Chapter 666

At the gate there were dedicated staff responsible for greeting guests. Seeing that all the coming and going guests held invitations in their hands, Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, 'Oh no.' Although the Princess had invited him over, she had not given him an invitation. Now it's troublesome. Although Xue Lingjun knows me, her household servants may not know me, and they might embarrass me.

Hu Xiaotian was hesitating when a beautiful young woman at the gate already greeted him with a smile like blossoming flowers, enthusiastically saying, 'Sir Hu, you've come.' This woman was actually the Princess Xue Lingjun's personal maid, Jian Ping. Hu Xiaotian had met her before, but just now Jian Ping had been busy with other matters, so Hu Xiaotian hadn't seen her.

Jian Ping said, 'Sir Hu, the Princess has ordered me to wait here especially for you.' Many people around heard Jian Ping's words, and they all turned to look at Hu Xiaotian, wondering in their hearts, 'Who is this kid? How could he have earned such favor from the Princess? She even specially sent her most trusted maid to greet him.' One must know that Jian Ping's status in the Princess's mansion is equivalent to that of a steward—second only to none, above all others.

Hu Xiaotian entered the Princess's mansion together with Jian Ping under everyone's gaze. The Princess's mansion was formerly the Prince Consort's mansion. After marrying the talented man Hong Xinglian of Da Yong, the Princess did not live here but lived in the Hong family. However, this poor Prince Consort died within three months of marriage. After Hong Xinglian's death, the Hong family also suffered continual misfortune, and the Princess thus became widely known as an ominous person. To avoid this jinx, the Hong family even abandoned everything in Yongdu and left, yet they still could not escape calamity, dying one after another. After the Hong family left, the Princess did not continue to reside in the Hong mansion, but came to the Prince Consort's mansion adjacent to the Hong mansion. Since the Prince Consort was gone, this place naturally became the Princess's mansion. Although Empress Dowager Jiang repeatedly suggested that Xue Lingjun move to Cien Garden to live, she politely refused each time.

Although the Prince Consort's mansion was not large in scale, its architectural beams and painted pillars were exquisitely crafted, every corner showing ingenious design. Hu Xiaotian noticed that while the Da Yong emperor advocated frugality, his siblings did the opposite—whether it was the Prince Yan's mansion he had visited earlier or the Princess's mansion he was now in, extravagance permeated everywhere.

The Princess had not yet appeared at the banquet venue; Jian Ping led Hu Xiaotian to his seat and had him sit down. Seeing the grand scene at the gate, Hu Xiaotian had already resolved to keep a low profile—tonight's attendees were all high officials and dignitaries, at least notable figures; as an outsider, he didn't recognize a single familiar face.

Jian Ping smiled at Hu Xiaotian and said, 'Sir Hu, please wait patiently; the Princess has asked you not to leave in a hurry after the banquet. She has something more to say to you.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded: 'Thank you for the trouble, Elder Sister Jian Ping.'

Jian Ping gave a charming smile and said, 'Sir Hu, you're too polite; I still need to attend to other guests, so I'll be away for a moment.'

'Please go ahead, Elder Sister!'

Seeing Jian Ping off, Hu Xiaotian picked up his teacup and sipped slowly, gazing at the guests inside, most of whom he did not know. Others chatted in small groups, while he was ignored, alone and solitary. Hu Xiaotian felt no sense of loss; being left alone was better. 'Old man, I'm not doing anything else today—just stuffing myself full of food and drink. Later I'll pat my backside and leave.'

Just then a commotion arose outside the gate; although Hu Xiaotian didn't speak, his eyes were not idle, expecting another important figure. He looked up and saw a handsome couple enter: the man, graceful as a jade tree in the wind, handsome and unrestrained; the woman, gentle and serene, with brows and eyes like a painting. Such a heaven‑made pair naturally drew everyone's attention.

Hu Xiaotian recognized the man as Li Chen Zhou; the woman, whom he had not seen before, appeared to be his wife, the Da Yong talented woman Jian Rongxin.

Li Chen Zhou achieved success at a young age, being an outstanding figure among Da Yong's younger generation, deeply favored by the emperor; plus his illustrious family background, he naturally became the object of envy for many. Jian Rongxin was no ordinary person either—naturally beautiful yet renowned for her learning throughout Da Yong; her father was the Da Yong Hanlin Academy Grand Secretary Jian Xihe, a great scholar of Da Yong. Their families were well matched, a talented man and a beautiful woman; married for many years, they remained as devoted as ever.

Li Chen Zhou took Jian Rongxin's hand and entered the hall; coincidentally, he was seated at the same table as Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian had not expected the Princess to make such an arrangement; upon reflection, it must have been because Xue Lingjun saw them talking at the Purple Cloud Mountain blacksmith shop that day and assumed he was acquainted with Li Chen Zhou, prompting her to arrange this.

Seeing Li Chen Zhou and his wife approach, Hu Xiaotian rose, smiled, and greeted, 'General Li, what a coincidence!'

Li Chen Zhou obviously had not anticipated this arrangement either; seeing Hu Xiaotian smile, he said, 'It turns out to be Sir Hu—what a coincidence; the Princess also invited you.'

