In the blink of an eye, it’s the third of March, and the Sui capital is bustling with carriages and horses. One can see the exquisite carvings and noble carriages heading towards the west of the city everywhere.
The carriage of the Crown Prince’s mansion also departed early this morning.
The banquet will be held continuously for several days and they cannot returned in the middle. Everyone, including Emperor Sui and Empress Yan, will spend the night in the Qushui Palace by the Qushui River. Therefore, in addition to the necessary items for travel, it is also necessary to bring bedding and some daily necessities.
Ji An started cleaning up with the palace attendants from the private courtyard two days in advance. The palace was surrounded by water, and there were many mosquitoes and insects. Sui Heng was afraid that his Wai Shi’s delicate skin couldn’t bear it. Thus, he specifically asked Ji An to prepare bed curtains, mosquito repellent, and other items. He also asked Shi Fang to go to the Imperial Medical Academy to prescribe many emergency pills.
Jiang Yun has nothing to worry about. He still stays indoors or in the pavilion to read books on weekdays. When the day comes, he takes his book case and gets on the carriage, going with the flow.
Sui Heng was responsible for security matters, especially the safety of Emperor Sui, so he had to closely follow the imperial guards and not join with the Crown Prince’s mansion.
Jiang Yun was happy and relaxed.
Sui Heng left Shi Fang and Fan Qi to follow the Crown Prince’s mansion’s carriage and left them with a group of soldiers. He also made an exception and pardoned Gao Gong the night before departure, allowing him to perform meritorious deeds and follow Ji An to the palace to serve.
After all, Gao Gong is Empress Yan’s person, there is no problem with his loyalty. The palace environment is complex, and Sui Heng is not confident in entrusting Jiang Yun to someone else to take care of.
Gao Gong was naturally grateful and wished he could show all his loyalty to Sui Heng. Along the way, he even competed with Ji An for the crude task of serving tea and pouring water.
There’s needless to say about Fan Qi, although he’s reckless and simple-minded, but what Sui Heng single-handedly brought out was the kind of soldiers that will fight to their death to protect their master in critical moments. Sui Heng instructed him to protect Jiang Yun like he protected his master, and if anything goes wrong, he will take his head.
Qushui is located at the foot of Mount Li, winding like a moat, surrounding most of the Sui capital city. Qushui is not only a place for hiking and leisure, but also a gathering place for literati and scholars. Every spring, even if it is not during the Spring Banquet period, many literati and scholars come here together to recite poetry, compose poems, and drink for fun.
Thousands and hundreds of carriages, coming from all directions, finally converged into a long dragon after entering the boundary of Mount Li. The mountain passes were difficult and dangerous, so it was inconvenient for the carriages to move fast, and when they traveled to a narrow place, they would inevitably get stuck together.
“Young Master, look, that seems to be the carriage from the Crown Prince’s mansion.”
Inside a low-key and gorgeous carriage, the attendant suddenly pointed out the window and said to Yan Qi, who was sitting upright.
Yan Qi was originally focusing on writing an article quietly. Upon hearing the words, the tip of the brush paused, and he followed the servant’s direction. Not far ahead, he saw a group of cavalry dressed in black armor with scimitars on their waists guarding a carriage with a black color stopping at the roadside.
Obviously, it’s also because of the congestion here.
Soldiers who have been to the battlefield are full of cold and fierce aura, ordinary guards cannot be compared. Moreover, the Qinglang Battalion has a reputation for being an organization that can stop a child from crying. The front and rear carriages knew that it was the carriage of the Crown Prince’s mansion, so they all wisely avoided from a distance.
The servant said strangely, “Isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince riding along with the imperial chariot? How come the carriage of the Crown Prince’s mansion has also come over? His Highness has not yet taken a concubine and should not have a family.”
Yan Qi’s gaze paused, and he said, “His Highness naturally has his arrangements.”
The servant’s eyes rolled back. “How about this servant go down and ask for some water for Young Master to drink?”
Yan Qi didn’t speak.
The servant understood and pushed open the carriage door, quietly walking down to the carriage of the Crown Prince’s mansion. He respectfully said, “I’m a servant in the Prime Minister Yan’s mansion. I was in a hurry just now and forgot to bring water. Can I ask His Highness for a cup of water for my Young Master to drink?”
