On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held. All officials above the third rank could bring their families into the palace for the banquet. Yu Shu was lucky enough to be among them because of her royal title.
Before the palace gate was opened, the road outside the city gate was lined with carriages, horses, and soft sedan chairs. Yu Shu had arrived early, but she tactfully stayed at the back and didn't squeeze with the others. The banquet could only start at seven o 'clock, so everyone waited outside the palace two hours in advance. They sat in the sedan chairs and waited for half a day. When they were bored, they got off and stood for a while, looking for acquaintances to chat for a while.
Different from the pilgrimage, the officials who entered the palace on the Mid-Autumn Festival were all in casual clothes. Fortunately, Yu Shu had met this group of people at the Land and Water Conference, so she recognized their faces.
Several sedan chairs passed by Yu Shu and stopped to greet her. If she met someone she was not familiar with, she wouldn't mistake it for an awkward silence and could always say a few words.
There was a carriage coming from the south. Along the way, people made way for it, and it caused quite a commotion. When Yu Shu saw Xue Rui following behind on a horse, she knew who was sitting in the carriage.
Prime Minister Xue's carriage passed by Yu Shu's face without even pausing for a moment. Xue Rui stopped the horse and got down from the carriage. There were so many pairs of eyes in the surroundings, but the two of them did not get too close to each other. After exchanging a few simple words, Xue Rui led the horse and walked forward.
Yu Shu stood in the same place and watched until the carriages disappeared. She estimated the position with her eyes. It was about half a street away. This was her current status, the difference between her and the first-class officials in the court.
"There's really nothing to look forward to," Yu Shu muttered.
"What hopeless?"
Yu Shu heard the voice and turned around. Her eyes fell on the carriage parked by the side. She faked a smile and said, "I said I stood for a long time, and my legs are numb. I don't know how long I have to wait."
"Yes." Jing Chen's figure flashed in front of the window. Then he got down from the carriage and stood by the side of the road, seemingly planning to wait with her.
Yu Shu did not chase him away. She turned around and returned to the sedan chair, leaving him there.
Jing Chen did not return to the carriage. He stood beside her sedan chair with his hands behind his back. He lowered his head and said, "My mother's tomb was built in An County."
There was no response from the sedan chair. Jing Chen continued, "I intend to head there in three days to investigate."
A moment later, the curtain was opened and Yu Shu poked half of her head out. She looked left and right to make sure that no one was paying attention to them and asked impatiently, "What do you mean?"
"My father was an orphan. After he died, he was buried with my mother."
If Yun Hua didn't die, then who would be buried with Princess Luyue in the tomb of the An County Princess? Or, there was only the An County Princess in the tomb.
No matter what Yun Hua's background was, he and Princess Luyue were husband and wife, and they had a son. After so many years, it was impossible for him not to go there once.
Jing Chen threw another heavy blow. "Twenty years ago, on the 19th of August, it was their wedding day."
There were three great joys in life, and the wedding night was one of them. No one would easily forget such a day, unless Yun Hua was really a heartless person.
Would he quietly go to the tomb of the princess to mourn?
"Can you go with me at that time?"
Yu Shu thought for a while and nodded. "I will go."
There were too many secrets hidden in Yun Hua's body. If she could find him and find out about the Book of Mystic Goddesses, she could find a way out as soon as possible. She would not be so passive and wait to be slaughtered by others.
Yu Shu's feeling of being able to participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet held by the palace was far less profound than the officials who were born and raised in the feudal imperial society.
At the beginning of the banquet, Emperor Zhao Qing gave a speech of celebration, focusing on the prosperity of the Da 'an dynasty and the strength of its people, implicitly affirming and praising himself. He also rewarded a few old ministers and encouraged the work of the various departments. The relatives of the emperor, civil and military ministers surrounding him all showed their pride, and the crowd was in high spirits.
Yu Shu seemed to be an anomaly. She could only look at the emperor on the dragon throne with bright eyes to ensure that if he glanced at her corner, he would be able to meet her passionate gaze.
Then, after a round of toasts, Emperor Zhao Qing announced two major events. One was that Imperial Consort Xue was diagnosed to be pregnant. The other was that he decided to send troops to conquer Dong Ying within three months.
