The emperor's family banquet was held in the Guanfeng Hall by the Taiye Lake.
A lantern boat was placed in the Taiye Lake, and the trees on the three islands in the lake were decorated with lanterns, creating a peaceful and festive atmosphere.
Because there will be a grand banquet tomorrow at Yuanzheng, no members of the royal family were invited to this family dinner. Only the emperor's family, plus Prince Yuzhang and his two younger siblings - the emperor, remembering the kindness of his brother who gave up the throne, had always treated his daughters as his own.
As there were few people and they were all close friends, the emperor gave the order that men and women should sit at the same table.
The Dowager and his wife arrived early, and as soon as Huan Xuan entered the palace, he saw the Dowager's Consort Ruan Yuewei.
Because she was going to the palace to meet her elders and it was the New Year, she could not wear anything too plain. She was dressed in gorgeous clothes today, wearing a concubine's brocade dress, a silk shawl, a high bun, a gold hairpin, and her face was painted with powder and rouge. She had a flower ornament on her forehead and dimples on her cheeks.
She had a delicate and elegant demeanor like a chrysanthemum, and looked otherworldly and refined. She only suited light makeup and not heavy ones. This kind of dressing actually concealed her original flaws.
Huan Xuan's gaze did not linger on her, but moved away in a flash. He bowed to the emperor and the queen mother, nodded expressionlessly to his younger brothers and sisters, and then took a seat.
But Ruan Yuewei's gaze held him back.
Huan Xuan left the harem at the age of twelve, and since then the two had fewer opportunities to meet. When he left the capital three years ago, he looked like a teenager.
Before he knew it, he had shed some of his childishness and grown into a man with a majestic bearing.
When he sat down, he took off his fox fur coat and handed it to the eunuch. He then put on a purple brocade robe from Shu State, which was tied with a jade belt, showing his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
Having not seen him for some time, his expression seemed to have lost some of its original gloom and coldness, and to have some indescribable flavor, like a sword out of a sheath, its edge so dazzling that one cannot take one's eyes away, yet dare not stare at it directly.
Ruan Yue was in a daze for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses and quickly lowered her eyes and looked straight ahead.
When she lowered her head, she glanced at Taixun out of the corner of her eye, only to see that he was turning around and talking to Prince Yuzhang. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
I only heard the Queen Mother say to Huan Minggui: "I haven't seen you in my palace for a long time. What are you busy with?"
Huan Minggui said: "Your Highness knows me, all I like is romance, poetry and couplets."
The queen mother said: "You are living a carefree life today."
After saying this, the smile on his face paled a little, because he suddenly remembered that he had been relieved of his post as regent and was now a free man, but he could not be free.
Huan Minggui said, "If Your Highness is interested, I will hold a banquet at my mansion next time and send an invitation to the East Palace. Please be sure to come."
The queen said, "I have heard that your house is full of talented people. If I have the chance, I will definitely go and see it. Don't go back on your word."
Prince Chen interrupted and said, "I don't know if there will be any talented people at Sixth Cousin's banquet, but it will definitely be a gathering of beauties."
He narrowed his eyes, glanced at Ruan Yuewei, and curled his lips: "I'm afraid that by then, my second sister-in-law will stop my second brother from going."
His voice was like vinegar mixed with oil, sour and greasy. Ruan Yuewei felt sick, but she couldn't show it on her face. She patiently responded: "Fifth brother has said it."
Tai-hsin felt that what she said was really rude, but if she argued with such a foolish person on such a big occasion, it would only show her narrow-mindedness. So she just pretended not to hear it, and quietly held her wife's hand to comfort her.
At this moment, a eunuch came in and whispered something to the emperor.
The emperor's expression changed slightly.
Huan Xuan recognized the eunuch as the chief eunuch serving the empress. In a flash, he guessed what had happened—his mother even refused to attend the annual family dinner because he was at the table.
He couldn't describe how he felt. Perhaps he had expected it. He couldn't say he felt bad, but his heart felt like it was filled with lead.
As expected, the emperor could not hide his anger, and he said to the eunuch, "Is it possible that the family will be reunited? Do I have to go and invite her in person?"
