jdhmnovel Chapter 97 Empress Dowager's Birthday Banquet
Chapter 97 Empress Dowager's Birthday Banquet
The Empress Dowager ascended to a high position.
Immediately afterwards, the musicians and dancers from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices dressed up as fairy maidens, holding peach blossom branches.
Wandering through the sacred mountains, her robes fluttering, she resembled a fairy on water, and in a daze, she seemed to rise straight into the sky and float among the blue clouds.
The emperor laughed heartily, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
The courtiers below watched with rapt attention, all praising it.
Even the more reserved female guests in the women's section kept nodding.
The Empress Dowager looked at everyone with a smile, "Hearing this flute music is like listening to celestial music."
"But I wonder who composed this piece?"
The emperor replied, "It was Zilan who specially invited him to make this for everyone."
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction.
Whispers broke out below.
"It is rare for His Highness Prince Jing to have such filial piety."
"Your Highness Prince Jing is so young, yet you have such refined taste."
"How many people born into royalty can be bad?" someone chuckled.
The emperor first raised his wine cup to the Empress Dowager and said, "Your Majesty, I wish you a long and healthy life, like the spring breeze of Penglai Island."
The Imperial Noble Consort, sitting to the left of the Emperor, smiled and rose to say, "Empress Dowager, I wish you a long and prosperous life, like the rising sun."
The Empress Dowager accepted the gift, and Gu Yuan, who was below the steps, also stood up. "Grandson wishes Grandmother a long and happy life, and that her health and happiness may last forever."
Then Gu Liang stood up and said, "Grandson wishes His Majesty a long and healthy life, as well as a kind and gentle breeze."
With the two princes taking the lead, the courtiers and women all rose to offer their congratulations, and for a time, the sounds of voices filled the air.
The Empress Dowager smiled warmly and said, "Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities. Please return to your seats."
The noisy banquet then quieted down slightly.
The Empress Dowager looked at Gu Yuan and said, "Haha, you have put a lot of effort into this spectacle, but it has also burdened the people. Such extravagance should not be allowed in the future."
"Your grandson obeys." Gu Yuan bowed his head slightly.
A moment later, the eunuch's loud voice rang out from outside the main hall.
"Wei Zhuo, the new emperor of the Northern Barbarians, has arrived!"
Everyone looked up, somewhat surprised.
He walked gracefully, dressed in a white brocade robe, his gentle features as calm as a spring river.
Wei Zhuo stepped forward and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, who were in high positions, saying, "Greetings, Empress Dowager of Great Yan, Your Majesty."
"Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday. I have come uninvited, only to offer my birthday wishes, and have no other intentions."
"May the Empress Dowager enjoy the brilliance of the Southern Star and be blessed with a long and healthy life."
The emperor's expression was complicated, but he forced a smile and said, "Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday. Brother Wei has come from afar, so there's no need for such formalities."
"Come here, give me a seat."
Jiang Zhi paused, the candied fruit she had just brought to her lips, and her gaze fell on Wei Zhuo.
Jiang Zhi had seen this person before. In his previous life, he was the crown prince of the Northern Di and a famous healer named Wei Zhuo.
Now the new emperor of the Northern Barbarians.
In her previous life, it was because of Wei Zhuo that the Great Yan lost face and even sent Princess Zhaoyang to the Northern Di for a marriage alliance.
He claims to have no rivals on the chessboard.
I heard that all the suffering Gu Liang endured in the Northern Barbarian lands was because of him.
Wei Zhuo's purpose in coming to Yanjing this time was to arrange a marriage between Princess Zhaoyang and the government, so that he could control Yanjing.
Princess Zhaoyang was innocent and straightforward in both her past and present lives, and her feelings for Yu'er in her past life were beyond words.
Wei Zhuo's chess skills are only good for a cursory glance, not for meticulous refinement.
Just as everyone was rejoicing, Wei Zhuo stood up and bowed to the Empress Dowager with a beaming smile.
"Empress Dowager, today is your birthday."
"I have heard that in your Yanjing, there are countless noble ladies and talented men from prominent families, whose talents are also of the highest caliber, especially the four great female talents of Yanjing."
