Spring Festival Banquet

Spring Festival Banquet

Jiang Chaoyu took a breath, and as if to encourage herself, slowly approached Zeng Chenhua. She first helped him up, and after he stood up, she turned her back to Zeng Chenhua and grabbed his arms, preparing to carry him on her back. However, she couldn't manage it despite using a lot of strength, and instead aggravated her previous wound.

Zeng Chenhua quietly looked at Jiang Chaoyu, his face close to her neck, his breath tickling her neck, making her feel itchy, yet she couldn't push him away and tried to avoid him.

Zeng Chenhua, who was being carried on Jiang Chaoyu's back, had almost recovered his strength. He was fully aware of Jiang Chaoyu's little tricks, and seeing that she really couldn't carry him anymore, he changed his mind and said, "Never mind, I see you're injured too, so you don't need to carry me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu released Zeng Chenhua's hand without hesitation, not even allowing Zeng Chenhua to regain his balance before letting go. Zeng Chenhua, caught off guard, nearly stumbled. Jiang Chaoyu inwardly cheered, finally free from carrying Zeng Chenhua. He hadn't realized his strength was diminished by his injury, but then wondered how Zeng Chenhua had known, given how well he had concealed it. Despite these thoughts, he didn't show them on his face.

"Your Highness is joking. I didn't do anything, so how could I be injured?" Jiang Chaoyu tried her best to cover it up, but seeing Zeng Chenhua stagger, she still subconsciously wanted to go and support him.

Zeng Chenhua brushed aside Jiang Chaoyu's hand that she was trying to help him up, and instead looked directly at her. His gaze seemed to see right through her, which was unsettling. He said, "The smell of blood on you hasn't faded yet. It must have just ended not long ago."

Hearing his answer, Jiang Chaoyu gently sniffed herself to see if she still smelled blood. When the scent reached her nose, she realized it was indeed there. She hadn't expected Zeng Chenhua to be able to smell even that. Could it have drifted over when she was near him?

Thinking of the fugitive from before, Jiang Chaoyu felt remorseful and realized that her martial arts skills still needed improvement, otherwise she wouldn't even be able to detect the sneak attack and would have been injured.

Before Jiang Chaoyu could speak, Zeng Chenhua tossed her another bottle of medicine. "This is for treating injuries. Take it orally for a few days and you'll be fine."

Responding to his years of martial arts training, Jiang Chaoyu caught the medicine Zeng Chenhua threw to him. After hearing what Zeng Chenhua said, he looked at the medicine in his hand and realized it was the valuable Qili San. He thought to himself, "As expected of the royal family, they use such precious pills right away."

But at this moment, it was like a hot potato in her hands. She originally wanted to refuse Zeng Chenhua's kindness, but Zeng Chenhua's next words made Jiang Chaoyu's actions seem more acceptable, so she accepted it without feeling guilty.

Zeng Chenhua looked at Jiang Chaoyu and said softly, "You are my savior. I have no way to repay you except this."

Seeing him say that, Jiang Chaoyu thought it made sense. She almost failed to complete the mission when she met Zeng Chenhua before, so now she could accept it without any guilt.

Then Zeng Chenhua looked at the jade staff in Jiang Chaoyu's hand and said, "Since you are already injured, I cannot trouble you. I hope that you will return my jade staff to me, and I can leave on my own."

Jiang Chaoyu had intended to take the jade staff without anyone noticing, but she was still seen. Helpless, she could only reluctantly return it, her eyes still fixed on the jade staff she had handed over. She also kindly reminded Zeng Chenhua, "Then the Second Prince should be careful by himself."

"Compared to me, the Second Miss is even more concerned about her own safety." After receiving the jade staff, Zeng Chenhua quietly left. Now that he had already exposed his leg in front of Jiang Chaoyu, there was no need to hide it anymore.

