Knowing that she had to accompany Jiang Sui to the palace for the return banquet, the mood that Ji Kongqing had managed to relax over the past two days instantly vanished. What remained was only confusion and panic regarding an unfamiliar environment.
After Cui Zhu and the others brought up the return banquet, she had already acted out an entire season of Empresses in the Palace in her mind.
Cui Zhu seemed to sense Ji Kongqing’s unease and couldn’t help offering a word of guidance: “Your Grace need not worry. At that time, you just need to follow Her Highness closely. Her Highness will tell you if there is anything needed.”
Ji Kongqing understood her meaning. To put it bluntly, it meant she had to behave herself and listen to Jiang Sui.
As long as she could preserve her little life, she would let herself do whatever was asked.
Ji Kongqing quickly comforted herself and made thorough psychological preparations.
On the day of the return banquet, Ji Kongqing was awakened by Ruyi during the Chen hour. Groggily, she began to wash up and dress. By the time she fully woke up, she had already changed into the Qilin robe that Cui Zhu and the others had sent over yesterday.
Looking at her spirited self in the red official robe reflected in the bronze mirror, Ji Kongqing couldn’t help feeling somewhat dazed.
Turns out she was truly dead, and she had truly transmigrated to ancient times.
“Your Grace looks wonderful.” Ping’an’s voice pulled Ji Kongqing out of her daze. She had never seen anyone as good-looking as Ji Kongqing. Seeing Ji Kongqing look at her, she couldn’t help blushing slightly.
Ji Kongqing found her reaction rather amusing: “Neither yesterday nor the day before did I hear you praise me. Clothes really do make the person. Once dressed up, everyone praises me for looking good.”
“No, no, Your Grace, you look very beautiful on ordinary days too,” Ruyi said with a smile, waving her hands as she praised Ji Kongqing.
“Your Grace, Her Highness is urging you,” Cuilan’s voice came from outside the door.
“Coming right now,” Ji Kongqing nodded, tidying up her collar before pushing open the door and stepping outside.
Cuilan, who was waiting outside the door, couldn’t help a flash of amazement in her eyes upon seeing Ji Kongqing.
On the way to lead Ji Kongqing to the front gate to meet Jiang Sui, Cuilan was still whispering complaints in her heart: This husband’s appearance is still passable; at least this point is worthy of her own Her Highness.
Yet only this face was acceptable; everything else was utterly unpresentable. She still felt that Her Highness had suffered a great grievance by taking Ji Kongqing as a husband.
Stepping out of the Princess Manor, Jiang Sui’s exclusive and luxurious carriage was already waiting at the entrance.
Ji Kongqing stepped onto the mounting block, lifted the curtain, and locked eyes for the first time with Jiang Sui, who was also wearing a red robe inside the carriage.
Unlike the red robe on Ji Kongqing, this set on Jiang Sui looked high in texture and expensive at a glance.
Her robe was a high-saturation true red, embroidered with dragon motifs and phoenix patterns in gold thread across the chest. The workmanship was exquisite, with every single stitch revealing the superb craftsmanship of ancient embroidery.
Her hair was also coiled into an elaborate Kunze hair bun, adorned with a golden phoenix hairpin strung with pearls, and her ear pendants were gold-inlaid eastern pearls.
Jiang Sui, whose features were already striking, was set off by this attire until her skin seemed to glow. Paired with the light makeup on her face, the whole person looked even more regal and elegant.
Compared to those ancient beauties seen in modern television dramas, Jiang Sui completely surpassed them without exception.
Ji Kongqing had never seen a beauty of her type and couldn’t help staring for a few extra moments. Fearing that Jiang Sui would get angry, she didn’t dare look much longer. After sitting down opposite Jiang Sui, she turned, lifted the carriage curtain, and shifted her attention outside.
Jiang Sui was not unfamiliar with Ji Kongqing’s amazed gaze and was already accustomed to it. Finding that she tactfully looked away quickly, she suppressed her anger and let it go.
On the way to the imperial palace, the more Ji Kongqing looked, the more novel and excited she felt.
The ancient streets were extremely lively, lined with merchants peddling various snacks and desserts. People came and went on the road, making Ji Kongqing eager to join them.
Watching her act like she had never seen the world before, Jiang Sui rubbed the space between her eyebrows, a trace of disdain flashing through her eyes.
Ji Kongqing watched for a long time and remembered quite a few places, thinking in her heart to stroll around next time she had the opportunity.
In the original owner’s memories, the largest city in the Jiaming Kingdom was the capital, boasting the most comprehensive industries and the highest concentration of merchants.
Even if she couldn’t leave the city due to her status restrictions, this massive city was enough to help her pass the time.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the palace gates. The driver handed the palace entry pass to the guarding soldiers in accordance with the rules. After inspection, the two were permitted to enter the palace.
After entering the palace, the carriage traveled a distance further before stopping. Jiang Sui cleared her throat, signaling Ji Kongqing to follow her down.
