The harvests in these years were not good and the borders were in turmoil. All the money of the imperial court was spent on fighting wars and disaster relief. At the end of the year, the treasury was even more empty.

The queen looked out the window, her red lips parted slightly: "Your Majesty, I see that the plum blossoms are blooming beautifully in the yard. How about I invite the princes and ladies to come to the palace to enjoy the plum blossoms?"

The maid standing by with her head lowered worried for the empress. The emperor was obviously worried about matters in Northern Xinjiang. Why did the empress take the initiative to bring up this matter of seeking pleasure without saying that she was sharing his worries?To hold a palace banquet in Kilometers, in order to show the royal majesty, a lot of money will be spent on preparations.

Unexpectedly, the emperor did not get angry. Instead, he patted the queen's hand, and a smile gradually appeared in his eyes: "Okay, okay, the plum blossoms in the palace are blooming very well."

"The queen is interested. It doesn't matter if the plum blossom banquet is bigger this time. The legitimate daughters and concubines of each family who have not left the palace, and the married ladies can also be invited."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I am here to thank Your Majesty for everyone." The Queen bowed slightly and said.

……

The plum blossom banquet was about to be held in the palace, and soon spread in the capital. I heard that men and women could sit at the same table this time, which was an excellent opportunity for men and women to see each other. Moreover, the people who were invited were all very honorable and attended. The palace banquet is also a source of bragging rights in the future.

Some married people, concubines in the palace, and those who had never been to the palace before were extremely excited and rushed to shops like Ruyi Fang and Jinxiu Fang to buy jewelry and clothes.

The Hou Mansion is no exception. Yun Yige and Yun Yishu's clothes have been prepared long ago. They always have the palace attire for entering the palace. They only need to make two more plum blossom hairpins for the occasion.

Yun Sixue was crazy busy. In the past, concubines did not have the opportunity to enter the palace to attend banquets. This time she was given the grace, and she must seize this opportunity to attract the attention of Prince Xuan Wenchuan.

In Yiyun Courtyard, Yun Sixue picked up a red dress embroidered with large plum blossoms and made signs on her body: "Mom, does this look good on me?"

"Xue'er, don't offend the queen with your red eyes." Aunt Zhen shook her head and picked out a beige-colored short coat and a long skirt with a pattern of flying birds on the floor.

"Wearing this suit, the women of each family must be dressed up on the day of the Plum Blossom Banquet. Only if you wear simple and elegant clothes will you be particularly eye-catching and more suitable for the occasion."

Yun Sixue nodded, feeling that what her mother said made sense: "But, doesn't it look too shabby?"

Those who went to the palace banquet were either rich or noble, and she didn't want to be compared with others.

"We can work hard on jewelry. Wear this pair of white jade lotus pendants with concentric ears, gold wire hoop earrings, and wear vermilion silk embroidered shoes inlaid with pearls. It will look good."

Yun Sixue looked at it and tried it on. This simple and elegant outfit made her look particularly dignified and generous.After deciding on the clothes to wear when entering the palace, I combed my hair into a few fashionable buns before giving up.

……

On the day of the Plum Blossom Banquet, although the weather was still bitingly cold, the sun was rarely shining brightly.

Yun Yige, Yun Yishu and Yun Sixue came to the palace banquet with their grandfather Yun Hou. Their father Yun Tingxin didn't like to enter the palace, and their mother Song didn't follow them at all.

To put it in Yun Tingxin's original words, today so many powerful ministers and women are attending the palace banquet, and he is not missing any of them. If too many go, wouldn't it cause trouble to the Queen?

He is always so considerate of others.

In the afternoon, the powerful officials and their families came to the Plum Garden one after another, chatting and admiring the flowers. As the sky gradually darkened, everyone walked to the banquet and sat down.

Several princes, princes and princesses came to this banquet.Next to the emperor, Yun Yige saw the man exuding a cool temperament, and she restrained her urge to hug him.

Yes, he may not recognize himself now. He is not the Xuan Ming who loves her deeply.

Xuan Ming noticed that someone seemed to be looking at him. When he turned his head to look over, Yun Yige had already looked away and put on a heartless expression.

After the emperor lamented the peace and tranquility of Northern Chu, he talked about the affairs of Northern Xinjiang and called on the princes, nobles, ladies and ladies present to donate money and materials to prepare winter clothing and medicine for the soldiers in Northern Xinjiang.

As soon as these words came out, everyone present understood that the purpose of holding such a slightly unexpected plum blossom banquet in winter was to ask them to donate money and materials.

The Queen took the lead in donating the turquoise necklace and the jade bracelet that was moist, clear and water-resistant. The ladies were too embarrassed not to donate and took off their jewelry one after another.Entering the palace today, these ladies tried their best to outdo others, and the jewelry they brought was naturally very expensive.

The queen asked her eldest maid, Yihagi, to record the donations in a book. In this way, everyone started to compare. Several ladies said that they did not bring the banknotes when they went out. Please ask Aunt Yihagi to tell the amount of the banknotes. Write it down first, and then send someone to deliver the banknote to the palace when you get back to your house.

After everyone had donated, the queen ordered the dishes to be served. The maids walked into the hall with their heads down carrying duck in sauce on white jade plates, braised lion's head, braised fish with golden legs, and pork bone and corn soup in gold bowls...

The emperor and empress looked through the recorded donations. As they looked, the emperor paused when he saw a record. He glanced at the people in the audience and asked, "Yun Sixue? But? From Marquis Yun’s family?”

When everyone realized the emperor's gaze, they all stopped talking, put down their cups, bowls and chopsticks, and searched for Yun Sixue in the emperor's mouth.

"As the Queen said, she is my daughter." Before her grandfather, the Marquis, could speak, Yun Sixue stood up and bowed.

Yun Yishu sat up straight and glared at her. Her grandfather hadn't spoken yet, so why was it her turn to speak directly to the emperor?She looked around and realized that her grandfather had left the table at some point.

"Are you willing to prepare cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers in Northern Xinjiang? Do you know how many soldiers there are in Northern Xinjiang?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, I heard that there are more than ten thousand soldiers in Northern Xinjiang." Yun Sixue stood up. She noticed that Prince Xuan Wenchuan's eyes were falling on her, with exploration and curiosity. She was secretly happy that he I finally noticed her. Tonight, she was the most dazzling woman in the palace banquet.

"Oh? Does the Hou Mansion have so much money?"

There was no emotion in the emperor's tone, but the ministers present were all shocked. The salaries of court officials were all fixed, and everyone knew how much money they would have left after daily expenses. In order to show off, this little girl, With such a loud tone, she was afraid that the Hou Mansion would be destroyed in her hands.

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