Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 155: Turning against guests

The second day of the second month, Flower Festival, early morning.

When the first ray of sunlight broke through the thick fog and sprinkled Jinzhou Mountain, the ceremonial officials looked solemn, the musicians played majestic ritual music, the bells and drums rang together, the sound shook the sky.

Emperor Sheng, wearing a dragon robe and a crown on his head, stepped steadily onto the altar. The sunlight shone on him, and the embroidery on the dragon robe sparkled.

Until he reached the center of the altar, Emperor Sheng looked up at the sky with a solemn and pious expression, and slowly raised his hands, indicating that the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky had officially begun.

......

At the foot of the mountain, the sound of music could be heard, and the families of the ministers, led by the Crown Princess, were offering sacrifices to the flower god and praying for divine protection.

There was a solemn atmosphere throughout Zhoushan.

......

At the end of noon, the music on the mountain gradually died down, indicating that the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was coming to an end.

It was not until 1:00 PM that everyone at the foot of the mountain dared to relax. Once they relaxed, they felt their stomachs were empty.

Fortunately, afternoon meals had been prepared in the palace and official residences, so after everyone had a hearty meal, it was a good time to rest and have fun.

In the palace, according to the customs of previous years, many banquets and entertainments were arranged, including butterfly catching parties, making flower cakes, wearing flowers in the hair, and tasting flower tea.

If you want to go outing and enjoy the flowers by yourself, that is also possible.

Wearing flowers in the hair has always been the most popular entertainment. There are the most ladies here, including Shen Jiasui and Zhao Huaizhen.

The two of them were chatting and laughing when they suddenly heard some noise. Looking where they came from, they saw Ning Fengzhi, who had not attended the party for a long time.

On the Lantern Festival, everyone had heard about the feud between Ning Fengzhi and Gu Xizhi in Qingyue Pavilion.

Since Ning Fengzhi was indeed deceived by Gu Xizhi in the beginning and the storm has passed, there is naturally no reason for everyone to treat her coldly anymore.

Zhao Huaizhen's eyebrows were slightly curved at this moment, and he was happy from the bottom of his heart.

"It seems Fengzhi has finally let go of her worries. I even called her to the last welcoming party at the Imperial Garden, but she claimed to be sick and refused to go."

"Jia Sui, I'm going to talk to Feng Zhi, do you want to come with me?"

The two of them did not avoid the others during their conversation. People around them glanced over and saw Shen Jiasui shaking his head and saying with a smile:

"Huaizhen, go ahead. I'll make a wreath for you. Come and see it later."

Seeing this, Zhao Huaizhen did not force him. He just squeezed Shen Jiansui's hand before leaving. When he raised his eyes, he revealed a little panic and uneasiness.

Shen Jiasui pinched it back under the cover of his sleeve and nodded slightly at Zhao Huaizhen.

Seeing this, Zhao Huaizhen let out a sigh and walked away as if nothing had happened under the gaze of everyone.

Ning Fengzhi was flattered when she saw Zhao Huaizhen taking the initiative to greet her.

Hearing that the princess and Shen Jiasui are now best friends, she thought the princess had forgotten her.

Thinking of this, before he opened his mouth to speak, Ning Fengzhi's eyes were already wet.

Zhao Huaizhen's heart softened upon seeing this, and he took the initiative to pull Ning Fengzhi outside, looking like he wanted to talk to her about something personal.

Apart from Zhao Huaizhen, the others were somewhat unfamiliar with Shen Jiasui. Seeing that she was engrossed in making the wreath, they did not approach her to talk to her.

Just hearing that she was engaged to the famous Jiang Xun, he couldn't help but take a few more looks at her.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a palace maid suddenly came in from outside, looked around, and walked straight to Shen Jiasui.

"Miss Shen."

The palace maid called out loudly, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Shen Jiasui turned around when he heard the voice and saw a strange face. He couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

The maid knelt and saluted Shen Jiasui, saying calmly, "Miss Shen, I am a servant of Princess An Ning. I am here on Princess An Ning's orders to invite you to a conversation."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions instantly became subtle.

Just as they thought of the name Jiang Xun, Princess An Ning's men came after them.

Coincidentally, Princess Huaizhen had just left. Those who didn't know might have thought that Princess Anning's people had been waiting outside, waiting for this "right" opportunity.

Shen Jiasui's expression changed slightly, and he immediately glanced in the direction where Zhao Huaizhen left, then said with difficulty:

"Could you please wait for a moment, Princess An Ning? I will go with Princess Huai Zhen when she returns."

The maid seemed to have received instructions, and now she looked fearless. Shen Jiasui was the daughter of General Dingguo after all, but the maid gave her a cold face on the spot and said in a cold voice:

"Miss Shen, my princess has said that she wants to see you soon. I think it would be better not to keep her waiting for too long."

Shen Jiasui hesitated for a moment, then put down the wreath in his hand, looked around, and said to the people around him:

"If Princess Huaizhen doesn't want to see me when she comes back, please tell her that I went to Princess Anning's place. Thank you very much."