Ji Kongqing lifted the curtain, waited for the driver to place the mounting block, and stepped out of the carriage.
Just as she stood steady, she felt her shoulder tapped from behind. Seeing it was Jiang Sui, she pulled up the hem of her skirt near her feet and signaled with her eyes for Ji Kongqing to reach out and help her down.
Ji Kongqing froze for a second, then immediately extended her arm. Seeing that she was reasonably tactful, Jiang Sui took hold of her arm and descended.
Palace maids who had been waiting for a long time stepped forward to guide the two toward the banquet.
The palace walls were very tall, resembling the ancient architecture Ji Kongqing had once seen: red walls with green tiles, carved beams and painted pillars, looking breathtakingly beautiful.
The palaces were staggered and well-arranged, progressing step by step from outside to inside along the central axis, embodying the hierarchical sense of royal architecture.
Passing through a long palace corridor, the two entered a palace named Zhanghua Palace. Low tables had already been arranged on both sides of the palace, laden with fruit.
Jiang Sui led Ji Kongqing to sit at the first table on the left, closest to the central elevated platform.
Opposite the two were a middle-aged man and woman dressed in equally luxurious attire, holding a young boy in their arms who looked to be only five or six years old.
Jiang Sui bowed to the two of them, and Ji Kongqing awkwardly followed suit. After the two opposite nodded and smiled, Jiang Sui sat down and introduced them.
“Those two opposite us are the Prince of Shao and the Princess of Shao. The Prince of Shao is Imperial Father’s own younger brother, and the Princess of Shao is Mother Empress’s biological sister. You may address them as Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt.”
“In private, you may call them Uncle and Aunt. That child is the young Prince, my cousin, and the only child of Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt.”
Jiang Sui gave a rare, lengthy explanation.
“I remember,” Ji Kongqing nodded.
Next, a few more people arrived. Listening to Jiang Sui’s introductions, they were all her half-siblings, except for a princess named Jiang Yi who shared the same mother with Jiang Sui.
She was also a Kunze, Jiang Sui’s younger sister, twenty-two years old this year, holding the title: Wuyang.
Ji Kongqing silently counted the number of people and found that Emperor Jiang Shirong had very few children and consorts.
There were three imperial noble consorts and one imperial noble husband; apart from them, there was no one else in the inner court.
Each of these imperial noble consorts and husbands had one child, making a total of six children including the one born to the Empress.
It was evident that the Emperor was quite fair to his consorts, spreading his favors evenly with one child each.
Once all the princes and princesses had arrived, the remaining attendees were maternal relatives of theirs whom Ji Kongqing did not recognize. Since Jiang Sui did not introduce them, she just glanced over them roughly.
By this time, Ji Kongqing noticed that the grand hall was very quiet. There were not many eunuchs and palace maids, nor were there any so-called ministers; it seemed to be a private gathering of the royal family.
When everyone had arrived, the Emperor, accompanied by the Empress and the four imperial noble consorts and husbands, ascended the high platform. The Emperor sat in the main seat, the Empress sat in the position beside him, and the remaining four sat on either side. The distinctions of honor and humility were clearly distinct.
Ji Kongqing peeked up at the platform and found that Jiang Sui still looked quite like her mother; beauty truly was mostly genetic.
After Emperor Jiang Shirong took his seat, everyone knelt and kowtowed. The Emperor flicked his sleeve: “Rise. This is a family banquet, so there is no need for excessive formalities.”
After everyone sat down again, a eunuch nearby shrilly announced: “Let the banquet begin!”
Palace maids began serving dishes, and the tables in front of the Emperor and Empress were soon filled with various pastries and dishes.
A personal eunuch took out a silver needle to test for poison, and then had the food-tasting maids eat each dish one by one. Only after confirming there were no problems did the Emperor and Empress pick up their chopsticks.
Once they moved their chopsticks, the people below dared to begin eating as well.
Much like a modern company meeting, after taking a bite of food, the Emperor began to speak: “Inviting everyone here today is primarily to celebrate Fenghua’s grand marriage. I wish for Fenghua and her husband to be of one mind and grow old together.”
“Thank you, Imperial Father.” Jiang Sui pulled Ji Kongqing up to raise her cup and drank it in one gulp.
Ji Kongqing drank a small cup of wine, secretly smacked her lips, and found that the ancient wine was not very high in alcohol content, but it was still somewhat spicy, which she wasn’t quite used to drinking.
After sitting down, everyone started chatting. Jiang Sui chimed in with casual remarks, while Ji Kongqing buried her head in devouring her food.
She had to admit that the imperial chef’s culinary level was truly exceptional. This roast chicken tasted amazing, the crab roe with fresh mushrooms was simply mouth-watering, and the pastries tasted great too, except the portions were so small that they vanished in a few bites.
Just as Jiang Sui finished chatting with others and lowered her head, she caught sight of the emptied plates on her table and instantly fell silent.