Watching Zeng Chenhua's departing figure, Jiang Chaoyu felt that Zeng Chenhua had been faking it, making a fool of her like a clown. Then, she sighed, thinking how she should have taken the jade staff without anyone noticing, but alas, she had failed.

It seems we have no choice but to give up and think of another way.

After returning, Jiang Chaoyu didn't take on any missions during this time. Instead, she focused on improving her martial arts skills, even though she was often covered in injuries. Of course, she was also very grateful for the two bottles of medicine Zeng Chenhua gave her. She used both external and internal medicine, which is why Xu Ninghui was always surprised that she recovered so quickly from the injuries she suffered.

However, Jiang Chaoyu only said it was because of different physical conditions and did not reveal the fact that Zeng Chenhua gave her the medicine. Even now, Xu Ninghui still believes that Jiang Chaoyu's body is strong and that she has not noticed anything wrong.

A month later, the spring breeze arrived, ushering in the spring banquet in the capital. To celebrate the arrival of spring, the imperial family specially invited the children of officials of the fifth rank and above to a viewing platform outside the capital for the banquet. The imperial family had specially set up the platform there, where one could see the archery range and the polo field side by side.

The observer is in a superior position, watching every move below.

Around the viewing platform, temporary tents are scattered in an orderly fashion, and inside they are filled with exquisite snacks and fine wines for guests to enjoy.

Meanwhile, high-ranking officials, nobles, and literati from the capital arrived with their families, carriages arriving one after another, creating a lively and bustling scene. Guests, dressed in their finest spring attire, their vibrant colors contrasting beautifully with the surrounding verdant lawns and blooming spring flowers, all welcoming the arrival of spring.

Stepping off the carriage, she looked around. Jiang Chaoyu had come with Jiang Yuyao. Knowing that her father had agreed to her purpose in going, Jiang Chaoyu had taken medicine beforehand, which caused a rash to appear on her face. Therefore, she could only show her face with a veil today.

After glancing around, Jiang Chaoyu lowered her head and followed behind Jiang Yuyao, trying not to attract attention, before taking her seat.

The banquet began with everyone raising their glasses in a toast to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Then, the exciting event officially began. On the archery range, the dashing riders were already mounted on their horses, longbows in hand, arrows nocked, ready to fire. With a command, the horses galloped off, and the riders, with agile movements, drew their bows and released arrows that flew like meteors towards the bullseye. The crowd watching from the observation deck erupted in cheers from time to time, applauding the riders' superb skills.

Meanwhile, on the football field just a wall away, the atmosphere was equally lively.

Two teams, each composed of the sons of high-ranking officials and nobles, dressed in crimson and bright yellow robes respectively, were vying for the prize on the grass.

They ran like the wind, passing, dribbling, and shooting with perfect teamwork. The small football spun nimbly beneath their feet, as if it had come to life.

At this moment, the stage was divided into two teams. One team was paying attention to the situation on the archery field, while the other team was cheering for the people on the football field. The surrounding audience cheered and encouraged them, pushing the atmosphere of the entire banquet to a climax.

Archery, horseback riding, and Cuju (ancient Chinese football) – these activities were incredibly fun for Jiang Chaoyu on the stage. However, she noticed that one player on the Minghuang team was exceptionally skilled at Cuju, but unfortunately, he was the only one who was good at it; some of the others couldn't even keep up, which meant they would lose sooner or later.

Watching a game is incomplete without some snacks. Jiang Chaoyu looked at the snacks on the table and noticed a green one. She figured it must be a qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumpling). The moment she picked it up and took a bite, she first felt the soft and chewy outer skin, like a gentle breeze on her face in spring, followed by the smooth and sweet red bean paste.

As expected of the imperial chef, the taste is truly extraordinary. Jiang Chaoyu noticed that no one was paying attention, so she put her hands behind her back, holding a green rice dumpling. Seeing that Cui Cui was too engrossed in watching the competition, she called out, "Cui Cui, Cui Cui." These two calls successfully brought Cui Cui back to her senses.