There was probably something in the blood of the Huan family, but every male doted on his wife. Even though the emperor was not as infatuated as his brother, he and the empress were still a young couple and had a deep love for each other. He was a noble man, and his harem was simple, with mostly old people from the palace. Even when the empress kept her hair uncut and practiced Buddhism, there were no new people in the harem. He didn't even bring a concubine to accompany him when he went to the hot spring palace.
The queen was aloof and arrogant by nature, but he was always tolerant of her. When she wanted to keep her hair uncut and practice Buddhism, he built a nunnery in the harem without saying a word, but still left the throne to her.
But tolerance also has its limits. The emperor was really angry this time. He had not celebrated the New Year in the palace for three years, and the queen had remarried. He had thought that even for the sake of their relationship as husband and wife, she would not show up. He did not expect her to be so stubborn.
The emperor also got angry, stood up, and said, "Well, if she wants me to go and invite her, I will go and invite her."
The eunuch's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, kowtowed and apologized: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The queen has indeed caught a cold..."
The emperor snorted coldly.
The emperor was furious, and everyone in the hall stopped talking, their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts. The actors dared not play music or sing anymore, and stood with their hands folded and their heads lowered, not daring to make a sound.
The eldest princess stood up and said, "Father, let me go and ask mother."
The queen also said, "Sister, please sit down. I'll go."
"No need, I'll go by myself."
The emperor knew his wife's temper. Even if her beloved eldest daughter went to invite him, it would not help. But he went to invite him personally, and she couldn't refuse his face.
At this time, Huan Xuan stood up and walked to the emperor to pay his respects: "My son's heart disease has not healed yet, and I just drank some cold wine and it has recurred. So I will take my leave first. I hope you can forgive me."
The emperor's anger seemed to be drained away in an instant. He glanced at his son, and only deep sadness remained in his eyes, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. The little joy brought by the festival was dispersed by the heavy atmosphere of dusk.
He pinched his brows tiredly and nodded slowly: "Then go back home and rest early. If the pain is severe, ask someone to go to the Shang Pharmacy to ask Feng Yu to take a look."
Huan Xuan said yes, bowed again, bowed to his brothers and sisters, and then went out.
After the King of Qi left, the atmosphere in the palace was no longer harmonious. The emperor waved his hand to the eunuchs, signaling for the music and dance to continue.
With the sounds of Sheng and Xiao, the empty hall finally seemed a little more lively.
Gradually, the matter of Fang Xi was like a cloud that had dissipated, and everyone began to talk again. In fact, among all the people present, only Huan Minggui had more contact with the King of Qi, and the other brothers and sisters just nodded and greeted each other, not much different from strangers. Moreover, he had been in the northwest for three years, and the New Year's Eve banquet did not feel anything was missing without him.
The emperor didn't know whether he was infected by the women's cheerful voices or didn't want to spoil the festive mood, but he soon picked up his makeup.
The Queen Mother seemed to suddenly remember something and asked Prince Yuzhang, "By the way, Yuyu, is the whereabouts of the beautiful lady I met last time?"
Huan Minggui didn't want to talk about it in detail, but couldn't stand the pressure from the emperor, so he just said vaguely, "There are some clues."
The queen became interested: "Oh? How do you say that?"
The emperor noticed that they were quiet, and asked with a smile: "What are you talking about? It's so lively."
Taiyi took the opportunity to change Fangyi's topic: "In response to Aye, Fangyi was talking about the fact that Yuyu met the same peerless beauty twice a few days ago."
"Oh?" The emperor looked at Huan Minggui, "I would like to hear the details."
No matter how old a man is, he is always excited when talking about beautiful women.
Huan Minggui had to answer the emperor's question, so he simply recounted the two encounters in a concise manner.
The emperor stroked his beard and said, "Given your personality, I'm afraid you would dig the entire Chang'an city to find that girl."
Huan Minggui said: "No one knows me better than Your Majesty."
"Have you found her?" the emperor asked. "If you are a good match, I will grant you marriage."
