Prince Jin peeled the orange and handed it to Jiang Changning.
Jiang Changning took it without refusing. She liked eating oranges.
"Your Highness, can we get this orange seedling?" Jiang Changning asked.
All the oranges in the house have been eaten by her.
Prince Jin laughed, "My dear princess, don't you remember the story of the orange tree in the south and the tangerine tree in the north?"
"I know, but I still want to try it, just in case something works."
"Someone has tried it, but it didn't work."
After hearing this, Jiang Changning had no choice but to give up the idea of planting trees.
Seeing that Jiang Changning was a little depressed, the King of Jin comforted her softly, "Let someone buy two hills in the south to grow this, and then transport it to the capital in winter."
"Okay, okay." Jiang Changning smiled.
Seeing her happy expression, Prince Jin felt that he would be willing to buy two hilltops to grow oranges or even climb a ladder to reach the stars.
At this time, the sound of whips was heard outside the hall, which meant that the emperor and others had arrived. The hall became quiet and everyone immediately returned to their seats.
"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress Dowager has arrived, the Empress has arrived, the Imperial Concubine has arrived, the Imperial Concubine has arrived, and the Eldest Prince has arrived." The eunuch's voice came from the palace door.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen Mother, Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine, Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine, and Your Majesty the Crown Prince."
Amid everyone's respectful welcome, the emperor and his entourage entered the hall, climbed the jade steps, and sat on the throne.
The emperor sat in the center, the empress dowager on the left, the queen on the right, and the imperial concubine and the concubine sat with the eldest prince on the left side of the queen.
"All of you, please stand up and take your seats." The emperor's eyes fell on Jiang Changning who was standing next to Prince Jin.
The dinner was long and there was still time, he was determined to win her.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone said in unison.
After sitting down, the emperor finished his clichéd speech. The eunuch clapped three times, and the palace maids came in with food boxes.
Although the weather is cold, there is a small charcoal stove in the food boxes to keep the food warm.
"Try this braised meat." Prince Jin picked up a piece of the fresh red vegetable and put it in Jiang Changning's bowl.
"What is braised meat?" Jiang Changning had once eaten rat meat by mistake, so he was a little resistant to those weird ingredients.
"It's just pork, but the way it's cooked is a little special." Prince Jin said with a smile.
Hearing that it was pork, Jiang Changning started eating it with confidence.
Everyone was toasting each other, listening to music and watching dances, and it was a lively occasion.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, it was time for the noble ladies in the capital to show their talents.
Zhao Xifang, who has married into the Prince of Yu's Mansion, has always been the center of attention at dinner parties in previous years, but she will not perform today, after all, her status is different.
The Queen Mother asked, "Today is New Year's Eve, and the whole country is celebrating. I wonder if the girls from various mansions are willing to perform for everyone?"
Qiao pushed Princess Kang Ren, and Princess Kang Ren had to stand up and said, "Kang Ren is willing to perform for everyone."
When the Queen Mother saw that it was Princess Kangren, the smile on her face deepened.
The Princess Dowager of Prince Jin pulled a long face, obviously very unhappy.
"Kang Ren wants to perform?" Prince Jin was not displeased, but just a little surprised.
"My sister-in-law urges Kang Ren to practice the piano every day, just to make a splash at the dinner today." Jiang Changning took a sip of soup, "Any questions?"
At this kind of large banquet, it is rare to see drugs or anything like that, so you can eat and drink without worry.
"No problem, except that my mother will be angry."
"Then Your Majesty, please comfort Mother. It's New Year's Day, so please stop being angry."
The palace maid set up the zither in the hall. Princess Kangren walked over and greeted the emperor, the empress dowager, the empress, and the two concubines before sitting down beside the zither.
The piece she played was "Singing of the Yellow Oriole", which is an introductory piece and one of the three pieces that people who learn to play the qin learn to play.
