Duke Jing's younger sister

Chapter 154 The reception banquet

Emperor Hongyang was always late.

Jiang Li and Shen Zhiyan drank several cups of tea in the guest room before Baozhu came in to tell them that His Majesty's entourage had arrived.

The Queen was ill today, so she did not attend the banquet.

Concubine Zhao still sat on the right side of Emperor Hongyang, while the position that originally belonged to the empress was now replaced by the new favorite concubine, Concubine Ning.

Han Yunning's father, Han Xiang, was also unable to attend the banquet due to illness.

I don't know if he was really sick or just didn't want to see his daughter sitting next to Emperor Hongyang.

Everyone bowed and saluted, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

Emperor Hongyang waved his hand and everyone stood up and sat in their seats.

Because the Jiang family had no mistress, Jiang Li still sat with Shen Zhiyan, behind Yang.

Yang looked back at her but didn't say anything.

The wine and food at the palace's night banquet were of course excellent.

It’s a pity that no matter whether they are men or women, they can’t just do whatever they want and drink to their heart’s content. They even have to think over and over before speaking, which naturally makes things less interesting.

At the last flower-viewing banquet, Xiao Wushuang danced for Shen Beiqi, which Jiang Li still remembers vividly.

This time... Xiao Wushuang sat in his seat, drinking and eating obediently. It seemed that nothing unusual would happen.

"Wine without music is boring."

The one who spoke was Crown Prince Xiao Wenhao. He had a peaceful smile and looked like a gentle and kind young man in a bright moonlit night.

"Father,"

He cupped his hands and suggested, "I have invited Miss Linlang from the Music Bureau. Why don't we ask her to play a song to liven up the atmosphere for everyone?"

It was not the first time that Linlang performed music at a palace banquet, and Emperor Hongyang nodded in agreement.

The night wind blows by, the fragrance arrives before people come.

Linlang was still wearing the same red dress, but instead of a long, trailing gauze dress, she was wearing a deep-collared silk dress embroidered with silver patterns.

She didn't look as seductive as usual, but instead looked more dignified.

She held the pipa and knelt down to salute, "Your Majesty, long live the emperor."

For some reason, Jiang Li always felt that Linlang was glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally.

Moreover, she always felt that there was a trace of resentment in those eyes that she couldn't understand?

If she wasn't a woman, she would have mistakenly thought that she had gotten into some unknown romantic debt.

Below the stage, the expressions of Jiang's father and son suddenly changed after seeing Linlang's face.

"His Majesty."

Ningpin smiled and said,

"Miss Linlang's pipa is one of the best in Jiangdu City, and your majesty has also seen Miss Jiang's piano skills in the enclosure last time. But I don't know, if the two of them play together, who will be more outstanding?"

As soon as these words came out, all the mistresses present noticed that something was wrong.

It is really inappropriate to compare a daughter of an aristocratic family with the entertainers in the Jiaofang Bureau so blatantly.

To be honest, the Han family is also a prosperous family with extremely strict family education.

As the legitimate daughter of the Han family, Concubine Ning could not have been unaware that speaking like this was somewhat disrespectful.

So, she must have done it on purpose.

Jiang Li was thinking about how she should politely refuse if His Majesty agreed.

Then a calm and cold voice was heard from the men's seat.

"Empress Ning——"

A young man in a crimson-purple official robe stood up, with a gentle and elegant smile on his face, but a chill in his peach-like eyes.

"You know that Miss Jiang is Lord Jiang's legitimate daughter, but you want her to play with a mere musician on the same stage. Are you intentionally trying to belittle Lord Jiang and the tens of thousands of students of the Western School?"

Today, the Jiang family stands in the court, representing more than just the Jiang family.

It is also the face and future of all the students of Xipai.

Such a simple and straightforward question without any disguise.

A hat was put on her that was enough to accuse her of interfering in government affairs, and Concubine Ning's face suddenly turned pale.

"That's not what I meant!"

Ningpin subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said sarcastically with a smile,

"Lord Shen is really protective of Miss Jiang. No wonder... there have been rumors in the past two days that you treat Miss Jiang as more than just a sister."

To say which noble lady in Jiangdu City is the most famous recently.

None other than the latest third-rank scholar, Jiang Li, the eldest daughter of Jiang Min’s family in Changzhou.

She used to be the adopted daughter of the Shen family, Duke of Jingguo. Countless people cursed her behind her back for turning a pheasant into a phoenix.

But now she has transformed herself into a real rich lady.

She is also the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, a century-old family in Changzhou.

This is tantamount to a slap in the face to many people.

Compared with her change in identity, what people talked about more was the romantic stories about her that were widely circulated among the people.

Rumor has it that she failed to elope with Luo Cheng, the second son of Wenchang Marquis, and turned to her sworn brother Shen Beiqi.

Although due to the Shen family's majesty, no one dared to spread the news.

But in private, I couldn't help but comment on this Miss Jiang and was very curious about her.

I wonder what kind of beautiful woman with both talent and beauty can make two men so happy.

Everyone present tonight has heard some of these rumors.

After hearing Concubine Ning's words that hinted at something, they all held their breath, wanting to hear how the person involved, Duke Jingguo, would respond.

He smiled and asked, "Is that so? May I ask where did you hear this from in the past two days, Your Majesty?"

"It's a rumor."

Shen Beiqi nodded slightly, "So, even though Your Majesty is in the harem, she can still learn about the rumors outside the palace at any time?"

Concubine Ning was stunned for a moment.

People in the harem, whether they are palace maids or concubines, are forbidden to pass information to people outside the palace or to exchange information privately.

This Shen Beiqi turned the target around with just a few words and put her in such a difficult position. He was really powerful!

Concubine Ning pursed her lips and smiled, with a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes.

Without waiting for her to answer, the young man spoke again,

"However, Concubine Ning is not wrong. I am indeed in love with Miss Jiang..."

He paused slightly, his eyes passed over Linlang on the stage and fell on the stunned woman opposite.

"It's a pity," he said with a dim look in his eyes, "that she doesn't like me."

Jiang Li was stunned.

Yang, who was sitting in front of her, also had an ugly look on her face.

Han Yunning suddenly became angry, gritted his teeth, and wished he could tear the handkerchief in his hand into pieces.

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in surprise.

There are actually women who look down on Duke Jingguo?

You know, Duke Jingguo not only has a good-looking face, but also holds military power and has a prominent family background. He is the dream man of many girls in Jiangdu City.

And this Miss Jiang, who is close to the Duke Jingguo and is highly regarded by him, still looks down on Shen Beiqi?

All of a sudden, various looks filled with different meanings were cast towards her, whether it was admiration or jealousy.

What's worse, he wanted to use his eyes as arrows and shoot her into a sieve.

After a moment of shock, the faces of the mistresses of each family became somewhat subtle again.

Everyone in Jiangdu City knew that the current Concubine Ning was just a little bit away from getting engaged to the Shen family.

Now that I think back to the scene before me, I can't help but feel that it has some profound meaning.

At the back of the men's seat, a young man in a dark black robe clenched the wine glass in his hand.

He raised his narrow eyes slightly and looked far away in the direction of Jiang Li.

The light of the fire flickered, reflecting on her jade-white cheeks.

She kept looking at the moon in her heart and didn't notice his existence at all.

Luo Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly and raised his wine cup. The spicy wine slid down his throat, stirring up a feeling of sadness.