dognovel Chapter 145 Family Banquet
Chapter 145 Family Banquet
"I'm thinking that we're already engaged, so it would be a bit awkward to call you Miss Song, so can I call you Qian Ning from now on?"
Song Qianning felt uneasy when he stared at her. She said nonchalantly, "Ah? Oh! Whatever, it's just a name. There's no need to be so formal, Fourth Prince..."
After Murong Jingchu got Song Qianning's response, his eyes were full of smiles. He said: "Qianning, are you a little worried about the people you will face at the family dinner later?"
"Somewhat! After all, we don't know each other, and they are both powerful, so it's natural that we would be a little timid..."
In fact, what she wanted to say was that she didn't like it. What she wanted most was a free and unrestrained life where she could eat and sleep after having enough food.
It was inevitable that she felt a little resistant to suddenly being asked to attend a banquet, especially a high-end one.
"Qian Ning, don't be afraid. I'll take care of everything for you. No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side and solve everything for you. Just stay by my side and be at ease."
"Hehe~~ Fourth Prince, what you mean is that I can just walk sideways with you protecting me, right? Fourth Prince, you are much more righteous than my third brother. He always pushes me to do things when he has problems. It's rare that you are different. Good! From now on, I will rely on you, Fourth Prince..."
Murong Jingchu suddenly grabbed Song Qianning's hand and said seriously: "What I mean is that you don't have to be restrained in the future. I hope you can get used to me, just like you get along with your family. In the future, I will also be your family, a family that will accompany you until the end..."
Song Qianning was a little frightened by his sudden action. She pulled her hand back in embarrassment and said dryly: "Fourth Prince, you are suddenly so serious. I am a little uncomfortable with it..."
Seeing her awkward look, Murong Jingchu thought she was shy and didn't want to push her too hard, so he replied softly: "Then get used to it slowly..."
Song Qianning wanted to say something, but when she thought about the fact that she would soon follow Han Xun, she felt that there was no need to go against his wishes. After all, he had helped them several times before, and he would not live long. They could not be husband and wife, but they could still be ordinary friends...
Maybe he just regarded her as his marriage partner, so he wanted to cultivate their relationship before marriage and get more familiar with her to avoid awkwardness after marriage. After all, he is a prince and he should not like to hear unpleasant words.
After figuring this out, Song Qianning laughed and said, "I'll try my best..."
Murong Jingchu thought that there was still a long time to come, so there was no rush, just take it slow...
After driving for half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the palace. Because this was a family dinner, not only did the second prince and the fourth prince's fiancées attend, but the crown prince and the third prince who were preparing to have their weddings also brought their fiancées to attend.
All the princes and concubines were in place, even the Queen had arrived, except the Emperor and Concubine Chen, who were nowhere to be seen. Everyone was just waiting for the Emperor, the big boss, to arrive before the feast could begin.
With a loud shout: "The Emperor has arrived..."
The Emperor came late, holding the hand of Concubine Chen. Recently, the Emperor saw that Yan'er and the Fourth Brother's complexions had become visibly rosy, and he was so happy.
Especially his Yan'er, the more you look at her, the more radiant she seems. People are in high spirits when they are happy. This sentence is very appropriate for Concubine Chen. She has been in such a good spirits these days.
These days, whenever the emperor went to Yongfu Palace, she saw Concubine Chen smiling. Unlike before, when she always had a sad face because she was worried about the health of the fourth prince, and even he was easily distracted and absent-minded when he was in bed with her, now Concubine Chen was like a little goblin, seducing the emperor so much that he didn't want to leave.
During this period, he rarely looked at the names of other concubines, and he had never stepped into the Queen's Fengyi Palace before.
The emperor came in with Concubine Chen, and everyone knelt down to pay their respects. The emperor took Concubine Chen's hand and sat down, then said, "Everyone, stand up! Today is a family dinner, so there's no need to be so formal..."
The banquet officially began after the emperor took the throne. Princess Zhaoyang was afraid that her mother would feel uncomfortable after seeing the interaction between her father and Concubine Chen, so she kept finding topics to divert the queen's attention.