A snicker came from across the table, uttered by Concubine Yue’s son, Jiang Yu, who was one year younger than Jiang Sui and ranked second.
“Imperial Sister, is your husband not getting enough to eat in your manor? I have attended many palace banquets, but I have never seen anyone lick their plates so clean.”
Jiang Sui’s gaze grew colder, realizing that the harassment was beginning, and she prepared to open her mouth to retort.
Ji Kongqing beside her spoke up instead: “How could that be? With Her Royal Highness running such a massive Princess Manor, even if I ate until my stomach burst, I wouldn’t finish it all.”
“The reason I finished the banquet plates is that I recalled what Her Highness once said: Every single grain of porridge or rice requires us to remember how hard-earned it is.”
“Every grain of rice and every bag of grain we eat cannot be separated from the painstaking toil and meticulous farming of the common people.”
“As the children of Imperial Father, we should all the more lead by example, cherish food, and not casually waste or discard it. Otherwise, we would be failing the common people and failing the country.”
“Your subject finished eating the food earnestly precisely to put Her Highness’s words into practice.”
“Well said! Every single grain of porridge or rice requires us to remember how hard-earned it is. At today’s banquet, everyone must finish all the food on your tables today.” The Emperor was overjoyed, looking at Ji Kongqing with eyes full of approval. “Reward the husband with one thousand taels of silver.”
“Thank you, Imperial Father.” Ji Kongqing hadn’t expected that casually flattering someone could earn her money. Her previously slightly unhappy mood was immediately comforted by the sudden wealth, and she quickly bowed in gratitude.
After Ji Kongqing sat down, Jiang Sui cast a complex sideways glance at her, feeling some internal doubt: Didn’t Imperial Father say the fifth princess of the Qianniao Kingdom was a good-for-nothing? How does this Ji Kongqing look nothing like a fool?
Following the Emperor’s praise, Jiang Yu’s expression turned somewhat unsightly, and the expressions of others grew rather complicated as well.
Jiang Yu was extremely displeased because he had lost face, while the others were wondering if they could possibly finish all the food on today’s banquet tables since there was quite a lot of it.
Palace maids cleared away the empty plates from Ji Kongqing and Jiang Sui’s table and continued serving dishes.
At that moment, Jiang Yi, the younger sister seated to Jiang Sui’s right, began to fidget.
She quietly moved behind Jiang Sui and gently tugged on her sleeve.
Jiang Sui turned to look at her: “What is it?”
“Imperial Sister,” Jiang Yi said with a troubled expression, “what should I do? I am all alone and simply cannot finish it all. I am already too full to eat another bite.”
After finishing, Jiang Yi looked at Ji Kongqing with a reproachful expression.
Ji Kongqing blinked and offered a solution: “If you cannot finish it, you can take it back to your palace. As long as it is not wasted, His Majesty will not blame you.”
“That is true,” Jiang Yi’s eyes lit up, and she promptly sat back down.
Jiang Sui cast a light glance at Ji Kongqing and chuckled softly: “Your mind turns quite fast.”
“Thank you for the praise, Your Highness,” Ji Kongqing smiled, cupped her fists, and continued eating.
“Cough, cough.” A coughing sound suddenly erupted from across the table.
Immediately followed by the exclamations of the Prince and Princess of Shao: “Yu’er, Yu’er, what is wrong with you?”
Ji Kongqing looked toward the sound and found that the young prince opposite them was in trouble. His hands were clutching his neck, his face flushed red as if he were choking on something.
“Quickly summon the imperial physician.” The Emperor reacted swiftly.
The imperial physician waiting on standby at the banquet hurriedly rushed over with his medicine box, shouting anxiously, “Food is stuck in his airway! Quickly invert the young prince and pat his back.”
“If you do it that way, you will kill him!” Ji Kongqing strode forward quickly, shoved the imperial physician aside, placed her hands between the young prince’s navel and rib cage, put her left hand in a fist wrapped by her right hand, and tightened her arms rapidly.
After repeating the maneuver five times, she heard a retching sound, and the date pit stuck in his airway was coughed out. Jiang Minyu began to wail loudly.
Being able to cry meant he was all right. Ji Kongqing withdrew her hands, observed his complexion and breathing, and confirmed he was out of danger.
Ji Kongqing’s movements were so fast that the imperial physician had no time to stop her. By the time he reacted, the young prince had already been saved.
It was also the first time the imperial physician had witnessed such a method. He stood frozen in place, looking at Ji Kongqing in utter astonishment.
Meanwhile, looking at the white-haired old man before her, Ji Kongqing cast a gaze of slight disdain, thinking what a quack physician he was and wondering what kind of method he was using that was going to kill the person.
Just as she finished showing her disdain, a mechanical electronic voice suddenly rang out in her mind: Detected that the host has successfully saved a person. The hospital system has been activated, rewarding one newbie gift pack and successfully unlocking the system area: Pharmacy.