The next day, Pei Ji left Cangshan and returned to Dongdu.
This time, he came in the middle of the night and left in the early morning. During the time he stayed in between, he was extremely low-key. Apart from being summoned to accompany the emperor, he only met with Prince Ning and Cui Daosi a few times, either playing chess in the woods or visiting ancient temples. He rarely showed up in public, and never interacted with the people who accompanied the emperor to Cangshan.
The only exception was King Xin'an Li Hui.
This young man was not like others, who did not dare to approach the emperor because they could not figure out his attitude towards Pei Ji. As the saying goes, "If you have no desires, you will be strong." He had no scruples. He knew that Pei Ji was once a great writer. With admiration for this former famous official, he often came to visit him with his own articles and asked for his advice. Pei Ji also knew that he was his nephew's apprentice in Chang'an. He loved him and liked that the young man was well-educated, modest and studious. He had nothing to do here all day, so he naturally would not refuse. The old and the young often met. In addition to discussing poetry and prose, they also traveled to various scenic spots in Cangshan together. When Pei Ji left, the two of them seemed to be friends regardless of age. In addition to Zhao Zhongfang, who came by imperial order, King Ning, Cui Daosi and Pei Xiaoyuan, there was another person who saw him off, and that was Li Hui, who was reluctant to leave.
After Pei Ji left, by the end of August, marriage proposals arrived at Cangshan one after another.
Each family showed great importance to this marriage proposal, and the visitors were either of noble status or close family members.
For example, the envoy sent by the Prince of Xiping's Palace was the prince's uncle, General Xuanwei, and the Commandant of Yizhou, Li Dalu.
The people on Lantai's side had both. Lady Fuyu of Bohai took the trouble to personally lead a team of nearly a hundred people to travel day and night.
This lady is Lan Tai's great aunt, the elder sister of the current King of Bohai, who was once the regent and raised Lan Tai's father. When the Holy Dynasty was in turmoil at the end of Jingsheng, it was during her regent period. She drove away the rebels who came to win over her, and never took advantage of the situation to rob. She always abided by the etiquette of the vassal. Therefore, after King Ding ascended the throne, he canonized her as Lady of Buyeo and gave her a fief of 5,000 to commend her merits. Now she is over 50 years old and has long been unable to return to politics. She should have been enjoying her old age, but she still came to the court as a marriage envoy, which shows how much she values Lan Tai's proposal.
The emperor naturally attached great importance to the arrival of Lady Buyeo. Not only did he hold a special welcoming banquet for her, but in the following days, the princess also often accompanied the lady in person for entertainment.
According to the report submitted by the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of History, the Grand Archery Ceremony was scheduled to be held on September 9. The day before was the birthday of Lady Buyeo, and the princess came out to celebrate her birthday in person. Knowing that Lady was fond of ancient Chinese rituals, she specially prepared a banquet for her, which represented the highest standard of ancient Tailao roasted meat. In addition to the Tailao three animals of cattle, sheep, and pigs, the banquet also prepared fresh fish, fat rabbits, deer, pigeons and other delicacies from the mountains and the sea, accompanied by various spices, which were roasted and served to Lady.
On that day, the mountains were bright and the water was as blue as a mirror. The princess chose a gentle lakeside grass bank under the long corridor of Baoguang Tower by the lake to set up a banquet. Lady Buyeo sat with her in the main seat, and the eldest princess, the Princess of Yucheng, the Princess of Danyang, and other women officials sat along the corridor. The musicians played music by the water, and the actors sang birthday songs. The singing was reflected on the water, gradually attracting flocks of red-billed gulls, mallards, and black-winged stilts. The water birds danced and flew back and forth on the water. The many cooks and palace servants who served the banquet walked neatly on the shore, serving fine wine and roasted meat, and their figures came and went continuously. The pearls and jade on the heads and bodies of the noble ladies attending the banquet sparkled in the sun. The laughter and chatter accompanied the music and the birdsong, floating on the sparkling lake with the wind, creating a joyful and beautiful scene.