The old Prince of Yuzhang passed away early, and the princess consort was too soft-hearted to care about the affairs, so the emperor took over the affairs of these three nephews and nieces as well.
Huan Minggui thanked him and said, "There are some clues, but I was not careful. I followed him to a mountain pond in Chang'anfang and lost him."
There was only one Shanchiyuan in Chang'anfang. Among the people present, only Taiyi knew the whole story clearly, but he pretended not to remember: "What is that place?"
The emperor had been in Mount Li some time ago. He only knew that Sanxun was recuperating in a villa on the outskirts of the city, but he was not sure which garden or house it was. After a while, he remembered that the abandoned garden of Princess Shou'an in Chang'anfang seemed to have been given to Huanxuan.
The Queen Mother said nothing, but the Emperor frowned and asked the eunuch beside him: "Sun Fu, if I remember correctly, the garden in Chang'anfang was given to Sanlang, right?"
Eunuch Sun said, "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, it should have been given to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi."
The emperor looked slightly unhappy. Keeping a concubine was not a big deal, but it was not a big deal after all, as it would easily give people something to talk about. He nodded slightly and said to Huan Minggui, "Maybe Heng has met a fairy."
The matter was lightly covered with a joking remark.
Everyone heard the music and understood the elegance of the event. They stopped joking about it and continued drinking and chatting.
After three rounds of drinking, they were required to compose poems. Many of the Huan family members were good at poetry and music, and the emperors and princesses had learned poetry and prose since childhood, and their words were good. Even the King of Qi, who was a military general and led troops to war, had the ability to compose thousands of words while riding a horse. Only the King of Chen was an exception. Whenever he recited poems at the banquet, he always scratched his head and couldn't write more than two lines.
After a while, the eunuchs brought writing brushes, ink, and poetry papers and placed a small table in front of each person.
Ruan Yuewei is a well-known prostitute in the capital, and she also wants to show off her skills.
She was well-read and quick-witted, so composing a few poems was no problem for her. But when she picked up the pen, her mind was in a mess, all of which were the words that Prince Yuzhang had said.
Who was that woman? What was her relationship with Huan Xuan? Did the servant see it wrong? Or was that woman just a servant? Did Huan Xuan really have a concubine
She couldn't believe it no matter what, and disappointment and sadness surged over her like a tide.
She held the pen in her hand, but could not think of a single line of poetry. The others had already prepared their poems and started writing, with the sound of silkworms gnawing on mulberry trees filling their ears.
Taiyi touched her hand and whispered, "What's wrong? Did you say anything?"
Ruan Yuewei suddenly came back to her senses and saw that only a small part of the water in the lotus clepsydra was left. She quickly calmed herself down and whispered, "I'm thinking about it."
Although more than half of the time had passed, it was not difficult for her to write a decent poem in response to the order.
The emperor looked at them with a smile: "I have read the poems of the Dowager Concubine. The words are very elegant. You are worthy of the title of 'Female Imperial Academy'. I am waiting for you to show your talents."
Ruan Yuewei's palms were covered with cold sweat, and she reluctantly said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind."
She could have dealt with it with a mediocre poem and still gained a reputation for being humble, but after the emperor said that, she had to use all her tricks.
But composing poems and composing texts is not something that can be done in a hurry. By the end, the water in the leaky pot was almost empty, but she still couldn't come up with a good sentence. She could only piece together the poems she had memorized and wrote them down in a different way.
The eunuchs waited for the ink to dry slightly before presenting each person's poem to the emperor for his comments.
The emperor ordered the eunuchs to read out the poems one by one. When it came to Ruan Yuewei's poem, everyone was looking forward to it. However, what was read out was full of clichés. It was only ranked in the middle or lower level among all the poems, and was not even as interesting as the poem written by the Seventh Emperor who was only twelve years old.
The emperor was also a little surprised, but still praised him a few words.
Ruan Yuewei's face flushed red, and she could hardly raise her head. She knew that everyone's eyes at this moment were thinking, "It's hard to live up to the reputation."
After all the poems were read, the emperor showed some respect to the new brides. He did not divide them into different levels for reward as he did in the past. Instead, he gave each of them some gold, jade, toys and brocade.
