The more people there are, the more tense the situation becomes.

  Chunmo and Qiuyan are no better than her either.

  The people of Huaye House were originally short-handed, and the eighth prince saw that so many people came at once, not being timid at all, running around, even crawling under the table, I don't know if he wanted to count how many feet there were in the house today. The hustle and bustle of people coming and going, plus the arrival of the dance troupe, Huaye House is either deserted or suddenly so crowded, it's really uncomfortable.

  The princesses gathered together, laughing and chatting, while the princes - mainly the older ones - sat together talking, but the atmosphere was not very harmonious. The third prince had an air of dignity, with a stern expression on his face, as if discussing some life-and-death matter of state, making the younger princes feel constrained. The second prince leaned lazily against something, with a distracted look, and in comparison to the third prince, he seemed even more lazy and careless. The fourth prince still had a calm and carefree demeanor.

  The longevity banquet had two tables, one for the princes and one for the princesses, set up in the courtyard. At noon, the scorching sun was shining brightly, and the temporary canopy above was covered with intertwined silk and satin fabrics.

  To yield the seat again, the second prince was the oldest, but the fourth prince was today's birthday star. After yielding again, the second prince still sat in the first place, and the others were arranged according to their age. The eighth prince originally should have had a ninth prince below him, but this one was even younger, more than two years old, and couldn't walk steadily yet. His wet nurse brought him over to make an appearance, gave a white ape holding a peach, and then took her leave. The eighth prince also couldn't sit still, the tenth princess beckoned from over there, and the eighth prince happily abandoned his brothers to run over and sit at a table with his sisters.

  Two tables of people, all looking quite presentable. The princes were all decent-looking - even if there were a few libertines among them, at their age they hadn't yet had the opportunity to indulge in either drink or women.

  The princesses on that side were even more breathtakingly beautiful, a dazzling array of flowers and brocade that left one's eyes dazzled.

  "The scenery here is good." The fifth prince's face was a bit yellow, and he was the least noticeable among his brothers: "It's much worse on my side."

  The fifth prince lived in Changqing Hall, which was located southeast of Yi Qiu Palace and was slightly smaller than Yi Qiu Palace, but closer to Chongwen Pavilion.

  There was a hint of sourness in his tone, the fourth prince smiled but didn't speak, while the second prince said: "Then you can move over too, anyway there's still space at the back."

  The fifth prince's face changed color and he stopped speaking.

  The Luoshui Pavilion has not only housed people but also witnessed deaths. The people in the palace always consider such things to be unlucky.

  The sixth prince was not close to his own brother, the third prince, but instead had a good relationship with the fourth prince. He also envied him: "It's great that you live here, next year after my birthday I will definitely move over here too. You can do whatever you want and no one will bother you, if you even cough someone will come to ask about it for half the day."

  "Uh, is this describing the son of an empress? How come 'Tide Born' sounds like someone who's been to prison?"

  The Seventh Prince is the son of Zhu Guifei, and Chao Sheng still remembers the glamorous appearance of the imperial concubine. However, the Seventh Prince looks somewhat timid, sitting there motionless and not speaking much, quite unlike his mother.

  No, perhaps Zhu Guifei is no longer as radiant as she was in her heyday now.

  I heard she's not doing very well these days.

  There are not a few people who stand with a standard expression of obedience on one side and walk in a daze on the other. At least Guizhi, the little palace maid standing behind her, is now sneaking a peek at the things on the table - the princes and princesses didn't come here to eat, and they don't have many opportunities to taste these dishes either. These leftovers will definitely be a bargain for them after the masters finish their meal. Guizhi must be thinking about which dish on the table tastes better, which pastry is more fragrant, and when the masters disperse, she can directly start grabbing.

  Affected by her, Chao Sheng also started searching on the seat.

  Crispy and bright skin... this is good.

  Hmm, crispy and tender honeydew melon strips... this is also good.

  His gaze shifted back to the roast meat, this meat was too tempting...

  No way, can't look anymore, otherwise saliva will overflow.

  Grapes!

  The tide was born to hit a spirit, and when she lifted her head, the second prince was staring at her.

  That voice of grape is definitely hers.

  "What are you staring at?"

  Chao Sheng's cold sweat almost dripped down his back as he hastily said: "Your humble servant..."

  "Calling you twice doesn't even get a response."

  What's the point of shouting "grapes" when I'm trying to have a heart-to-heart talk?

  But now is not the time to talk back, the Second Prince is not a good-tempered person. After Chao Sheng arrived, there was once a small eunuch who got hit by a board in front of Song Tang Residence. Usually, when the master wants to hit someone with a board, they will stuff something into the person's mouth - even if they don't, you can't wail and cry out. But the Second Prince is an exception, he likes to hear people crying "dad" and "mom" when they're being beaten...

  "Unaware of what orders the Second Prince has?"

  "Pour wine."

  Pouring wine wasn't Chao Sheng's strong suit, but since the Second Prince had spoken, he could only step forward two steps, roll up his sleeves and lift the jug to pour him a cup. As the saying goes, "wine should be full, tea should be shallow", Chao Sheng poured just the right amount, neither too much nor too little, exactly to the rim of the cup, without spilling a single drop or overflowing. When lifting the jug, he also used four fingers to grip the handle and three fingers to support the bottom, his posture absolutely standard.

