Chapter 20: A Joy He Had Never Seen Before

The atmosphere around them began to buzz with whispers.

“The Military Marquis and Miss Chen are here together. They’re already engaged, so it’s not strange that they’re here together for the banquet.”

“I thought the Military Marquis was cold and aloof, and no one dared to approach him. But it seems he’s quite attentive to his fiancée.”

Several noble ladies whispered, their faces full of regret. They were sorry that such a good marriage had fallen to Chen Shiyun.

“It’s a coincidence, I was just talking about them.”

The Crown Prince was at the head of the banquet, surrounded by people discussing matters. He saw Ling Xiao and Chen Shiyun approaching, and he found it a little interesting.

“Your subordinate pays his respects to the Crown Prince.” Ling Xiao bowed.

“What brings you here? You even brought Miss Chen with you.” The Crown Prince teased.

Chen Shiyun’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head shyly, “We just happened to meet at the palace gate, so we came in together.”

Actually, she had been waiting at the palace gate for a long time. She knew that Ling Xiao would definitely come to the banquet in the Eastern Palace.

They were already engaged, and they hadn’t seen each other since then. This was a rare opportunity to talk privately.

This explanation didn’t have much credibility. What a coincidence.

No one dared to ask further. After all, they were already engaged, so it wasn’t strange that he brought her with him.

But Chen Shiyun was standing beside Ling Xiao now, and her status was different.

The banquet began, and the Crown Princess, holding the emperor’s grandson, came from the pavilion. Yao followed behind.

“I was just wondering why the Military Marquis’s wife was here, but the Military Marquis wasn’t. So you brought her with you.” The Crown Princess smiled.

Ling Xiao didn’t look at Yao. He simply said, “I’ve been busy these past few days and haven’t returned to the mansion.”

“I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you on your engagement. When you get married, I will personally come to congratulate you.”

Ling Xiao’s expression was calm, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “Let’s begin the banquet. Today, we’re just having a casual gathering. Don’t be so formal.”

The guests began to take their seats.

The men sat on one side, and the women on the other.

The palace maid led Yao to a seat on the side, next to the Crown Princess.

As soon as she sat down, Chen Shiyun sat down next to her.

Yao politely greeted her, “Miss Chen.”

Chen Shiyun nodded slightly, her lips curving into a slight smile, but she didn’t say anything else.

She had been observing from the side. The Military Marquis hadn’t even looked at Jiang Yao. It seemed that he didn’t care about this so-called elder sister-in-law at all. It was true, as she had heard, that he had only agreed to take her in because of his elder brother’s dying wish. He actually disliked her very much.

He had saved her life at the hunting grounds, but it was only to fulfill his brother’s wish. This woman was nothing to him. He considered it a burden.

Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn’t put Jiang Yao in his heart. He didn’t even look at her.

The banquet was about to begin. Ling Xiao’s attitude towards Chen Shiyun was clearly flattering. Now that the emperor had ascended the throne, the court was in turmoil. Many old officials were facing the fate of being purged. Everyone was afraid.

Ling Xiao was undoubtedly the most prominent figure now. Being able to marry him, and with Chen Shiyun’s help, would guarantee their future glory.

Chen Shiyun was now clinging to Ling Xiao, so who wouldn’t want to curry favor with her?

On the other hand, Jiang Yao was quiet. Who could possibly talk to Ling Xiao now?

Just then, they heard a voice announcing, “Princess Huaining has arrived!”

Huaining entered, lifting her skirt.

The Crown Princess chided her gently, “Why are you so late? The banquet has already started.”

Huaining immediately grabbed the Crown Princess’s arm and acted cute, “I lost track of time. Don’t blame me, sister-in-law.”

The Crown Princess laughed and tapped her forehead with her finger, “You’re always like this.”

Huaining smiled again and turned to Yao’s seat, going directly to sit beside her.

Seeing her lively appearance, Yao knew that she had already recovered.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.” Yao said softly, taking a bite of a flower.

