The seating at the palace banquet was a matter of great particularity. Guests were seated in order according to their rank and status, and anyone who rashly sat in a seat they had no right to would be mocked by others.
The Crown Princess, Princess Consort Yan, and the two princesses sat together at one table accompanying Empress Xu. The high-ranking consorts of the palace sat at another table, while the lower-ranking consorts naturally gathered together at their own. The titled ladies who had come to pay their respects were seated across several tables, and the young maidens who had accompanied their elders into the palace were seated at two more tables.
Ling Jingshu was well-acquainted with Su Ying and Jiang Rongyue, so the three of them sat together at the same table.
The dishes at the palace banquet were rich and exquisite, but no one was in the mood to eat heartily within the palace. Each of them took only a few bites before setting down their chopsticks.
Today, Ling Jingshu had drawn a great deal of attention at Jiaofang Hall, and the young ladies seated with her all looked over at her with curious eyes. But since they were not well-acquainted with her, they hesitated to ask her about it openly.
Su Ying, however, had no such reservations, and asked in a low voice, “Sister Jingshu, did you know beforehand that Her Majesty the Empress intended to summon you into the palace?”
Ling Jingshu knew it would be impossible to deceive the exceptionally clever Su Ying, and answered softly, “No, I did not. Yesterday, my eldest aunt received the phoenix edict, which only said we were to be summoned into the palace. I never expected that today, at Jiaofang Hall, Her Majesty would actually hint that she meant to call me into the palace to serve. Given such great favor from Her Majesty, if I were to decline, it would be terribly ungrateful of me.”
Ling Jingshu’s tone was calm, without the faintest trace of reluctance.
Yet a flicker of sympathy and regret showed in Su Ying’s eyes.
Being so “favored” by the Empress was not necessarily a good thing. At home, Ling Jingshu had been raised in comfort and luxury, but once inside the palace, even with the status of a female official, it would ultimately mean a life of serving others.
What was more, Empress Xu governed the six palaces with extremely strict rules. Ling Jingshu was unfamiliar with the workings of the palace, and now that she had suddenly been summoned inside, if she carelessly made some mistake, there was no telling whether fortune or misfortune awaited her.
With so many people present, these were words that could never be spoken aloud. Su Ying gave Ling Jingshu a long, meaningful look. “Sister Jingshu, take good care of yourself in the days ahead.”
Ling Jingshu smiled faintly. “Thank you for the reminder, Sister Su. I will take good care of myself.”
Sitting beside Ling Jingshu, Ling Jingyan bit her lip hard, a glint of tears flashing briefly in her eyes before she quickly hid it away.
…
The atmosphere at the banquet grew somewhat heavy.
Seeing this, Jiang Rongyue quickly spoke up with a smile. “Oh, that reminds me—I heard that Her Majesty the Empress intends to grant Commandery Princess Fumin a marriage. Do any of you know about this?”
Everyone’s attention was instantly captured. Even Ling Jingshu could not help but listen closely.
“Everyone knows that Commandery Princess Fumin has been infatuated with Imperial Physician Wei. I even heard she once declared that she would marry no one but Imperial Physician Wei!” a young lady in a pink dress said with a lowered, amused voice. “I wonder who the man is that Her Majesty has chosen for Commandery Princess Fumin’s marriage—has the princess finally gotten her wish?”
The young ladies at the table exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile.
There were no shortage of well-bred young ladies secretly infatuated with Imperial Physician Wei, but the only one bold enough to display her feelings so openly, vowing again and again to marry no one but him, was Commandery Princess Fumin.
At this, Ling Jingshu’s lips curled slightly, a mocking, cold smile flashing through her eyes.
Empress Xu had long regarded Wei Yan as her own possession—how could she possibly tolerate Commandery Princess Fumin’s infatuation and entanglement with him? It went without saying that whoever Empress Xu had chosen as a husband for Commandery Princess Fumin, it would absolutely not be Wei Yan!
