vstars Chapter 469: Flower Appreciation Banquet
Chapter 469: Flower Appreciation Banquet
Yan Qing found out that the Crown Prince's concubine Shen Bi would return home in mid-March.
Xiao Yu has already reached an agreement with Master He, so it would be better for him to talk to Master He about the flower viewing banquet.
Xiao Yu's condition has been stabilized in the past two days. After Su Lingyue told Xiao Yu about the situation, Xiao Yu asked Yun Ting to talk to Master He.
Upon learning Yun Ting's intention, He Taifu was puzzled. "Why did you let my wife propose it? And why did you choose Prime Minister Cui's family?"
Yun Ting said, "There was something wrong with the Crown Princess' pregnancy, so the Grand Tutor must know about it. We need to find out the details. If there is anything, we can use it to separate the Su family and the Crown Prince. Prime Minister Cui is a high-ranking official, and he has nothing to do with the Crown Princess, so the Crown Prince's concubine will not suspect anything."
Su Nanxing was demoted to a concubine because she was infertile, but she suddenly became pregnant, which is indeed worth considering.
"Okay, I'll ask my wife to go to the palace and raise this matter."
Yun Ting added: "Master Taifu, there will be an opportunity to let King Jing leave the palace in the next two days. You don't need to express your opinion in a hurry, just give your opinion at the appropriate time."
"Okay, let your Highness rest assured, I will do what I promised."
When Madam He learned that Grand Tutor He and Xiao Yu had formed an alliance, she carefully asked, "Master, can Prince Su be trusted? Can he really cancel the imperial decree granting the marriage?"
"In the entire imperial family, only Prince Su has the ability to make His Majesty withdraw his order. We have no other choice."
Master He sighed deeply and told his wife: "You only need to know about this matter, and you don't need to tell the children."
When Master He said this, Madam He suddenly became nervous. She held her cane tightly and asked, "But what did the prince ask you to do that would get you killed?"
Master He patted her on the back and reassured her, "No, I have made an agreement with the prince not to do anything that would lead to treason."
Madam He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Don't let the reputation you have accumulated throughout your life be ruined in the end."
He Taifu and Xiao Yu were planning to depose the crown prince, but he had no intention of telling his family.
Naturally, he would not do anything else, but he was afraid that something unexpected would happen. At that time, he would bear the responsibility alone and would not implicate other family members.
Anyway, he has served three dynasties in his life, sharing the worries of the emperor and the people. At his age, he has nothing to be attached to or afraid of, as long as his family is safe.
Madam He sent someone to deliver a letter of admission to the palace that same day, and after receiving permission, she entered the palace the next day.
The queen was wearing a maroon wide-sleeved phoenix robe and a gilded phoenix hairpin with rubies. Her round face was well-maintained, making her appearance even more graceful and elegant. She sat upright on a phoenix chair.
Old Madam He was wearing a blue first-rank imperial robe and a pearl crown on her head. She was supported by a nanny as she bowed respectfully.
The Queen raised her hand and said, "Old Madam, please excuse me. Please take a seat."
The queen has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and she would feel bored taking care of the affairs of the harem on weekdays, but as the queen, she is not allowed to leave the palace without the emperor's order.
She was also very happy that someone from outside the palace came to see her. She smiled and asked, "Old Madam, you haven't been to the palace for a long time. How come you have time to come in today?"
The old lady looked at the queen and said sincerely, "Your Majesty has granted the marriage and made Qianqian the Crown Princess. I am really terrified. She is young and has been away from the capital for many years. She doesn't understand many social customs. We, the older generation, have to consider her more. I would like to ask the queen to hold a flower viewing banquet so that she can meet the ladies in the capital and better assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the future."
The day after He Qianqian came back, Jia brought her to the palace to express her gratitude. The queen took a closer look and saw that she had an oval face, almond eyes, peach cheeks, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a cherry mouth. She was beautiful. However, because she had been pampered for many years, she had a sense of naivety and incompetence.
If she did not represent the majority of the civil officials in the court, with her personality she would not be qualified to be the crown prince's wife, and at most she could be a concubine and a vase.