"In poetry, songs, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially Go, no one can rival him."
As the saying goes, Go is a game of chess, a game of strategy.
"I am quite interested in having a competition with everyone here."
As soon as Wei Zhuo finished speaking, whispers filled the hall.
Jiang Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the previous life, the Great Yan suffered a crushing defeat, sending Princess Zhaoyang to the Northern Barbarians. Within a few months, she died.
No one knows how much she suffered in a foreign land.
The Empress Dowager seemed to have already discerned Wei Zhuo's purpose in coming, and smiled, "How was the outcome?"
Wei Zhu chuckled, "The Empress Dowager is indeed wise."
"I once met Princess Zhaoyang in your country by chance, and we hit it off immediately. I have come here today to seek a marriage alliance with Great Yan."
Zhao Yang immediately stood up from her seat, "Grandmother, Father, your granddaughter will not marry!"
The emperor frowned, looked at Zhaoyang, and said in a deep voice, "Zhaoyang, sit down first."
He looked at Wei Zhuo with a calm expression.
Wei Zhuo was straightforward and didn't mince words.
However, the current situation with the Northern Barbarians does not allow him the opportunity to refuse directly, so he can only take a roundabout approach.
"I've heard that Brother Wei's skills are superb, and he has yet to meet his match. It seems that this is a hopeless situation."
Wei Zhuo said casually, "Could it be that there's no one left in Yanjing?"
"Or is it that the powerful families of Yanjing are all just empty names, unable to even break my game?"
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly as he pondered for a moment.
Meanwhile, Gu Liang was leisurely enjoying her meal.
He glanced at him unintentionally, remembering the inhuman abuse he had suffered in the Northern Barbarians, and how he had even returned home feeling unwell.
He was heartbroken.
The emperor looked at Wei Zhuo and said, "Since that's the case, Great Yan will accept this situation."
"No!" Gu Yuan walked to the center of the hall. "Father, this is unacceptable!"
"Since it's a dead end, no one can solve this game. This is clearly a trap set by the Northern Barbarians!"
"The Northern Barbarians are far away and the mountains and rivers are high; Zhaoyang cannot marry them!"
The emperor lowered his eyes to look at him, "What you say is not without reason."
"But there is no other way now."
The emperor's gaze fell on Gu Liang. "What do you think, Ji You?"
Gu Liang smiled and said, "Of course. Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, we still walk towards them. At worst, we'll just skin the tiger."
Jiang Zhi looked at Gu Liang, who was also looking at him, their gazes shifting.
He was the kind of person who could say those words.
Gu Liang picked up a piece of square cake, put it in her mouth, and looked at Jiang Zhi opposite her.
Before the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, the prince consort told him that Wei Zhuo would be coming.
As expected, his purpose was clear: he also wanted Bai Xiaotang to find out the flaws in his chess game.
Who would have thought that the two of them would run into each other?
At present, its national strength is not enough to shake the Northern Di Wei Zhuo.
He scoffed, "Today's Great Yan is not the Great Yan of the past."
Wei Zhuo's expression hardened as he saw Gu Liang's arrogance, and his fist clenched slightly under his sleeve.
When the Northern Barbarians were destroyed, he escaped, but his entire Wei family suffered heavy casualties.
He gazed at Gu Liang. "Then let's begin."
"I hope that you in Yanjing can find some useful people."
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager exchanged a glance.
Immediately afterwards, a chessboard was placed in the center of the hall.
Wei Zhuo slowly walked to the chessboard and sat down.
“We also have quite a few chess players,” the emperor said.
"I'll go first," said Li Shan from the Imperial Academy, standing up.
Li Shan's chess skills were among the best in Yanjing (Beijing).
Jiang Zhi recalled the scattered fragments of his past life and was certain that he would lose this round.
As expected, he was unable to solve the problem after half an hour.
Jiang Zhi vividly remembers this seemingly hopeless game.
After the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, Princess Zhaoyang was forced to marry far away. However, she, who had loved chess since childhood, repeatedly studied this chess game and found its flaws.
There are three weaknesses in the game; if an outsider is not careful, they will fall into the trap of the game.
In this life, she is determined to use this game of chess to save Min Youxiang.