Sure enough, Jiang Rongyue said with a low laugh, “You’d better not say such things carelessly in the future—it would be terrible if it reached Commandery Princess Fumin’s ears.” After a pause, she continued, “The phoenix edict granting the marriage hasn’t even reached the princely residence yet, so very few people know of it. I only happened to find out because my mother mentioned it once.”
Everyone’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
Su Ying could not help pressing further. “Sister Rongyue, stop keeping us in suspense. Which family’s young master is Her Majesty marrying Commandery Princess Fumin off to?”
Jiang Rongyue smiled slowly, drawing out the suspense to its fullest before finally revealing the answer. “The man is the eldest son of the Great General who Garrisons the West.”
What?! Everyone was startled.
The Great General who Garrisons the West was renowned for his valor and skill in battle, commanding a hundred thousand troops stationed at the border. The decade-plus of peace and stability at the frontier was entirely due to his achievements. As for his eldest son, in terms of family background and status, he was indeed a match worthy of Commandery Princess Fumin.
But still…
“In that case, wouldn’t Commandery Princess Fumin have to marry far away at the border?” Ling Jingyan blurted out in surprise. “It’s so desolate out there at the frontier—nothing compares to the capital. Commandery Princess Fumin grew up in the capital since she was young, how could she be willing to marry so far away?”
“Exactly!” Jiang Rongyue sighed lightly. “When I first heard the news, I was quite astonished myself. But once Her Majesty has spoken on the matter, I’m afraid this marriage will not be changed.”
After a moment, Jiang Rongyue lowered her voice further. “I heard that Commandery Princess Fumin has been making a fuss at her residence for several days now. Today, when Princess Consort Rong came to pay her respects in the palace, she didn’t even dare bring her along—probably afraid that the princess might act rashly and cause a scene at Jiaofang Hall, offending Her Majesty.”
Although none of them had much fondness for Commandery Princess Fumin, hearing such news still stirred a measure of pity and sympathy in them.
Imperial authority reigned supreme! Even someone as noble as Commandery Princess Fumin had no say in the great matter of her own marriage. With a single phoenix edict, Empress Xu could send her thousands of li away to some unfamiliar place.
Once married off so far away, she would likely never be able to return to the capital for the rest of her life.
The young ladies whispered among themselves about this news that had not yet spread, each sighing in sympathy for Commandery Princess Fumin.
Ling Jingshu had not said a word throughout, her eyes gradually growing cold.
Empress Xu was truly ruthless and merciless! With a single move, she had banished her “rival in love” to the border. In truth, Wei Yan had never harbored any feelings for Commandery Princess Fumin, and there was no possibility of him marrying her. And yet, even so, Empress Xu could not tolerate Commandery Princess Fumin’s persistent pursuit of him.
Empress Xu treated Wei Yan as her own forbidden possession—even if she could not have him for herself, she would never allow another woman to covet him.
Empress Xu held a position of great power and acted ruthlessly. For Wei Yan to escape from her clutches was simply as difficult as ascending to heaven…
At this moment, Ling Jingshu had no time to worry over her own fate of soon entering the palace, but instead found herself deeply troubled over Wei Yan’s future.
After the banquet, everyone rose one after another and returned to the main hall of Jiaofang Hall.
Tables and chairs had been arranged in the main hall, with various teas, pastries, and fruits neatly laid out upon the tables. Musicians sat in the corner, playing melodious tunes. In the center of the hall, several dancing girls were already swaying gracefully to the music.
There were too many people in the main hall, so Ling Jingshu and Ling Jingyan naturally found seats in a corner.
Ling Jingyan was in no mood to enjoy the singing and dancing. She held Ling Jingshu’s hand, unsure for a moment of what to say.
Seeing how heavy Ling Jingyan’s expression had become, Ling Jingshu put on a light, comforting smile and said, “Why such a gloomy face? With such lovely singing and dancing to enjoy, you should smile a little too!”
Ling Jingyan, torn between laughter and tears, shot her an exasperated glance.
Just then, a faint commotion could be heard coming from outside the hall doors.