pappabearbooks Chapter 669 Qionglin Banquet
Chapter 669 Qionglin Banquet
After the parade, the Qionglin Banquet is held every three years.
The Qionglin Banquet of the Sui Dynasty was different from the Qionglin Banquet in ancient times. The Qionglin Banquet here was to celebrate the success of the emperor's disciples, and secondly, it was an opportunity for the young ladies from official families to choose their husbands.
As the richest family in the Sui Dynasty, the Cui family was naturally also invited to this banquet.
Yan Shu followed Cui Lao and Cui Mengsheng, grandfather and grandson, into the palace early in the morning.
The Qionglin Banquet was held in the Qionglin Palace, which was very close to the Imperial Garden. When they arrived, the banquet had not yet begun, and many female relatives were touring the Imperial Garden in groups of three or five.
"Sister Cui!"
A pretty figure ran towards this side, and seeing the person coming, Yan Shu also greeted her with a smile.
"Sister Tang'er."
Su Tang took Yan Shu's hand affectionately and said, "I've been looking for you. Look, this is the velvet flower you sent to the mansion two days ago. I brought it out today to show it off. Many girls just asked me where I bought it."
Yan Shu glanced at the two crabapple flowers pinned in Su Tang's hair. The bright red flowers set off her fair skin.
"As long as you like it."
Mr. Cui came over here with Yan Wu and Cui Mengsheng.
"Ran'er, I'll take them to the front to meet some old friends first. You can stay here with Miss Tang'er for a while."
"Grandfather, go do your work. I'll be there soon."
Su Tang greeted Mr. Cui, watched them leave, and then took Yan Shu to join the group of Su sisters.
There are a total of three unmarried girls in the Su family today, namely the third girl, the fifth girl, and the sixth girl. The Su family arranged for several girls to attend the Qionglin Banquet naturally in order to meet their husbands.
When Old Lady Su saw Yan Shu coming, her face was full of smiles: "I heard from the Prime Minister that you were treating His Majesty with acupuncture. Did you cure His Majesty's headache?"
Yan Shu said truthfully: "Your Majesty's headache has been temporarily relieved, but the disease has lasted for too long and cannot be completely cured in a short time."
Madam Su smiled and said, "His Majesty's headache is something that many imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital are helpless to treat. You have relieved His Majesty's pain from the headache, which is a great achievement. I believe His Majesty thinks highly of you. All the guests at the Qionglin Banquet today are the emperor's disciples. Pay more attention to them when you enter the banquet. If you see someone you like, tell my great aunt and I will ask the Prime Minister to help you make a connection."
Yan Shu: Is this the ancient version of matchmaking?
"I appreciate your kindness, but I'll just let fate take its course when it comes to marriage."
"Well, you are right. Women are like duckweed. After getting married, they have to rely on their husband's family for their living. The husband you choose must be a man of good character and know right from wrong. You are outstanding in appearance and the apple of my Cui family's eye. You must choose a man who is worthy of you."
Yan Shu knew that Mrs. Su meant well, so he nodded obediently.
Su Tang on the side said: "Grandma, the banquet is about to start, let's go over there quickly."
"Well, let's go."
Yan Shu and Su Tang followed Madam Su on either side and entered the Qionglin Hall. This year's new scholars had all arrived in the hall. Yan Shu found the seat where the Cui family was and sat down, looking up at the huge crowd opposite.
Jiang Ci, as the new top scholar, sat in the first seat in the first row. He was still wearing the court robe he wore during the parade. Sitting among the crowd, he was still as dazzling as the bright moon over the sea of stars, and he always caught people's attention at a glance.
Jiang Ci seemed to sense something and looked in the direction of Yan Shu. The two looked at each other from a distance, and Jiang Ci's cold eyes softened instantly.
Old Madam Su and several girls from the Su family sat next to the Cui family. Since they sat down, they had been looking at the young talents sitting opposite them.
Her task today is to help several girls choose their husbands, so she must look carefully.
The most eye-catching ones are naturally the top three this year. When Mrs. Su saw Jiang Ci's face, she was slightly startled. How come this number one scholar's eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to the late queen? The more she looked at his eyebrows and eyes, the more she felt that they were similar. He even looked more like the late queen than the Seventh Prince.
There shouldn't be any problems with the royal family's recognition of relatives. I heard from the Prime Minister that the Seventh Prince and His Majesty have already done a blood test to confirm that the Seventh Prince is indeed of royal blood. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the top scholar looks like the late queen.
"Your Majesty is here! The Queen is here!"
As the eunuch's sharp voice rang out, all the civil and military officials and their families in the hall knelt down.
"Long live my emperor, long live, long live, empress, thousand years old, thousand years old!"
The old emperor was wearing a golden dragon robe and a crown with gold tassels on his head, exuding the majesty of an emperor. Beside him followed the Queen Zhao, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and behind them followed the old emperor's many princes and princesses.
The old emperor walked to the first seat and sat down, while Queen Zhao sat on the phoenix chair on the side.
"My dear ministers, please stand up. Today is the celebration banquet for all the newly-appointed scholars. You are all those who have gone through the imperial examination and made it to the end. I hope that you will serve the country and be honest and upright when you enter the officialdom in the future..."
The old emperor made some opening remarks, both reprimanding the court officials and warning these fresh bloods who were about to enter the court as officials. Naturally, the ministers stood up one after another to express their loyalty.
The Qionglin Banquet officially began, and the beautiful dancers danced gracefully to the beautiful music.
The old emperor drank two glasses of wine and glanced in the direction of Yan Shu with his knowing eyes.
"Today I am having fun with all of you. You don't have to follow the rules of etiquette. If anyone is willing to come forward and show their talents, I will reward them handsomely!"
After hearing the old emperor's words, the eyes of the daughters of wealthy families who came to attend the banquet suddenly lit up. If they could shine at the banquet, they would surely be noticed by those new scholars, especially the top two scholars. Many ladies from famous families were probably here just for them.
"I would like to offer a dance to inspire others to do good deeds!"
Emperor Hongwu looked at the woman who walked to the front of the hall and said, "Haha, it's Zhaoyang. I have heard that you are good at singing and dancing, and you are proficient in everything from playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. You are a truly talented woman."
Wei Yang said modestly: "It's my mother's teaching that's good."
The old emperor chuckled and glanced at the eldest princess: "Ronghua is the most noble princess of our Great Sui Dynasty and my most beloved sister. The daughter she personally taught is no less capable than a man. Then let Zhaoyang go first."
Wei Yang bowed to the old emperor, walked up to the musician and talked for a few words, then walked back to the center of the hall.
She was wearing a bright yellow gauze dress today, her figure was soft and charming. As the melodious music sounded, her graceful figure danced lightly in the center of the hall. Her every frown and smile seemed to be integrated into the dance, like a charming enchantress, sometimes flying and sometimes spinning and jumping. Gradually, her figure turned in front of Jiang Ci, and the sleeves in her hand flew up and waved towards Jiang Ci.