Xiao Jiayi, who was sitting next to the Third Prince, and Si Yao, who was sitting next to the Crown Prince, looked at each other. Xiao Jiayi's eyes were full of mockery, and Si Yao, not to be outdone, looked back with a look full of provocation.
It turned out that the two of them had just met on the road. Si Yao had changed her usual flattering look and looked arrogant, saying some provocative words, which made Xiao Jiayi so angry that she wanted to tear her face apart.
But later the prince couldn't stand Si Yao's petty behavior anymore, so he left quickly. This made Xiao Jiayi happy, and she mocked Si Yao for being just a future princess with a vain title and no one to welcome her.
She deliberately walked past Si Yao and said, "You haven't even gotten married yet! The Crown Prince looks down on you so much, I guess your position as Crown Princess will only be in name only, right?"
After Xiao Jiayi finished speaking, she left happily, leaving Si Yao stamping her feet on the spot. It was only when the maid beside her reminded her that the prince had gone far away that she hurriedly chased after him.
The prince was drinking alone and didn't even bother to look at Si Yao who was sitting next to him. I wonder how the Earl's Mansion raised his daughter? Qi Yao exuded a petty and successful aura.
The third prince drank alone. When he thought that Xiao Jiayi, who was sitting next to him, would be his principal wife in the future, he felt a headache. Although his principal wife had a much stronger family background than the crown prince, Xiao Jiayi was famous for her willfulness and capriciousness. Moreover, it was clearly she who seduced him that day. Until now, whenever she saw him, she accused him of being shameless and drugging her.
This was simply a blatant slander. No one knew what his father was thinking at the time. He refused to summon the imperial physician to confront him, which resulted in him being sneered at by that shrew Xiao Jiayi whenever she saw him. If it weren't for the fact that she was the princess of the Prince Huai's Mansion, he would not have tolerated her like this.
It was obvious that she wanted to have a way out for both sides. She wanted to marry the prince, but also wanted to seduce him as a backup. Her plan was disrupted by her father's catching her that day, so she thought of the trick of framing him so that he would feel guilty about her and obey her.
She was dreaming. She was a fickle and restless woman. There was no guarantee that she would not cheat on him after marriage. When the Third Prince thought of this, he became even more upset. He was so blinded by her that he could not control himself. It was such a mistake that he regretted it for the rest of his life! !
Unlike the strong smell of gunpowder at the other two tables, Song Qianning and Song Qianxue glanced at each other, and their intention to run away was obvious...
Song Qianxue - Third sister! I don't like this dull place.
Song Qianning - Don't look at me, you talk as if I like it very much.
Murong Jingsheng put the yam and jujube paste cake in front of Song Qianxue and said, "This is a cake made by the imperial chef. Try it. Although the cakes made by the chefs in the opera house are delicious, this one is not bad either."
Song Qianxue was still exchanging glances with her third sister, but was interrupted by the second prince, so she had no choice but to pick up a piece and take a bite.
"how??"
"It's just... uh! It's okay! It's delicious..."
Song Qianxue really wanted to say that it was not as original as what Ba Bayi and the others had done, but then she thought that this was the imperial palace, so she didn't dare to say anything nonsense.
Murong Jingsheng knew what she wanted to say, so he leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Let's go to the opera house to eat if we have a chance..."
Song Qianxue wanted to say that it was the old nest of her, her third brother and her third sister, and they could go there anytime, so they just needed to wait for him. But when the words came to her lips, she remembered that he was a prince, and she couldn't say anything about him like she did to Song Qianyu. In the end, she could only hold back and say, "Okay! I'll go with the second prince again if I have a chance..."
Song Qianning watched the interaction between her elder sister and the second prince. How could it be like the idol drama where they get married first and fall in love later? When she thought of this, her eyes lit up.
Murong Jingchu thought that Song Qianning envied the relationship between the second brother and her sister, so he put a bowl of bird's nest in front of Song Qianning and said, "Try it, this is the new bird's nest that just arrived recently. Don't worry, we will get along as well as your sister in the future..."
Song Qianning's mouth twitched and she chuckled. She didn't dare to look at him. She picked up the bird's nest and drank it attentively.