  This is a master's move, and it's clear whether there is or not. The training she received at the end of last year has finally borne fruit.

  Autumn was originally still carrying her heart, but when she saw the tide moving in a standard and beautiful posture, she completed the task with ease, and suddenly let out a silent sigh of relief.

  The second prince looked somewhat satisfied: "What were you just spacing out about?"

  "Reporting to the Second Prince, I am a servant named Chao Sheng."

  Don't call it grape.

  The second prince slanted his eyes: "That's not a good grape to remember."

  That is——

  Others on the table either smiled or suppressed their laughter, and the only one who remained expressionless was still the Third Prince.

  Chao Sheng couldn't help but wonder if the Third Prince was born with a face that was naturally expressionless?

  Fortunately, the overall atmosphere is still lively, solemn, and harmonious. After all, today is the birthday of the fourth prince, and everyone here raises their glasses to toast the birthday star, while on the other side, the musicians have already played "Nan Shan Diao", it's really a joyful and harmonious scene.

  Wishing you a peaceful and smooth day today.

  I hope everyone will forget about that "grape".

  Unfortunately, things didn't go as wished.

  After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere became even more lively and less restrained. The Second Prince called out to her again: "Grape."

  The tide is born and wants to gnash its teeth.

  She walked forward, and the Second Prince pointed at the cup: "Pour wine."

  The second prince insisted on making her serve him, and Cao Sheng had no choice but to comply.

  How can she say I'm not called grape and I don't care about pouring wine?

  Chao Sheng picked up the kettle and suddenly said in a low voice, "You were staring at the dish just now with a silly smile, which dish are you thinking of?"

  "Servant girl..."

  "Don't deny it anymore."

  Chao Sheng really wants to say I haven't thought of making excuses yet.

  No, no, the key point is not this.

  I have to figure out why the second prince keeps staring at her.

  However, looking at the second prince's eyes full of interest, Chao Sheng thought with a bit of sadness that he couldn't keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

  The second prince's voice is soft, but he sits in the first seat.

  Being in this position, it's destined to be low-key no more.

  It's definitely not good to continue being at odds with the second prince.

  Tide Sheng quickly determined this and then made a confession: "Flaky pastry meat..."

  The second prince snorted: "You're so inexperienced, what's good about this greasy pastry? Let me tell you, that Baizhen soup in the middle is the real deal."

  Chao Sheng also saw that soup, how to say it, the appearance is not bad either. The clear soup has some green leaves floating on top that I don't know what they are.

  Chao Sheng said bluntly: "Too bland, no gravy."

  The second prince was choked for a moment.

  He hesitated for a moment, but then he understood.

  Actually, what this little palace maid said is correct.

  For myself, the pastry meat is naturally oily and greasy, and even just looking at it gives me a feeling of being stuck in my throat and hard to swallow.

  The hundred treasure soup was a light and delicious dish for him, but in the eyes of the greedy little palace maid, it had no attraction at all.

  This is the difference between elegance and vulgarity...

  The second prince nodded slightly, and the tide of life surged like a great amnesty, hastily retreating two steps to return to his original position.

  It's probably just her imagination, but it seemed like the Fourth Prince also glanced over here several times during her one-on-one conversation with the Second Prince earlier.

  Cháo shēng hěn xīn xū.

  Translation: Chao Sheng felt very guilty.

  She also knew that she had lost face for Huayeju.

  But this is not what she wants to lose.

  The second prince is forcing me, I won't let go no matter what.

  It's impossible for everyone to be satisfied. If the grandfather is satisfied, the grandmother may not be; if the second elder is satisfied, the fourth elder may not be.

  The longevity feast was quite good, and the performance of the song and dance troupe was also very wonderful. After finishing eating, the princes and princesses didn't want to leave - of course, except for those who lived in the East Palace, none of them lived here. The rules of the palace are strict, it's rare to be able to come out once. Although it's still in the palace, after all, it counts as going out.

  Finally caught a chance to take a break, of course, can't let it go so easily. The sixth prince took the lead, and the dragon and phoenix children moved from the Huaye residence to the Liangting by the Fengchi pool. The wine and dishes were also withdrawn, replaced with dim sum and clear tea. Those musicians were dispatched to the other side of the pool, the sound of the qin floated across the water, even Chao Sheng, who was hungry, had to admit that it was really atmospheric, really emotional.

  She has been busy all morning, except for having a piece of bread and half a bowl of porridge in the morning, with a small snack given by Autumn in between, otherwise it's others sitting while she stands, others eating while she watches.

  Now others have finished eating, but she still has to go hungry.

  The little palace maid Guizhi was finally satisfied. They gathered leftover rice and soup, and they would definitely have enough to eat.

  Chao Sheng held a plate, on which was a handkerchief sprinkled with perfume.

  At this moment, Gongfu had already served three princesses in changing clothes.

  Even if she's a delicate and beautiful noble princess...she still needs to eat, drink, and...ahem, use the restroom like ordinary people.

  Chao Sheng felt that his previous beautiful fantasy about princesses and princes with knights had been completely shattered today.

  The eighth prince fell on his butt again, the sixth prince secretly drank more wine and his face turned red like a monkey's buttocks. The princesses had to reapply their makeup at least twice. No choice, today is the beginning of summer, it's already very hot.

  ————————－

  Brrr... Brrr... The cold wind is freezing me to death...