Ximen Yourong rarely dressed up for a palace banquet. She had no other purpose than to do what a queen should do. After all, it was a formal palace banquet to welcome the prince of another country!
However, when You Kouyi, who was as well-dressed as herself in the "Xiangyun Palace", learned that Ximen Yourong was going to dress up to attend the palace banquet, she thought about it for a while and immediately ordered Manzhi:
"Change your makeup!"
"Why? No matter how dressed up the person from Lengyue Palace is, he will never be able to outshine the queen. There is no need for the queen to worry."
Manzhi didn't quite understand. He learned from the messenger that although Ximen Yourong was dressed up, he was not so luxurious that no one could match him.
What's more, no matter how Ximen Yourong dressed up, Manzhi felt that her dress would not be able to outshine You Kouyi, who was full of nobility from the inside out.
But You Kouyi was not worried that her dress would not match Ximen Yourong. She looked at her flawless face in the bronze mirror and said:
"No! Since she is dressed up, I will wear no makeup...!"
You Kouyi's smart and strategic eyes flashed. It's not that she doesn't compete for beauty, but competition also depends on the timing... Sometimes, not competing is equally eye-catching...!
Lengyue Palace is located in a remote place and the road is far away. When Ximen Yourong arrived at Yulou Palace, the palace banquet seemed to have already begun. Before she stepped into the palace, the eunuch who passed the call loudly announced her arrival.
After Ximen Yourong stepped over the high threshold, she raised her eyes and saw Dongling Yuanyong sitting in the upright position.
Both sides of the huge hall were filled with guests, but Ximen Yourong seemed to be there as if there was no one around. She walked lightly from the red carpet in the middle of the hall to Dongling Yuanyong!
Her gorgeous dress is eye-catching, and what's even more eye-catching is her indifferent expression.
She is so refined that everyone's eyes follow her every step.
The people in the hall were marveling at her invisible charm, and Dongling Yuanyong, who was sitting in the throne, was also deeply attracted by her.
However, unlike other people's obvious admiration glances, Dongling Yuanyong's stunning eyes are hidden from others. Those who don't know think that he is not applauding Ximen Yourong's dazzling look!
But only he knew that just looking at the carefully dressed Ximen Yourong, he felt a ridiculous emotion in his heart... He was actually upset because everyone was focusing their admiring eyes on her. He didn't want others to
He wants to share her dazzling beauty with others... He wants to keep it to himself!
Ximen Yourong approached Dongling Yuanyong. After she bowed and saluted him, Dongling Yuanyong stood up and stretched out his hand to her. She obediently put her hand into his palm...
When they held hands and faced the guests and courtiers in the palace, everyone bowed to the emperor and empress before taking their seats.
However, there was another handsome man in the guest seat who was dressed in luxurious but obviously different clothes from Da Chengguo. He walked to the middle and raised his glass to Dongling Yuanyong and Ximen Yourong who were sitting high up and said:
"Due to an unexpected accident on the road, I missed visiting Dacheng in person to congratulate Emperor Dongling on his wedding. I also ask for your forgiveness from Emperor Dongling and Queen Ximen."
The person who spoke was Xiahou Chunyan, the crown prince of Xiahou. He raised a glass and drank a glass of wine to express his apology.
"The prince has come a long way, and many people are indifferent. Please don't take it offence, Prince Xiahou!"
Dongling Yuanyong was about to raise his glass as he spoke, but You Kouyi, who was sitting on the left side, said with concern:
"Your Majesty, you are still injured, and the imperial doctor has advised you not to drink alcohol."
You Kouyi's words were not inappropriate. Dongling Yuanyong looked at You Kouyi, who was dressed much plainer today, and said:
"The imperial concubine is still attentive, but I have forgotten what the imperial doctor said. However, I have already been negligent when Prince Xiahou arrived, and it is unjustifiable to be negligent now...!"
"Emperor Dongling doesn't need to worry about these red tapes. The dragon body is important. I, Xiahou Chunyan, still have some capacity!"
"Then I would like to thank Prince Xiahou for his magnanimity, and I will repay the prince's gift with tea instead of wine..."
"Emperor Dongling can use tea instead of wine, but..."
Xiahou Chunyan knew that Dongling Yuan Yong was injured. He waved to his attendants to add more wine, then looked at Ximen Yourong and said:
"Emperor Dongling should not drink alcohol, so may I have the honor to invite Queen Ximen to have a drink with her?"
Although Xiahou Chunyan's request was a bit abrupt, it seemed understandable.
Ximen Yourong was naturally unable to avoid being named. She picked up her wine glass and stood up and said to Xiahou Chunyan:
"Your Majesty is ill, and Prince Xiahou invites you to drink. I will do it for your Majesty...Prince, please!"
Ximen Yourong smiled and nodded, then covered his face with his long sleeves and drank a glass of wine.
Because she was not good at drinking, the pungent taste of the liquor in her throat made her frown for a while before she put down her hands and faced Xiahou Chunyan.
Xiahou Chunyan also raised his head to take another drink and looked at Ximen Yourong. The way he looked at her revealed a slight change that was incomprehensible, but that change was quickly hidden by him!
Then, he looked at Dongling Yuanyong and said:
"Emperor Dongling is so blessed. Queen Ximen sitting on the right is extraordinary, and Concubine You on the left..."
Xiahou Chunyan looked at You Kouyi, who was a little unsophisticated, and paused before saying:
"Concubine You's grace and splendor are hard to conceal. Emperor Dongling can have two such God-given beauties in one day, which really makes me envious!"
