Emperor Yao smiled for a while and suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that I am getting old, and I don't even have anyone around me who can truly accompany me. Only an old guy like you..."
"Your Majesty, you are not old at all..."
Emperor Yao looked at the window curtain as if he was lost in memories.
Wan Zhong didn't dare to disturb him and closed the curtain.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. You should go to bed early."
…
The banquet at the Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion came as scheduled. To show his concern, Emperor Yao specially took a day off from the court and allowed all officials to attend the old lady's birthday.
Early in the morning, guests began to arrive in an endless stream in front of the Duke of Song's residence. The Duke of Song's family had a great business, and the eldest son Yu Cheng and his two sons greeted the guests at the door.
Zhou Chen arrived early with his concubine Bo Wanqing and side concubine Gao Nianzhen. Song Guogong's Mansion was his maternal home, and he helped organize the birthday banquet, so naturally he was also at the door to welcome guests.
The relationship between Bo Wanqing and him was weak, but as Princess Chen's concubine, she had been taught etiquette since she was a child, so she did her best at this time, and helped to settle the wife in the back house thoughtfully and politely.
"Sister, what can I do?"
Gao Nianzheng was the daughter of the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and was not favored by Zhou Chen. In addition, Bo Wanqing had no intention of competing for favor, so the two of them got along quite harmoniously.
"Help me greet the guests."
Although I had expected that there would be many guests coming to celebrate my birthday today, the scene was far busier than expected.
"Dad! Brother!"
The carriage of Prince Yun's Mansion stopped at the door, and Yu Jinlan jumped out of the carriage.
"I thought we came early, but I didn't expect we came late."
Zhou Yun caught up and greeted each other.
"Third brother, third sister-in-law."
Zhou Chen put his arm around Zhou Yun's shoulders.
"Fourth brother, you came just in time. I am very busy here, so please help entertain the guests."
The Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion is Yu Jinlan's natal family. No matter how delicate Zhou Yun is on weekdays, he has to stand up and agree now.
"Jinlan, go in first and go to your mother's side."
Zhou Yun never thought that one day he would be able to marry the Queen's niece and become a relative of the Duke of Song Dynasty. Regardless of whether he and Zhou Chen should deal with each other or not, everyone would label him as a member of King Chen's party, even if he had no intention of fighting with the party.
, these things are inevitable.
He likes to have fun, does business, and is generous with his money.
"I ordered a half-person-high golden Buddha as a birthday gift for my grandmother. I don't know if she likes it."
Although Zhou Chen had no shortage of food and drink expenses since he was a child, he was not as generous as him. How much gold would it cost to build a half-human-tall golden Buddha! His younger brother must be won over!
"If you have such a heart, grandma will definitely like it."
"Uncle King Han!"
King Han waved a folding fan in his hand, and the servants behind him carried several boxes of gifts. Zhou Yun's eyes lit up when he saw King Han. The banquet was boring, and he didn't make friends with the courtiers, so he was waiting for him.
The two of them can get together.
Zhou Chen didn't embarrass him.
"Fourth brother, why don't you help entertain Uncle Han?"
This statement was exactly what Zhou Yun wanted.
"Then I will lead Uncle Han in first!"
Zhou Zhan and Shen Moran came to the door with gifts in the middle of the morning, so they were the latest.
The banquet was divided into three parts. The largest courtyard in the backyard entertained the close relatives of the Duke of Song Dynasty, the princes and princes, and relatives of the same clan. There were no distinctions between male and female seats. The whole family gathered together to be lively and lively, which also made the old birthday girl happy.
.
There are two courtyards outside. The east courtyard entertains female guests who come to congratulate them, and the west courtyard entertains male guests.
"grandmother!"
The old lady's all-white hair was tied up in a high bun, she wore a phoenix crown given by the emperor, and she was wearing a brand-new court dress cut from Yun brocade.
Extraordinary and noble.
Before the banquet started, the younger members of the family took turns coming forward to say birthday wishes and kowtow to celebrate the birthday.
There was a long queue of maids carrying trays behind the old lady. Every junior who came to kowtow was rewarded with a purse containing silver fish, silver locks and the like.
