress’ face!
The Empress’ expression turned dark. Just as she was about to retort, Nanny Han, who was standing beside her tugged on the corner of her dress while no one was paying attention. She looked around to indicate to the Empress that there were many people present and they were all women from the families of important officials. There were a few in front who were nobility.
The fights between the royal consorts as well as the power struggle between the Empress and Imperial noble consort Su was something that everyone was aware of. However, it would not do to bring it to the surface. One had to maintain the balance on the surface. The women of the palace would affect the court. And turmoil in the palace would often lead to changes in court.
The Empress gritted her teeth and pretended not to understand. She looked at the time and was about to call for the banquet to begin when a servant hurried up from the shore. He knelt and reported, “Your Majesty, the Princes asked if you would be able to ask the ladies to perform so that they can admire their talents.”
“Alright!” The Empress had not even said anything when Imperial noble consort Su flicked her handkerchief and laughed. “This is a good idea. We have many talented young ladies present, so they can take this chance to show off their talents. It’s hard to find time for everyone to get together and have fun. You won’t mind, would you, Your Majesty?”
She was fighting to be heard even before the Empress, and this was very impolite. Some of the more educated Madams and young ladies lowered their heads and did not speak. Only those who were slightly ignorant grew excited when they heard that they were going to perform. They felt that it was the opportunity they were waiting for.
The Great Qin only had a few Kings. They were the three Princes as well as the Empress Dowager’s grandson. Only King Ning was in Yan Kingdom as a hostage and was not present. There was King Jin, but he rebelled and all his family was killed. That was more than 30 years ago. So in the Great Qin, there were only King Chu, King Yan, and King Xuan. No matter which Prince was the one to suggest this, they were all nobility. They were handsome and powerful, and the hearts of the young ladies speeded up when they thought of that.
Even though they all lowered their heads and played with their skirts shyly, they all glanced at the Empress from the corner of their eyes. Their desire to perform did not have to be said.
The Empress was reluctant to agree, especially since Imperial noble consort had spoken, and she did not like her at all. However, when she saw the heated gazes of the ladies and even the Madams, she knew that she could only agree. If she did not, she would be rebuked by the Emperor later when they returned. Her heart flared with anger when she thought about how she had gone against His Majesty’s will a few days ago and had been rebuked in front of many consorts.
Her expression turned cold and solemn.
“Lady, the Princes are waiting, what are we to do?” Nanny Han was intelligent and she reminded the Empress softly by her ears. The three Princes were not born to the Empress. Even though they all had to respect the Empress as the Empress Dowager in the future no matter which one of them ascends the throne, there was more to the entire thing.
“Tell them that I have agreed. There will still be a lantern festival later tonight. Tell them to be careful and not drink too much right now. I will test them later during the festival.” The Empress regained her wits and swept her gaze coldly at Imperial noble consort Su, who appeared to be more subdued.
“Yes!” The servant answered and ran towards the island on the left. He crossed over to the other island at the point where the two islands were the closest.
The banquets on the two islands were not held too far away from each other. They could see the people on the other island clearly, and those with sharp ears can even hear what’s being said on the other island. As such, the noblemen who practiced in martial arts already told those beside them what they heard when the Empress agreed. Cheers sounded on the island on the left immediately. The ladies all flushed shyly and played with their handkerchief, unable to look up.
On the island on the left, the gentle and elegant King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, sat at the main seat. On his left and right, were King Yan, Feng Yuyan and King Xuan, Feng Yuran, who was lying lazily on a seat. The three Princes raised the cups in their hand when they heard the cheers and gestured for those seated in front of them to drink. Those present were all young men, and the three Princes, who led them, were also all young men. Compared to the shore, where the Emperor was leading the other officials, and the other island, where the Empress was leading the other young ladies, the atmosphere here was more relaxed.
Feng Yuran held the cup in his hand and smiled charmingly at You Yuecheng who was seated to the side. He turned around and spoke to You Yuecheng softly, pointing at a beautiful woman in pink who sat right in front of the Fifth Princess. He asked lazily, ” Marquess, is that beauty your sister?”
You Yuechengw as shocked by his question and followed where Feng Yuran was looking. Indeed, at the seat right in front of the Fifth Princess, was You Yuecheng, who was dressed in pink. He nodded and said, “That is my sister.”
“Your sister is indeed good looking. She is beautiful. How old is she and is she engaged?” Feng Yuran looked at You Yue’e with a smile in his eyes and asked with a sigh.
This…You Yuecheng turned around to look at Feng Yuran in shock. His face was pale.
“Such a beautiful face, such beauty, belongs to the heavens. Her beauty is second to none.” Feng Yuran seemed as if he had not noticed You Yuecheng’s expression as he muttered to himself. He picked up the wine glass beside him and took a few sips. He continued looking at You Yue’e while muttering to himself softly. Even though he was soft, it was not really that soft. There were a few noblemen who were seated across him who heard his mutters. They all followed in the direction of where Feng Yuran was looking and looked at You Yue’e.
They laughed and pointed at her. Even though they spoke softly, they sounded rather flippant.