Not until the stringed instruments began to play again did Ruan Yue dare to raise her head slightly and glance at her husband with the corner of her eye. Seeing that her husband looked normal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
At night, the banquet ended and the two of them returned to the East Palace in the same car. Ruan Yuewei was very nervous and said after a long while: "Fang's poems are not good. I am too nervous..."
Taiyi frowned, her tone a little impatient: "It's just a small matter, it's all in the past, why mention it again."
Ruan Yuewei's eyes suddenly turned red: "I have embarrassed Your Highness."
Usually, whenever she showed signs of wanting to cry, Taixi would immediately try to comfort her with gentle words, but this time he just glanced at her and said, "Don't look so sad on New Year's Eve."
Ruan Yuewei felt more and more aggrieved, but the emperor was really cold, so she didn't dare to be petty anymore. She could only hold back her tears as much as possible, thinking over and over in her heart, if it was Huan Xuan...
Huan Xuan, whenever she thought of this name, her heart ached.
What if it was Huan Xuan? She leaned against the wall of the carriage and pulled the corner of her mouth in self-mockery. The man who had vowed to marry no one but you, does he still remember what he said
…
When Huan Xuan left Guanfeng Palace, the family banquet had just begun. The carriage drove out of Penglai Palace to the south, and there was no one on the long street.
All the joyful voices, words and warmth were locked within the walls and houses.
But he knew that everyone was reuniting with their loved ones at this moment, regardless of their wealth or status.
He gave Gao Mai a day off because he was staying in the palace on New Year's Eve, so he could go home and spend the New Year with his parents. Even the servant who drove him back to the palace did not go back to reunite with his wife and children.
He was the only one who had no place to return to in this huge city of Chang'an, like a wandering soul.
The Prince of Qi's Mansion was just an empty house with his title hung as a plaque. No one was waiting for him, and no one remembered that today was his birthday.
Maybe some people remembered it, but his elder brother was born on New Year's Day, just one day later than him, so it was inevitable to feel sad when he mentioned his birthday. So his birthday also became something difficult to talk about.
Thinking of the lonely pillow and cold quilt in the palace, Huan Xuan didn't want to go back, but he couldn't wander like a ghost on the empty streets all night.
He lifted the carriage curtain and said to his attendants, "Let's go to Chang'anfang."
The attendant was shocked. It seemed against the rules to celebrate the New Year in a villa, but their prince was not a man who followed the rules. He did not dare to say much and went to pass on the message.
It was already midnight when we arrived at the mountain pond garden.
Huan Xuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the two old black-headed carriages from afar. The snow in front of the carriages had accumulated very thickly. The wind lanterns were swaying in the wind and snow, like two fireflies.
She should be asleep by now, he thought. It was New Year's Eve, and even if he was not in the palace, he should be in the palace. In any case, he should not be in the villa.
The carriage drove into the inner courtyard, Huan Xuan got off, walked straight through the maple forest path, and headed towards the warm lights.
The courtyard door creaked, and Grandma Gao came out from the door with a look of astonishment on her face: "Why is Your Highness here? Did the palace banquet end so early?"
Huan Xuan said calmly, "Is Lu asleep?"
Grandma Gao said, "Lu Niang is in the kitchen."
Huan Xuan asked: "Why is this girl in the kitchen?"
He estimated that it was too late.
Grandma Gao said, "I was talking to Lu Niang the other day about how today is His Highness' birthday, and then Lu Niang suddenly said she wanted to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup. The cook had gone home, so she..."
Before the old nanny could finish her words, Huan Xuan had already crossed the courtyard and headed towards the small kitchen.
Sui Sui was cutting the rolled dough into strips when he suddenly heard the sound of boots. He looked up in surprise and saw a familiar figure standing in the yard.
She put down the pasta knife and raised her hand to smooth her hair. The flour on her hand was stuck to her face, which looked funny, but she didn't notice it.
As soon as she saw him, she had that dazed look in her eyes again, as if she was in a dream.
"Your Highness." She called softly, and the voice sounded like a dream talk.