Most of the civil officials in the court were promoted by the emperor himself after he came to power, and the emperor felt at ease when he let the daughters of civil officials become crown princesses.
The emperor made such arrangements because he was always on guard against the prince raising an army to force the emperor to abdicate like he did in the past.
My brother is still in prison, we have to find a way to get him out.
"Miss?"
Madam He's words interrupted the queen's thoughts.
The Queen clasped her hands together and placed them on her knees. She said gracefully, "I agree with what you said, Madam. Where would you like to hold the flower viewing banquet?"
Madam He said, "There is an apricot forest on the outskirts of the city. It is in full bloom in March and April. I think it is a good place."
The queen frowned and said, "It's not appropriate. There are ladies and ladies from noble families at the flower viewing banquet. It's not safe in the suburbs of Beijing."
Madam He proposed a few more ideas, but the Queen rejected them all.
After a long while, Madam He suggested: "The Prime Minister has a peach forest. The peach blossoms in the whole capital are second to none. The end of March is the time when the peach blossoms are in full bloom. If we can hold a banquet under the peach trees and drink, the guests will definitely be very satisfied. How about setting the time for a month later? What do you think, Madam?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Cui said, "Old Madam, please forgive me for saying so much, but it won't work after a month. March 23 is the Crown Prince's 18th birthday, and it's also the day that His Majesty has granted a marriage. Although it's not the coming of age, we still have to hold a grand ceremony this year."
After being reminded by Nanny Cui, the Queen also remembered that March 23rd was not only the Crown Prince's birthday, but also Yue'er's birthday.
The Queen ordered, "Madame Cui, take a look at the almanac and pick a suitable day for the flower viewing banquet."
Madam Cui asked the palace maid to bring the almanac, flipped through it, and said, "Madam, March 28 is also a good day for holding a banquet."
"Okay, on March 28th, there will be a flower viewing banquet at Cui's residence."
After Madam He left, Madam Cui asked, "Madam, what birthday gift should we give to the Crown Prince this year? I will go and prepare it."
The queen thought for a moment and ordered, "Send a statue of Guanyin to Longhua Temple for consecration, and give it to the prince on his birthday. I hope Xing'er will have a baby boy this time, so that the position of the prince will be more secure."
Thinking of the position of the crown prince, the queen felt an inexplicable fear in her heart.
The emperor intended to make Crown Prince Xiao Changshi a crown prince without real power.
The emperor is in good health. If this continues, how many years will she have to sit in this suffocating position!
She just can't wait!
At this time, a palace maid came hurriedly to report: "Reporting to the Queen, there is news from Yonghe Palace that Concubine Jia is pregnant for two months, and the imperial physician said it is a prince. His Majesty has issued an edict to confer the title of Concubine Jia as Consort Jia, and asked you and the Ministry of Rites to choose an auspicious day to hold the ceremony."
The queen didn't react for a moment. Her phoenix eyes looked at the maid with a smile and she ordered, "Can you say it again?"
The palace maid only felt as if there were thousands of knives in that look, capable of torturing people to death. She lowered her head in fear and repeated what she had just said.
"Haha! Aunt Cui... did you hear that? Concubine Jia is pregnant!"
The queen covered her mouth with a handkerchief and her body trembled uncontrollably from laughing.
When the maid heard the queen's smile, she was very confused. Why was the queen so happy that other concubines were pregnant? She was not usually so tolerant.
The queen laughed for a long time before she stopped and ordered the maid, "Tell your majesty that I know! Go down!"
After the maid left, the queen couldn't help but chuckle again, "Madame Cui, I heard that my brother has already started the plan, but Concubine Jia suddenly got pregnant. What do you think the Minister of War, Lord Li, and his daughter are going to do?"
Aunt Cui chuckled and agreed: "No matter what they want to do, they should congratulate the queen. When you feel sleepy, someone will give you a pillow. Everything is just right!"
"Well said! Everything is just right!"
The queen smiled brightly, stood up and ordered: "Help me change my clothes, let's go see Concubine Jia! Oh, no, I have to call her Concubine Jia now!"