The Empress chatted with the adults in the room, while she went out of the palace to get some fresh air, where she met Leng Han.
They had worked together before, and he had even sent her a basket of cherries the day before, so her impression of him was quite good.
Upon seeing her, Leng Han walked up with a smile, raising the soft whip in his hand and shaking it in front of her twice: "Want to try this whip?"
Yu Meng, seeing her favorite weapon, was delighted: "Okay!"
The two of them ran off together, and Helian Jinli, who brushed past her, frowned almost imperceptibly.
At that time, the Empress in the palace was introducing her mother to Zhao Jiaqi: "Mother, this is the Regent's Consort. The girl who just went out is the County Princess."
Prime Minister's wife, Leng Bai Shi, stepped forward with a smile to greet her, but Zhao Jiaqi helped her up: "Prime Minister's wife, no need to be so formal."
Leng Bai Shi rose gracefully and was quite appreciative of Zhao Jiaqi's tact. She figured her daughter wouldn't be too bad either.
"I've heard so much about the Consort's reputation. Meeting you today, I see you are indeed intelligent and generous. You've even managed to train the County Princess so well. She's as capable as any man, truly a family of generals."
Zhao Jiaqi: ...
This was the first time she had heard such high praise.
A family of generals? It seemed only her daughter was interested in such a title; her two sons had no interest whatsoever.
Seeing the Prime Minister's wife desperately trying to find topics of conversation, she couldn't possibly offend her. So, she humbly defended herself: "Prime Minister's wife is too kind. My daughter is at most all show, and still falls short compared to Young Master Leng. To call us a family of generals would be too much."
She understood the implications of being called a "family of generals." Such a high honor could lead to all sorts of speculation.
While it wouldn't involve the crime of overshadowing the sovereign, it could still attract envy, which would be problematic.
Leng Bai Shi saw her expression change rapidly and immediately understood the situation. She quickly changed the topic.
Soon, some of the ladies present became familiar with Zhao Jiaqi and began inquiring about the County Princess and her two sons.
To dispel any lingering notions about her children, she replied directly: "Yu Meng is still young, and I have no plans to find her a husband yet. Besides, I promised my daughter I wouldn't interfere with her marriage, so I'm quite relieved in that regard."
"As for my two sons, they are even more worry-free. Even the title of Heir apparent in the manor is a burden in their eyes; neither of them wants to be the Heir apparent. So, the Regent's intention is to let them do as they please. If neither of them inherits the throne, we will find a capable person to take over!"
The ladies were all shocked to hear the Consort's words, finding them hard to believe. She smiled.
Soon after, she dropped another bombshell: "Of course, it's also possible that a daughter will inherit the throne, and we might find a son-in-law to marry into the family. However, the possibility of that is quite high."
At this, those who had intended to marry their daughters to her son or marry her County Princess quickly abandoned their thoughts.
Their sons not inheriting the throne, but a daughter inheriting it and taking a son-in-law into the family – it didn't sound auspicious, and their initial enthusiasm quickly waned.
Pinting entered the palace and overheard her sister-in-law's bold pronouncements, which also shocked her. But upon further reflection, she suspected it might not be entirely true.
She sidled up to her sister-in-law and pulled her away from the crowd, asking, "Are you really going to keep Yu Meng at home?"
Zhao Jiaqi winked at her and whispered, "If I didn't say that, do you think those women would leave me alone?"
Seeing that her sister-in-law wasn't actually planning to pass the throne to Yu Meng, Pinting breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, thank goodness. Otherwise, Yu Meng might end up alone for life."
But as soon as she said it, she felt something was amiss: "Then, if you say that, who will dare to marry Yu Meng in the future? Aren't you harming your child?"
"Have you ever seen a mother harm her child? I'm just trying to screen some of the people who want to marry my daughter."
Pinting was confused and asked with a dreamy look, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Jiaqi began to count on her fingers to explain: "Look, those who don't want to be son-in-laws will naturally give up the idea of marrying. This unconsciously filters out half of them."
The remaining individuals would be of two types: either they genuinely liked her, or they were after power. It would be much easier to filter out these two types later.
Pinting found this reasoning quite sound and decided she would find a son-in-law this way in the future.
The two of them chatted happily, both believing it to be a perfect plan.
They had a bit of tea and a few pastries at noon, which served as lunch, but Pinting and Zhao Jiaqi were starving.
They were very particular about their three meals a day. Since there was no lunch at the palace banquet, everyone was waiting for the banquet to begin in the afternoon, when they would serve proper food.
They would eat, enjoy music, drink wine, and watch the dancers' alluring performances.
As time passed, the banquet finally began.
The Emperor and Empress descended from the front, followed by a retinue of consorts.
Seated below the Emperor was the Regent. Following him were Bai Li Fengge, the Crown Prince of Xuanyuan Kingdom, and Helian Jinli, the Crown Prince of Dingbei Liao.
When she looked at the person seated beside her, she was suddenly startled. What was he doing here?
Bai Li Fengge was also startled when he saw her. They both saw shock in each other's eyes.
He reacted quickly and nodded at Zhao Jiaqi, as a form of greeting. This was seen by Fan Zehao, whose eyes, sharp as knives, shot towards Bai Li Fengge.
Elegant and handsome, with fair skin – in his eyes, he was just a pretty boy. With that, he withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.
His wife didn't like pretty boys.
"Do you know that person?"
As he spoke, everyone in the hall rose to their feet, respectfully welcoming the Emperor and Empress, shouting "Long live!" and other such exclamations.
Zhao Jiaqi rose with Fan Zehao, turned sideways to face the Emperor and Empress, lowered her eyes to glance at the person beside her, and nodded slightly: "Yes, we met once at Lover's Lake."
"Why didn't you mention it!"
"He was an insignificant person, nothing worth mentioning. I just didn't expect him to be the Crown Prince of Xuanyuan Kingdom."
They spoke in low voices, while above them, Huangfu Xi's gaze had already swept over. After a brief glance, he smiled and waved to everyone: "All my esteemed officials, please be seated."
The Emperor's opening remarks were quite lengthy. The Empress, sitting on her phoenix throne, had to maintain her dignity despite her pregnant belly, which must have been exhausting for her.
In contrast, Consort Mei sat below her, eating and drinking as if the banquet had nothing to do with her. Her composure was excellent.
Fan Zehao helped her to her seat. This scene, observed by the other ladies, and contrasted with the attitude of the man beside them, filled them with jealousy.
The lengthy and tedious pleasantries finally concluded, and the vassal states presented their precious flowers.
The first to come forward was Xue Kingdom, presenting a snow lotus. The snow lotus was grown in a large planter, which was a sight none of them had seen before.
Even Yu Meng couldn't help but ask, "So this is what a blooming snow lotus looks like? It's so beautiful. But why don't we have them here?"
"Aren't snow lotuses usually medicinal herbs? Don't they need to be preserved with ice to maintain their freshness after picking? How can they survive when brought here?"
Zhao Jiaqi understood her husband's words. He seemed to think that snow lotuses could only grow and bloom in icy, snowy environments, and would die in a climate as warm as spring.
So, she educated the father and daughter: "Snow lotuses are resistant to cold and have high humidity requirements, but they are not too demanding in terms of sunlight. Therefore, as long as the humidity in the soil and the temperature are suitable, they will grow and bloom."
"So, does that mean snow lotuses can also be cultivated?" Fan Zehao's mind immediately conjured images of fields of snow lotuses growing, and money flowing into his coffers like water.