The carriage drove into the imperial city. Upon seeing the royal carriage, the imperial guards were on high alert, as if the enemy had infiltrated their stronghold, filled with apprehension and tension.
After disembarking, Ji Jinmo remained still, extending his hand. Nan Shiying lifted the curtain and placed her hand in Ji Jinmo's. Bypassing the process of eunuchs kneeling to serve as steps, she lifted him out of the carriage.
In the past, Lüyuan would repeatedly instruct the Princess Consort to avoid being too unrestrained and to refrain from leaping out of the carriage. Now, there was no need.
Today was both a banquet and a family gathering. The Lin Yuan royal family had few descendants. The late emperor had only one son, Ji Hong, and aside from Ji Jinmo, no other direct blood relatives.
In previous years' banquets, only Ji Hong, Ji Jinmo, the Empress Dowager, Zou Yun'er, and Ji Hong's few concubines participated. This year, there were changes.
Besides the addition of a Princess Consort, there were also Yu Chengxuan, Hui'an, and a contingent of Dali envoys.
Yu Chengxuan's left hand was bound to his chest, secured by a wooden splint. Wei Yuan had mentioned that his bone was injured, suffering a fracture, and required immobilization for rest.
Hui'an wore a purple long dress today. Although she possessed a princess's court attire, it was unsuitable to wear Dali court attire to Lin Yuan's banquet. Following local customs, she wore Lin Yuan's attire and styled her hair in Lin Yuan's fashion. If someone unfamiliar saw her, they might mistake her for a native of Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan and Dali people bore similar appearances. Three hundred years ago, they were all part of the Great Yuan. Judging solely by their looks, one could not differentiate them. Even Xiliang was a territory of the Great Yuan three hundred years ago.
Nan Shiying's mind was filled with a single thought: "Fortunately, I have no offspring. Otherwise, meeting my descendants after a few hundred years would be so awkward!"
Palace maids served dish after dish of delicacies, and dancers swayed in the center of the grand hall. Zou Yun'er lacked appetite. Presented with glistening pork knuckles, she felt no desire, only a slight nausea. She had recently developed a craving for sweets, consuming them voraciously. Shen Yue dared not have the small kitchen prepare any pastries, fearing that the noble consort might fall ill if she wasn't careful.
Shen Yue moved the pork knuckles to the farthest end of the table, not bringing the milky yam dish before her, but instead placing the moderately sweet and sour mandarin fish in front of her.
Zou Yun'er subtly surveyed her surroundings but understood the other's concern for her. She reached for the milky yam dish with her chopsticks but then redirected her movement, taking a piece of the sweet and sour mandarin fish.
Nan Shiying's peripheral vision caught Zou Yun'er's behavior, and she frowned slightly upon noticing her craving for sweets.
The skin of the pork knuckles was crystal clear and soft, with a bouncy texture. Ji Jinmo picked up a piece of pork knuckle skin and placed it into Nan Shiying's bowl, signaling her to eat it while it was hot.
Yu Chengxuan raised his wine cup and made a toast to Nan Shiying from a distance.
The wine today was aged Zhaodianhong, its aroma rich and its aftertaste lingering. Nan Shiying drank a cup and, seeing Yu Chengxuan toast her, flipped her cup upside down on the table.
Ji Jinmo's darkening expression instantly regained its radiance. He looked at Yu Chengxuan with the disdain and sarcasm of a queen towards an impertinent commoner.
Yu Chengxuan drank the wine in his cup as if nothing had happened. The wine cup obscured his mouth and also his slightly upturned lips. He set down the cup and lowered his gaze to the delicacies on the table. Hui'an turned her head. From her vantage point, she could only see Yu Chengxuan's slightly lowered eyebrows and eyes, unable to discern his emotions. Yet, Hui'an had a feeling that Yu Chengxuan was neither embarrassed nor angry at this moment.
The banquet proceeded without incident. After the border troops were annihilated by the demon-hunting army, resulting in over a thousand casualties and their heads piled into a small mountain, the Dali envoys were already somewhat intimidated. They would hardly dare to court death under Ji Jinmo's watchful eye. If it were before, they might have tried to stir up discord between Ji Hong and Ji Jinmo, but having learned that they were united against external threats, they abandoned the idea.
With outsiders present at the banquet, it was as expected.
After midnight, the banquet concluded. Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo returned to their prince's mansion, then secretly made their way back through a tunnel.
Seeing his imperial uncle and aunt appear before him, Ji Hong thought he was drunk and seeing illusions. It wasn't until Ji Jinmo spoke, his cold and deep voice echoing, that Ji Hong couldn't help but shiver.
"The doors and windows of the imperial study were not tightly shut today!"
"Go check on Zou Yun'er."
Before Ji Hong could ask the reason for their return, Nan Shiying directly stated it. She had noticed that Zou Yun'er's complexion seemed off today. As a physician, she practiced observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking. Although she had switched careers halfway, her innate talent was extraordinary, and she had some insights into observation. If Old Poison knew she evaluated herself this way, he would likely call her thick-skinned but would probably have to grudgingly accept it.
Of course, this was not important. What was important was that she had taken Zou Yun'er's pulse a few days prior and had found no issues.
Ji Hong certainly wouldn't stop his imperial aunt, but the problem was, shouldn't you have changed your clothes before coming?
"Have Shen Yue give her a针!"
Ji Hong: "......???"
"A sleeping needle!"
Seeing Ji Hong's expression that clearly conveyed "Are you speaking human words?", Nan Shiying found it exhausting to communicate with people who didn't understand medicine. What kind of needle could she possibly have Shen Yue give to Zou Yun'er?
Zou Yun'er had not been sleeping well lately. The censer in her room contained sleeping incense. While Zou Yun'er was half-asleep, Shen Yue gave her a sleeping needle.
Upon seeing the Prince, Princess Consort, and the Emperor enter together, she paid her respects and then retreated to the side.
Perhaps her master didn't know the true relationship between the Emperor and the Prince?
Shen Yue lowered her head, lost in thought.
But then she reconsidered, thinking that her master might have already guessed something.
In fact, when the Emperor trusted her without reservation, Shen Yue had vaguely guessed the true relationship between the Prince and the Emperor. As for her master, although he appeared somewhat carefree and unconventional, his medical skills and intelligence were top-notch among his peers. It was just that he had always been around the Prince, and in the Prince's shadow, he seemed rather ordinary.
As for the Crown Prince who was friends with her master, wasn't he still in the dark about today's events!
Shen Yue was lost in her thoughts until she heard the Princess Consort's voice. She snapped back to attention and saw the Princess Consort looking at her, with the Prince and the Emperor also turning their gaze towards her at the Princess Consort's prompting. Shen Yue suddenly felt flustered.
With a gulp, she knelt on the ground: "This servant, this servant... Your Highness, please forgive me. This servant just lost her focus and didn't hear what Your Highness said!"
Nan Shiying did not blame her. She simply repeated her previous question: "Besides the imperial meals from the Imperial Kitchen, what else has the noble consort eaten during this period?"
"Medicinal meals!"
"This servant personally prepared the medicinal meals!"