Before people could think about the former news, their minds were forcefully occupied by the latter.
This made the two groups of people who were arguing about whether to cross the sea to attack Dong Ying excited. Prime Minister Xue's side was successful, but Prime Minister Yin's face was not so good. Some people could not sit still and was about to admonish him. As soon as they stood up, they were nailed to their seats by Emperor Zhao Qing's gaze.
"The Dong Ying island country is ambitious and covets our territory. We cannot tolerate it. The envoys of various countries saw the Dong Ying people fooling me at the Land and Water Conference. If we do not teach them a lesson, how will the dignity of our Da 'an Dynasty be preserved!"
The two groups had been arguing for many days. Emperor Zhao Qing did not side with either side. At this time, he firmly expressed his attitude. No one dared to question him.
"Your Majesty is wise. It is the blessing of our Da 'an Dynasty. I saw the Golden Dragon Dongfang Kang raise its head yesterday. It is obvious that this battle will be a great victory." Da Tidian was the first to stand up and chimed in.
With him taking the lead, more than half of the people at the banquet immediately stood up and cheered for His Majesty's wisdom.
Many generals and old officials who used to lead troops immediately expressed their willingness to lead troops to battle and share the burden of His Majesty. They looked like they were willing to die a thousand deaths.
Yu Shu guessed what these people were thinking. Most likely, they felt that with the strength of the An Dynasty, attacking a small country like Dong Ying would be a piece of cake. This was a good opportunity to gain merit for free. They had to fight for it. Anyone who did not go would be stupid.
Oh, except for those who were seasick.
Emperor Zhao Qing was very satisfied with everyone's reaction. He pretended not to see Prime Minister Yin's hesitant expression and announced, "Today is a festival. We will not talk about national affairs for now. After tomorrow, we will discuss the matter of sending troops."
Then, the banquet quickly returned to a happy and harmonious atmosphere.
Yu Shu was thinking about the trip to the princess' tomb in a few days when someone sitting next to her poked her arm with a chopstick and reminded her in a low voice,
"Official Yu, His Majesty is talking to you."
Yu Shu turned her head and saw Emperor Zhao Qing's smiling face in the distance. She quickly stood up and didn't pay attention to what the Emperor had just asked her. She showed an embarrassed expression.
Emperor Zhao Qing didn't blame her for being distracted. He just thought that she was too far away and couldn't hear him clearly. He ordered the chief eunuch, "Why did you arrange a seat so far away for our Miaoling Messenger? Someone, add a seat closer to Official Yu."
Yu Shu was a fifth-ranked official. It was normal for her to be seated near the door in a banquet filled with first, second, and third-ranked officials. However, Emperor Zhao Qing was happy to give her a high regard, so no one could say anything wrong.
As a result, Yu Shu suddenly sat at the head of the hall from the last seat. Coincidentally, Emperor Zhao Qing casually pointed and placed her in front of Ren Qiming's seat. When she turned her head, she could see Madam Ren, who had ridiculed her behind her back.
Yu Shu clearly saw a flash of displeasure on Madam Ren's face.
This was the first time Yu Shu had seen the Emperor since the end of the Aquatic Conference. Fifth-ranked officials could attend court to listen to politics and admire the Emperor's appearance. However, a new official like her would have a period of probation. Usually, it would be one or two months later when her boss had reviewed her overall work and found that there was no dereliction of duty or negligence before she could officially enter the court to participate in discussions.
Since Emperor Zhao Qing had noticed Yu Shu, he couldn't help but say a few more words to her. In other words, he was concerned about her daily life. This was enough for everyone at the banquet to see how much he valued her.
Xue Rui sat behind Xue Lingnan and watched as Yu Shu was brought out to sit in the middle of a group of old foxes. She instantly became the focus of attention. He curled the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, Xue Lingnan, who was in front of him, turned his head and asked,
"Do you know why Madam Wei is absent today?"
Prince of Dongjing's mother, Madam Wei, had been summoned to the capital. With such a noble identity, she would definitely be on the attendance list. However, she was nowhere to be seen tonight.
Xue Rui shook his head and said, "I don't know."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