It's not that Princess Kang Ren doesn't want to show off her skills, it's just that she is young and her fingers are not long enough. She can't play those songs that require various fingerings, so she can't show off even if she wants to.
It was clearly a physiological reason, but Mrs. Qiao blamed Princess Kang Ren for being useless.
Princess Kang Ren had been scolded by her and cried several times, and Jiang Changning had seen it twice.
Princess Kang Ren's fingers hooked the strings of the zither, and melodious music rang out.
Yellow orioles, yellow orioles, golden clusters, chirping in pairs, peach and apricot fireworks everywhere. Follow the wandering bees outside the smoke, singing and dancing wildly.
"Kang Ren is very serious about learning the piano, and he plays it really well." Jiang Changning praised with a smile.
"What musical instrument is Ningning good at?" asked King Jin.
"I have learned qin, zheng, pipa, flute and sheng." Jiang Changning has a wide range of interests and does not focus on any one of them.
"We will play a song together some other day."
"Okay." Jiang Changning agreed readily.
On the jade steps, the emperor's eyes turned green as he looked at Jiang Changning chatting and laughing with Prince Jin.
Of course, those watching the couple were not only the emperor, but also Qin Zhaoxi and Song Yirou.
However, the former was looking at Jiang Changning, while the latter was staring at Prince Jin.
After Princess Kangren finished singing the song, the Queen Mother politely praised her a few words, gave her some rewards, and then let Princess Kangren leave.
The show was selected just a few months ago. The girls who could perform at the banquet were either married or waiting to be married. For a while, no one came out to perform and the scene became dull.
After waiting for a while, Princess Yi Ya's daughter Zheng Mingzhu came out to perform.
Zheng Mingzhu danced "Taoyao", the rhythm of which went from slow to fast, and the dance moves were light and graceful.
She danced to the rhythm, her movements up and down, her frowns and smiles, with the graceful and charming beauty of a woman.
While dancing, her beautiful eyes are eager and her gaze is moving, which is extremely alluring.
Recipe, Shining.
The daughter of Zhi is married, and she is suitable for his family.
The peach tree is young and lush, and its fruits are abundant.
The daughter of Zhi marries and is suitable for his family.
The peach tree is young and lush, with leaves that are dense.
When a son marries, he should be a good wife and family member.
"Confused." Prince Jin said in a deep voice.
Jiang Changning was stunned at first, but then he understood what he meant.
She dances well and must have learned and practiced it seriously, but she shouldn't dance this dance in this occasion.
After all, the New Year's Eve dinner is held to please the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Zheng Mingzhu is the emperor's niece. She dances so charmingly and seductively. What does she want to do
I don’t know if it was because she was afraid of another dull moment, or if Zheng Mingzhu saved the situation and made the Queen Mother feel relieved.
"Mingzhu is a good child. I remember that she will be a marriageable girl after the New Year. Your Majesty, it's time to give your niece a title."
The emperor followed the empress dowager's wishes and gave Zheng Mingzhu the title of county lord. "You will be named the Princess of Xiaochang County, and Xiaochang County in Hubei Province will be your fiefdom."
Princess Yiya never expected such a pleasant surprise, and she and her husband came out to express their gratitude.
This enthronement made the marginal royal families excited. They hurriedly asked the young girls in their families to come out and perform, hoping to be appreciated by the Queen Mother and the Emperor.
The hall became very lively. Although Jiang Changning did not drink alcohol, he drank too much soup and water and had to go to the toilet urgently.
"Your Highness, I need to go out for a while." Jiang Changning said.
"I'll accompany you."
It happened that an old man in the attire of a first-rank official came to have a drink with Prince Jin. Jiang Changning waited for a while and found that Prince Jin could not get away for a while, and she could not bear it any longer.
Jiang Changning said quickly, "Your Highness, I'll be back soon." She left with her maid.
The emperor, who had been keeping an eye on her, saw this and stood up and left, saying he had to go to the bathroom urgently.
(End of this chapter)