The Palace Banquet is held in the imperial garden. Although still in winter, one can feel the warmth of spring for the ground is covered with thick soft carpets besides the burning-coal here and there.
The concubines are seated on the left-hand of the Emperor, who hasn"t arrived yet. But most of the princes have already come except the second prince and the crown prince.
Along the way to the garden, An Ruiyi talks a lot with Li Wanrou pulling her by the hand. Nowadays the situation is in favor of the second prince, who is also popular among the unmarried daughters of n.o.ble families.
When talking about the crown prince, An Ruiyi gives a sigh slowly, "The crown prince could recite the Three Character Primer at the age of three, and write poems at the age of four; he killed the enemy on the battlefield at ten, and became a renowned general at twelve. Unfortunately, he fell ill suddenly six years ago and he has not always been in good spirit ever since. It is a pity that he is a total wreck now with only a nominal t.i.tle of the crown prince."
But, Li Wanrou has seen Nangong Chengde, the crown prince, recently and knows that he is not a wreck at all. Instead he is a shrewd man with a deep mind and he is very powerful as well. Even Li Wanrou would feel scared when meeting him, and be frost-bitten when talking to him, for he is just an ice.
When they are seated, Madam Zhao comes over and pats the hand of Li Wanrou with a forced smile, saying, "I didn"t expect that you are so good at interpersonal communication on such an important occasion."
Now the people around all turn their eyes on both of them, and Li Wanrou rises up, with a demure and respected smile, to serve Madam Zhao a cup of tea personally, saying, "What I do or say here all represents the dignity of the Mansion. Naturally I"ll be more strict with myself in order not to be a burden on you. Otherwise, I won"t be a filial daughter of yours."
Madam Zhao frowns slightly and sighs, "Of course you are the most filial one. But there are many rules in the Palace, and remember not to wander around."
Sitting next to Li Wanrou, An Ruyi, who is frank and outspoken, cannot wait any longer to join their conversation with a fast delivery of her speech, "Wanrou behaves with the utmost courtesy to others so that nothing could go wrong. Come and have a taste of this good wine unique in the Palace, which is a tribute from the western regions. This wine is only available at every year"s Palace Banquet."
Li Wanrou nods apologetically to Madam Zhao and comes back to sit beside An Ruyi, raising her wine to toast with her, whispering, "Don"t worry." "I hate to see the arrogant faces of villains who are holding sway and Madam Zhao is such a person. Her daughter, Li s.h.i.+fu, is strikingly the same in this way as her mother, and both of them have eyes on the backs of their heads," says An Ruyi with her hands waving carelessly. All of a sudden, she freezes, as if her mind were in a trance and her face blushes.
Following her eyes, Li Wanrou instantly stops her breathing: a man in a black robe embroidered with gold is approaching with a kind of unspeakable affinity. His features are handsome, with a smile, sharp but gentle eyes. He is a man with an inborn elegant gesture.
d.a.m.n it! Itis Ouyang Rongji!
Li Wanrou"s cheerful smile slowly turns into a dark and gloomy face, which is so cold that it makes one shudder. The look in her cold eyes is as sharp as the blade of a knife. The corners of her mouth curve into a cold and terrifying smile. She could feel her own blood boiling and clamoring. She wants to kill that man, but not now! She wants Ouyang Rongji to pay for the lives, for the life of her poor child, and for the life of her own that would not come back, with his blood!
Just then, with a glance at the people being seated, Ouyang Rongji instantly meets the cold and gloomy look of Li Wanrou"s eyes and he raises his eyebrows with interest. Never before has anyone dared to look at him with such straight, cold and gloomy eyes. This girl, with a strange face, does not look like conflicting with him. But he feels that she has so much hatred that she would tear him to pieces.
Li Wanrou manages to hold her anger back by putting her long fingernails into the palm of her own hand and biting her tongue with her teeth until it bleeds. When she calms down by degrees, she returns a courtesy but with a distant smile.
Ouyang Rongji sneers in his heart, thinking she is just another woman trying to get his attention, and the cold and gloomy look on her face is only a little trick which will not deceive him.
An Ruyi"s eyes are following Ouyang Rongji all the while with keen expectations. Seeing this, Li Wanrou could not help having compa.s.sion for her. She has seen countless women infatuated with Ouyang Rongji, those of whom with clever tricks, like herself, can be left to the end but are doomed to death, and those with inferior tricks cannot live for a long time.
In Ouyang Rongji"s eyes, women are only divided into two types, one is useful, and the other is burdernsome, who are good for nothing but have to be wiped out.
She remembers that Ouyang Rongji once had a concubine who was as beautiful as a fairy. At that time, he slept with the beauty almost every night. The beauty also tried her best to love and care for him.
But Ouyang Rongji killed the beauty with his own hand while they were making love only for the purpose of cutting off his own affection and shrugging off his own weaknesses.
Li Wanrou shakes her head, "Do you adore the second prince?"
"Shh! Nonsense!" An Ruyi denies but her earlobes secretly turn crimson, giving herself away. She looks nervously around and finds no one notices them. She gives out a sigh of relief quietly.
"The second prince is genteel and graceful, and has real power in his hand. The number of girls from n.o.ble families who want to marry him is countless. He will not choose me...," An Ruyi says with gloomy eyes, a drooped mouth and a heavy sigh.
Noticing every change of An Ruyi"s facial expression, Li Wanrou decides not to tell her her real intention before she is sure that An Ruiyi is her ally, for she cannot afford to be a loser. Therefore, she smiles without saying anything.
"Here comes His Majesty! Here comes the Empress!"
On hearing the two voices, all present put down their drinks and snacks and rise up to salute respectfully the Emperor and the Empress.
When all the people are seated and begin to toast to one another, Li Wanrou"s eyes keep falling on Ouyang Rongji either by accident or on purpose, but what she is thinking about is Nangong Chengde.
Since they parted that day, Li Wanrou has not seen Nangong Chengde again, as if in fact there is no relations.h.i.+p between both of them except for the jade pendant which he has not taken away. Between Nangong Chengde and Ouyang Rongji, who is cruel and merciless, Li Wanrou wishes Nangong Chengde would be the winner in the battle for the throne.
The Emperor has eleven princes. Except for the youngest one, none of them is not ambitious. It is said that the crown prince is seriously ill and bedridden. He is said to have difficulty to survive the illness, who should naturally not be regarded as the outstanding one among the princes.
Li Wanrou sighs quietly, and once again concludes that good people could not live long, but those who have done bad things live the longest. Why is that?