Everyone waited and waited, searched and searched, and seeing that they could no longer delay, they had to come out first.
Duanmu Qingchen had disappeared from such banquets more than once. Most of the time, he went to the venue first and pretended to be a young man from another noble family to seduce ignorant girls.
They guessed half right. Duanmu Qingchen did sneak into the venue first and then slipped away.
No one looked for Duanmu Qingchen anymore. Even the eunuchs remained calm, as they understood the temperament of Crown Prince Duanmu Qingchen.
"Third brother, please come." Duanmu Yaxin looked at Duanmu Jinhong with a little excitement, "Brother Crown Prince must have slipped away to the venue first, he is the worst."
The Third Prince Duanmu Jinhong's brows were already furrowed; he did not like this kind of occasion.
"The prince just likes to play the game of common people teasing young ladies, alas..." Duanmu Ruifeng shook his head repeatedly.
"Prince is always like this. He never takes us with him when he plays." Duanmu Yunkang pouted like a child. He also wanted to experience what it was like to dress up as a commoner. The feeling of hiding one's identity was very exciting.
"Why would the Crown Prince bring you along when he's playing with beauties?" Duanmu Yaxin said with a confident look on her face, as if she knew the Crown Prince best. "Wouldn't the daughters of officials flock to him like flies when they knew the Crown Prince's identity? Of course, it's fun when you don't know his identity, and it can also test his sincerity."
"Eh~~~~" Duanmu Ruifeng widened his eyes and gently pinched Duanmu Yaxin's pink face, "You know it now, so aren't you afraid that those sons of noble families also have a purpose for you? Why don't you learn from the prince and go to Xi Langjun in disguise?"
"I am shameless!" Duanmu Yaxin blushed and kicked Duanmu Ruifeng, "I am a princess! How can I tease a man? It's so shameless!"
"You are so barbaric. If you weren't a princess, I don't think any man would dare to marry you!" Duanmu Ruifeng, who was beaten, immediately teased Duanmu Yaxin.
Duanmu Yaxin was immediately furious.
"Stop making trouble." Duanmu Jinhong pulled Duanmu Rui and Duanmu Yaxin apart and looked at everyone seriously, "Everyone, be calm tonight. Even if others have no intention, Yaxin will eventually be married to the son of a senior official in the court by the emperor. It's better to let Yaxin choose the one she likes first."
Everyone felt the same way. Rather than being betrothed by the emperor to a strange man whom the father thought was good but whom Yaxin didn't know, it would be better to let her sister pick one tonight. If she found someone she liked, the emperor would check his character.
Duanmu Jinhong looked at the bustling venue in front of him, his brows furrowed even more. He hated such crowded occasions the most. He loved quietness. Looking at those men and women with eager eyes, full of desire, he felt bored.
This trouble-making prince always annoys him. If Duanmu Qingchen were here, she would definitely jump around in front of him again: What can you do to me if you don't like me? I am the prince, you are not the prince~~~
"Let's go." Duanmu Jinhong walked forward with a lot of resentment. Everyone smiled secretly and followed him to the venue.
There is a finely carved white marble bridge leading to the venue, called the Moon-Lanyue Bridge. Under the moonlight, the white marble glows white, just like a fairy bridge in the moon palace. If there is mountain fog during the day, the white marble bridge will become looming in the misty morning fog.
This fairy-like bridge highlights the noble status of the princes.
The distinguished princes walked onto the Lanyue Bridge, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the venue.
Those who knew that the princes came from here had already been waiting by the bridge, just to stand in the front row so that the Crown Prince and other princes and princesses could see their faces clearly and leave the slightest impression in their eyes.
Duanmu Jinhong and his companions were like stars in the night sky, walking onto the stone bridge amidst everyone's gazes. Immediately, the crowd under the stone bridge surged, and everyone rushed to the bottom of the stone bridge and knelt down together.
"Greetings to your highnesses and princesses—" The loud voice echoed throughout the venue.
The fat Buddha, who was busy eating cakes from afar, looked at this place and laughed, not forgetting to hide more cakes in Lettuce's sleeves. The eunuch in charge of arranging the cakes on the side looked disgusted, and his expression seemed to say: Where did this country bumpkin come from, and he can actually come to this royal lantern banquet.
On the Lanyue Bridge, the third prince Duanmu Jinhong was also wearing a white gown embroidered with a golden dragon pattern, looking handsome and dignified. The clean white color further highlighted his cold and aloof temperament, like an immortal king in the cold moon, looking down on the world.
Behind him are the fifth prince Duanmu Ruifeng and the sixth prince Duanmu Yankang, and of course, another protagonist of today: the seventh princess Duanmu Yaxin.
Duanmu Yaxin was dressed up today and became the most beautiful girl tonight. She blushed and hid behind her brothers, but her eyes were filled with excitement.
When she came, her mother had already told her that she could choose a good husband but not to be in a hurry, because one can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart. She asked her to choose from a few and then let her father check their character carefully before making a decision.
Duanmu Yaxin's heart was beating so fast that she almost couldn't breathe. She felt shy and happy at the thought of being able to choose a few more young men of her choice.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was specially held by her father for her and her brother, the Crown Prince. She was much happier than her two sisters. The two sisters did not have the right to choose and married to foreign countries, but she could be here and choose from all the young men from the noble families. It was obvious that Emperor Cheng loved her.
She secretly glanced at the small group of young men on Lanyue Bridge. All the young men lowered their heads, so her faces could not be seen clearly. But even so, she felt that she was the happiest girl in the world at that moment. Which other girl in the world could have such supreme power as her, to be able to choose from all the young talents in the capital
Thinking of this, although she was still a little shy, she still raised her chin and looked down proudly at the young masters of noble families under the bridge.
As happy as she was, Duanmu Ruifeng and his brother were also there. They were able to choose their concubines today thanks to the help of their elder brother, the crown prince, and their seventh sister. Moreover, although the seventh sister could choose several, she could only choose one in the end.
As for them, it doesn't matter how many they choose, this is the privilege of men in the Qian Dynasty. Three wives and four concubines, a dozen maids, sweet lovers outside, and occasionally go to brothels to smell the fragrance of wild flowers.
They are romantic, and their romance is justified and justified, because: If a man is not romantic when young, he will live in vain.
The most unhappy person among them should be Duanmu Jinhong, because Duanmu Qingchen disappeared again and left all this to him. This lantern festival was held for him and his seventh sister, but he was so cynical. Didn't he take the other princes seriously
Humph! That troublesome prince is just like that. At this moment, Duanmu Qingchen still hadn't appeared. Duanmu Jinhong knew that he would never appear again. Judging from the situation, he was not pretending to be a young man from a noble family to flirt with a young lady from an official family. He probably sneaked down the mountain and went somewhere.
In this palace, the person who knows Duanmu Qingchen best is actually him: Duanmu Jinhong. (To be continued)