CHAPTER 1139: CHAPTER 1118: SURGING

Manbao and Mingda sat side by side, curiously looking across to see the familiar Crown Prince taking his seat in the first position opposite, and the Third Prince and several other princes also taking their seats one after another. Interestingly, seated directly across from them were the Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince.

Since they had just interacted, they were quite familiar with each other, so the Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince directly looked past Mingda towards Bai Shan and the others, making faces and playful gestures at them.

There was no helping it, they were the only boys in that cluster of princesses.

Bai Shan also felt that their seating was very conspicuous and scratched his head in distress.

Seeing this, the Fifth Prince immediately stood up, ran over, and pulled him saying, "Come on, what’s the fun sitting here? Come sit with Sixth Brother and me."

The palace attendants in charge of their tables immediately moved their seats over.

Bai Shan glanced down at Manbao, who nodded slightly, and the three of them followed the Fifth Prince.

Since the Fifth Prince seldom left the palace, he was quite curious about the outside world. The imperial city was still acceptable, but when he heard that Bai Shan and his friends came from Jiannan Road, his and Sixth Prince’s interest grew even more.

The five of them simply gathered together and started talking in hushed voices.

The Fourth Prince had been titled Prince Guangping and his fief was in Xiangzhou. He had returned after receiving the imperial decree from the emperor to celebrate the birthday.

Seeing his two younger brothers looking enviously at the three boys they didn’t know, eager to go out and play immediately, he shook his head and laughed.

Being a feudal prince felt free at first, but once you were actually there, you understood that it was just so-so; staying in the imperial city was actually better.

Because as a feudal prince, especially one who was a son of the current emperor like him, he was not allowed to leave his fief freely.

Oh, his uncle couldn’t either.

Staying in Xiangzhou or nearby for a lifetime, even visiting the neighboring brother’s fief required prior reporting to the court, so it was better to stay in the imperial city.

At least the imperial city was large, and being close to his parents, if he really wanted to go out, a little act of coquetry might just get him the permission.

He glanced at his two carefree younger brothers, then turned his head to look at his eldest brother, the Third Prince, who was older yet hadn’t received a fief, and sighed deeply.

Such is the difference in life.

The Second Prince had also returned from his fief, his appearance was simple and he was a straightforward person. He had just sat down, poured some wine, first made a toast to the Crown Prince and then to the Third and Fourth Princes.

The Fifth and Sixth Princes were still young, but even at their age, they could drink alcohol, so the Second Prince treated them equally and poured them a glass as well.

After everyone had drunk, he then noticed Bai Shan and the other two sitting behind the Fifth and Sixth Princes. After looking at the three young men and noting that they all had a fine manner, especially Bai Shan who stood out, he smiled and asked: "I have long been away from the capital and do not recognize these young noblemen. Who are these young lords?"

Bai Shan looked at Yin Huo and seeing that he was hanging his head, knowing that he didn’t want to, nor could he drink, stood up with a smile and bowed down to salute, "Greetings Prince Anping, this young man is Bai Shan, this is my cousin Bai Cheng, and this is the son of the prefect of Jingzhao, Yin Huo."

The Second Prince turned to Yin Huo and uttered a surprised "Oh" before smiling and asking, "Has Young Lord Yin Huo recovered from his illness? Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, when did you become friends with Yin Huo?"

The Fifth Prince said cheerfully: "We just became friends."

The Second Prince was about to ask more when the sound of drums came from outside, he immediately knew that it was his father and the others coming this way, so he quickly stopped talking and returned to his seat.

However, it was not only the Second Prince who noticed Bai Shan and the others; many people in the hall noticed them to some extent.

Old Madam Yin was sitting not far from Manbao’s side, and she glanced at her grandson sitting behind the Sixth Prince, letting out a sigh of relief.

She was reluctant to bring Yin Huo to the palace because, no matter their status outside, once inside the royal palace they were merely subjects. If Yin Huo had an official status, it would naturally allow him to be seated early, but if not, even if he entered with her, he would have to sit across at the men’s seats during the seating. If bullied at that time...

Old Madam Su and Liu Huan’s grandmother also noticed them, slightly surprised by their seating arrangement, then chose to pretend not to know and started conversing with the people next to them.

At the men’s table, many people were discreetly observing the three young men seated at the head, as well as Zhou Man, who was sitting next to Princess Mingda.

Princess Mingda was the Emperor and Empress’s youngest daughter and was exceptionally favored, intelligent, and well-aware of the larger picture, endearing herself to many high officials.

Seeing her sitting with a commoner raised some eyebrows.

Wei Zhi overheard a colleague whispering to someone nearby, "I heard the Empress Dowager’s health has recently improved significantly. Seeing Princess Mingda closely interacting with this young doctor, it seems the rumors are true."

"Despite her young age, could her medical skills truly be that formidable?"

"It’s always possible; some people are born with unique talents. You can’t compare. Did you see that the younger son of State Duke Pi also arrived today?" his colleague chuckled, "Remember how he was carried back? We both saw his condition then."

"It’s truly like he snatched back his life from the king of hell."

"It must be because he is young. I heard that Imperial Doctor Ji suffered quite severe injuries and is still bedridden."

"The Eastern Palace is too brutal, resorting to hacking people over a mere failure in treatment. After all, he was a fifth-rank imperial physician."

"That is excessively brutal."

Wei Zhi frowned and coughed heavily, immediately silencing the discussion behind him.

Lord Tang, sitting beside him, turned, gave a slight smile, picked up a jug of wine, sat next to him, and poured a cup of wine, softly asking, "Was this your idea?"

Wei Zhi, with an expressionless face, replied, "I’m not foolish enough to pick today of all days."

Lord Tang slightly relaxed, "Then it shouldn’t be today."

Wei Zhi nodded slightly; the emperor would not choose today to discomfort the Empress Dowager. Today was likely intended to give Bai Shan a chance to show himself.

Zhou Man was already sufficiently famous, had entered the palace, and even gained some reputation; now only Bai Shan was left.

It remains unknown from which angle His Majesty intends to utilize Bai Shan.

Wei Zhi lifted his cup and drank it in one gulp.

Lord Tang looked up at Bai Shan’s party, then returned to his seat.

They were all unaware that in one corner, a young man was staring upward, glancing between Manbao and Bai Shan, rubbing his eyes and focusing again to ensure he wasn’t mistaken, then his eyes widened in surprise.

Ji Xiang was happily chatting with his colleagues. Occasionally, he looked back at his grandson, who was staring intently diagonally upward, and followed his gaze, then discreetly coughed.

Ji Hao was still lost in thought.

Unable to help, Ji Xiang raised his eyebrows and tapped on his table, warning in a low voice, "What are you looking at Princess Mingda for?"

Ji Hao came to his senses, "No, I wasn’t looking at her."

Ji Xiang hummed softly, could he not recognize if he was looking or not?

He looked up, frowning. At that moment, the eunuch announced the arrival, and the Empress Dowager and others arrived.

Ji Xiang quickly joined everyone in standing up, kneeling to offer birthday blessings to the Empress Dowager. The auspicious phrases to be recited were all designed early in the morning and had been meticulously instructed by the servants as they entered.

Manbao, too, had been instructed, so no one made mistakes this time, though even if one or two did, it wouldn’t be noticeable because the correct voices were loud, drowning out any errors.

The Emperor, smiling, dismissed their formalities, and the Empress Dowager, delighted, also dismissed the formalities. Everyone stood up, only then noticing it was the Prince of Yizhou supporting the Empress Dowager, currently still standing by her side.