Chapter 168: Birthday Ceremony
On July 28th, Empress Dowager Chengqing celebrated her 70th birthday.

The wine shops along the street set up Xiangfei bamboo curtains, and the steaming water vapor wrapped in the mutton soup filled the streets. Even the breastplates of the imperial guards patrolling the streets were polished to a shine.

As soon as day broke, Prince Duan’s mansion became busy.

In front of the dressing table, Xue Sui was being dressed by two maids. A tourmaline and kingfisher-emerald hairpin pressed down her dark hair, a pair of agate tassel pendants on her earlobes swayed gently, and even the bracelet on her wrist emitted a faint light.

A pretty face reflecting the morning light, flowing with watery colors, cool yet dazzling.

When Xue Yuechen saw her, he expressed his sincere admiration.

“Sister, you look great today. You look radiant.”

She is really no longer the bullied Xue Liu.

“Sister, you are so beautiful. How can any princess compare to you in terms of grace and elegance? I just saw that the birds on the branches were all staring at you in a trance.”

Xue Sui smiled and did not hesitate to say some compliments.

Xue Yuechen looked at her sky-blue dress with satisfaction. The veins of the ginkgo leaves outlined with gold thread matched the season perfectly. It seemed as if it was tailor-made for her and suited her very well.

“Let’s go, don’t delay, we have to go to the palace early to avoid giving people a chance to talk.”

When Xue Sui helped her get on the carriage, he saw Li Huan riding alone in front with a stern look on his face, as if he was thinking about something.

Mr. Qiu found a Nine Dragon Colored Glass Lamp for him, and thought that he would confess something more secretive next, but he remained silent and took no further action.

Could it be that Princess Ruihe’s return to the capital had disturbed his mood and confused his mind?
Not like ah.

Xue Yuechen noticed the coldness of her fingertips and whispered, “Sister, are you feeling unwell or are you nervous about entering the palace?”

Xue Sui followed suit and said, “I have never participated in such a grand birthday ceremony, so I can’t help but feel nervous…”

Xue Yuechen sighed secretly.

After all, she is a girl who was raised outside and lacks some experience.

She comforted him, “Just follow your sister. As long as you avoid Concubine Xiao and her daughter, nothing will go wrong.”

There is a grand banquet in the palace today.

How can I avoid Concubine Xiao and her daughter?

Sure enough, just after passing Anrenfang, we saw Princess Pingle’s sedan chair coming in a grand manner.

Accompanying her was Princess Ruihe.

Li Yuning’s face was hidden behind the curtain, the white jade hairpin in her hair reflected the morning sun, she was as thin as a weed struggling to grow out of the cracks in the palace wall, indescribably weak…

Pingle’s skirt fluttered and her wide sleeves flowed elegantly. Even though she had been confined to the princess’s mansion for a long time and suffered from a chronic illness, her eyes could not hide her pride. Compared with the past, her cold and arrogant demeanor had not been restrained at all.

The sedan chair swayed gently. She carried the stolen embroidered scroll of “Medicine King Sutra” and looked at the carriage of Prince Duan’s mansion vaguely, with a sneer on the corner of her lips.

“My brother is really confused. He has been bewitched by the Xue family girl.”

Li Yuning coughed softly and twisted his handkerchief to persuade him.

“Don’t be angry, sister. After all, you are my second brother’s family.”

“You deserve to be bullied your whole life, you spineless coward!”

Princess Pingle said this and glanced at her clothes again, sneering unhappily.

“The palace hates plain clothes. Today is grandma’s birthday, and you are dressed like a sickly widow. Who are you trying to bring bad luck to?”

Li Yuning’s face turned pale instantly.

Princess Pingle snorted coldly, raised her chin slightly, turned her head and ordered the sedan bearers to speed up. Without even saying hello, her eyes full of disdain and arrogance, she walked away.

Princess Pingle was arrogant and unruly, like the deadly gargoyles on the palace eaves. Li Yuning, on the other hand, was pitiful and did not say a word when he was wronged. He silently bowed to the carriage of Prince Duan.

She looked at Li Huan who was riding a horse in front of her, her eyes seemed to contain thousands of words of grievance.

“How is Second Brother these days?”

Li Huan nodded slightly: “Thanks to the princess, everything is fine.”

Li Yuning added: “I came to the palace several times, but I didn’t see my second brother. I thought I did something wrong and made my second brother angry.”

“I was busy with official duties and neglected the princess. If you have any problems in the future, just look for your sister-in-law.”

Li Huan’s voice has always been warm, but today it sounded a little cold, like a thin blade dipped in ice.

Li Yuning smiled sadly, “I originally wanted to come to find the emperor’s sister-in-law and go to Ci’an Palace together to kowtow to the Empress Dowager and pay my respects, but I didn’t expect to meet her here.”

She has adjusted her mood and looks normal.

Li Huan nodded and said nothing more.

At this time, Xue Yuechen opened the curtain and said with a gentle smile: “The princess is well, why don’t we go to the palace together.”

Li Yuning breathed a sigh of relief.

“I was worried that the journey would be boring, and having the princess accompany me couldn’t be better.”
–
To show his filial piety, Emperor Chongzhao ordered the construction of 36 palace lanterns for Ci’an Hall and hung them throughout the palace.

When they arrived, the palace walls were already decorated with splendid decorations, and the sound of bronze bells on the eaves was like heavenly music. Palace maids hurried through the corridors holding gilded bronze basins, and silver bells rang softly where their wide sleeves fell.

Xue Sui helped Xue Yuechen get off the carriage.

Looking at that luxurious scene, one can’t help but sigh.

