The Empress opened her eyes suddenly and there was a bit of craziness in her eyes which scared Chun Er. "But they will never succeed! This Palace will not let them! Chun Er, no matter what happens, the position of the Crown Prince must belong to this Palace's son. If Jinye cannot do it, then another Prince has to be born and whoever comes in between must die."
***
The palace maids of Shoukang Palace first informed the Empress, followed by Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi, Imperial Consort Shu and Imperial Consort Chun.
This was because according to the palace rules, the Royal Consorts managing the six palaces must be informed of any important news before other Royal Consorts and currently only there were only five Palace masters managing the six palaces.
When Jiang Yunyao heard of this, it happened to be during the break after lunch.
After the palace maid left, He Shiyi said, "The Empress Dowager was also worried about the Fifth Prince. Why did she suddenly decide to host a banquet? I feel like there's more to this than meets the eye."
Jiang Yunyao looked at her with interest and asked, "Oh? Tell me, why did she do that then?"
He Shiyi pondered for a moment and analysed, "In the morning, Imperial Noble Consort Xi stimulated the Empress too much, which made the Empress lose her temper, but she won't say it to the Empress Dowager and rather will make it seem like she suffered a great injustice. The Empress Dowager must have believed her words and now, she wants to punish the Empress on behalf of her niece."
Jiang Yu Heng said, "Imperial Noble Consort Xi went to such great lengths just to make the Empress unhappy. Is that really worth it?"
Jiang Yunyao merely smiled before asking, "Do you really think that Imperial Noble Consort Xi just wants to make the Empress unhappy? But, isn't the Empress already unhappy because of her son?"
Jiang Yu Heng and He Shiyi looked at each other and saw the same confusion in each other's eyes. They blurted out together, "Then what is the point of doing all this?"
Jiang Yu Heng propped her chin and thought for a while, then suddenly clapped her hands, her eyes brightening, she said, "I've figured it out! Currently, the Fifth Prince is sick and the Empress devoted all her energy to care for him, neglecting everything else. But New Year is approaching and someone has to be in charge of the preparations of the New Year's banquet."
Listening to Jiang Yu Heng's words, He Shiyi also realized some things. "But, the New Year is an important occasion and the Emperor places great importance on the New Year's banquet. All these years, Empress was the one who took care of it. Now that the Empress is unable to do it, Imperial Noble Consort Xi wants to replace the Empress!"
As He Shiyi spoke, her emotions grew more and more intense, and her face became increasingly grim.
"If even this servant could think of all this, wouldn't the Empress also think the same? Then, why will the Empress just remain silent and let Imperial Noble Consort Xi have her way?"
After listening to He Shiyi's logical and well-founded analysis, Jiang Yunyao truly started to see her in a different light.
She smiled as she looked at He Shili and said casually, "Naturally, the Empress will not let stay quiet. But, right now, the Empress's mind is not stable. Her son is sick and her daughter is about to be separated from her. Imperial Noble Consort Xi also planted suspicion about Imperial Consort Shu in the Empress's mind."
"After hearing about this banquet, the Empress, who is under both physical and mental pressure, will become more agitated. In order to vent her anger, the Empress will surely take some extreme measures against Imperial Noble Consort Xi."
"Even if the Empress decides not to do anything, Imperial Noble Consort Xi will not leave her be. She will harm herself and it will make the Empress look suspicious in eyes of the Empress Dowager and maybe Emperor too."
Such words frightened Jiang Yu Heng and He Shiyi. The both of them tried to persuade Jiang Yunyao not to go, only to be refused by her.
Actually, at this point, Jiang Yunyao really didn't want to go to the banquet at Shaokang Palace.
But this time, she had no choice but to go.
Empress Dowager clearly stated that everyone except Fifth Prince must attend. If she doesn't go, it would be disrespectful to Empress Dowager.
Going was not an option, but not going was also not an option.
Since she had no other choice, she might as well go and see if there was anything in which she could help Imperial Noble Consort Xi.
Even though Imperial Noble Consort Xi might be fully prepared, it is better to be cautious than to feel remorseful.
She, Jiang Yunyao was not someone who accepts free favors. Since she accepted Imperial Noble Consort Xi's favors, now she will see if she has a chance to repay her.
***
In the evening, the Shoukang palace was very festively decorated today, even more lively than during the New Year.
