Yu Shu could still remember when she first arrived at An Dynasty, she was at the Ji family's ancestral home and felt that the pavilions were very grand. Afterwards, when she strolled with Xue Rui to Prince Xiang's elegant and unique Dingbo Pavilion, the Ji family's ancestral home was no longer pleasing to her eyes. Today, when she came to the Princess Royal residence again, the Ji family's ancestral home simply became a run-down courtyard.
If one were to use women to describe the Ji family's old residence as a young lady who never left the front door, then the Dingbo Hall would be a graceful and graceful beauty. This Princess Royal's residence, which occupied a long street at the foot of the Huangguo, was indeed a beautiful woman with a noble and threatening air.
Yu Shu held the invitation in her hand as she followed closely behind Xue Rui and entered the entrance of the Princess Residence that had just been repainted with gold not too long ago. Seizing the opportunity when Xue Rui was chatting with his acquaintances, she fiercely glared at the row of trees that were over six meters tall that were planted around the flower bed in the front courtyard. The crowns of the trees were connected above their heads, and they were lush to the point that they didn't care about the season. They were illuminated by the innumerable flower-winged golden chandeliers that hung above the garden, and they seemed like numerous dragons that had taken form as they circled in the air.
She had followed Daoist Qing Zheng before and had heard of such a precious tree. It grew in the courtyard and was green all year round. It did not bloom nor shed leaves, but its leaves could attract three wealth and gather four treasures. Its branches could suppress the five evils and ward off the six calamities. It was said that even in the face of natural disasters, if one hid under this precious tree, one would be able to turn misfortune into blessing. Because the crown of the tree rarely formed the shape of a dragon, the predecessors called this precious tree "Dragon Court Wood". If anyone had such a precious tree in their house, they would wake up smiling even in their dreams and would probably have to sleep under this tree every day.
Yu Shu concluded that the row of trees by the flower bed was most likely the Dragon Court Wood that Qing Zheng spoke of. She couldn't help but swallow her saliva. She thought to herself, "Good heavens, such a rare treasure is actually placed here to guard the door."
After Xue Rui finished talking to the people, he turned around and saw that Yu Shu was staring in a direction. He looked over and did not see anyone, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Shu pointed at the row of trees and asked him, "Do you know what kind of trees they are?"
Xue Rui raised his head and looked at the huge canopy of trees, his face revealing a trace of admiration. Yu Shu was shocked when she opened her mouth. "It's the Dragon Court wood, isn't it?"
"Eh, you recognize it?"
Xue Rui only glanced at her with a smile, and then followed the maidservant leading the way into the garden. Yu Shu rubbed her chin and followed. She wanted to ask him how he recognized this treasure, but then she thought about it. The Xue family was one of the wealthiest families in the capital. What kind of rare treasures had Young Master Xue not seen before? Perhaps his family had one as well.
"Brother Rui!"
Someone shouted from behind. Xue Rui stopped with his hands behind his back. Yu Shu turned around and saw Feng Zhaomiao running after them. He was not surprised to see Yu Shu here. He grinned at her and said, "I haven't seen you for a while. How have you been? I heard from Brother Rui that you were injured. Have you recovered?"
The young master of the General's Mansion had some personal friendship with Yu Shu, so he was closer to her than ordinary people.
Yu Shu saw him and was also very happy. She raised her hand and showed him her little finger that was wrapped with medicine. She said, "I haven't recovered yet."
Feng Zhaomiao did not know that one of Yu Shu's fingers had been forcefully twisted off by the Imperial Astronomer's men. From the outside, he thought it was just a scratch on her skin, so he did not ask any questions. Inwardly, he thought, 'Girls are always so delicate.'
The three of them chatted and walked to the door of the banquet hall together. They handed the invitation with incense to the eunuch who bowed in front of the door. They followed the eunuch's loud voice and entered the door.
"The Shaoqing of the Supreme Court, Lord Xue is here."
