Everyone at the court knew unspokenly who the future Princess Consort of the Prince would be. The wife of the Minister of Personnel was practically grinning from ear to ear—her daughter was about to become the mother of the nation. She already planned to go pay respects to her ancestors.
Finally, by mid-afternoon, Prince An finished all the ceremonial procedures, and everyone headed to the Liangyi Hall for the banquet.
The Noble Consort had spent the whole day acting like an invisible ghost. Meng Wenyao tried several times to corner her for a word, but the Consort smoothly sidestepped each time, and with the crowd's constant chatter, it was impossible to get a moment alone.
It wasn't until Meng Wenyao sat down at her seat that she finally found a chance to speak to the Noble Consort.
"You look like a different person today. Who knew chanting sutras could actually change someone's entire demeanor?"
The Noble Consort smiled faintly, replying, "You'll have plenty of time to chant sutras yourself, little sister. Soon enough, you'll understand the benefits."
Her words were a sarcastic warning: tonight would be unlucky for Meng Wenyao, and from now on, the emperor would coldly ignore her—she'd better learn to rely on chanting to get by.
Before Meng Wenyao could reply, a loud announcement rang out: "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived! Prince An has arrived!"
Everyone rose in unison to bow. The Emperor sat grandly in the center seat, with the Empress Dowager's seat set a little lower to one side. Prince An took the first seat on the west side; the Noble Consort took the first seat on the east side; Meng Wenyao sat second on the east.
Because she was still a bit distant from the Emperor, Meng Wenyao and he could only exchange nods and polite smiles across the table.
The Noble Consort noticed the subtle exchange between the two and thought to herself: if those two can still smile like that later tonight, then their feelings must be genuine.
The banquet began. Courtiers toasted the Emperor, but all their praise was really for Prince An.
"The Prince has a noble character, a reflection of the Emperor's wise teachings."
"Royal blood runs in the Prince's veins, a true dragon and phoenix heir. The empire's future is secure."
"The Prince's sharp intellect is a blessing for all of us ministers."
Meng Wenyao glanced at the Emperor, who was downing cup after cup of wine, his expression darkening with each sip.
Yet everyone else seemed to find no fault with the praise—after all, the Emperor was childless, and naturally, the Prince was the rightful heir.
After the toasts came a series of performances from daughters of noble families.
First, the Minister of Personnel's daughter played a graceful tune on the zither, earning lavish praise from the Empress Dowager, who publicly gifted her a hairpin.
"This hairpin was given to me by the late Emperor when I first entered the palace," the Empress Dowager said pointedly.
Everyone looked at the Minister's daughter as if she were the future Empress.
Not to be outdone, the Minister of Revenue's daughter followed with a seductive dance that dazzled the onlookers.
Even Prince An couldn't help but exclaim in approval.
The Empress Dowager found herself in a dilemma: she favored the Minister of Personnel's daughter, while Prince An seemed drawn to the Minister of Revenue's daughter. How to choose?
For now, she decided to hand over the hairpin and let the final selection happen later.
"This hairpin was a gift from the late Emperor when I was pregnant with the Crown Prince," the Empress Dowager added, making her meaning even clearer.
Even the usually silent Noble Consort leaned over and whispered to the Prince's Consort, "Who do you think will become Prince An's main wife?"
Meng Wenyao glanced at the Emperor, who was downing one cup after another. If he got drunk, how would he cooperate with her plan tonight?
She summoned a young eunuch and instructed him to tell the Emperor to drink lightly—there was good news coming later.
The Emperor caught the eunuch's message and glanced at Meng Wenyao, noticing the worry in her eyes.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Prince An, but only his "Yao'er" showed constant care and concern for him.
A warm feeling stirred in the Emperor's heart, and he resolved to cherish her well tonight.
Prince An was still young. With everyone pushing drinks and beauties vying for his attention, he already fancied himself the next Emperor, shamelessly sneaking glances at the Noble Consort.
The Empress Dowager saw this and quickly ordered a eunuch to take Prince An outside to sober up.
No sooner had Prince An left than Rushen hurried over, whispering, "Your Highness, Second Miss has appeared wearing the same outfit as you and is coming from the Jiao Fang Palace."
Meng Wenyao looked after the disappearing Prince An. If he, in his drunken state, ran into Meng Wenxian—the Second Miss—those two together would be like a wildfire ready to explode. They could go at it for hours.
Clearly, the Noble Consort was scheming to have Prince An humiliate himself on his own coming-of-age ceremony—what a ruthless move!
"Sister?"
"Hmm?"
"Ah! Your dress is wet!"
Meng Wenyao spotted the Noble Consort approaching, holding a wine cup, clearly trying to stage a scene. Such an old trick—how adorable.
"Do you need to change?"
Meng Wenyao almost laughed. Every time her dress got messed up, some drama always followed. Did the Noble Consort think she had no brains?
"No need. A little wetness won't hurt."
Meng Wenyao stayed silent, and the Noble Consort paused, then sneered darkly:
"You don't know? Second Miss is in the side chamber. If you don't go, I'll kill her and have Prince An bury her with the child."
Meng Wenyao smiled, seeing through the trap: the Noble Consort wanted to lure her out, then catch her with Prince An, framing them for adultery. That would swiftly solve both their problems.
Even if Meng Wenyao didn't show up, the Noble Consort could lead others to catch Prince An with the Second Miss. With their matching dresses and similar looks, in the dark it would be easy to mistake one for the other.
Ten years in the harem meant the Noble Consort was no amateur.
Feigning fright, Meng Wenyao pleaded, "I'll go at once. Please have mercy, Noble Consort."
The Noble Consort grinned, almost moved to tears:
"Third door to the east. Your sister's there."
Meng Wenyao hurried off with Rushen, but just outside the hall, Rushen asked softly:
"Should we really go?"
"Of course not," Meng Wenyao replied. "If I don't show, the Noble Consort can't drag the crowd to catch us. We'll hide in the shadows and see what she does next."
After a while, a eunuch whispered beside the Noble Consort, "Your Highness, Second Miss hasn't appeared. I can't find her."
The Noble Consort snapped, "Keep looking! Once found, hide her and lure Prince An to meet Second Miss. As long as she doesn't show, the plan works just as well."
Then suddenly someone burst into the hall shouting:
"Great luck! Your Majesty, great luck! A phoenix has suddenly flown into the Imperial Garden from Shanglin Park. Please come see!"
Prince An just came of age, and such an auspicious omen delighted the Empress Dowager, who eagerly led the way out. The Emperor had no choice but to follow.
The ministers and consorts trailed behind to the garden to see the phoenix.
Meng Wenyao draped a plain cloak over herself and quietly followed.
After a while, they stopped as screams pierced the air.
The palace maids and eunuchs guiding the way saw movement in the bushes and, mistaking it for the phoenix, went to investigate.
Instead, they found a pair of Mandarin ducks entwined in passionate embrace, oblivious to the world around them.