12dz Chapter 182 Attending the Banquet
Chapter 182 Attending the Banquet
The sky was bright, but the weather was gloomy and foggy. The bushes in the courtyard were all black and barely visible in the fog.
Knowing that today would be a bloody day, Lu Xuan deliberately got up lazily and washed up in the morning.
Someone had set up such a big scheme just for her, so how could she not go there with great grace?
Banquets on weekdays usually start around 9:00 in the morning, but the Queen started at 5:00 in the afternoon. I guess he didn't want to look at her too much, and he probably wanted to cut the Gordian knot.
Xiao Kui dressed her in a tea-white satin dress with gold thread and peony feathers, combed her hair into a high, heart-crossing bun, and wore a phoenix hairpin inlaid with gold thread and gems. Her eyebrows were dark, her eyes were like autumnal waves, and her face seemed to be carved by nature.
A hint of unintentional pride and composure poured out, fully displaying the princess's majesty.
Since she was going to enter the palace, and it was Empress Ji who invited her, how could she forget Concubine Yun's instructions?
A green bracelet was buckled around her wrist, making her slender wrist look even whiter and smoother.
In the jade bracelet, Yunpin's soul is already sleeping peacefully.
The distance from Prince Jin's Mansion to the Imperial Palace was not far, and it would take more than half an hour to get there by carriage, so Lu Xuan had lunch in advance before leaving.
However, before she stepped out of Jinyuan's threshold, a familiar voice came from her, slightly low.
"and many more."
Hearing this long-lost voice, Sang Luo and Xiao Kui quickly retreated tactfully.
"Axuan."
It took Lu Xuan a long time to calm herself down. She remembered that she and Jiang Xing had not seen each other for more than half a month.
She gave a polite smile, "Your Majesty."
Feeling her distance, Jiang Xing paused inexplicably as he walked towards her.
A hint of sadness shrouded his eyes, but he quickly hid it as he approached her. Lu Xuan watched him step closer, slowly, until he finally stopped three steps away from her.
"Don't go to the flower viewing banquet today."
His voice was low and hoarse, and his eyes seemed to have lost their former brilliance. His face, which was once as bright as the moon and stars, was now stained with loneliness. The evil energy he had in the past had dissipated like smoke, and he was left with only loneliness.
"Your Highness, did you come here today to tell me this news?"
Lu Xuan pinched her fingers, and the rouge on her face, like a lotus in the distant mountains, concealed the slight emotion in her heart.
"You knew there would be danger today, why did you still take the risk?" Jiang Xing was annoyed and helpless, and the worry in his eyes almost turned into a question.
"Your Highness, we've made it clear before. I'm not a little girl who needs others to clean up the mess. Covering for myself is a necessary skill for adults."
She took a deep breath, her throat filled with unspoken anger from days past. "I would like to ask Your Highness, I have the right to ask you, Your Highness, for having everyone in the entire prefecture keep this secret from me, preventing justice for the children's grievances and avenging their murders, and leading to the situation I have to face today. Is this what Your Highness wants?"
Jiang Xing's eyes flickered for a few moments, his hands clenched and unclenched, his moon-white brocade robe fluttered in the wind, making slight trembling sounds against his brocade boots.
Also in his heart, there were sounds like the cutting of a blunt knife.
There was a slight astringency and a slight tremor.
"Your Highness, I understand your good intentions. But now that things have come to this, I cannot ignore their lives. Especially since they are my family and friends, people I feel guilty towards."
She took a step forward, and after passing him, she suddenly stopped. "Your Highness, you are very good. No matter who becomes your princess in the future, you will both be very happy. I don't want to refuse your kindness, but I still have to say one thing: don't waste your time on the wrong person."
After saying that, she took Sang Luo and others directly into the carriage.
She said these words seemingly effortlessly, but after she said them, her heart suddenly ached.
The bitter pain penetrated deep into her heart, and it hurt so much that she didn't say a word the whole way, as if she had said all the words in her life.
When Lu Xuan arrived at the palace, dozens of carriages of various sizes were already lined up at the palace gate.