Cui Cui looked at Jiang Chaoyu in confusion, while Jiang Chaoyu simply said, "Look at my hand behind my back." Jiang Chaoyu thought it was delicious and wanted Cui Cui to try it too.

"Quietly, pick it up and stuff it into your mouth." This was the method Jiang Chaoyu had taught Cuicui to sneak a bite. Sure enough, after Cuicui looked around to make sure no one noticed, she picked up the qingtuan, covered her face, and ate it.

The moment Cui Cui took a bite, she realized how delicious it was. "Miss, it's so delicious!"

Seeing that Cui Cui said it was delicious, Jiang Chaoyu was also happy and placed the plate of snacks on her left side so that it would be convenient to take them away later.

There were five kinds of snacks on the table. Two of each kind were to be saved so that Jiang Chaoyu and Cui Cui could eat them together in their room later. After making up her mind, Jiang Chaoyu watched the football match below while enjoying the other snacks.

When Zhu Hong's team won the first game, Jiang Chaoyu clapped and cheered. Just now, while checking if anyone was paying attention, she noticed that Jiang Yuyao wasn't in her seat, and after looking around, she couldn't find her anywhere.

She looked up and asked Cuicui, "Cuicui, where's my sister?"

Upon hearing what her young mistress said, Cui Cui also realized that the young mistress was missing, and her maid Qing Qing was also not by her side. Just now, she had found the scene downstairs quite interesting and had become engrossed in it for a moment.

Seeing Cui Cui shake her head, Jiang Chaoyu assumed they hadn't been gone long and were probably busy with something. Therefore, Jiang Chaoyu stopped caring about Jiang Yuyao's whereabouts and simply waited for her to return.

Just now, Jiang Chaoyu was unaware that her act of sharing snacks with the servant had been seen by others. She thought she was being particularly careful and that no one would see her.

A moment later, a woman stood before him, dressed in a light green brocade dress with flowing clouds, and wearing a gold and pearl butterfly hairpin. She looked somewhat simple, but her presence was not overpowering.

Jiang Chaoyu, who was familiar with the daughters of various noble families, saw a stranger standing in front of her with a butterfly ornament on her head. She guessed that this must be Princess Xu Huanong, who had been staying at home to recuperate for a long time.

Seeing her standing in front of him, he had no choice but to lead Cuicui to bow and greet the Princess.

Her words startled the other person, who quickly asked, "Oh, this is only my first time attending a large banquet. How do you know I am the Princess?"

When the princess asked her, Jiang Chaoyu had no choice but to answer honestly: "Your Highness, I noticed that you have an extraordinary bearing and that the hairpin in your hair belongs to the royal family and is shaped like a butterfly. Therefore, I dare to guess that you are the princess."

Upon hearing Jiang Chaoyu's words, the Princess realized that it was her hairpin that had betrayed her. She smiled and was particularly pleased. "That's right. It seems that you are not as stupid as rumored. It seems that the rumors are half true and half false." She then sat down in Jiang Yuyao's seat.

"Your Highness flatters me!" Jiang Chaoyu listened to what the princess said, unsure whether it was a compliment or a criticism. However, she had never met the princess before and knew nothing about her personality.

Xu Huanong had already taken her seat. Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu was still bowing, she thought that he might be a little tired. "No need for formalities, please sit down."

"Thank you, Princess!" The moment Jiang Chaoyu stood up, she realized that her legs were a little numb, so she sat back down in the chair.

Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu was seated, Xu Huanong revealed her purpose: "I just saw you give the royal pastries to the maid behind you. Do you know that royal gifts are actually rewards, but you gave them to this little maid."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu realized the princess's purpose. Could it be that she was here to cause trouble for her? Before she could finish speaking, she saw Cui Cui kneel down before Xu Huanong, saying, "This servant was greedy and begs the princess to forgive me!"