Shen Qi, dressed in a bright yellow Dragon Robe, looked strikingly handsome and exuded an aura of authority without anger.
Behind him was the grand imperial procession, with Su Zhiruan and Ziyu following Little Fuzi, who walked a step behind Shen Qi.
The entire palace was resplendent and brightly lit with lanterns, with the Emperor's dragon throne at the very center and highest position.
Since Shen Qi had not yet appointed an Empress, only the Empress Dowager sat on his right side.
Beneath him on both sides, one side was occupied by Imperial Relatives like the Prince from the Fief who had returned especially for this occasion, while the other side was taken by concubines of some status in the harem, with those below the rank of concubine seated at the very back.
Following them were the court officials according to rank, with the ministers followed by their respective families.
The customs of the dynasty were relatively open, allowing men and women to sit together without much segregation.
As Shen Qi entered, everyone knelt and saluted in unison, asking for his well-being, "Your servants greet Your Majesty, may the Emperor live for ten thousand, ten thousand, tens of thousands of years——"
The concubines followed suit, their scented garments rustling, "Your concubines greet Your Majesty, may the Emperor live for ten thousand, ten thousand, tens of thousands of years——"
Shen Qi strode over to the Empress Dowager and saluted, "Son pays his respects to Mother, may you be blessed with peace and safety."
The Empress Dowager made a perfunctory gesture of support, "The Emperor's filial piety is witnessed by heaven and earth."
Subsequently, Shen Qi took his seat on the dragon throne, while Su Zhiruan, Ziyu, and Little Fuzi each took their places behind him.
"All my officials, please rise," Shen Qi gestured slightly, and once everyone had stood up, he continued, "Today is the Mid-Autumn family feast. There's no need for formality among my officials; just enjoy yourselves."
"We shall follow Your Majesty's decree."
Little Fuzi instructed a little eunuch behind him with a couple of phrases, and shortly after, to the sound of music played by string and wind instruments, dancers in sheer gowns flowed out and began to dance gracefully around the great hall.
Su Zhiruan felt a bit weary, but in such a setting, any small act of hers could certainly be seized upon by others as leverage, so she was forced to vigorously summon her spirits, internally calculating how much longer until the end.
According to the ceremony list provided by the Internal Affairs Office, after the palace dancers had finished, it was time for Princes, ministers, and their families to present their gifts and performances, with Shen Qi concluding at the end. If suitable young men and women were present, he would arrange marriages to form auspicious unions.
It seemed she was destined not to retire early tonight, thought Su Zhiruan with some disheartenment, thus she vigorously summoned her spirits once more.
In the concubine seats to the right, numerous eyes were fixed on Su Zhiruan, and aside from the Noble Consort who did not spare her a single glance, most looked at Su Zhiruan with curiosity, wondering how she had managed to receive the favor for an entire month. Among them were Noble and Ladies like Lady Song and Lady Wang, who had been punished alongside Su Zhiruan by kneeling, and these two were rather agitated.
There were many people present.
Once the dancers had finished their performance, they exited the stage as gracefully as they had entered.
Then, many daughters and sons of ministers, as well as the concubines from the harem, came forward to showcase their talents.
The Noble Consort penned a piece of calligraphy on the spot, followed closely by the Consort who accompanied her with a flute performance. Ladies like Lady Wang and other lower-ranking concubines arranged a dance together, which was stunning and graceful.
The ministers and Imperial Relatives exchanged toasts, and then offered auspicious phrases to Shen Qi as they too raised their glasses.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone became gradually more light-headed and their speech and behavior more relaxed.
Su Zhiruan served some dishes to Shen Qi, and he ate them all up. The look in the eyes of the Empress Dowager, who had taken some wine and was also slightly dizzy, changed a little.
Shen Qi had also drunk a fair amount of wine and even wanted to take Su Zhiruan's hand in the great hall, but she withdrew it just in time.
This subtle move was noticed by Little Fuzi and Ziyu, who were both startled and exchanged a quick glance, nearly scared out of their wits.
The palace was bustling with people, and after drinking some wine, even the temperature seemed to rise significantly, filling the air with the mingling scents of alcohol and the powder fragrance left behind by the dancing concubines and dancers, adding much harmony to the banquet.
After everyone began to loosen up,
"Your Majesty, your younger brother offers up a South Sea Guanyin, wishing my elder brother abundant blessings and endless longevity!"
"Your younger brother also has a gift, a piece of West Sea Red Coral, which can soothe the mind. It's most appropriate for my elder brother, who is busy with state affairs!"
The two were Shen Qi's cousins, and the three of them had grown up together, sharing a close bond.
However, it was at this moment that a burst of laughter came from the left-hand seats. A very fat prince, drunk as a skunk, squeezed out from the gap between the seats. His eyes rolled about and his face was flushed as he pointed at the two younger cousins and burst into loud laughter, so much so that one could even see the saliva spraying from his mouth, "You two—you are still too young!"
"Prince Duan? The two nephews are indeed young, but we have yet to see Prince Duan present any fine gifts." The cousin who gave the West Sea Red Coral sneered coldly, perhaps because of the wine or perhaps the young man's competitive nature. He raised his chin and puffed out his chest, "Why not bring it out for us to see? Don't let it turn out that your gift is inferior to what your brothers have prepared for His Majesty."
Shen Qi's expression darkened slightly. He was holding a white jade wine cup in his palm and gently caressing it as he spoke thoughtfully, "Prince Duan has a gift for Us. Hiding it is not good. If it's a gift like the two sick tigers back then, We will have to send someone to make you live in the hunting grounds and catch tigers with your own hands."
The Emperor was displeased.
Many people could see it, and by now, no one dared to whisper, fearing that a misstep in their words would anger the Emperor, and even the clinking of cup exchanges was much quieter.
As Su Zhiruan watched this scene, the plot from before took on a tangible reality in her mind.
There was also this episode in the original story. Prince Duan had always resented that it was not he who had ascended the throne, so for many years, he was not very respectful to Shen Qi.
And in this part of the story, Prince Duan, when drunk, presented a Fertility Guanyin, and was so proud of himself. With the wine in his head, he spoke without restraint, whatever was on his mind.
He thought he had angered Shen Qi, but he underestimated him. He still saw Shen Qi as the young Crown Prince, not the twenty-eight-year-old Emperor on the verge of his thirtieth year, Shen Qi. It was after this episode that Shen Qi simply disposed of Prince Duan, and henceforth, there was no more Prince Duan in this world.
It was as Su Zhiruan thought of this plot that Prince Duan had his gift brought out, then he extended his hand and uncovered the red cloth.
All eyes in the room turned to look.
—A Fertility Guanyin!
Almost instantly, Su Zhiruan felt a murderous aura coming from Shen Qi.
And below, Prince Duan continued to be immensely pleased with himself, "Your Majesty, I give you a Fertility Guanyin, hoping you can let your harem flourish and add more little Princes and Princesses, that's what's needed!"
He was completely oblivious to the shift in the atmosphere around him, continuing to speak his mind.
Even though many people there had drunk a lot, at this point, they were jolted sober.
Shen Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, a playful light appearing in his dark pupils, but more than that, a murderous intent was hidden within, "It seems that the wine from the Imperial Palace is very much to my Imperial Uncle's taste. How can you, Uncle, be so outspoken without fearing that We will hold you accountable for your words?"
"Your Majesty, just say whether what the Imperial Uncle is saying makes sense or not," said Prince Duan, his big belly protruding, reeking of alcohol, with little hair on his head and only muddiness and chaos in his eyes. He waved his hand and then called his sons over, "Come on, you lads, lift your heads up for the Emperor to see."