"The queen and concubine of the widow are indeed rare beauties, but the Prince of Xiahou is the foundation of the Xiahou Kingdom. It is easy to find any kind of beauty. To say that I am envious of the widow is an exaggeration."
Dongling Yuan Yong exuded a polite smile, Xiahou Chunyan was not the direct crown prince of Xiahou Kingdom. A year ago, the direct prince of Xiahou Kingdom died of illness, and then Xiahou Chunyan became the lucky one among many brothers and was elected as the new crown prince.
However, among the more than twenty princes of Xiahou Kingdom, there are more than one or two who are more qualified to inherit the throne than Xiahou Chunyan.
But Emperor Xiahou chose Xiahou Chunyan as his new successor. It can be seen that Xiahou Chunyan had his own abilities.
Xia Hou Chunyan briefly skipped over his compliments to Dongling Yuanyong. The purpose of his coming to Dacheng was to have diplomatic relations and to make friends with Dongling Yuanyong.
His father, who is over sixty years old, has become increasingly ill in recent years. He has only been in the position of prince for less than a year, so it can be said that his foundation is unstable.
A few months ago, the political situation in Dacheng State suddenly changed, and Emperor Xiahou took advantage of the minor conflict on the border between the two countries to launch a war.
Emperor Xiahou's purpose in launching the war was to find out if there was any chaos in Dacheng Kingdom, but this investigation revealed that not only was there no chaos in Dacheng Kingdom's border defenses, but it was also stronger than before.
Later, they learned that the military power of Dacheng Kingdom had long fallen into the hands of Dongling Yuanyong, and it was Dongling Yuanyong who redeployed the border defense before returning to the imperial city.
As an abandoned and exiled prince, Dongling Yuanyong was able to quickly seize the throne in the most unlikely of situations, which is enough to prove that he has extraordinary imperial abilities.
Xiahou Chunyan also realized from this that in the future, if he is not capable enough to take Xiahou State to a higher level, then Dacheng State, under the leadership of Dongling Yuanyong, may infinitely surpass Xiahou State.
In that case, their Xiahou State would not be able to maintain a national strength that could at least compete with that of Dacheng State.
What's more, since he can sit on the throne of the Xiahou Kingdom, how can he only have such a little ambition?
Xiahou Chunyan took the initiative to request to come to Dacheng State for friendly diplomatic relations. One was that he wanted to prove to Emperor Xiahou and the courtiers of Xiahou State that he was worthy of being the crown prince of a country.
Another thing is that he wants to see for himself how capable his future number one opponent in the world, Dongling Yuanyong, is worth his concern?
Of course, after a palace banquet, Xiahou Chunyan could not immediately see how capable Dongling Yuanyong was. He was not in a hurry, so he complimented and exchanged greetings with each other. The palace banquet, which was a friendly affair between you and me, was pleasant until the end.
Harmony, the meaning is still unfinished...
However, there was no difference in the relationship between the two countries, but Ximen Yourong made a little unintentional mistake.
After the palace banquet was over, Dongling Yuanyong took Ximen Yourong and You Kouyi to visit Concubine Yi, who had another headache.
When they arrived at Concubine Yi's place, Concubine Yi saw Ximen Yourong's dress, and she praised her in surprise. But looking at You Kouyi again, Concubine Yi said in confusion:
"Concubine You usually dresses elegantly. Today you are accompanying His Majesty to entertain the distinguished guests. How come Concubine You is dressed so plainly? This will make the distinguished guests think that our concubine Dacheng is not living a decent life."
You Kouyi leaned forward and seemed to hesitate for a while before saying:
"Forgive me, my concubine! I didn't dare to dress too casually. But I saw that the empress always dressed very simply. I thought the empress was dressed in the same way today, so I didn't dare to dress too much and overwhelm the guests, otherwise it would be ruined.
The Queen's aura of taking charge will definitely make the guests feel that I do not know etiquette and do not respect the Queen's face. If so, wouldn't I bring discredit to His Majesty's harem?"
You Kouyi's explanation was reasonable and reasonable, and there was not even a hint of complaint in her words. Instead, she was very knowledgeable and courteous.
Before anyone else could speak, she looked at Ximen Yourong with a soft smile and said:
"Fortunately, the Queen is dressed up with extraordinary charm today. Not to mention the guests who came from afar are attracted by the Queen, even the concubines can't help but admire the beauty of the Queen. The Queen holds up the scene for Your Majesty, I
Dressing more modestly will not disgrace His Majesty and the Royal Family."
When You Kouyi said this, she always sounded decent and generous, with a calm attitude, as if she was willing to be Ximen Yourong's foil.
Concubine Yi flashed her eyes and smiled. She looked at Ximen Yourong who was silent and then looked at You Kouyi and praised her:
"Concubine You is indeed a lady who knows how to advance and retreat, and considers things thoughtfully. However, the only people on His Majesty's bed now are you and the Queen..."
As Concubine Yi spoke, she paused and looked at Ximen Yourong and said:
"For such important family and national affairs, the Queen should let the people below know what arrangements she has, so that you won't lose communication and cause mistakes."
Ximen Yourong knew that this scene looked peaceful, but she had actually become the target of public criticism.
Especially since Dongling Yuanyong was silent and had nothing to do with her, she probably guessed that he was waiting for her to deal with invisible difficulties from others.
You Kooyi has been courteous and cautious in everything since she entered the palace, but Ximen Yourong just doesn't want to cause trouble. It's not that he doesn't understand that behind You Kooyi's humility, there is hidden calculations against her.
Ximen Yourong knew You Kouyi's ingenious calculation, and whether Concubine Yi saw it or not, Concubine Yi was implicitly accusing her.