Several princes were seated together.
Prince Lu leaned forward and asked Yu Jin, “Seventh Brother, how did your wife cure Thirteenth Sister’s eyes?”
Yu Jin gave Prince Lu a cool glance. Every time they gathered, they would fight, and every time he would lose. Where did Fifth Brother get the courage for such familiarity?
Prince Lu paid no attention to Yu Jin’s cold look and said with a smile, “Come on, tell us.”
It was said that mentioning the Princess Consort of Yan easily provoked the Seventh Brother’s anger. If he were to lose his temper in this setting, it would surely end badly.
Yu Jin lifted his wine cup and took a sip, toying with the empty cup without speaking.
Prince Lu pressed on shamelessly, “Why so quiet, Seventh Brother?”
Yu Jin rotated the wine cup in his hand and asked expressionlessly, “Shall I ask Fifth Sister-in-law if Fifth Brother has been neglecting her lately?”
Prince Lu touched his nose, immediately backing down.
Prince Xiang, still harboring resentment over the verbal lashing he received at Yu Jin’s wedding, said coolly, “Seventh Sister-in-law is quite mysterious, even able to cure Thirteenth Sister’s eyes. Seventh Brother should pay more attention, lest he remain unaware of his wife’s capabilities.”
Prince Xiang had always been at the bottom of the royal hierarchy. When Seventh Brother, raised outside the palace, returned, he thought he’d finally have someone to lord over. Unexpectedly, he suffered repeated setbacks while his rival lived freely.
This imbalance made him increasingly resentful, and his patience vanished whenever he encountered Yu Jin.
Yu Jin let out a derisive laugh, his phoenix eyes sweeping over Prince Xiang meaningfully. “Congratulations to Eighth Brother for knowing so early about his future sister-in-law’s abilities. Oh, Eighth Brother may not remember, but that case involving the Zhu family passed through my hands…”
Prince Xiang’s face instantly turned the color of pig liver. He slammed his wine cup on the table, immediately drawing attention from those around them.
Prince Qi softly called out, “Eighth Brother.”
Only then did Prince Xiang restrain the urge to punch Yu Jin in the face, taking a deep breath.
Stay calm, stay calm.
It was infuriating; Seventh Brother’s mouth was so venomous!
“Seventh Brother is more sharp-tongued than a woman. I’ve learned my lesson today,” Prince Xiang said mockingly in a low voice.
Yu Jin was unfazed by his sarcasm and replied coolly, “As if you could win in a physical fight anyway.”
Prince Xiang was left speechless with anger.
Prince Qi stepped in to mediate, “Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother is still young. Don’t take offense.”
Yu Jin rolled his eyes, not acknowledging Prince Qi’s words.
Finding himself in an awkward position in front of his brothers, Prince Qi gave an embarrassed smile and took a sip of wine.
During this interval, Prince Xiang glanced towards the women’s section.
Today’s family banquet was quite extensive. Besides the palace consorts and princesses of sufficient rank, all available princesses married in the capital were present, along with senior princesses and numerous royal relatives from the older generation. Table after table was filled with lively chatter.
Princess Rongyang, favored by both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, naturally had a prominent position.
He immediately spotted Cui Mingyue by Princess Rongyang’s side.
The sixteen-year-old girl was strikingly beautiful with a graceful demeanor, making it difficult for anyone to harbor ill feelings toward her.
Cui Mingyue seemed to sense his gaze and suddenly looked over, their eyes meeting unexpectedly.
Suppressing her disgust, Cui Mingyue offered Prince Xiang a faint smile.
Prince Xiang quickly averted his gaze, but his mood underwent a subtle change.
Once, he had aspired to marry a noble lady like Cui Mingyue.
Beautiful, elegant, and most importantly, of high birth.
But he was self-aware enough to know that given Princess Rongyang’s pride, she wouldn’t consider a prince born of a lowly mother like himself.
These thoughts were brushed aside by reason, and after the scandal between Cui Mingyue and Zhu Ziyu, this marriage prospect landing on him was no longer a cause for joy, but rather shame.
He wasn’t a garbage collector, after all. How could they push anything dirty and smelly his way without even asking?
Ultimately, it was because they thought he was easy to manipulate, with no right to object.
However—Prince Xiang thought of the young lady who had just given him that gentle smile and felt some wavering in his heart.
Perhaps she had truly just made a momentary mistake…
Cui Mingyue curved her lips slightly.
She had long known that her mother’s forceful approach to her father wouldn’t work.
A person’s heart isn’t made of iron, especially a man’s heart. It needs to be warmed with water-like tenderness. With patience, any heart can be warmed.
But her mother refused to do this.
She loved her father, yet couldn’t let go of her princess’s dignity. Over the years, she had grown more distant from her father, causing only herself to suffer.
What was the point of all that?
In Cui Mingyue’s view, Princess Rongyang was a fool, and she would never repeat her mother’s mistakes.
So what if her reputation was tarnished? Once she married Prince Xiang, she would firmly grasp his heart.
After the Emperor and Empress were seated, Emperor Jingming spoke first: “Today, I am overjoyed. Fuqing’s eyes have healed, and from now on, she can see the beautiful sights just like all of you. She can see all of you. I will raise my cup first, to celebrate Fuqing.”
Everyone in the hall raised their cups, loudly congratulating Princess Fuqing on regaining her sight.
In this scene, the Empress couldn’t help but tear up.
Her daughter finally had a day when she could stand proudly before the world to receive blessings, instead of withering away in the depths of the palace.
How could she not be moved?
At this moment, she was not an empress, but a mother.
After this brief indulgence, the Empress regained her dignified smile and said, “Fuqing’s restored sight is thanks to the Princess Consort of Yan. I would like to toast to the Princess Consort of Yan.”
Jiang Si bowed to the Empress and said, “Daughter-in-law was merely fortunate. It is the Princess’s kindness, wisdom, and deep blessings that moved Heaven to end her suffering…”
With this, the crowd no longer doubted that the Princess Consort of Yan had cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes.
They immediately had a new question: How had the Princess Consort of Yan cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes?
However, given the occasion, they could only keep their numerous questions to themselves, causing the atmosphere to become somewhat stiff.
Emperor Jingming laughed heartily and said, “We are all family here. Today, there’s no need for so much formality. Don’t be so restrained.”
The scene immediately became lively.
With the Emperor’s words, even the most reserved had to join in the merriment.
Princess Fuqing curiously observed everything, feeling she couldn’t get enough of the sights.
The Empress patted Princess Fuqing’s hand and said, “Aquan, would you like to sit beside Mother Empress, or join your sisters over there?”
As the absolute protagonist of the day, it would not be inappropriate for Princess Fuqing to sit beside the Emperor and Empress. Moreover, this was a family banquet, and whoever the Emperor favored could sit by his side.
Princess Fuqing couldn’t help but look towards the unmarried imperial princesses.
Over ten young ladies in similar attire sat around a large table, creating a lively atmosphere.
“May I go there?” she asked.
“Of course, you may. Go ahead,” the Empress encouraged with a smile.
Princess Fuqing picked up her skirt and walked over.
Palace maids had already prepared a chair and invited Princess Fuqing to be seated.
“Thirteenth Sister, your eyes are truly beautiful,” said a young lady about Princess Fuqing’s age. With rosy cheeks and a lively smile, she playfully asked after her compliment, “Thirteenth Sister, can you guess who I am?”
Princess Fuqing looked at the young lady carefully and confidently replied, “Fifteenth Sister.”