Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

In the depths of winter, it is the Lantern Festival.

At the beginning of the new year, the whole country celebrates!

Within a year, Chu not only resolved the domestic crisis, but also reached the capital of Zhao and defeated the main force of the Yan army.

Unlike previous Lantern Festivals, today's Lantern Festival is presided over by the emperor himself and is on a much larger scale than before.

The day before the Lantern Festival, the palace began to be decorated, and various carriages continuously transported supplies into the palace.

On the day of the festival, the entire palace was decorated, and many tables and chairs were placed in the square outside the main hall.

The interior of the hall was no less impressive, with not only tables and chairs added, but also many seats arranged on both sides of the hall.

Such a grand banquet is rare.

As night fell, the city began to come alive, with lanterns hanging high, making the entire capital look like a bright pearl.

The flying Kongming lanterns are extremely gorgeous and rise into the sky carrying the blessings of the people.

From time to time, you can hear children crying because their Kongming lanterns fall.

At the gate of Prince Chu's Mansion, a purple carriage had been waiting for a long time.

Chu Ning brought Shen Wanying out of the palace.

Shen Wanying dressed up specially tonight, wearing a white long skirt with a purple cloak on the outside, and her hairstyle was tied up with complicated golden jewelry.

From a distance, he looked a bit more noble, which made Shen Wanying, who originally had a strong scholarly air, feel a little uneasy.

It was her first time to dress up, and she even walked carefully.

Chu Ning couldn't help but laugh when he saw this: "I rarely see you like this."

Shen Wanying frowned, "The Queen sent someone to tell me that I must dress up in the best attire from now on, otherwise I wouldn't dress like this."

"Then I can't help you."

Chu Ning laughed and took the initiative to help her into the carriage.

The sound of horse hooves drove the carriage towards the palace. When passing the street, Shen Wanying lifted the curtain and looked at the bustling street.

From time to time, there were shouts coming from the street, and vendors asking riddles were constantly shouting, creating a bustling scene.

A glimmer of anticipation flashed across Shen Wanying's eyes.

If her status did not prohibit her, she would also like to experience the excitement of the Lantern Festival like ordinary people.

Chu Ning noticed Shen Wanying's expression and couldn't help but smile: "Let's play again after the banquet is over."

Shen Wanying's eyes lit up: "Okay, I want to guess the riddle!"

As she spoke, she looked at Chu Ning with a playful expression: "Your Majesty won't refuse, right?"

Chu Ning's mouth twitched; "Don't think that's your strong point, maybe you're not as good as me!"

"Then we have a deal. The loser will be punished!"

"What punishment?"

"Wait until you lose!"

Amid the laughter of the two, the carriage arrived at the palace.

The palace gate was already deserted, and many officials came with their families to participate in the banquet.

Seeing Chu Ning and Shen Wanying coming out of the carriage, the officials bowed and saluted.

At this moment, Chu Ning returned with a great victory and destroyed the Xiahou family. Now he holds the recommendation quota and no one dares to offend him.

Chu Ning exchanged pleasantries with everyone before bringing Shen Wanying to the main hall.

At this moment, the Crown Prince and other princes had all arrived. Chu Ning greeted Shen Wanying and everyone else before going to their seats.

Perhaps it was because it was the first time that Shen Wanying dressed up, which attracted a lot of people's attention. The noble ladies in the court gathered in groups of three or four and talked about it.

Even the prince sitting in the first seat looked over here frequently, causing Ling Feiyan's pretty face to turn cold and expressionless.

Fortunately, after a moment, a shrill voice appeared and the scene became quiet.

"Your Majesty has arrived, and the Queen has arrived~"

When Zhao Ming's voice fell, the emperor appeared from the side hall holding the queen's hand, and everyone stood up and saluted:

"Greetings to His Majesty (Father), and to Her Majesty the Queen!"

The emperor smiled and gestured, "My dear ministers, there is no need to be so polite. Today is the Lantern Festival, and the whole world is celebrating. Please do not be too formal."

As he said this, the emperor pulled the queen to sit down.

Immediately afterwards, more than 30 women in gorgeous palace costumes came out from both sides of the side hall. They were of different ages and were the emperor's concubines.

The concubines who can enter the main hall and sit at the main seat are all concubines of the imperial concubine level. Other concubines who are not qualified cannot participate in the banquet.

The emperor has eighteen princes, so you can imagine how many concubines he has in his harem.

Everyone bowed again, and after all the concubines were seated, everyone took their seats.

Deng Hongwen, the Minister of Rites, clapped his hands at this time, and a group of singing and dancing girls came to the hall and danced to the music played by the musicians.

The emperor was very satisfied with the banquet. He chatted with the queen in a low voice and took a sip of wine from time to time.

Following the emperor's lead, all the ministers began to relax and toast each other.

Only after the dance was over did Deng Hongwen wave his hand to signal the singer and dancer to leave.

"Your Majesty, last year our dynasty enjoyed good weather and good harvests, and various places were rewarded. All the princes and ministers have gifts for Your Majesty."

It is customary to present gifts during the Lantern Festival.

The emperor laughed: "Yes, last year our dynasty was all thanks to Chu Ning. If he hadn't destroyed the main forces of Zhao and Yan, our dynasty wouldn't have been able to have such a scene!"

As he said that, he looked at Chu Ning and smiled, "I wonder what gift you brought for me, Chu Ning?"

As soon as these words came out, the prince's face suddenly became a little ugly.

According to convention, the prince should be the first to present gifts. When will it be Chu Ning's turn to present gifts?

The other princes also had different expressions at this moment. They were of course resentful that Chu Ning had stolen the limelight!

But in front of everyone, they didn't dare to say much. They could only stare at Chu Ning coldly, praying that Chu Ning's gift would not satisfy the emperor.

When the ministers saw this, they also quieted down and the scene suddenly became silent.

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows, knowing that the emperor was going to push him against all the princes!

It was a nice banquet, but there was someone playing tricks on him.

Fortunately, he was prepared!

Chu Ning sneered in his heart, took the initiative to stand up and bowed, and said with a smile: "Father, you have actually seen my gift."

The emperor was stunned: "When did I see your gift?"

Chu Ning pointed at the wine he had just drunk and said with a smile, "That's the wine you drank just now, Father!"

The emperor came back to his senses, looked at the wine in the glass, and couldn't help frowning.

On this day of celebration, this kid Chu Ning just gave some wine and that was it?

Hasn’t this wine been around for a long time?

Surprised, the prince sneered, "Eighteenth brother, you are too stingy. On the Lantern Festival, you only gave wine to the emperor!"

If I could seize the opportunity, I would definitely embarrass Chu Ning.

But Chu Ning shook his head and said with a smile: "Brother Crown Prince, you don't understand. This wine is usually produced in Liangzhou, where the temperature is high and suitable for growing grapes.

Moreover, this wine is brewed by this king using a special method. It tastes excellent and long-term consumption can beautify the skin.

Father is very busy and easily fatigued. Drinking a glass of strong wine at that time can help him stay alert."

The emperor took the opportunity to make things difficult for him, so he took the opportunity to promote his own things.

As the arranger of this banquet, the Minister of Rites Deng Hongwen is his man, so it is easy for him to get some wine for the banquet!

The emperor reacted immediately after hearing this.

It seems that I have fallen into the trap of that kid Chu Ning again!

How to break this game?