Ji An and Gao Gong stood at the front.
The two exchanged glances and Ji An said, “His Highness is not here. We need to consult with our Young Master about this matter. Please wait a moment.”
The servant stretched his neck to look and saw Ji An turn around and walk to the carriage door. He bent down and said something. Before long, a corner of the carriage door opened, and a fair, jade-like hand stretched out from inside.
Handing Ji An a cup of clean water.
The spring sun was bright, but the carriage was dim. The servants were far away and could only see a faint and elegant silhouette. However, just a fleeting glance is enough to amaze people.
The servant took the water with great gratitude and returned to the carriage of the Yan’s mansion, then reported to Yan Qi, “This servant has found out that the person sitting in the carriage was not His Highness the Crown Prince, but a young gentleman. The two stewards of the Crown Prince’s mansion respectfully referred to him as the ‘Young Master’.”
The servant set aside the collected water.
Because he knows that his Young Master won’t drink water from outside.
Yan Qi hesitated for a moment, nodded, and said, “I understand.”
**
In the afternoon, the carriage officially arrived at the Qushui Palace.
Ji An and Gao Gong led the palace attendants to transport items and tidy up the room, while Shi Fang and Fan Qi inspected the nearby terrain and arranged for defense.
The Qushui Palace is very large, with hundreds of chambers, each of which is divided into two or three small rooms, enough to accommodate hundreds of people living together.
Sui Heng, as the Crown Prince, naturally had a separate residence with over ten thousand people below him. Other princes and princesses, except for the adult second and third princes, lived in Qixia Palace with Emperor Sui and Empress Yan.
Ji An and Gao Gong handled affairs efficiently and quickly tidied up the palace.
Jiang Yun tidied up his bookshelf and sat down for a while before Sui Heng came in. Because he had to ride a horse, he didn’t wear a brocade robe and jade belt as usual today. Instead, he was wearing a black armor suit, and his black hair tied up high, athletic, and sharp, making him appear taller with longer legs. He is also more handsome, with a cold and imposing demeanor.
Jiang Yun still wears a light robe with strap belts.
Sui Heng hugged him directly from behind and asked, “How is it? How was the trip?”
His armor was so cold and hard that it hurt Jiang Yun a little. And with this sharpness, he became more like an aggressive wolf. Jiang Yun nodded. “It’s alright.”
“Then it’s good.”
Sui Heng lowered his head and kissed his little lover’s fair cheek, saying, “Let Ji An serve you something to eat first. Later, Gu will come and pick you up for the banquet.”
Jiang Yun obediently nodded.
Knowing that the schedules for the Spring Banquet and the Liushang Banquet are not quite the same, the first day is to play and drink, and only the second day will the competition officially start.
Sui Heng: “You give Gu a kiss too.”
Jiang Yun frowned at him.
He still wants to embarrass him in broad daylight.
Sui Heng raised his eyebrows, “If you won’t kiss, Gu will take you out and kiss you in front of all the guests.”
Jiang Yun had no choice but to twist over, wrap his arms around his neck, and kiss him on one cheek. He ended up getting picked up and kissed a full three times before giving up.
“Now that’s a good boy.”
Sui Heng touched his face with satisfaction and left.
The banquet was held in the evening, and in the evening, Sui Heng indeed returned and walked out of the palace with Jiang Yun towards the place where the banquet was held.
The dinner was held outdoors, directly facing Qushui.
The emperor and ministers of the Sui Empire sat in the front. The Guozhu and ministers of all the subordinate states, including the five states in Jiangnan, are sitting in the back half. Jiang Yun saw many familiar faces, including Jiang Yuping, the Guozho of the Jiang Kingdom, and the elderly, Guozhu of the Chen Kingdom, who traveled thousands of miles from the Chen capital in order to participate. In the case of the Kingdom of Luo, Wei, and Yun, the Crown Princes led their respective public ministers to participate.
Chen Qi did not stay with the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu and instead sat among the subordinate of the Crown Prince’s mansion, and next to him was the main general of the Ginglang Battalion, Xu Qiao.