“The grandeur of this imperial city is different. Look at the lilies, they are blooming especially beautifully.” Xue Yuechen smiled and glanced at Ruihe, his arms stiffening slightly.

Na Rui and the princess were seen lifting half of the curtain with their white fingers, their eyes following Li Huan who had just jumped off his horse, as if they had forgotten their existence.

Xue Yuechen reminded softly, “Princess, why don’t you get out of the car?”

All carriages and horses coming from outside the palace can only stop outside Chengtian Gate.

Li Yuning came back to his senses, adjusted the white jade hairpin on his temples, smiled awkwardly, and looked around to talk about other things.

“The Queen Mother wanted me to stay in the palace the day before yesterday, and I wanted to ask the Princess to come with me, so I left the palace. Now that I think about it, I have failed the Queen Mother’s kindness.”

Her words revealed that she had a closer relationship with the Queen Mother.

Xue Yuechen smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Today, all the officials gathered in the imperial city. The emperor and his ministers had a banquet to celebrate the empress dowager’s 70th birthday. Men and women sat at their own tables. Li Huan clasped his fists in salute, nodded to Xue Yuechen, and strode away without even glancing at anyone else.

Xue Sui looked at Li Huan’s subtle expression calmly, frowned slightly, and saw the East Palace’s gorgeous sedan chair slowly approaching. Li Zhao’s face was hidden in the bright yellow curtain, and his whole body exuded a cold and majestic aura.

Xue Yuechen bowed quickly.

“I have met His Highness the Crown Prince…”

Ruihe also knelt down.

However, Xue Sui was a little slow. By the time she saluted, Li Zhao’s sedan chair had already passed by, leaving only a receding figure behind.

Everyone looked at each other…

Why did the Eastern Palace take a detour and come here?

At this time, Lai Fu walked over with a smile on his face and bowed to everyone.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that the roads were slippery after the rain, so he granted a sedan chair to escort the ladies of Prince Duan’s residence to Ci’an Palace.”

After saying that, he waved his hand, and two sedan chairs slowly came over and stopped in front of Xue Yuechen and Xue Sui.

Lai Fu said it very clearly that he was sending the female members of Prince Duan’s palace.

It sounds like it’s the friendship between the Crown Prince and Prince Duan, but it excludes Princess Rui and Princess Duan.

Xue Yuechen looked at his concubine sister in doubt and smiled faintly, “Thank you for your kindness, Prince. We are traveling with Princess Ruihe. It’s still early, so we can walk and talk.”

Lai Fu nodded without any reluctance.

Because he also felt that his master’s behavior was very fatal.

Li Yuning looked at the departing sedan chair and suddenly chuckled, “Is there some other hidden meaning behind His Royal Highness’s arrangement?”

She said it in a joking tone, but Xue Yuechen’s expression froze when he heard it.

“Princess, be careful with your words. There are some things you cannot say carelessly.”

Li Yuning pursed her lips and said apologetically, “I just said it casually, and forgot about the rumors I heard in the palace a few days ago… I didn’t mean to offend Madam Ping’an, I just felt a little wronged for her.”

I don’t know whether this statement is expressing regret for Xue Sui’s suffering as a concubine, or is it saying that she was framed by Pingle and spread rumors with Li Zhao?
Xue Sui chuckled, “Princess, don’t take it to heart. People only think that golden cages are good, but who knows that yellow orioles love willow branches?”

Xue Yuechen was delighted after hearing this and glanced at Li Yuning, “My princess doesn’t know that my sixth sister has always been easy-going and carefree, and she doesn’t have the kind of competitive spirit.”

Li Yuning responded with a smile and said nothing more.

The three of them went all the way to Ci’an Hall.

Many ladies of high rank have arrived.

Xue Sui saw Old Lady Cui and Mrs. Fu in the crowd. They saluted each other and exchanged a few words before a female official came to lead them in…

Xue Sui deliberately fell half a step behind.

His eyes met with Wen Jia who had just arrived in the air, the two looked at each other and nodded, then stepped over the threshold.

The ladies of state, both inside and outside the palace, took their seats in order of rank, with the empress dowager occupying the main seat.

The queen and concubines come next.

The rest of the ladies outside the court sat at separate tables below.

The palace banquet officially began, and the Queen led the ladies of the court and the inner court to solemnly kowtow to the Queen Mother.

After the ceremony, each family presented birthday gifts, competing to show their thoughts and ingenuity.

Peacock lanterns reflected the scene of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix. On the stage, His Royal Highness the Virtuous King was performing a play called “Magu Offering Longevity”. Empress Dowager Chengqing was in high spirits, with a smile on her face. She carefully looked at every birthday gift and praised them highly.

Just when the singing was getting lively, there was a sudden noise outside the hall.

Everyone followed the sound.

Princess Pingle was seen in a crimson skirt with gold embroidery, walking lightly across the threshold, followed by eight palace maids who filed in behind her. This scene instantly attracted everyone’s attention.

The embroidered scroll of “Medicine King Sutra” in their hands slowly unfolded. On the two-meter-long cloud silk, the handwriting was neat and beautiful, the colors were bright and eye-catching, and it exuded a solemn and pious power.

“Congratulations to Grandma on her 70th birthday…”

Pingle held the scroll high above her head with both hands, and eight palace maids held the two sides of the scroll and knelt upright under the empress dowager’s seat.

“To pray for my grandmother’s longevity and health, I pricked my finger to mix the color with blood and offered it in front of the Buddha for a hundred days before something happened…”

Li Zhao: When I saw the title, I thought someone was trying to seduce me?
Xue Sui: Yes, there will be. Just wait.