Chapter 299
Chapter 299
~ PRINCE’S GIFT ~
The Emperor was seated in the center of the throne, but he seemed to find it inconvenient to speak to Grand Princess Yi De in this way, so he leaned on the left side: “Royal Elder Sister, look, there are a lot of girls here today, is there someone suit in your eyes?”
Grand Princess Yi De couldn’t help but chuckle . “If I had known earlier that you were tormenting yourself in such a manner, I would have definitely disagreed . Furthermore, whether they fit in or not is not something that can be seen with a single glance . It’s not easy to choose someone with great difficulty, so naturally, I want to be able to see through everything . ”
“That’s only natural . In any case, Royal Elder Sister said she would stay in the Palace for a little longer, so there’s no need to rush . We can slowly choose . ”
Princess Yide nodded . “All the way up here, all kinds of news can’t stop coming to me . I heard that the child who started Ni Yun Fang to spread embroidery techniques has come to the Capital?”
“Yes, I saw her a few days ago, and her personality was quite interesting . Moreover, the first time I saw her, I discovered that she bore a resemblance to the Royal Elder Sister when she was young . ” The Emperor slightly nodded and then directly scanned the hall . “I’ll call people out and let Royal Elder Sister have a look . ”
“There’s no need, just because of a single sentence from us, we could put her in a difficult position in the Capital . Let’s start the banquet . ” If he called her out at this time, it would really be pushing her to the heart of the struggle, and it might cause some trouble .
“Alright, Xu Li, let the banquet begin . ” Calling Mu Yunyao out right now wasn’t really appropriate, but those young misses would inevitably have to show their talents later . When that time came, he will call her out to see Royal Elder Sister, and it’s not conspicuous anymore .
Xu Li quickly bowed, then took two steps forward and shouted, “Mid-Autumn Festival Palace Banquet, open!”
As the voice rang out, the sound of silk bamboo suddenly rang out . Soon after, rows of palace maids came in with a variety of dishes in their hands . They arranged them one by one on the table before quickly retreating .
Mu Yunyao planned to stay outside the Palace, so she didn’t plan on making a name for herself at today’s banquet . Besides, no matter how honorable Grand Princess Yi De was, it’s still hard for her to compare with Su Qing . Thus, she was most likely to be the calmest during today’s banquet .
The dancers in front of her were moving around elegantly, and the music is pleasant to the ear . Besides, the delicacy snacks of vegetables and snacks on the table made her feel exceptionally happy . It was a pity that her mother was not by her side, causing Mu Yunyao to feel seriously regretful .
After the song and dance, the princes paid tribute to the Emperor for the Mid-Autumn Festival .
Mu Yunyao swept her gaze across the princes and princesses’ seats .
The current Emperor’s heirs considered complete, which there were six sons and six daughters . The First Prince, Ning Junling, was granted the title of Ling Wang, and his mother was Imperial Consort Li, the daughter of the current Prime Minister, Li Qingzhou . The Li family had a distinguished reputation, and by taking advantage of the First Prince, they had gained a lot of support in the Imperial Court . However, this time, the Jiangnan salt tax case had been exposed, causing the Li family and the First Prince to restrain themselves before the Emperor, so their expressions were no longer the arrogant expressions they had before .
The Second Prince, Ning Junyu, was granted the title of Yu Wang . His mother was Imperial Consort Qi, the daughter of Qi Runian, the Marquis of Kingdom Wei . Princess Qi was a military general and had a straightforward character . Influenced by his mother and other people, Yu Wang was bold and unrestrained . He loved military duty on the battlefield and received military merits several times with his maternal ancestors because he went to the border . It made him a rather prestigious figure in the military .
However, he himself didn’t like the restriction in the Palace . Others all wished to stay in the Palace for a few more days, but he had requested the Emperor to open his residence outside . He has no intention to fight for the throne, yet the Emperor unexpectedly liked him and usually indulged him very much .
The Third Prince, Ning Junjin, was granted the title of Jin Wang, and his mother was the maids of the previous Empress . Now, she has been appointed as an Imperial Concubine and has been a favorite for many years . Although he did not have a powerful maternal family supporting him outside, he was the most popular amongst the Imperial Court . His reputation among the people is also hard for other princes to compete with him . Moreover, he has a gentle temperament . In the early years, he followed Princess Yi De for several days, so the Emperor takes a different look at him . Now that the First Prince had been ignored by the Emperor because of the Jiangnan salt tax case, so it was an excellent opportunity for him to go further .
The Fourth Prince, Ning Junyue . . .
Mu Yunyao’s gaze slightly trembled . Sitting below the Third Prince were the Fifth and Sixth Princes, who had yet to reach adulthood . There was no trace of Yue Wang at all .
She already knew that Yue Wang was not favored by the Emperor and lived in Western Guangdong all year round, rarely returning to the Capital . However, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a reunion day for thousands of families . Even if he could not return, a seat should be reserved for him in the main hall .
The First Prince had already stepped forward to offer a congratulatory gift to the Emperor . What he gave was a piece of jade ornaments . The complete jade was more than half a person’s height . It was carved into the shape of osmanthus trees and put on the red sandalwood carving shelf . The light was shining brightly .
The Emperor nodded . “Thank you . ”
The First Prince seemed to be very excited and went forward to salute the Emperor respectfully . “It’s good as long as a Royal Father likes it . ”
“Royal Father, look at Eldest Brother . He gave such a precious gift to you, which makes my gifts worthless . ” The Second Prince, Yu Wang, stepped forward and had his men bring up a screen . “Your son saw that Royal Father has been very fond of screen embroidery these days, so he had his subordinates make one . Could you take a look if it is all right?”
The First Prince stood up and could not help but smile . “Second Brother, the screen embroidery that Royal Father likes is made by Ni Yun Fang, and the embroidery is matchless in this world . Who are you looking for to embroider this screen for?”
“Elder Brother’s words are not right . No matter how good the screen is, it doesn’t contain my filial piety towards Royal Father . Of course, Royal Father will like the screen that I sent up . ” As he said that, he took off the cloth covering the screen . On the screen, there was a picture of a galloping horse . Each horse had a vigorous figure . “How about it? Isn’t it very prestigious?”
“Second Brother said that this screen contains your filial piety towards Royal Father . Could it be that the horse on this screen was embroidered by you?”
“Eldest Brother, the jade ornament that you gave Royal Father, could it be that you carved it yourself?” The Second Prince’s words were always straightforward and impolite, “Royal Father, look at Eldest Brother . I gave Royal Father a gift, and he was there to pick and choose . Besides, there are words on this screen that I personally inscribed, so why can’t it contain my filial piety to Royal Father?”
The Emperor’s brows slightly twitched as if he was unhappy about the competition between the brothers in front of him .
By his side, Grand Princess Yi De laughed softly . “I remember Junyu’s calligraphy was quite thorough . But no matter how hard he trained, he merely couldn’t find a way to do it . Is there any improvement in his calligraphy now?”
The Emperor’s expression suddenly relaxed, and a smile could not help but appear on his face . “Don’t say anymore, Royal Elder Sister . He is becoming more and more inferior with his training . Right now, I no longer hold any hope for him . It’s good if the written words can be understood by people . ”
“Royal Aunt, you don’t know . I feel a headache just by looking at those words . It would be better to let me train in martial arts . I have long since heard Royal Father say that Royal Aunt also loved martial arts when she was young . Today, I will play some tricks and let Royal Aunt give me a few pointers . What do you say?”