As Shen Jiasui spoke, he knelt down before the crowd and then left behind the palace maid.

As soon as the two figures disappeared, a loud buzzing sound was heard in the field. Everyone guessed that Shen Jiasui was likely to suffer a loss.

Everyone knows that Princess An Ning is very favored by the emperor, and with the support of the eldest princess, she is a powerful figure in the capital.

At this time, someone in the dark retreated quietly and spread the news.

Shen Jiasui followed the palace maid around in circles and was soon brought to a palace. The maid guarding the door was wearing Yue costume.

The palace maid stopped and Shen Jiasui walked in by herself. At a glance, she saw Aya who had been waiting in the hall for a long time.

Aya's brows relaxed slightly, she nodded to Shen Jiasui, and led her into the inner hall.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, a figure rushed over and pounced on Shen Jiasui.

"Sister Jiasui!"

Although Shen Jiasui and Tuoba Ning had secretly exchanged letters twice through Jiang Xun, they had not seen each other for nearly a month.

Shen Jiasui took a closer look and saw that Tuoba Ning had become whiter and fatter, which made him smile.

"Ning'er seems to be doing well these days?"

Tuoba Ning's face fell, "No way! Staying in the Princess's Mansion all day is really boring."

"When can I go for an outing with you and Huaizhen, and ride a horse?"

Shen Jiasui took Tuoba Ning's hand and said with a smile, "I've been looking forward to this day coming soon. Once we pass this hurdle today, I think we'll be one step closer to achieving our wish."

Tuoba Ning straightened his expression slightly upon hearing this and whispered, "Everything is ready. When will we act?"

Shen Jiasui glanced at the clepsydra beside him and shook his head. "Ning'er, don't worry. Let's wait for news from Lord Jiang first."

"Where is the Crown Princess? Where is she now?"

Tuoba Ning pointed northwest and said, "We should have reached Lansheng Tower by now."

There is a tall building in the northwest, named "Lansheng", which overlooks the entire palace. It was the favorite place for Prince Xianhuai to go when Emperor Daisheng went to Zhoushan to offer sacrifices to heaven.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiasui took a deep breath and nodded with a firm look in his eyes.

Since all parties have their own plans, let’s just strike first and take the initiative today!

----

At this time, Qingle Palace.

After the sacrifice to heaven, Emperor Sheng, the princes, grandchildren and ministers had their meal here.

After eating and drinking, everyone went their separate ways. The little grandson Zhao Yuanye was still young after all, and after following the ceremonies for the entire morning, he could no longer hide his sleepiness.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Sheng ordered people to send Zhao Yuanye back to Qingyan Palace.

At this moment, there were undercurrents. Not long after Shen Jiasui was called away by the palace maid beside Princess An Ning, the news had already reached here.

Prince Rui sat behind the desk and looked at Jiang Xun who was sitting down without saying a word.

At this time, a eunuch came up from behind to pour wine. As he leaned over, he said softly:

"Your Highness, the Concubine Shu has mobilized several personnel and asked us to keep this secret. I dare not conceal it, so please make your decision."

After he finished speaking, the eunuch stood up and stepped back, standing still with a normal expression.

Prince Rui frowned slightly when he heard this.

He naturally had no doubts about his mother, but no matter what his mother wanted to do, why would she hide it from him?

As soon as this thought came to his mind, Prince Rui suddenly raised his eyes, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and the wine glass in his hand fell over, and the wine overflowed from the low table and dripped onto his brocade robe.

Everyone looked over at the sound. Prince Rui had already stood up slowly and said respectfully to Emperor Sheng, "Father, I would like to leave the banquet temporarily to change my clothes and dress properly."

Emperor Sheng waved his hand indifferently.

Prince Rui then turned around and walked out. The moment he walked out of the palace, his face instantly became as gloomy as water.

Ah Jin......

Apart from attacking Ajin, he couldn't think of anything else his mother needed to hide from him.

He has his own plans, and his mother's presumptuous behavior will only ruin his plans!

Thinking of this, King Rui frowned, and on the way to the changing room, he suddenly turned into a small road and left quickly.

When Jiang Xun saw Prince Rui leave the table, he casually turned the wine glass on the table.

King Rui has so many people at his disposal, how could he possibly recognize every face?

So, it is not quantity that matters more than quality.

Furthermore, Prince Rui always wanted to use his old acquaintance with the Crown Princess to do things, but today he will be shooting himself in the foot!

The eunuch who was delivering the message to Prince Rui was still standing respectfully. At this moment, he noticed from the corner of his eye that the wine glass in front of Jiang Xun had turned, so he retreated without making a sound.

A moment later, Zhao Huaizhang, the prince of Rong who was sitting opposite him, stood up without warning and walked into the hall. He knelt down in front of Emperor Sheng and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, I apologize."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent and everyone looked over with wide eyes.

After the meal, Zhao Huaixiang suddenly raised his eyes and slowly clenched the wine glass in his hand.