In Kunning Palace, the noble ladies from various families were like colorful butterflies spreading their wings, in pairs of three or five, in groups of eight or nine, admiring flowers and composing poems, painting and tasting wine, guessing flower riddles, and brewing flower wine, for fear of not showing their most special side.
Lu Xuan smiled, and a feeling of being in another world flashed through his mind.
When she was still Song Wu, she had been like this in Bo's Mansion for the sake of that false reputation, and she was always busy in these occasions.
But ever since she was rumored to be a fake daughter, such places have implicitly rejected her.
Later, she married Jiang Xing, who was rumored to be on the verge of death. The ridicule towards her by these noble ladies became even stronger.
As a result, Jiang Xing was rumored to be doing well, and she was reunited with the Duke's Mansion. Those sarcastic faces turned into flattery overnight, and they treated her as well as sworn sisters.
But now.
When everyone saw her coming, they all looked at her with amazement, but no one dared to step forward and say a word.
Lu Xuan understood that today was the Queen's place. Everyone in Daliang knew about the discord between her Prince Jin's Mansion and the Ji family. They were all afraid of getting close to her and causing trouble for the Queen.
"Princess, you are finally here. I have been looking for you for a long time!"
A clear voice came.
Lu Xuan looked up and saw that it was Lu Yuehe.
Lu Xuan's eyes instantly curved into crescents, and he walked up to her and joked, "You didn't even bother waiting for me at the palace gate, but you came in first to have some fun."
"Sister, come on! Don't you see, you're the last one here!"
Lu Yuehe glanced around and lowered her voice, "Today's event, I'm afraid it was held just for you, right?"
Lu Xuan was shocked, "Why do you think so?"
Lu Yuehe glared at her, "Do you think I'm stupid? The Empress came out a few times just now, only to ask if Princess Jin had arrived. After receiving a negative answer, she went back into the back hall. The banquet hasn't started yet, and it's not convenient for everyone to leave here to enjoy the flowers far away, so we're all gathered here."
"The palace maids have their eyes on you. I'm afraid they won't start the banquet until you arrive. But everyone knows your position with the Ji family. What does the Queen intend to do this time? Do I need to tell her? Sister, you are smarter than me!"
After listening to Lu Yuehe's well-reasoned analysis, Lu Xuan nodded her head. "Then why did you agree to come to this party? You've made it so I have no excuse not to come."
"We?" Lu Yuehe looked at her suspiciously, "Who else is coming?"
"Xu Shu, she is the daughter of Xu Wenshan, the former Imperial Observatory."
Lu Yuehe frowned, "I know this Sister Xu. The last time Mother and I went to Prince Jin's Mansion, you mentioned her to us. She's the kind-hearted sister who has raised so many children under her, right?"
As she spoke, her heart sank. "But she's always had a bad reputation in the capital. For years, it's been rumored that she's an unfilial daughter who killed her mother and father. And yet the Empress even specially invited a woman with such a reputation? Sister, it seems the Empress is really after you this time. Otherwise, why would she even invite Sister Xu?"
After she finished speaking, her hand had already grasped Lu Xuan's small arm tightly, and the anxiety in her dark eyes rippled again and again.
Lu Xuan looked around and asked hurriedly, "I haven't seen her anywhere. Have you seen her since you came here?"
"No." Lu Yuehe shook her head, and her heart began to get nervous.
At this moment, a gentle and charming voice came warmly from the palace, instantly lighting up the somewhat dull palace.
"Princess Jin is here!"
The queen walked out of the back hall with a smile on her face, leading a group of people. She was wearing a bright red auspicious brocade phoenix robe that dragged on the ground. She wore a feather silk and jewel-inlaid phoenix crown on her neatly arranged high bun, and thin tassels hung from the sides of her hair with gold phoenix pattern, swaying gracefully.
Every gesture and movement radiated a unique elegance and dignity. Only those eyes, shimmering with autumn water ripples, seemed to be out of place with this majestic attire.
Lu Xuan glanced at the queen and then looked away from her.
Because behind the queen, Ji Qingyan was holding Xu Shu and following behind her.
The moment she saw her, Ji Qingyan raised her eyebrows provocatively.