Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 803 Banquet (1)

Chapter 803: Chapter 803 Banquet (1)

At the third quarter of the You hour, an inconspicuous carriage stopped at the palace gate. By then, several carriages had already pulled up, with others arriving continuously, all belonging to ministers in official attire, accompanied by their Ladies as they descended from the carriages.

Of course, each of these Ladies had an imperial command, for without it, no matter how high-ranking her husband’s position, she would not be qualified to enter the palace. As for the children of these officials, unless specifically permitted, they also had no right to attend the New Year’s banquet.

Therefore, when they saw the young and unfamiliar Mo Yan, the ministers and Ladies who had not yet entered the palace were quite astonished and privately guessed at her identity. However, being well-mannered people, they might have been surprised, but they did not stare rudely at Mo Yan.

A few ministers, who had seen Mo Yan at a court session, recognized her. Although Mo Yan had no real power, her rank level stood firm, so they approached with their Ladies to pay their respects, "This humble official (and the official’s wife) pays respects to Princess Hejia!"

Mo Yan did not recognize the couple before her, but seeing that the minister was dressed in the grade-four-official-cloud-wild-goose uniform, she bowed slightly in return, "Your Excellency and Lady need not be so courteous!"

In the whole of Great Chu, there was no second County Lord. The others quickly came to know Mo Yan’s identity. Even though everyone knew that this County Lord came from humble origins, no one dared to belittle her. After all, she had caught the eye of the Crown Prince and was the only County Lord personally bestowed by the monarch.

Everyone dared not neglect her and stepped forward to pay their respects.

Mo Yan, with a smile, responded to each greeting. She did not arrogantly flaunt her status, nor did she show the slightest discomfort. Her demeanor was graceful, her words and actions were just right, and no one could find the slightest fault; thus surprising some who had hoped to witness a blunder.

These points of etiquette had been practiced by Mo Yan in advance, for any mistake would have turned her into a laughingstock, and bystanders wouldn’t care if she came from a peasant family, considering ignorance of etiquette forgivable.

After the ministers and their Ladies left, Mo Yan sighed in relief and said to Lizhong, who had driven her there, "Grandfather Li, the banquet doesn’t end until the Zi Hour, which is a long wait. If you find it dull, feel free to take Da HongZao for a walk around the streets!"

The palace banquet started at the Xu hour and would not end until the middle of the Zi Hour. With only half of the You hour passed, there were still at least six hours left. But Mo Yan had forgotten that it was New Year’s Eve, when households keep vigil, and the streets were exceptionally quiet with hardly anything to see.

Lizhong didn’t point this out, and with a smile, gesturing towards a small group of coachmen chatting together not far off, said, "There’s not just Grandfather Li here. Chatting with them will make the time pass quickly, so go ahead without worry!"

Seeing this, Mo Yan quickly got back into the carriage and took out a bulging bundle, "Grandfather Li, I was worried you might be bored waiting, so I’ve prepared some roasted snacks for you. Share some with them later, there’s quite a lot!"

"It’s the Yan girl’s thoughtfulness that spares me boredom, haha!" Lizhong received the package with delight. Without opening it, he could already smell the delicious aroma of roasted pine nuts, mixed with the scents of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and ginkgo nuts.

Mo Yan smiled, advised Lizhong to keep warm and out of the wind, and then turned and entered the palace gate. Coincidentally, as a Little Eunuch stepped forward to guide her, Xiao Ruiyuan and Yan Junyu came in as well.

Yan Junyu, keen-eyed, spotted Mo Yan ahead and nudged Xiao Ruiyuan with his elbow, making playful gestures, "I didn’t expect to run into that girl as soon as we entered the palace. We should go up and greet her."

Having said that, he strode forward, casually greeting Mo Yan, "Little girl, the New Year’s gift you sent the other day was greatly appreciated by the old man. Next time, send some more, lest he nag in my ear all day long. It’s really annoying to death."

With Yan Junyu speaking so casually, and in such a nonchalant manner, the passersby didn’t suspect anything untoward between the two. After all, that was just his way; everyone was familiar with his relationship with the Crown Prince, and it wasn’t unusual for them to exchange New Year’s gifts privately. Didn’t you see how his gift had even impressed Duke Wu’an?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.