"Hearing the princess say that, the Empress's eyes and brows are indeed exactly like Madam Lin's.
But there are so many people with similar eyes and brows under the heavens, perhaps it's just a coincidence.
As for that woman who looks exactly like Lord Lin, I do know something about her."
"You know?"
Yongning, whose gossiping soul was burning, grabbed Xu Siyun's wrist and pressed her for details.
Xu Siyun put the handkerchief she was using to wipe away wine stains aside and recalled,
"I once heard my father mention that Lord Lin also has a twin sister who looks exactly like him.
But—"
"But what?"
"As far as I know, Lord Lin's sister is long gone."
Upon hearing this, Yongning's expression shifted from surprise to horror. "Could it be that the one by the Empress's side is actually a female ghost?
Did she die unjustly and thus transform into a vengeful spirit?"
Xu Siyun listened and said with a mixture of laughter and tears,
"Princess, have you been reading too many storybooks lately and become possessed?"
"Hmph, aren't all female ghosts said to be beautiful?
Otherwise, why would she be so stunning?"
Yongning snorted coldly, pouting as she muttered softly,
"That blockhead has been calling her 'my lady' all day long. If he were to see her twin sister who looks exactly like him, his eyes probably wouldn't be enough!"
Not far away.
Prince Xiang, with his娃娃脸 (baby face), the eighth prince, invited the person who was originally standing behind him to a seat beside him and asked with a smile,
"Brother Lin, is the beauty by the Empress's side an old acquaintance from your hometown?"
The questioned Lin Yan remained silent, his eyes fixed on the beautiful face that was both the same as and different from his memory.
Seeing this, Prince Xiang did not show any anger. Instead, the curve of his lips deepened.
"Tsk tsk, it's truly true that Buddha relies on gold, and people rely on clothes.
I thought earlier that her beauty was plain and that she was too good for a talented young man like you, Brother Lin.
Now it seems that Brother Lin's taste is indeed excellent!"
Though Lin Yan still remained silent, this time he turned his head and gave Prince Xiang a lingering glance, the warning in his eyes quite evident.
At this moment, the new Emperor arrived at the banquet venue.
Originally, the main seat had a double-person long chair for the Emperor and Empress to sit.
But who knew which damned soul had arranged this banquet venue.
The main seat was occupied by a single dragon-patterned chair?
Having the wrong chair was not the issue.
What was most infuriating was that the original double-person long chair had been removed, and its yellow covering was placed next to the dragon-patterned chair.
And his Empress was sitting on the double-person long chair, laughing and chatting with a charming woman, even feeding each other fruit from time to time.
For a moment, the new Emperor felt like the superfluous one...
"Cough cough—"
The new Emperor coughed twice with his fist placed near his lips. The two people on the long chair remained indifferent, while everyone present was startled.
No wonder, the new Emperor's face, which was as dark as a thundercloud, was truly terrifying.
Fortunately, the young eunuch accompanying the new Emperor was clever and stretched out his neck to shout,
"Announce the envoys of various countries to pay their respects!"
Immediately after, the envoys of various countries entered one by one to present their accession gifts to the new Emperor.
The first to enter was the delegation from Chile Kingdom. After kneeling on one knee to pay respects, Prince Andre waved his hand, and someone brought forward a large chest.
"Dear Emperor of Great Xia, to express our respect for you, which is like a surging river, our Chile Kingdom has specially studied the customs and traditions of Great Xia and prepared this congratulatory gift."
After Prince Andre finished speaking, his attendants opened the chest, which looked quite weighty.
The next moment, everyone felt a flash of golden light before their eyes.
However, upon closer inspection, everyone fell silent in unison, save for one person who laughed unrestrainedly.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
Oh my god!
Giving pig trotters to the 'big pig trotters' (a derogatory term for indecisive or unfaithful men), Prince Andre is simply a genius!"
Lin Qingge laughed as she whispered to Leng Ningyue, introducing her to the 'pig trotter' meme.
On the other side, whether mistaking everyone's silence for admiration or feeling a bit elated by someone's praise, Prince Andre proudly explained,
"Our Chile Kingdom is rich in gold, but if we were to simply give gold, it might seem insincere. Therefore, I ordered my men to cast the gold into the most auspicious object in your country—pig trotters.
May your country, under the leadership of the Great Xia Emperor, achieve success in the imperial examinations and be prosperous!"
This was the conclusion Prince Andre reached after asking the scholars who had traveled to Chile Kingdom and his 'Great Xia expert' uncle.
It was understandable for scholars to seek success in the imperial examinations, and for his uncle, a merchant, to seek wealth.
However, Prince Andre forgot one crucial point: the new Emperor, who already possessed the empire, neither needed to pursue a career in officialdom nor earn a fortune. Therefore, this carefully prepared congratulatory gift was somewhat misplaced in its intent.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
As Prince Andre looked on inexplicably, the new Emperor on the high platform, out of consideration for the years of friendly relations between the two countries, reluctantly let out an 'mm,' then waved his hand, signaling for the extra-large, shining golden pig trotters to be moved away and the next delegation to come forward.
The second to present their gift was the Khitan Kingdom.
Although the Khitan Kingdom was personally attended by its emperor, the Khitan Emperor, as the last descendant of the Khitan people, acted like a mouse encountering a lion when facing the Great Xia Emperor, showing extreme obedience.
Especially with the Great Xia God of War sitting imposingly beside him, it made the young Khitan Emperor appear even weaker and more helpless.
Having just experienced a war and being greatly weakened, the Khitan Emperor could only offer a document of permanent surrender and a number of cattle and sheep to express his sincerity.
The number of cattle and sheep was unimportant; the new Emperor was quite satisfied with the document of permanent surrender.
This was perhaps the first thing that pleased him tonight.
He subconsciously glanced at the Empress by his side and happened to meet her gaze, as she was also looking at him.
However, upon closer observation, there was not a trace of affection in those beautiful eyes; there was only an urging to fulfill the promise sooner.
Sighing heavily, the joy he had felt moments ago was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water. The new Emperor cleared his throat and said solemnly,
"Heaven blesses our Great Xia, and from this day forward, we shall have strong soldiers, prosperity, and peace for the nation!"
As soon as the new Emperor spoke, the officials below responded in unison.
After the banquet hall returned to calm, the new Emperor continued,
"Coincidentally, I want to announce something on this occasion."
The somewhat vexed new Emperor gave a look to the young eunuch beside him. The eunuch quickly brought the prepared imperial decree and read it aloud,
"By the grace of Heaven, as commissioned by Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
Lin Qingge, daughter of the Lin family, is virtuous, proper, and outwardly beautiful with inner intelligence. She is hereby bestowed the title of Princess Chang Le. Respect this decree."
???
After the eunuch finished reading the imperial decree, everyone present involuntarily had a row of large question marks appear above their heads.
Are princess titles now granted so casually?
Aside from Princess Yongning, which young lady from a noble family was not virtuous, proper, and outwardly beautiful with inner intelligence?
Could it be that all of them were now becoming princesses?