Traveling through the ancient times

Five days later, Lu Mingqian received a message from Xingwu that Yongkang had sneaked into Dongyi with ten experts.

The personal guards of King Xiliang were not only skilled in martial arts, but also very good at hiding. The group of spies delayed time, and Xing Wu and his companions chased them, but they could not find any trace of that group of people.

Xingwu sent people to send the captured Xiliang spy and the contact person of King Jingyang to Kyoto. Lu Mingqian hurried back to Kyoto with the secret letters from King Jingyang and the third prince of Xiliang.

At this time, a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was being held in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, where civil and military officials and their families gathered together.

In the center of the hall, young ladies from various families performed their skills, and everyone admired their grace and elegance while toasting each other.

"Brother, it's rare for us to get together as brothers. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I want to toast you."

"I dare not. It is the minister who should respect the king!" King Jingyang maintained his image as a good brother.

"Brother, please!"

"Please, Lord!"

After the two men finished the cup, the palace maid immediately poured wine for them.

The Queen Mother was also very happy today. Her two sons were here. Now that she is old, she likes to see her children enjoying themselves.

"My prince, are Mingyuan and the others okay?" Lu Mingyuan is the eldest son of Prince Jingyang. Recently, Lu Mingyuan's Crown Princess Gu Manli is about to give birth, so they did not return to Kyoto together. Princess Jingyang's Princess Yu also did not come with Prince Jingyang on the grounds that she had to take care of her daughter-in-law during childbirth.

"To answer your mother's question, your granddaughter-in-law Manli will be giving birth soon, so Yu and Mingyuan did not come with you. Please forgive me, mother."

"Manli is about to give birth?" The Queen Mother was very happy. This was a great event as it would expand the royal family!

"Yes, mother, the doctor said it will be within a few days!"

"Good good!"

The king also congratulated King Jingyang, "Congratulations, brother! You are about to become a grandfather. Unlike those of us who are so unpromising, no matter how old we are, we just refuse to get married."

The king was really envious. Princess Jingyang gave birth to one son and two daughters. Lu Mingyuan was the youngest. The two older sisters had already married, and Prince Jingyang had already become a grandfather.

Now that Lu Mingyuan's Crown Princess is about to give birth, Prince Jingyang is going to be a grandfather again. How can the king not be envious?

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Mother! Next time I return to Beijing, I will bring my grandson to you to see when he is a little older." Speaking of becoming a grandfather, Prince Jingyang was really happy.

What's the use of having so many sons? They are all in their thirties but none of them are married. It is better to let him be the king so that there will be a successor.

When the Empress Dowager said this, she could not help but urge the eldest prince, the only prince present, to get married. "Mingli, you see Mingyuan is a few years younger than you. He is already a father, so it is time for you to marry a wife. Let the Empress find a virtuous woman for you someday, and get married soon!"

Lu Mingli, who was named, stood up and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the King, "Grandmother, marriage is destined by heaven, there is no need to rush!"

"Why can't you be anxious? Everyone is anxious for you, but you are not anxious. Then when do you plan to be anxious?"

"My grandson will obey God's will!"

"Okay, wait for the Queen to find you one. It's God's will and you can't refuse. Get married quickly! Do you hear me?" The Queen Mother pretended to be angry and glared at the eldest prince.

In public, the eldest prince couldn't argue with the empress dowager, so he just went along with it. "Yes, I'll listen to you, Grandmother!"

The Queen Mother quickly told the Queen beside her, "Okay, okay, Queen, you have to deal with this matter urgently!"

The queen was very happy to see her son agree, and quickly agreed, "Yes, I will live up to your expectations!"

In the past, I always made all kinds of excuses when it came to marriage, but now that the eldest prince has finally agreed, I have to hurry up, otherwise there will be any trouble.

When the officials' families below heard the conversation between the Empress Dowager and the eldest prince, their minds immediately became active, and the young ladies performing on the stage worked even harder to win the favor of the Empress Dowager and the eldest prince.

The person performing on the stage at that time was Yu Min, the daughter of the Minister of Works Yu. Her water sleeve dance was so beautiful that she won countless applause.

After the song ended, the next came the eldest daughter of the Taifu family, Li Yunmeng. Li Yunmeng was a famous talented woman in Kyoto, proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Li Yunmeng came up to the stage and bowed to the king and others one by one. "Your Majesty, I would like to present a painting for today's Mid-Autumn Festival."

The eunuchs and palace maids quickly laid out the pens, ink, paper and inkstone that Li Yunmeng would need. Li Yunmeng knelt down in greeting, then picked up the brush and began to paint.

In half an incense stick of time, a painting of a full moon over a building appeared on the paper. Two palace maids unfolded the painting and showed it to the king and everyone present.

"Ms. Li, you are worthy of being called a talented woman in Kyoto. Your painting skills are superb. Every blade of grass and every tree is vivid and lifelike. Enjoy! Hahaha..."

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of it!" Li Yunmeng thanked the emperor for his grace. Her every word and action showed the demeanor of a great man and no one could find any fault with her.

The eldest prince was a painting lover. After seeing Li Yunmeng's painting, he took a second look at this beautiful and elegantly dressed woman. He never expected that there was a woman with such great painting skills in Kyoto.

The Queen naturally did not miss the admiring look that the First Prince cast on Li Yunmeng. As the eldest daughter of the Grand Tutor and also famous for her talent, Li Yunmeng was a perfect match for the First Prince!

The Queen smiled and took note of it silently in her heart. She would invite Miss Li to the palace alone another day to have a chat and find out her thoughts and conversation. I'm sure that her eldest daughter-in-law would be found.

It turns out that more banquets need to be held to give the princes the opportunity to interact and get to know these young ladies, so as to help them find a good match.

In the past, the eldest prince had no interest in these royal banquets. There were other princes there to support him, so he would just show up and then return home. In his opinion, no matter whether it was a royal banquet or not, it was not as important as his paintings.

The Second Prince and the Third Prince were not in Kyoto today, so he had no way to leave. However, he discovered an unexpected surprise at the banquet.

It is said that it is difficult to find a true friend in life, and it is even more difficult to find a soulmate throughout the ages.

After the banquet, the Queen called the eldest prince to Funing Palace and said, "My son, there are many young ladies from wealthy families at the banquet today. Do you have any favorites?"

When the eldest prince heard the queen ask this, Li Yunmeng's voice and smile suddenly came to his mind, but they had only met from a distance before today and had no communication, so the eldest prince didn't know what Li Yunmeng's wishes were.

"My dear mother, I have a deep impression of Miss Li, but I wonder if she has someone she likes."

The queen smiled. It was rare to hear her eldest son praising a young lady. "Don't worry about this. I will find out everything for you. I am also very satisfied with this young lady Li. You both love painting. If you can become a good match, you will definitely live in harmony after marriage."

"Yes, thank you mother for your approval!" As for the matter of marriage, if the object is this Miss Li, then the eldest prince does not seem to be so resistant.