NCCnovel Chapter 281 Fan Xueer
Chapter 281 Fan Xueer
"The Emperor has arrived!"
With a loud announcement, the entire banquet hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone knelt on the ground in unison, shouting, "Long live the emperor!" The sound echoed in the empty hall, making people's eardrums hurt.
Emperor Zhao walked slowly into the hall with steady steps.
He was tall and straight, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with five-clawed golden dragons outlined in gold thread. As he walked, the sea and river cliff patterns on the hem of the robe seemed to surge, showing his majesty and making people dare not look directly at him.
He strode onto the platform, his eyes as sharp as torches, slowly sweeping over the civil and military officials and their families kneeling on the ground, and finally fell on the guest of honor at the banquet - Princess Fan Xueer of the Min'an Kingdom.
"Today, I specially arranged a welcoming banquet for Princess Min'an."
The Zhao Emperor's voice was deep and powerful, echoing clearly throughout the hall. "The princess has traveled thousands of miles to come to Zhao State and facilitate the friendly alliance between our two countries. Her contribution is invaluable. This first glass of wine should be offered to the princess!"
After saying that, he raised his hand and raised the wine glass on the table with a kind smile on his face and a very enthusiastic attitude.
Upon hearing this, Fan Xueer stood up gracefully.
She was gorgeous, and her exotic dress accentuated her graceful figure. With a bright smile on her face, she said, "Your Majesty, the King of Zhao is too kind. It should be Xue'er who pays homage to His Majesty."
After saying this, she respectfully held up the small wine glass with both hands, raised her head and drank it all in one gulp. Her movements were smooth and natural, showing her heroic spirit.
"Good! Princess is so heroic!" Emperor Zhao shouted excitedly, then drank the wine in his hand and laughed heartily.
Emperor Zhao seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. Under his leadership, the court officials also took courage and toasts were heard one after another.
Emperor Zhao sat high in the main seat. After drinking a cup with the Empress and Concubine Rong, he cleared his throat and spoke again, "A marriage between two countries is a major event. Moreover, Princess Xue'er is of noble status, so I naturally cannot treat her lightly. I have selected several young talents from among the nobles. Princess, please take a look and see if there is anyone you like."
Fan Xueer's face, which originally had a slight smile on it, froze slightly when she heard Emperor Zhao mention the candidate for marriage.
However, she reacted very quickly and recovered in just a moment, still with a decent smile on her face.
At the same time, the expression of Concubine Rong, who was sitting next to Emperor Zhao, also dimmed. She first glanced at the stunned eldest and second princes calmly, then glanced at Fan Xueer thoughtfully, then slowly lowered her eyes and remained silent.
"Let these young men show themselves to the princess first!" Emperor Zhao gave an order, and several young talents who were originally standing aside immediately stepped forward.
Only then did everyone realize that the people chosen by Emperor Zhao were all children of idle nobles.
These people have made no achievements in the court and are idle on weekdays. Now standing in front of everyone, although they try hard to appear dignified, they still cannot hide their frivolous nature.
Concubine Rong took a deep look at the profile of Emperor Zhao, feeling heavy in her heart. She knew very well that Emperor Zhao's move was no accident, and there must be a deeper plan behind it. This seemingly simple marriage banquet would probably become a battlefield for various forces to compete.
Thinking of this, Concubine Rong sighed softly, her eyes full of worry.
Fan Xueer looked at these so-called young talents in front of her, still maintaining a polite smile on the surface, but she was thinking secretly in her heart.
She glanced at Concubine Rong beside Emperor Zhao and felt a little relieved when she saw her nod at her almost imperceptibly.
She knew that this marriage was far from as simple as it seemed on the surface, and she had to be careful at every step to gain the greatest benefits for herself and the people's country in this complicated situation.
Concubine Rong had originally believed that even if the emperor did not want his son to marry Princess Min'an, he would choose a suitable candidate from among the princes, or at least carefully consider from the royal family.
After all, this marriage concerns the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and it is an excellent opportunity to strengthen the royal power and consolidate the prince's status.
But who could have imagined that the emperor would actually put forward such a group of people. These so-called young talents were nothing more than the children of idle nobles, who had no foundation and no achievements in the court.
After thinking about it more deeply, Concubine Rong instantly understood that the emperor was guarding against Min'an Guo. He was worried that after the princess married into the royal family, Min'an Guo's power would take root in the Zhao court and affect the balance of the court.
But if you think about it carefully, the emperor is probably not only on guard against the people's safety and the country, but is also wary of his own princes.
She couldn't help but wonder in her heart, if the prince had not been unconscious, would the candidates for today's marriage still be these useless people?
Thinking of this, Concubine Rong felt her heart tremble suddenly, and an indescribable uneasiness surged in her heart. She subconsciously raised her eyes and her gaze involuntarily turned to the Empress on the other side.
At this time, the Queen was sitting in the main seat with a dignified demeanor, watching the lively singing and dancing performance on the stage with a calm gaze. She seemed to have noticed Concubine Rong's gaze, and she slowly turned her head, and their eyes met in the air.
In just a moment, they moved away again.
Concubine Rong was deeply hurt by the indifference in the Empress's eyes, and a self-deprecating sneer welled up in her heart.
Humph! This "gift" originally prepared for the crown prince, now that the original owner is not here, let this farce continue for a while! She secretly thought in her heart, since the emperor wants to play, then play along with him and see who laughs last.
At the same time, in the bedroom of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, there was silence. Crown Prince Zhao Hao was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Faintly, the sound of stringed instruments came from afar, breaking the tranquility.
Zhao Hao was slightly startled and slowly opened his eyes, "This is..." He murmured softly, with a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Your Highness, this is a blind date party specially held by the Emperor for Princess Min'an." Zhao Wei heard the noise and hurried in from outside, holding Zhao Hao's dinner in his hand.
"Blind date banquet?" Zhao Hao sat up slowly, his face full of surprise, "Didn't father choose the marriage partner from among the princes?" He really couldn't understand. This marriage was a great opportunity for the princes, so how could it suddenly turn out like this.
"We all guessed wrong. The emperor has no intention of allowing the princes to marry."
Zhao Wei had walked in at some point, his face stern, but his words tinged with gloating. "The young talents selected are all from idle noble families. The purpose is self-evident. Didn't you see how gloomy the faces of the First and Second Princes were? Even Concubine Rong, who was at the top of the table, couldn't smile."
As he spoke, he shook his head as if he was watching a wonderful farce.
Zhao Hao frowned when he heard this.
He knew very well that the water behind this marriage was far deeper than he had imagined. As a prince, if he could marry the legitimate princess of Min'an Kingdom, it would mean that he would have powerful support behind him. If he wanted to compete for the throne in the future, even his father would have to be cautious.
But now, this move by my father has directly cut off the princes' thoughts and made the situation in the court even more confusing.
He leaned against the headboard of the bed, looking out the window with deep eyes, thinking secretly in his heart how to deal with this complex and changing situation next so as to gain the upper hand in this power game.