The eunuch only read one of Xue Rui's invitation. This was the rule. Feng Zhaomiao was a young master and did not have an official position, so he did not need to read it. Yu Shu was a commoner and she was an examinee of the Dayan Examination. She could only use it to fool the common people. Here, she was not even worth a fart.
Yu Shu squinted her eyes because of the dazzling splendor inside. She looked around and saw the main character sitting at the front and surrounded by a table of people — Jing Chen, who was wearing a white jade robe. She quickly looked at the guests at the other tables and was not surprised that none of them looked familiar.
Jing Chen's table was big and could seat eleven or twelve people. There were still a few empty seats. As expected by Yu Shu, she and Xue Rui were led by a waiter to that table.
Yu Shu finally got a clear look at the other people at the table when she was almost in front of them. She recognized a few of them here. Needless to say, the Seventh Prince Liu Hao and the Ninth Prince Liu Tan, the other two young men with golden hair coiled into a bun were certainly of the imperial generation.
Prince Xiang's youngest heir, Liu Jiong, and Princess Xi Wen were sitting together. One was chatting with Jing Chen, while the other was pulling Jing Chen's youngest apprentice sister. Both of them had their palms open, as if they were reading palms or something.
Since the beginning of the banquet, Jing Chen had been sitting like this, listening to their conversation. From time to time, he would look towards the door. When he saw Yu Shu enter the door, his face revealed a bit of a happy color. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly remembered Liu Tan's exhortations yesterday, advising him not to act too close to Yu Shu in front of others. Thus, he sat still and waited for her to come closer.
"Xue Rui is late. Congratulations on Daozi's relocation." Xue Rui first bowed to Jing Chen before greeting the princes.
He was indeed delayed by official business and came late. Fortunately, no one present wanted to make things difficult for him and didn't mention drinking as a punishment. They all nodded and intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Yu Shu behind him. Those who hadn't seen Yu Shu before could more or less guess who this unfamiliar girl was.
Yu Shu and Princess Xi Wen had some conflict. On the night of the Lantern Festival, they had pulled faces. Today, when they saw each other, Xi Wen only shot a cold glance at Yu Shu. Yu Shu pretended not to see it.
There were two empty seats next to Liu Tan. Xue Rui took Yu Shu to sit. Feng Zhaomiao scratched his head and looked left and right. He saw that the left side of Xi Wen was still empty, so he moved over to sit.
Yu Shu obediently sat down. When she raised her head, she could see Jing Chen. The two of them happened to be sitting face to face, separated by a large round table. When Jing Chen saw her raise her head, he cast his warm gaze over. Yu Shu pursed her lips and smiled at him. She then turned her attention to other places and didn't make eye contact with him.
The banquet in the princess fu was more extravagant than Yu Shu had imagined. There were plates of delicacies and nectar on the table. If Yu Shu hadn't seen the world in Wang Ji Lou, she probably wouldn't have been able to recognize any of them.
The small plates and bowls were all carved from white jade. They were so clear that people couldn't bear to dirty them. Yu Shu held the heavy jade bowl, afraid that she would accidentally break it. Behind her, there was a servant responsible for serving the dishes. She didn't need to reach out to pick up the dishes, so the servant added a small bowl for her. Unfortunately, she could only pick up one mouthful of each dish. It wasn't enough for her to taste.
The chatter in the banquet hall didn't stop. The guests took advantage of the banquet to drink and ask each other about some news. Their eyes were all fixed on the main table on the east side, waiting for a chance to curry favor and become familiar with each other. Now in Anling City, there were few people in the court who didn't know that the Emperor doted on this nephew who had just been found. Even the princess fu, which had been empty for more than ten years, broke the rules and gave it to someone to live in.
This Taoist master's background couldn't be underestimated. Not only was he a relative of the emperor, but he was also the descendant of Yi Zi. He cultivated in the mountains since he was young and learned a lot of skills.
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