453 Prince Rui (3)
Sitting on the guest seat was a man and a woman. The two of them were very young. It was late autumn, and the weather was actually a little cold. Even the daughters of officials who were dressed gorgeously would put on cloaks to avoid catching a cold. This woman was wearing a thin golden dress with complicated patterns embroidered on it. Such an exquisite embroidery would probably take a year or so to complete. This woman’s eyebrows were also exquisite, but her behavior was not respectful. When the official in charge of the banquet started to read the congratulatory speech, she glanced at everyone with disdain.
This woman was Princess Ming An. Beside Princess Ming An was the Crown Prince of the State of Qin, Huangfu Hao. Huangfu Hao was better than Princess Ming An. At least, he was not as impertinent as Princess Ming An. He was still smiling as he listened to the speech, as if he sincerely wished Ming Qi prosperity. However, there was a danger hidden under that smile that made people feel a chill run down their spines.
This was the first time Luo Tan had come to such an occasion and found it novel. She was also looking at the seats arranged for honored guests. She thought for a moment and tugged at the sleeve of an official’s daughter beside her. When no one was looking, she asked in a low voice, “Why are there only the crown prince and princess of the State of Qin? Where’s Prince Rui?”
The young lady was almost shocked by Luo Tan’s tug. Although she was a little displeased, she still answered Luo Tan’s question politely. “Prince Rui is not feeling well and did not come today.”
Luo Tan was enlightened. She looked at Shen Miao, who was standing beside her, and said, “Prince Rui is really arrogant. He’s deliberately embarrassing the emperor.”
The people from the State of Qin and the Daliang Dynasty came to congratulate Ming Qi, but in the end, Prince Rui was absent at the ceremony. Wouldn’t that be a slap to the face of the Ming Qi royal family in front of the world? However, the people of the Ming Qi royal family did not dare to flare up. Not only that, but they also had to treat him well. In this world, the strong had the say. Ming Qi did not dare to go against the Daliang Dynasty.
The tribute ceremony took a full six hours from beginning to end. When it ended, it was almost evening. All the civil and military officials and their families could not leave. This was a long period of torture, and it was the same for the emperor. The higher the status, the more attention they received, and the less they could show signs of impatience and fatigue.
Even a girl like Luo Tan, who was trained since she was young, felt tired. When she turned around, she saw Shen Miao standing upright with her hands folded in front of her, looking dignified. Luo Tan couldn’t help but be slightly stunned. She asked quietly, “Little cousin, aren’t you tired?”
Shen Miao said, “I’m not tired.”
Luo Tan was amazed. The surrounding women were all slouching. It was rare to see someone standing as straight as Shen Miao. Luo Tan wanted to persuade Shen Miao to relax a bit, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Luo Tan had always known that Shen Miao’s bearing was rare. It was just that she was not well-educated and could exactly find a word to describe it. Her intuition told her that Shen Miao was different from the other girls in Spring City. Even the empress on the throne was not as graceful as Shen Miao at this moment.
Luo Tan was not the only one who noticed this. It seemed that some young masters of noble families were also gradually attracted by Shen Miao. Among the group of dispirited noble ladies, Shen Miao was really too eye-catching. Seeing this, Luo Ling frowned slightly and quietly turned around, hiding Shen Miao from the impudent gazes.
