Phi-Fic Chapter 926 Palace Banquet!
Chapter 926 Palace Banquet!
A few days later would be the Empress Dowager's birthday.
As the Empress, Mu Xin Nuan naturally held a grand banquet, but this time, in accordance with the Empress Dowager's wishes, she only invited female relatives.
In other words, none of those officials or courtiers were invited to the banquet.
The Empress Dowager had naturally heard some of the unpleasant rumors circulating outside.
However, the Empress Dowager was shrewd enough not to be outmaneuvered by such a trivial matter.
The Empress Dowager understood that Princess Zhaoyang's repeated visits to the palace, initially appearing troubled and aggrieved, were simply a prelude to waiting for her to say something.
She wanted the Empress Dowager to make a decision for her, but Zhao Yang was too embarrassed to say it directly. So, she wondered if her mother should show her some concern first.
The Empress Dowager was actually furious at such a clumsy tactic.
If it weren't for the fact that she was her own daughter, she would have been so angry that she would have issued an edict to strip her of her princess title.
As a royal princess, instead of learning anything good, all she learned was how to scheme against people?
This is utterly disgraceful to the Duanmu family!
Even though the Empress Dowager was favored throughout her life, it doesn't mean that the Emperor Emeritus never had other women.
Her ability to remain in power in the palace for so many years was not solely due to the influence of her maternal family. As the Empress, how could she maintain order and peace in the harem without considerable skill and an iron fist?
Therefore, Princess Zhaoyang thought she had done a good job of concealing her intentions, but unfortunately, none of the people she wanted to scheme against ever fell into her trap.
On the contrary, her actions greatly angered the Empress Dowager.
The reason is simple: if the Empress Dowager didn't know her daughter so well, she would naturally believe these rumors. In that case, she would inevitably feel sorry for her daughter and resent the Li family. But for someone of that age, wouldn't that be tantamount to taking half her life?
Whom is Princess Zhaoyang plotting against?
In the Empress Dowager's eyes, this was clearly a scheme against her!
If she really angers me to the point of illness, whose fault is it? Or perhaps, Zhao Yang is planning to make me sick, thus confirming Li Wanhua's guilt.
Once the Empress Dowager understood the intricacies of the situation, she naturally wouldn't give Zhaoyang a kind look.
That day, Duanmu Qing brought her child and entered the palace early.
He personally helped the Empress Dowager with her makeup, which delighted her greatly.
Duanmu Zonghua, holding his younger brother's hand in one hand and carrying a small box in the other, appeared before the Empress Dowager in an extremely adorable manner.
"Oh my, let me see who these are? Aren't they my two precious grandsons? What are they holding in their hands? Can their grandmother take a look?"
"Your Majesty, today is your birthday. Your grandson kowtows to you and wishes Your Majesty a thousand years of blessings."
"Good child, get up quickly. Here's a reward."
After receiving their rewards, the Crown Prince and Duanmu Zongyao watched as the Empress Dowager personally opened the small box, their faces immediately filled with anticipation.
The two brothers were hoping to see their grandmother's amazed expression.
"Good children! It's really impressive that you came up with such a wonderful idea. You've really done a great job."
Duanmu Jing leaned closer to take a look and was also somewhat surprised. "Zonghua, tell your aunt something serious, where did this come from?"
"Replying to Aunt, this was made by my own hands. The dot on the character for longevity was done by me holding my brother's hand, and the two of us did it together."
"Good, good child! You are truly the apple of your grandmother's eye."
It turned out that what Duanmu Zonghua presented was nothing more than a few characters for "longevity".
For someone as young as Duanmu Zonghua to be able to write the character "寿" (longevity) in more than ten different styles is truly remarkable.
What's even more remarkable is that he also wrote out all the previous ways of writing the character "寿" (longevity). So, the thick stack in this box contains nothing but the character "寿".
"Who came up with this idea? It's quite ingenious!"
Duanmu Zonghua chuckled, "Aunt, I heard that my mother used to write longevity paintings for her elders, so I thought I'd try to imitate her. But longevity paintings are a bit difficult for me. My master also said I'm too young and not suitable yet. So, I can only write them one by one like this."
"Good, good, good! This is already excellent."
"Does Grandmother like it?"
"I love it! I love it so much. He's truly the Queen Mother's darling grandson."
"Grandmother, please enjoy your life. In a few years, when I'm a bit older and my hand is strong enough to hold a brush, I'll make you a painting of longevity by hand."
"Okay, Grandma will wait."
Duanmu Zongyao couldn't speak yet, he could only call her "Mother". Seeing his grandmother happy, he reached out and tugged at the Empress Dowager's skirt.
The Empress Dowager picked him up in one go, and Duanmu Zongyao took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed; it was sweeter than eating honey.
Next, it was time for the ladies and young women to present their gifts.
Soon, most of the women had arrived.
Since the weather was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, the banquet was set up in the Imperial Garden. The scenery there was beautiful, and one could enjoy the flowers, drink wine, and compose poems. How wonderful!
"Your Majesty, it's almost time. Shall we move to the Imperial Garden?"
"Yes, let's go, don't keep the Empress and the others waiting."
When the Empress Dowager arrived at the Imperial Garden, she found it to be quite lively.
Most of the ladies from various households brought their daughters with them to the palace banquet.
After all, this was an occasion where many wealthy women were present. One reason for bringing her child out was to let her see the world, and another was to see if she could arrange a good marriage for her precious daughter.
Princess Zhaoyang and the others also went to Fushou Palace to pay their respects before going to the Imperial Garden.
But now, seeing that only Duanmu Jing had accompanied the Empress Dowager, the ladies inevitably began to tip their scales in favor of Princess Jing.
Everyone knows that Duanmu Jing and the Empress have a very good relationship.
Duanmu Jing was the most beloved little princess of the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager, so her status was naturally much higher than that of the other princesses.
Although Princess Zhaoyang was also a legitimate princess, she was no match for Duanmu Jing when they were placed side by side.
Duanmu Jing was not only favored, but also had a good temperament.
More importantly, the man she married was far better than Princess Zhaoyang.
Chu Rong was a renowned general throughout the entire Dayong Dynasty. Now, the couple lived in perfect harmony, a sight that must have been the envy of many.
"Please sit down, everyone. Oh, Madam Li is here too? Please sit down. It's been quite a while since we last saw each other."
Madam Li, who was Mu Xin Nuan's maternal grandmother, nodded quickly, "Yes, it has indeed been a long time. It's kind of the Empress Dowager to still remember this old woman and even think of sending someone to issue an imperial decree to the General's Mansion."
Princess Zhaoyang's expression changed, and she shot a somewhat unfriendly glance at Mu Xinnuan.