Chapter 263 Spilling Tea

King Yu was lucky. Everyone was busy celebrating the New Year and preparing New Year's goods. The issue of his being banned and fined was discussed for two days and then stopped.

On New Year's Eve, all government officials and officials of second rank and above brought their families to the palace to attend the palace banquet.

After breakfast, the concubine went to the palace accompanied by Prince Jin and Jiang Changning.

After the ceremony, Jiang Changning was sitting in the corner with the pregnant Crown Princess De, chatting and laughing. At this time, Zhao Xifang came over, stared at the two of them unkindly, and said, "Don't be so proud, you two."

After saying that, she turned around and left.

Jiang Changning and Crown Princess De looked at each other, and were stunned for a moment. Crown Princess De asked: "What does she mean?"

"You're mentally ill, don't pay attention to her." Jiang Changning could feel that Zhao Xifang was hostile to her, but he didn't understand where the hostility came from.

Could it be that Zhao Xifang is also interested in King Jin?

King Jin is really a disaster!

Neither of them paid much attention to Zhao Xifang and continued to chat about the Yue opera that the Jiangnan Opera Troupe had recently come to Beijing to sing.

"I heard that the new play "The Legend of Liu Yi" was sung on the third day of the Lunar New Year, so I asked Bingqing and the others to go and listen to the play together." Prince Concubine De said.

"It's freezing cold and you have a big belly, so don't bother. When you can hire someone, invite the team to the house and ask them to sing a few songs for you. You'll enjoy it."

"That's the only way it can be." Crown Prince De's concubine rolled her eyes, "When do you plan to get pregnant again?"

"My son is only one year and two months old. Do you need to rush to give birth?" Jiang Changning curled his lips and asked.

"Two in three years, my little sister-in-law." Princess De Wang said with a smile.

Jiang Changning raised his eyebrows, "I'm not in a hurry, let nature take its course, and I'll give birth as soon as I get pregnant."

"I just hope that my pregnancy will be a boy, so that I can have a rest." Crown Princess Deok said, touching her belly.

Jiang Changning couldn't accept this. No one would know the gender of the baby in his belly until it was born.

Just like the Princess of Changshan, experienced people said that her belly was round and she couldn't eat sourly. She was pregnant with a girl, but she gave birth to a boy.

The two chatted for a while, and Wen Bingqing, Zeng Zhaofu and other female members of the noble family also came in.

In winter, it gets dark early, at the right time, the light gradually dims, and it is already dusk. The maids come over and invite the female relatives to move to the banquet hall to have a meal.

Everyone exchanged greetings and made connections, and time passed quickly.

At this time, a palace maid was holding a tray and looking left and right, as if she was looking for someone.

While walking without looking at the road, he bumped into Jiang Changning. The tray overturned and a cup of tea placed on the tray fell onto Jiang Changning.

Fortunately, he wore thick clothes in winter, so this cup of hot tea did not burn Jiang Changning.

"What's the matter with you?" Zeng Zhaofu asked sharply.

"Princess Jin, I didn't mean this." The maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

Jiang Changning stared at her with a deep look in his eyes. Mr. Se has become the late emperor. Whose idea was it for this palace maid to cause such trouble?

What do you want to do again?

"Get up, don't kneel down, take me to change clothes." Jiang Changning did as she wished, wanting to see who it was and what kind of trick he wanted to play?

Wen Bingqing and Zeng Zhaofu looked at each other and said, "We will go with you."

This trick of pouring tea on people to lure them out is already very old.

Okay, the trick is fine, as long as it works.

"Thank you." Jiang Changning smiled at them, and then urged the palace maid, "Let's go."

The maid looked at Wen Bingqing and then at Zeng Zhaofu. She was not qualified and did not dare not to let these two follow. She gritted her teeth and said, "Princess Jin, please come with your servant."

After leaving the palace through the side door and walking for a while, the palace maid turned around and knelt down again, "Princess Jin, this servant doesn't want to do this either. It was Princess Yiya who forced this servant to do this."

Jiang Changning didn't expect it to be Princess Yiya. He couldn't understand why she did this and asked directly: "Where did she ask you to take me?"

"Chenghu Lake over there."

Jiang Changning frowned, "She doesn't want to push me into the lake, does she?"

"This slave doesn't know that the eldest princess Yiya just asked the slave to lead the princess over, and others will do the rest."

"Ning Ning, let's go over and take a look." Zeng Zhaofu, an expert in art, was bold.

"I won't go." Jiang Changning didn't want to take risks, "A gentleman doesn't stand behind a dangerous wall."

Wen Bingqing agreed, "Ning Ning is right."

"No matter what game she sets, as long as I don't join in, her efforts will be in vain." Jiang Changning said with a smile.

They found an empty room nearby and asked the palace maid to bring a brazier. Jiang Changning took off his outer clothes, dried them, put them on again, and the three of them returned to the banquet hall.

"I'm going to find my prince." Jiang Changning said to the two of them.

"Go and do your work." Wen Bingqing smiled.

Jiang Changning randomly found a chamberlain, asked him to pass the message, and invited King Jin over.

"What happened?" King Jin looked worried.

Jiang Changning took him to a corner and told him what happened just now, "Can someone go find out what the eldest princess Yiya wants to do?"

"I'll arrange for someone to check. You stay in the palace and don't wander around."

"The banquet will start soon. I can't leave even if I want to."

King Jin went to find someone to investigate, and Jiang Changning entered the palace and continued chatting with Prince De and Princess De.

While they were chatting, they saw Princess Yiya coming in. She looked around as if she was looking for someone.

Then, her eyes met Jiang Changning's, and her eyes widened instantly.

Jiang Changning calmly looked away. She did not go to Chenghu, which surprised Princess Yiya.

After a while, there was a sound of whips. This was the sound of the Emperor's clearing whip when he was traveling.

When everyone immediately took their positions according to their status and rank, they heard the chamberlain shout loudly: "The Queen Mother is here, the Emperor is here."

The imperial concubine who was competing against the empress dowager was restrained. The empress dowager was still ill. At the New Year's Eve banquet, only the empress dowager and the emperor attended.

Everyone bowed to the Queen Mother and the Emperor and said hello. The Emperor put on a stern face and tried to look serious, "Your Majesty, please be safe."

Then the emperor said another cliched auspicious words, "Let the banquet begin!"

The maids filed in carrying food boxes, and the New Year's Eve banquet officially began.

The palace meal was exquisite and delicious. Jiang Changning, who only ate some pastries to satisfy his hunger at noon, felt hungry. He ate attentively for a while before looking up to enjoy the song and dance performance.

"Is this year's dance newly choreographed?" Jiang Changning asked.

"Silefang has some new musicians and dancers, and they arranged the choreography." King Jin put a piece of snowy winter pheasant in Jiang Changning's bowl.

This year's banquet was a two-seat banquet, and Princess Yu and Princess Jin sat at the same table. Prince Yu was banned and the Queen Mother did not allow him to come to the banquet. Zhao Xifang, the Princess of Ningxia, sat together.

Prince Jin went out for a while. When he came back, Jiang Changning saw that his face was quite ugly, as if he was suppressing overwhelming anger, and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"We'll talk about it when we get back." Prince Jin held her hand.

The banquet lasted for an hour. When the banquet was over, snow started to fall in the sky again, making people come out of the warm palace, adding a bit of chill.
Chapter completed!