On the Sui Empire’s side, all three prime ministers, namely Jimo Qingyu, Yan Bing, and Han Xiao, were present. Jimo Qingyu was sitting in the first seat on the left, and Yan Bing was sitting in the first seat on the right, facing each other across the air, followed by their respective disciples. The difference was clear, just like the usual confrontation in court.
Behind Yan Bing, there were two rows of the Yan family’s disciples dressed in the Yan family attire. They are either famous talents or important officials holding important positions in the court.
Behind Jimo Qingyu were only a dozen or so personal disciples. They were uniformly dressed in green scarves and plain clothes.
Although there are few people, no one dares underestimate the status and influence of Jimo Qingyu. In this era, the left was honored, and the Sui Empire established the Left and Right Ministers. Strictly speaking, the position of the Left Minister, Jimo Qingyu, was higher than that of the Right Minister, Yan Bing.
Jimo Qingyu was also the only legitimate disciple of the late great Confucian scholar Jimo Hong, and he held a high position in the hearts of Confucian disciples and literati. If it were not for this, thousands or even hundreds of scholars would not squeeze their heads to join Jimo Qingyu’s as disciples every year.
However, Jimo Qingyu has a very high vision and has hardly taken in any new disciples in recent years. And of the dozen or so personal disciples who were behind him, although many did not retire, most of them have already become famous worldwide with their outstanding talents. There were ten judges in the literary competition of the Liushang Banquet, nearly half of whom were disciples of Jimo Qingyu.
This is also one of the important reasons why people dare not offend Jimo Qingyu.
Jiang Yun didn’t want to be too ostentatious, so he directly asked Sui Heng to arrange an inconspicuous shaded corner for him to enjoy the scenery and drink. Sui Heng followed suit and only warned Jiang Yun not to drink excessively. And Shi Fang were left to watch over.
Shortly after, Emperor Sui arrived, and the emperor and his ministers spoke and laughed happily, raising their glasses and enjoying themselves.
The subordinate countries each presented carefully prepared gifts for Emperor Sui.
The banquet was all hard dishes. Jiang Yun stopped eating after having a cup of wine and a piece of pastry. At this moment, a palace attendant suddenly came over and bowed to Jiang Yun, saying, “His Highness, asked this servant to summon the Young Master to the riverbank to admire the scenery.”
Shi Fang first asked, “Do you have any proof?”
The palace attendant quickly took out a token from his sleeve.
After Shi Fang verified it, he turned to Jiang Yun and said, “It is indeed His Highness’s token.”
Jiang Yun nodded and left the banquet with Shi Fang. When he was led by the palace attendant to the riverbank, he saw two figures standing under the slender willow tree, and the water was filled with lotus lanterns. One with hair tied high and clad in black armor, obviously Sui Heng. The other was wearing a crimson official robe and a jade belt. It was Yan Qi, who had had a brief encounter with Jiang Yun before.
Jiang Yun raised his eyebrows.
The palace attendant was obviously a bit confused, unsure of what the situation was.
Shi Fang frowned and said to Jiang Yun, “Since His Highness has made an appointment with the Young Master, he will definitely not break the promise. It’s likely that someone stopped him halfway.”
Sui Heng was indeed stopped halfway.
He turned around, and his gaze sank when he saw Yan Qi, who had suddenly appeared at this place.
“How did you know that Gu is here?”
Yan Qi gave a light salute without answering. Instead, he looked at Sui Heng quietly for a long time and said, “If Your Highness is blaming this minister in his heart, there’s also no need to… use such a way.”
“What way?”
“That young gentleman from Jiangnan, Your Highness brought him back just to show this minister, right?”
The air was so quiet for a moment that one could even hear a pin drop.
Sui Heng looked at him and suddenly sneered out loud.
“Who do you think you are? Are you worth being targeted by Gu?”
“Yan Yushi, you’re getting a little too full of yourself, aren’t you?”
The blood on Yan Qi’s face swished dry.
He moved his lips and said, “Your Highness needs me to win the Spring Banquet for you, isn’t that right?”
“You’re overthinking.”
Sui Heng tugged at the corner of his mouth as if he had heard a joke: “Gu doesn’t need anyone.”
