The state banquets of Da Long Dynasty were always held in Zhao Yang Hall so the entire Zhao Yang Hall was very large. Even the decorations were grand and carried the authority and awe of the Imperial House.
At the very top of the hall, there was a dragon and phoenix table lined with gold. Below it, there was a row of square tables on the left and right. Qu Qing Ju walked into the hall and found that all the people sitting on the left were men, and all the women on the right. There were already a few people sitting at the first table on the right. Qu Qing Ju looked closely. Wei Qing E and Qin Bai Lu were each accompanied by a beautiful matron. These two matrons must be Shu guifei and Wen guipin. The plainly dressed matron sitting next to them should be Cheng Wang's birth mother, An guipin.
Jing guifei walked over with a smile. Qu Qing Ju helped her to sit down on the seat next to Shu guifei. She pointed at the seat next to her, "Erxifu, you should also sit."
Qu Qing Ju smiled and bent her knees to greet the others: "Greetings to Shu guifei, An guipin, Wen guipin." An guipin was Cheng Wang's birth mother. She looked like a very docile woman and was very similar to Wen guipin sitting next to her. But Qu Qing Ju found that An guipin's eyes and brows were very soft, different from Wen guipin's docile appearance.
"Lao er xifu doesn't have to be so courteous, sit down," Shu guifei smiled, "You became ill not long after you entered the door. Ben gong didn't get a good look at you. Seeing you today, it's such a good erxifu. No wonder jiejie hides you all day and doesn't let you come out. "
Hearing this, Jing guifei's eyebrow rose. She smiled wryly as she remarked: "Ben gong's erxifu doesn't like to go out usually. Ben gong can't do anything about it. Her personality is wooden, not as clever as lao san's. Meimei, don't laugh. "She had a erxifu that liked to join in on everything. She dared to criticize her family's erxifu.
It wasn't so easy to drive a wedge between her and her erxifu!
The smile on Shu guifei's face became somewhat ugly. Glancing at Qin Bai Lu beside her, she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, "Jiejie must be joking. They are all from prestigious families. Which one of them isn't virtuous and intelligent?"
"That's true," Jing guifei allowed a palace maid to pour tea for her. She turned to continue, "Lao san's erxifu comes from a scholarly family. She must be a rare talent. “
"I don't dare to be called a talented woman," Qin Bai Lu stood and bowed, "Jing guifei niangniang is flattering erxi."
Jing guifei glanced at the ghastly white dress she was wearing and then looked at her erxi's complicated red luan-bird girdled wide sleeved dress. Even though it was a bit wasteful, it was New Year and red looked more festive.
An guipin silently watched this scene and sipped her tea. Her daughter-in-law hadn't married yet, and she wasn't as noble as these two. There was really nothing to fight about. However, the daughter-in-law of the second son's family was indeed a bit too distinctive. When this young lady was still unmarried, she had seen her in the palace. She didn't seem to have such a distinctive appearance.
"The Emperor and the Empress have arrived!"
The two guifei niangniangniang, who had been throwing daggers at each other, stopped talking at the same time. They gracefully stood up and then slowly knelt down. Qu Qing Ju, who was at the side, sighed in amazement. She saw that they were so familiar with their work, it was as if they could enter a different state at any moment.
As Jing guifei knelt down, she listened to the taijian call and kowtowed once before Qu Qing Ju helped Jing guifei to stand. Using this action, she found that Jing guifei's eyes were emotionless as she looked at the Emperor.
She couldn't help but look at the man standing at the top. The old man was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. His slightly bloated figure made the once handsome him look ordinary. But it was this kind of man that caused the women in the hougong to scheme and waste all of their youth.
"It's New Year's Day. Beloved subjects don't have to be so courteous. Give them a seat." Qing De Emperor waved his hand and sat down. Seeing the people below kneel at his feet and shout "Long live" three times before they dared to sit down, the smile on his face became even brighter. After they clapped their hands, a few women dressed in colorful dancing costumes walked in and began to dance a festive dance.
The food and wine flowed out. Qu Qing Ju looked at the plates of exquisite food and the corner of her mouth moved. But looking at Jing guifei sitting as straight as Mount Tai, she didn't speak in the end.
No wonder Jing guifei had told them to eat desserts before coming. These dishes looked beautiful but they didn't have much heat. Who liked to eat this in the middle of winter?
She slightly tilted her head to look at the young girls dancing in the middle of the hall. Every bend of the waist, every wave of the hand was graceful. But the people watching all had a slight smile on their faces. The smile at the corner of their lips seemed to have been imprinted, not one bit more, not one bit less.
After the dance, a few more men and women dressed in costumes came, singing something auspicious. Qu Qing Ju wasn't interested and let Mu Jin pick up a piece of dessert for her to eat to pass the time.
"Lao da, how come I don't see your Zhong'er today?" Shu guifei looked at Wei Qing E who was sitting upright. Her tone was regretful, "There aren't many children in the palace, it always seems a bit lonely."
"Guifei niangniang, Zhong'er has caught a cold these past two days. Erxi was worried that he would enter the palace and spread the illness to the nobles so he stayed in the fu." He Zhong was Wei Qing E's child. Usually, she carefully protected him. Hearing Shu guifei mention the child, her heart tightened. She gave a warm smile on her face and said in a respectful tone: "When he's better, erxi will bring him in to greet niangniang."
