New Year’s Eve palace banquet.
This is Ye Yun’s second year in the palace.
Today is a bit more relaxing, as I can just attend the banquet in the evening. Thinking about having to kneel in the Taimiao early tomorrow morning, that would be real suffering.
But now her position is a little higher and she is more favored, so I think things will be better than last year.
At least the kneeling position should be closer to the inside.
"What kind of dress are you wearing today, Concubine? It's the New Year, so why not wear something festive?" Huiyue said.
Ye Jun thought about it and nodded, "Then bring all the red ones to me."
Huiyue responded and ordered the palace maids to pick out all the clothes and line them up for her to choose.
I knew I had a lot of clothes before, but it was still surprising that I had ten red pieces alone.
But it was nothing, just a little more than other people in the palace. Before she got married, unless Ye Jun mentioned that she wanted to wear a new piece of clothing, she would wear a different piece of clothing almost all year round.
Chu only had this one daughter and she loved her dearly.
After getting dressed, she ate something before heading to the Qionghua Palace.
On the way, I met Lady Xia and the two of us walked together.
When they arrived at the place, Ye Jun glanced at the families of the ministers opposite.
Sure enough, my brother Ye Zhe, my mother, and my aunt Yang were all there.
The family exchanged glances before sitting down.
Soon, the emperor, empress and queen mother arrived together.
The couple supported the empress dowager on both sides, and they looked very harmonious and warm.
But if you look closely, you can see that the Queen Mother's smile was very stiff, and she really wasn't pretending at all.
Following in was Yang Wanrong.
She has just completed her confinement period and has chosen the eighth day to move out of Fengqi Palace. Currently, she is still following the Queen.
Yang was already beautiful, and after giving birth she seemed to have gained a little more body and became even more charming.
"My dear ministers, this year, I was assassinated during my northern tour and suffered from the plague, but fortunately, God blessed me and I got through it safely. Now it is the end of the year, I only hope that next year my Nanqi will have good weather and everything will go well. My dear ministers, drink this cup with me, and I wish Nanqi peace and prosperity!"
Ning Chen raised his glass loudly.
Everyone below responded.
After drinking this glass of wine, the banquet officially began.
The Queen was naturally the first to toast.
She wore the proper auspicious attire of a queen today, which looked very heavy.
The gilded phoenix crown on her head that looks like a tree branch seems to be able to overwhelm people.
Even though Ye Jun had worn the auspicious dress of the sixth-rank Wanrong just once when she first entered the palace, she felt that it was overwhelming. Now she really admired the Queen.
A pregnant woman can actually hold on.
This palace banquet might not be over in less than two hours.
Next, the concubines toasted the emperor one by one according to their rank.
Shufei was the first to toast. After she finished toasting, the eldest princess also toasted her with a glass of tea instead of wine.
After all, he is one year older, and the rules are more comprehensive than last year.
She said a few auspicious words in a baby voice, which also made Ning Chen in a good mood.
But in contrast, the eldest prince, who was over a year old and sickly and was held by his wet nurse, looked even more listless.
However, the eldest prince can speak now. Although he doesn't say many words, he can still greet.
"Thank you for your concern, Concubine Wende. It's rare that the eldest prince can speak." The Queen Mother said suddenly.
That's not a nice thing to say.
Shouldn’t a one-year-old baby be able to speak
Not to mention the tone the Queen Mother used when she said this, which is really hard to describe.
Seeing Ning Chen's face darken, the queen hurried to smooth things over, "That's right, the eldest prince is a little weak, it's also because of Sister Wen's dedication, a mother's love will always be rewarded."
"Just raise the child well first. It's still unclear whether this motherly love will be rewarded."
When saying this, the Queen Mother paused deliberately, emphasized her tone, and glanced at Ning Chen imperceptibly.
The queen felt a chill in her heart, knowing that she had brought up something she shouldn't have said, and she immediately became embarrassed.
"As the old saying goes, a loving mother makes her son filial. If the mother is loving, then the son will be filial. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. I believe that the kindness of Concubine De will surely move the heavens and protect the eldest prince to grow up safely so that he can enjoy the happiness of filial piety from his descendants in the future."
Ye Jun was sitting below and spoke with a smile.
Anyone with a bit of common sense would know clearly which one is defending Concubine Wende or the Emperor.
The Queen Mother would certainly understand the meaning.
With a cold snort, he put down the wine glass in his hand heavily, "What have you learned about the palace rules, Concubine Ming? You actually interrupted me when I was talking to the Queen!"
Ye Jun remained calm despite being openly scolded, but the Ye family members sitting opposite him were extremely nervous.
Even though Ye Zhe held the wine glass tightly, his eyes darkened.
"Mother, please don't bother with her. Ming Jieyu has always been lively and outspoken. I gave her this title because I like her bright and lively nature."
Just as everyone was watching, the man in the main seat suddenly spoke.
Ning Chen raised his eyes to look at Ye Jun and smiled at her soothingly.
Such obvious favoritism surprised everyone present.
However, Ye Jun knew in his heart that this favor did exist, but it was also due to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother openly implied that Ning Chen was unfilial, which no emperor would tolerate.
"I am pleased. Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I also apologize to the Empress Dowager."
Ye Jun was not at all vague. He bowed his head and immediately stood up to salute.
Even the emperor didn't care and was partial to him. What's more, Ye Jun didn't say anything wrong. Even if the empress dowager was unhappy, she had to let it go.
He waved his hand very unhappily and motioned her to sit down.
After sitting down, Ye Jun found that Ning Chen was still looking at her, so she raised her glass and toasted him.
Ning Chen also smiled in a very good mood and returned her greeting.
Such interaction is seen by everyone as a sign of grace.
Suddenly, more and more people started talking to Chu and Yang.
The queen felt bitter in her heart and her stomach was a little uncomfortable. She felt a little better after drinking two sips of hot milk.
He looked at the young and beautiful Ye Jun, then narrowed his eyes and concealed the coldness in his expression.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere finally became a little warmer.
It was at this moment that the Queen took the opportunity to bring up something.
"Concubine Yi has been pregnant for more than six months."
"To answer your question, it's already six and a half months." Concubine Yi held her belly and smiled faintly.
The Queen nodded and said softly, "It's rare that you have been able to recover after suffering such an injustice. I watched Yang Wanrong become pregnant and give birth to a child, and now I am pregnant too, so I know how difficult it is."
"The child in my belly is not as noble as yours. Your Majesty is busy with trivial matters every day and must not be tired. The one in your belly is the legitimate prince of Nanqi." Concubine Yi said.
Although she didn't quite understand what the Queen was trying to do, she was still on guard when it was suddenly brought up.
She kept a very humble attitude, fearing that the Queen disliked her and wanted to do something to her.
But to her surprise, the Queen's next words were addressed to the Emperor.
"Yi Jieyu had a miscarriage before, and this pregnancy is not stable. I thought it would be a good idea to give her a promotion on New Year's Eve. It can be regarded as getting rid of the old and welcoming the new, and it will bring good luck."