“If I didn’t come, wouldn’t it seem like I was avoiding it?”

Although she said this, Huaining couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss as she saw Chen Shiyun surrounded by people congratulating her.

“Princess, why do you have to make things difficult for yourself? If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to. Why do you have to come and witness this scene?” Yao said, trying to comfort her.

“Why do you have to come and see this scene? It’s just going to make people laugh at you. They’ll say you couldn’t marry Your Highness, especially Chen Shiyun, she’ll definitely be gloating!”

Huaining was always strong, she wouldn’t let anyone get the better of her.

Yao shook her head gently, but she didn’t say anything else.

She didn’t want to see Huaining make things difficult for herself. If she didn’t want to come, she wouldn’t have come. But the princess was like this, she had the right to come or not come, to come or not come.

“After we finish eating, let’s go for a walk. The Eastern Palace garden is very beautiful, and the scenery is great. We don’t have to be so formal like we were at noon. We can relax a little.”

Huaining immediately pulled Yao to go for a walk in the garden.

“There’s a peach orchard over there, it’s very beautiful. Let’s go for a walk!”

Ling Xiao was still surrounded by several people talking. His gaze swept over Yao, who was leaving, and he looked in her direction, then withdrew his gaze and continued talking.

The peach blossoms were in full bloom, and they were walking through the orchard, but Huaining was still listless.

“Sister Yao, do you think Your Highness really likes Miss Chen?”

This question caught Yao off guard. She wasn’t sure if Ling Xiao liked Chen Shiyun, but she knew that he didn’t have any feelings for her, not really.

This kind of person, who could possibly love anyone?

“He probably does.”

“No matter what, they’re already engaged. There’s no need to leave any hope for the princess.”

Huaining was even more upset. She angrily broke a peach branch in half, “Your Highness is so terrible!”

Yao nodded, rarely speaking directly.

“Your Highness’s temper is really bad.”

Huaining immediately retorted, “Your Highness’s temper is not bad!”

Yao: “…”

This princess was still defending him.

Just then, a eunuch rushed over, “Princess, the Empress Dowager has arrived and summoned the princess to her presence.”

Huaining readily agreed, pulling Yao, “Let’s go together.”

Yao shook her head, “The Empress Dowager only summoned the princess, it must be something urgent. You should go by yourself, I’ll wait here.”

Huaining mumbled, “It can’t be anything urgent, it must be another scolding.”

Huaining was in love with Ling Xiao, but the Empress Dowager was also worried that her reckless daughter would cause trouble. The Empress Dowager wouldn’t have come to the banquet personally, but she had to come to keep an eye on her daughter.

“Princess, please.” The eunuch urged.

Huaining finally got up, but she didn’t forget to turn back to Yao, “Wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.” Yao nodded.

Huaining left, and Yao continued to walk around the garden, but she didn’t have much interest. This palace banquet was really tiring.

She found a corner pavilion and sat down to rest. It was a quiet and pleasant place.

As she was idly sipping her tea, she looked up and saw a familiar figure walking towards her on the long corridor. He was wearing a jade-green robe, his hair tied with a jade crown. He looked casual and relaxed, but there was a rare seriousness in his expression.

He was followed by a group of people, carefully carrying boxes.

“Young Master Mo.” Yao greeted him.

He suddenly turned his head and saw Yao. His eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly smiled, “Military Marquis’s wife, what brings you here?”

Yao walked out of the pavilion, seeing the people carrying boxes, and curiously asked, “These are…”

“These are porcelain and ancient books. Mo is a royal merchant, and these are all for the Crown Prince. Mo is in charge of purchasing these things, so I came to the palace to deliver them.”

Yao was stunned. She thought, Xi Lou is such a big business, it must be backed by a powerful force.

She didn’t expect Mo to be so involved, even in porcelain and ancient books.

Mo Zichen smiled, “I didn’t expect the Military Marquis’s wife to be so honored to attend the Crown Prince’s banquet.”