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart; hearing this, Hu Xiaotian flared up, thinking, 'Damn, why can't I be invited? You can come, but I can't?' Still, he did not lose his temper, sighing, 'The Princess's kindness is sincere; I really can't refuse, so I had to set aside my other affairs and come.' His face showed reluctance, as if coming today was merely to give the Princess face.

Li Jiangjun secretly laughed at this guy's thick skin, smiling as he introduced to his wife: 'This is Sir Hu Xiaotian, the marriage envoy from Dakang.' Then he said to Hu Xiaotian: 'This is my humble wife.'

Hu Xiaotian respectfully clasped his fists and said: 'So it is Lady Li; I have long heard of your great name. Learning that you are the foremost talent of Da Yong, to meet you today is a three-lifetime fortune.'

Jian Rongxin smiled and said: 'Sir Hu, you flatter me; I am no talent, merely an ordinary cook.' As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily drifted to Li Jiangjun; their eyes met, and affection naturally shone between them, truly enviable.

Although Hu Xiaotian was an outsider, he could see that the couple's relationship was very good, and he invited them to sit.

Li Jiangjun sat beside Hu Xiaotian, Jian Rongxin sat to one side, and Hu Xiaotian saw that there were four chairs along the long table, but he did not know who else would come later.

Li Jiangjun asked: 'I heard Sir Hu has returned to the Rising Sovereign Palace?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'General Li, your information is indeed well-informed; I just moved back this morning, mainly because the princess has always been attended by me, and switching to others would not be suitable.'

Li Jiangjun said: 'But I heard Sir Hu had some unpleasantness with the guards of the Rising Sovereign Palace before?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Just a misunderstanding, nothing serious; perhaps someone is spreading rumors.' Having said that, Li Jiangjun found it hard to press further.

At that moment another commotion came from outside; Hu Xiaotian no longer had his earlier curiosity, and at this Da Yong noble gathering he was merely a foil—had he known, he would not have agreed to the princess's visit.

While holding the Chazan and lowering his head in thought, he felt the light ahead blocked, then heard Li Jiangjun's courteous voice: 'General Huo, you too have come!'

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw Huo Shengnan standing directly in front of him, blocking the candlelight behind. Huo Shengnan greeted Li Jiangjun and his wife, then looked at Hu Xiaotian with a half-smile. Hu Xiaotian said: 'General Huo, I thought you weren't coming?'

Huo Shengnan said: 'You invited me, so I certainly would not come, but since the princess invited me, I have no reason to refuse.' After saying that, she sat down beside Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: 'This must be Xue Lingjun's arrangement; it seems Huo Shengnan had already decided to attend tonight's banquet, and she really can keep her composure—while at the Rising Sovereign Palace she showed not the slightest hint.'

As important guests arrived, the atmosphere grew ever livelier. Amid everyone's anticipation, Princess Xue Lingjun made a dazzling entrance, wearing a gold palace robe, her hair coiled in a phoenix‑adorned bun; noble, elegant, bright and charming, she instantly drew all eyes as soon as she appeared.

Most of the men present wore lustful gazes, secretly praising her as a beauty, thinking that to become a guest of the princess would be worth dying for; at this moment many had already forgotten the princess's reputation for killing husbands.

Li Jiangjun looked straight ahead, quietly saying something with a laugh to his wife; Jian Rongxin occasionally showed a sweet smile, and the deep affection between the couple was truly enviable.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but glance at the princess a few more times; he felt puzzled—she was already so beautiful, why insist on cutting her face? Woman, why torment yourself?

As Princess Xue Lingjun smiled and gestured to the crowd, a report came from outside: the Grand Prince Xue Daohong had arrived.

Upon hearing that Grand Prince Xue Daohong had come in person, all the guests rose to greet him.

Hu Xiaotian also rose and looked toward the entrance, only to see that Grand Prince Xue Daohong was not alone; accompanying him was a man dressed in Hu attire, tall, with red hair and a braided beard, his face covered by a large beard making his age indiscernible, though he seemed over thirty; the two walked side by side into the banquet hall, and it was clear the man was a generation older than Xue Daohong.

Huo Shengnan frowned upon seeing him and said: 'When did the Fourth Prince of Black Hu arrive in Yongdu?' She had recognized the Hu man walking beside Xue Daohong as the Fourth Prince of Black Hu, Wanyan Chixiong, whom she had fought several times on the northern battlefield, so she recognized him at a glance.

Li Jiangjun said softly: 'Not bad; I also heard that a Black Hu envoy had recently come to Yongdu, but I never expected it would be the Fourth Prince himself.'

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Li Jiangjun, doubting his words; Li Jiangjun had a close relationship with Grand Prince Xue Daohong and was a loyal supporter of the prince—given their ties, how could Xue Daohong not have told him?

Embarrassed, due to Zhangyu's oversight this chapter contained a major blunder—the princess should be the aunt of Grand Prince Xue Daohong, but a slip of the pen made them siblings; thanks to the attentive readers for pointing this out, allowing Zhangyu to correct it promptly! (To be continued~^~)