"So it's like that," Shu guifei nodded. She ordered the servant beside her to bring some medicine for Wei Qing E before smiling and saying, "This child has to be careful. The weather is cold these days. As a mother, you have to put in more effort." This attitude, it was as if she was the mistress of the house.
Sitting beside Wei Qing E, Wen guipin didn't say a word, a gentle smile hanging on her face the entire time.
Wei Qing E responded. She tilted her head and personally picked up a thousand-layer cake for Wen guipin, "Mufei, try this cake."
"Sweet but not greasy, it's very good," The smile on Wen guipin's face became even more gentle. After taking two bites of the thousand-layer cake, "You don't have to keep taking care of me, eat something for yourself."
"If mufei can use it well, it's erxi's good fortune," Wei Qing E put down her chopsticks and smiled as she poured a cup of plum wine for Wen guipin, "This wine isn't intoxicating, it's perfect with the thousand-layer cake."
"Lao da is so virtuous," The smile on Shu guifei's face became fainter. She looked at Qin Bai Lu who was holding a cup of wine and felt her heart wasn't in a good mood. She turned to ask Jing guifei, "Jiejie, don't you agree?"
Jing guifei glanced at Shu guifei and smiled, commenting: "These erxi, they're all filial children. Meimei, don't be envious of Wen guipin and forget your own good erxi." Her own heart wasn't in a good mood and she wanted to pull her down, did she think she didn't have a brain?
Qin Bai Lu knew that her popo wasn't happy and put down the wine cup in her hand. She turned and personally put a piece of crab meat into Shu guifei's bowl.
Shu guifei took a small bite and said faintly, "The crabs in winter aren't as tender as those in autumn. Such a big crab, it just looks good."
Qin Bai Lu's hand tightened on the chopsticks. In the end, she could only smile and say: "Mufei's words are reasonable. Why don't you try this duck tongue? Erxi is fine with it."
"No need," Shu guifei smiled, "Eat it yourself, ben gong doesn't have much of an appetite."
"Ben gong thinks it's not bad," Jing guifei looked at Qu Qing Ju, "Erxi, get it for ben gong to try."
Qu Qing Ju saw that the other wanted to show off her appearance and could only smile as she rolled up her sleeves and picked two for Jing guifei. She even considerately broke the bones at the base of the tongue.
"You honest child, don't just focus on me," Jing guifei finished eating the duck tongue and smiled as she let the palace maid behind her pour a bowl of soup for Qu Qing Ju, "Us women should drink more soup, there are many benefits."
Qu Qing Ju smiled as she raised the bowl and said intimately: "Thank you mufei." Then she buried her head and obediently started to drink.
Shu guifei looked at this scene of a loving mother and a filial daughter-in-law. She snorted coldly, but the anger in her heart became even more irritated.
Jing guifei was in a good mood as she used a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth. Only stupid women would embarrass their erxi in front of others.
If there was something, they could go back to their own rooms to make a fuss. At the very least, the erxi was a wang fei. This place was filled with noblewomen. If the erxi didn't have any face, wouldn't the mother-in-law be in the limelight? It would just cause her son to lose face and become a joke to others.
At the male guest section, the first table to the right was the four He brothers and the old wang ye of the Imperial Family. But the old wang ye were very perceptive and treated the four very courteously.
He Heng sat between He Yuan and He Qi, a smile on his face as he conversed with the people sitting at the table. He was elegant and dignified.
"Si di, the good thing is near. Today, you should drink a few more cups with us brothers," He Qi raised a wine cup and said to He Ming, "Come!"
He Ming's face was already tinged with drunkenness but he couldn't refuse da ge ge's request. He could only raise the wine cup with a bitter face: "Thank you da ge, di di will drink first."
He Yuan's white fingers rubbed the rim of the cup. He looked at da's forthright manner as he toasted everyone at the table. He raised an eyebrow and flicked the wine cup, "Da ge has a good tolerance for alcohol."
"Haha, big brother, you can't do anything else, but your alcohol tolerance is passable," He Qi reached out and patted He Yuan's shoulder, causing the wine in He Yuan's cup to spill out, "It's not good to drink with your delicate appearance."
Looking at the back of his hand that had been spilled, He Yuan disdainfully put down the wine cup. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his hand clean before smiling coldly: "Didi doesn't go to the restaurants and tea houses as often as da ge. Naturally, my tolerance for alcohol isn't as good as da ge's."
As though he didn't hear the disdain in the words, He Qi smiled and said: "It's not good for a man to not know how to drink. Er di, don't you agree?"
"It doesn't have to be a man that knows how to drink, and not all men like to drink," He Heng smiled as he raised the wine cup towards He Qi, "Occasionally drinking a few cups alone is a happy thing, but if it's like drinking is your life, then you have to politely decline. Didi doesn't have as good a tolerance as da ge. This cup goes to da ge. "Finishing, he didn't care for He Qi's reaction, throwing his head back to drink.
He Yuan watched with cold eyes and snorted in disdain. He took the wine cup that the taijian had just replaced.
"Er di's words are reasonable," He Qi's smile was still as straightforward as before. He also drank a cup but he didn't continue to toast. He obediently sat at his seat and started to eat.
He Heng lowered his head, lightly smiling as he swirled the empty wine cup in his hand.
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