The Royal consorts all dressed up beautifully and went to Tong Hua Terrace where the banquet would be held.
Jiang Yunyao went there with Noble Concubine Yao. Noble Concubine Yao entered the palace five years ago and resides in West Courtyard of Cun Shan Palace. Because of her ordinary looks and timid personality, Noble Concubine Yao was not favoured by Emperor.
Noble Concubine Yao was very cautious in everything she did. Today, she brought Song Zhao to their seats half an hour early, for fear of any delays.
Later, the other consorts arrived successively.
Unexpectedly, Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi, who locked herself in her Shu Ya courtyard claiming that she was feeling unwell, also came today.
As soon as she arrived, she immediately became the centre of attention. Everyone surrounded her, asking about her health - some sincerely, some perfunctorily.
The main seat was naturally reserved for Emperor. The Empress Dowager and the Empress would sit on either side next to him, followed by the Royal Consorts, with the Imperial Noble Consort Xi seated first.
Jiang Yunyao sat next to Noble Concubine Yao.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Following the announcement from Jiang Deshun outside the door, the hall instantly quieted down.
Everyone stood up to respectfully welcome the Emperor, the Empress and the Empress Dowager. No one had expected that the Emperor would come as he was praying for Fifth Prince's wellbeing.
It seems the Empress Dowager still has some tricks up her sleeve.
Today the Empress also changed into her exclusive phoenix robe, making her look dignified and virtuous.
After the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were seated at the head seat, the Empress slowly walked to stand below the hall, leading everyone to kneel down and pay respects.
The Emperor waved his hand saying: "Rise. Today at the banquet everyone here is family, let's be at ease and happy together, no need to stand on ceremony."
Everyone thanked and stood up, returning to their seats.
The Empress said to the Empress Dowager: "The consorts from all palaces have prepared performances for the banquet. Would Royal Mother like to take a look?"
Instead of answering the Empress, the Empress Dowager turned to the Emperor. "What does Your Majesty think?"
Naturally the Emperor nodded in assent.
Of course at this time the Empress could not take the spotlight, or it would make her seem petty.
So she let the other consorts perform first.
They modestly deferred to each other until Imperial Noble Consort Xi took the initiative. While the others were still discussing who would perform first, her palace had already brought out her jade zither.
She played the tune "Autumn Poem", the timbre deep and distant, the harmonics clear like splashing jade, trembling as if dragon's cry, demonstrating profound zither skills and fluent finger techniques. Even the most skilled court musicians could not compare to her.
After Imperial Noble Consort Xi finished her tune, there was thunderous applause in the hall.
After that, Imperial Consort Shu performed a whirling dance.
Each dance movement brimmed with power, making everyone's eyes light up.
Imperial Noble Consort Wenxi presented a precious painting.
Even though there was only a short amount of time to prepare, each and every one of them performed amazingly.
When it was Jiang Yunyao's turn, she responded respectfully, "This Concubine originally prepared a song but unexpectedly caught a cold…*Cough cough*….."
She had been coughing ever since she came to the banquet today.
The Empress Dowager asked caringly, "What's wrong with you?"
Jiang Yunyao said timidly in a hoarse voise, " This concubine caught a cold, *Cough cough* ... my throat is dry and itchy, losing etiquette in front of the everyone. I beg the Empress Dowager not to blame me."
The Empress Dowager said, "It's fine. The weather has been fickle lately, we all have to be more careful."
Everyone said in unison, "This servant/concubine thanks the Empress Dowager for her care."
Seeing that Jiang Yunyao's cough was really severe, the Emperor said, "There's nothing else today, go back to the palace and rest early since you're unwell."
Jiang Yunyao bowed and said apprehensively, "Your Majesty, this concubine's status is the lowest, leaving early after paying respects while everyone is here is improper. Forgive this Concubine for disobeying Your Majesty."
These words caused the Emperor to furrow his brows and his face darkened. The Empress Dowager spoke with a voice full of concern: "You are rule abiding, indeed. But now that you are sick, you have to take rest. Didn't the Imperial Physician who treated you tell you that?"
"Replying to the Empress Dowager, Imperial Physician Yu told this Concubine to rest but this Concubine did not want to disobey Empress Dowager's words and lost face in front of Empress Dowager and His Majesty."