Chapter 72 Birthday Banquet
Prominent families such as the Guo family and the Yu family, who were on good terms with the Zheng family, returned to their old homes to participate in the ancestor worship ceremony. Among them were many high-ranking officials in the court, and there were no less than a dozen of them.
There were also heavyweight figures such as the Regent, the Princess, and Prince Liang, and the most unexpected thing was that the young Emperor Xuan also quietly showed up.
Emperor Xuan was young and energetic and loved the hustle and bustle. Upon hearing that the Regent would attend Marquis Zheng's birthday banquet, he changed into casual clothes and mingled with the guests, wanting to experience the festive atmosphere of the people.
When Lord Zheng saw the emperor coming, he immediately led his entire family, young and old, to kneel and greet him.
According to the rules, concubines should not show up at such formal occasions. Therefore, the only female family members present were Old Lady Zheng, the principal wives Guo and Wang, as well as Su Wanyu, plus several legitimate and illegitimate daughters in the family. After the banquet began, they were arranged to sit on one side of the private room separated by curtains to watch the progress of the banquet.
As for the male relatives, except Zheng Yuanbin who was unable to attend due to insanity, all the other legitimate sons and illegitimate sons were present.
The emperor's gaze wandered among the scenes of people kneeling, and finally, unconsciously, stopped on the elegant figure behind the curtain - Su Wanyu.
Recalling the chance encounter in the hunting ground, her image was still as clear as ever in his mind.
Her face seemed to have inherited certain features from her father, while her aunt's charm was faintly revealed in her brows.
He couldn't help but think to himself that if his sister were still alive, she might also be as gentle as this.
The emperor's eyes gently passed over the eldest princess and focused on Su Wanyu again. He unconsciously stepped forward and said softly, "Get up, don't let the dust stain your clothes."
This action stunned Su Wanyu for a moment. After all, it was rare for the emperor to take the initiative to talk to a woman who lived a secluded life.
This young emperor, who ascended the throne under the protection of the powerful minister Gu Linjun, was arrogant and selfish. He always acted as he pleased without caring about the outside world's views.
Lord Zheng and Zheng Chengyan witnessed this scene with indescribable astonishment in their hearts. When did their daughter-in-law, who came from a merchant family, attract the attention of the emperor?
Seeing that Su Wanyu did not move, the emperor frowned slightly. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the regent in time: "Your Majesty, today is Lord Zheng's birthday, we should not disturb the banquet too much."
The emperor suddenly came back to his senses and withdrew his gaze from Su Wanyu, as if everything just now was just an illusion. He turned to Lord Zheng and smiled, "Lord, please stand up. I came here just to celebrate your birthday."
Lord Zheng bowed his head in thanks, but he felt mixed emotions: "Your Majesty, I am truly honored to have you personally come and bless me."
The emperor did not like red tape, so he waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for formalities and urged that seating be arranged as soon as possible.
As the emperor's sudden arrival was not anticipated, Lord Zheng had to make a temporary decision to give the seat originally reserved for Prince Liang to the emperor and the regent.
The emperor sat down with a smile on his face, but his eyes kept secretly glancing at Su Wanyu from time to time. The latter was immersed in the show that was about to take place and was completely unaware of all this.
As the banquet officially began, maids and servants busily shuttled around, presenting the dishes carefully prepared by the Zheng family one by one.
The first few dishes were normal, such as the delicious chicken soup and the delicate fish soup, but the subsequent dishes gradually deviated from the normal track, even to the point of absurdity.
It would be fine if it were just ordinary dishes, but what was served was some obviously rotten and spoiled food, the odor filled the air and was unbearable.
The braised pork trotters turned into disgusting rotten meat soup, the braised shark's fins turned into sour bamboo shoots with bean curd skin, and the dish that was supposed to be stir-fried chicken tongue turned out to be a pile of unappetizing duck intestines.
The ministers sitting below looked at each other, raised their chopsticks and put them down again, talking a lot.
"what is this?"
"Can I still eat it?"
"This smell is simply unbearable."
The princess also tried a piece of duck intestines. After smelling the strange smell, she frowned and asked Lord Zheng in confusion: "What's so special about today's birthday banquet? Why does it smell so strange?"
Lord Zheng was still immersed in the shock of the emperor's arrival. Upon hearing the words, he hurried closer and sniffed carefully, and indeed he discovered the pungent stench.
He used chopsticks to gently scrape away the surface, and found some disgusting food residues hidden underneath.
His face turned pale instantly, and he knew in his heart that entertaining the emperor with rotten food was a serious disrespect for the Changping Marquis's Mansion.
The emotions of the ministers also began to fluctuate, and voices of dissatisfaction rose one after another.
"Is Lord Zheng too honest to allow my family to be so poor? Since you can't prepare decent dishes, why bother to feed us with rotten food?"
"Yes, Lord Zheng, have we offended you in any way in the court?"
"If you have offended me, just tell me directly. Why embarrass us at the birthday party?"
"We came with expensive gifts and sincere intentions to celebrate the birthday, but we didn't expect this to be the result."
Wang, who was standing aside, was as pale as paper and her hands were shaking constantly.
It turned out that one hour before the banquet started, Su Wanyu quietly sent someone to check the kitchen. After some skillful operations, the appearance of those carefully prepared dishes was completely changed.
There was constant urging from the front hall, and the kitchen had no choice but to bite the bullet and serve these spoiled dishes on the table.
Someone once tried to hastily inform the old lady and Lord Zheng of the situation, but was stopped by two smart young men arranged in advance by Su Wanyu. They either pushed or persuaded them and successfully prevented the news from leaking.
At this moment, the two young men had long disappeared, leaving Lord Zheng alone to face this awkward banquet.
The emperor's face showed obvious displeasure: "Lord Zheng, are you not welcoming my arrival?"
Lord Zheng quickly led the whole family to kneel on the ground and explained anxiously: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Something must have gone wrong in the kitchen. I will send someone to investigate immediately."
After saying this, he gave a subtle look to Guo beside him, hoping that she could find a glimmer of hope in this chaos and save this birthday party that was almost out of control.
Wang's body was shaking constantly, her head lowered almost into her chest, her whole body curled up like a kitten shivering in the cold wind, even her breathing became cautious, for fear of attracting anyone's attention.
Seeing this, Mrs. Guo frowned. Although she was extremely reluctant, she could only swallow the bitterness. She straightened her back, led a group of maids, and hurried to the kitchen.
The bowl of bird's nest that Su Wanyu had tampered with in the morning was like a fire burning in her body, making her feel unprecedented heat and discomfort.
She struggled to support herself, and the moment she stepped into the kitchen, the scene before her made her rage surge.
The kitchen was filled with pots, pans, and utensils scattered all over the floor. The cooks were busy and the place was a mess.