“It’s just a small favor.” Yao suddenly remembered something, and asked, “You also manage the bookstore?”

“Of course, Guangde Bookstore is under my management. What about you?”

Yao hesitated, then said, “My husband left some manuscripts, and I’m taking care of them. The manuscripts are…”

Ling Chen was sickly and couldn’t participate in the imperial examinations, but he was a talented scholar. He left many manuscripts, and Yao felt it was a pity to let them gather dust in the cabinet.

She wanted to publish her husband’s manuscripts, so that the world would know about this talented scholar who had passed away so young.

Mo Zichen’s eyes flashed slightly, “Your husband…”

“According to the rules, the bookstore also needs to make a profit. Publishing manuscripts requires printing with movable type, which is very expensive. Unless it’s a famous ancient book, it’s hard to sell and not worth the cost.”

But his eyes held a glimmer of hope. He changed his tone, “Maybe we can try.”

Yao’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

In the Eastern Palace.

Ling Xiao was still discussing matters with the Crown Prince, when a eunuch rushed in and whispered, “Your Highness, the princess is throwing a tantrum. Please go and persuade her.”

The Crown Prince scolded him, “What kind of nonsense is this? It’s a banquet, and she’s throwing a tantrum?”

“The princess just bumped into Miss Chen, and they had a few words. Now the princess is throwing a tantrum, and she’s still blaming Miss Chen…”

The Crown Prince frowned, “She’s getting more and more reckless. Fine, I’ll go.”

The Crown Prince immediately got up. He couldn’t let Huaining cause trouble at a banquet like this.

Ling Xiao also followed him, going to the pavilion where Chen Shiyun and Huaining were.

He looked around, but he didn’t see Jiang Yao.

He grabbed a eunuch and asked, “Where did the princess take the Military Marquis’s wife?”

“Your subordinate didn’t see. The princess just came back alone.”

His brows furrowed slightly. He was a little worried. This palace wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. What if she was alone and something happened?

The incident at the hunting grounds still gave him a lingering fear.

He directly followed the direction they had left in.

In the pavilion, Huaining was pointing at Chen Shiyun, her voice filled with anger, “Don’t think that just because you’re Your Highness’s fiancée, you can do whatever you want! You didn’t even touch me, and you’re putting on this act for who?”

Chen Shiyun was a little embarrassed. She sat on the bench in the pavilion, her eyes filled with tears, looking pitiful.

Just then, Huaining pushed Chen Shiyun, causing her to fall. Both of her palms were scraped red, and the palace maid was kneeling down to apply medicine.

Chen Shiyun slightly raised her head and saw the Crown Prince rushing over. She also saw Ling Xiao behind the Crown Prince, and she looked even more pitiful.

This made Ling Xiao clearly see the princess’s arrogant and domineering nature.

She was crying, trying to gain Ling Xiao’s pity.

Huaining was such a reckless girl, how could she possibly compete?

“What’s going on!” The Crown Prince rushed over and scolded Huaining, “This is a banquet, how can you be so reckless!”

Huaining looked at him with a wronged expression, “Brother, you also believe her!”

Huaining’s arrogant and willful nature was well-known, so who would believe that she was innocent?

They would only think she was being domineering. Seeing that Chen Shiyun had become Ling Xiao’s fiancée, she was jealous and deliberately humiliated her.

Chen Shiyun’s eyes were filled with a hint of victory. She raised her head again, her eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry, “It’s the princess’s fault…”

But before she could finish her sentence, she realized that Ling Xiao wasn’t in the pavilion.

Her tear-filled eyes frantically searched the area, and she saw a tall figure in black robes walking away.

She had carefully planned this scene, but even he didn’t come.

Ling Xiao followed the path through the peach orchard, and from afar, he saw Yao and her maid standing in the corner pavilion.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, he looked up and saw a pair of people standing on the long corridor across from the pavilion.

They were facing each other, and the man’s face was filled with a joy he had never seen before. His clear, bright eyes were sparkling with a brilliant light as he looked at the woman.