Even if you don’t need it yourself, it’s great to take it back and give it to the younger ones in your family to wear. Moreover, if something is given by the longevity star, let alone the exquisite workmanship, it is a blessing if it is given by the birthday star.
"Aru hasn't come back yet?"
What the birthday boy looks forward to most today is to see his daughter.
"Slave, please go to the door and have a look."
The palace's guard of honor was placed at the door.
Yu Cheng hurriedly knelt down to pick him up.
"I have missed my welcome from afar. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Yao held the queen's hand and stepped on the dismounting stool to get out of the carriage. He looked at the bustle at the door and said with a smile: "No need to be polite. I didn't let the palace people inform me in advance. Today, the queen and I are juniors, so don't talk about the relationship between monarch and minister."
What a waste of courtesy."
The queen looked up at the plaque of the Duke's Mansion and was very excited. She had not been back to her parents' home for a long time.
"Brother, how is your mother?"
Yu Cheng accompanied them inside.
"Mother is strong and strong. Just now she sent someone over to ask why the queen hasn't come back yet. Please go in quickly."
The carved beams and painted buildings of the Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion were as luxurious as the imperial palace. Emperor Yao saw it but said nothing. In the past, when he entered the gate of the Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion, he was not as confident as he is now. But now that he came back, he felt that it was nothing more than this.
All their favors and honors were given by him.
Everywhere I went, I knelt down and cheered.
Song Guogong and the old lady received the news and came out to welcome him.
"I have met the emperor!"
Before Song Guogong knelt down, he was helped up by Emperor Yao, and the queen also hurriedly supported her mother.
"There are no kings or ministers today. A'ru and I are back to see you two elders!"
Song Guogong burst into tears with gratitude.
"Your Majesty, Queen, please come in!"
Behind Emperor Yao, Si Yiluo was holding a saber, not caring about the commotion around her. She was responsible for Emperor Yao's safety, and she couldn't afford to be careless at times like this.
…
The kitchen was busy, and every dish sent to the VIP table had to be inspected at all levels. Jiang Yun was holding a tray and following the food delivery team, but was stopped outside the yard.
The waiter opened the lid and tested each dish with a silver needle.
Release after inspection.
Of course, the banquet for entertaining distinguished guests is different from the ones outside. The uniformly dressed maids serve dishes in a neat and orderly manner, which is pleasing to the eye. The lotus-shaped white porcelain has a lotus core made of cabbage in the middle, and crisp purple radish is carved around it to form a lotus.
The shape of the petals, with a few lotus seeds dotted on the core of the lotus pod, looks like a blooming lotus.
The soup like clear water soaked in it.
Wei Heyan put the clear soup in a bowl and placed it in front of Emperor Yao.
“This water hibiscus dish is creative and ingenious, but it’s just a bit wasteful.”
The whole dish only uses some soup, and the rest is just decoration.
Emperor Yao took a sip and found that the soup was delicious and fragrant. It turned out to be fish soup. He said something casually, and Yu Cheng, who was accompanying him, realized what he was doing and turned around to give instructions to the people around him.
"Remove all the fancy dishes at the back..."
"The Duke of Song Dynasty has worked hard for the country for half his life, and he deserves to enjoy the blessings. A'ru misses the two elders very much in the palace. The two elders must take care of themselves..."
"I see that all the descendants of the Duke of Song Dynasty are all young talents. Thank you for your hard work, Duke Song, for cultivating so many talents for me!"
Song Guogong Yu Tie pondered his words and took the opportunity to propose: "Your Majesty, I am getting old. My eldest son Yu Cheng is also fifty-one this year. I would like to take this opportunity to resign from the Emperor."
The Duke of the Song Dynasty has made military achievements for generations, and most of the descendants of the Yu family have served in the army. Did Emperor Yao mean by this that he felt that the Duke of the Song Dynasty had too much power?
Although the Song Dynasty Duke's Palace does not have as many troops as the Protector's Palace and has the right to directly mobilize the army, because it is the queen's mother's family, its strength in the military cannot be underestimated.
Emperor Yao smiled and held Song Guogong's arm.
"You are my father-in-law, the person closest to me. If you don't help me, who else can stand by me? Time makes people grow old. Speaking of which, my brother-in-law is one year older than me. It's true that he should
Chengjue has helped me, but I can’t remain the heir forever!”