The Proof of the Heavens Begins with The Legend of the Condor Heroes

Chapter 114 Banquet Troubles
In February of the 62nd year of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qing returned from his border patrol, and a heavy snow fell from the sky.

It is said that auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, so the explanation given by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory is that this is a good omen.

Emperor Qing was overjoyed and held a grand banquet for all his ministers in the palace. He also invited the eldest prince, the second prince and the crown prince to attend the banquet.

This was the first time that Emperor Qing allowed several of his princes to attend such a grand occasion.

Before leaving, the word-thrifty Concubine Shu said a few more words: "At the banquet, everything will be arranged by your father. Also, don't steal the spotlight from... the Crown Prince."

"Don't worry, mother. I know what's going on." Fang Hao walked forward and hugged Concubine Shu, then left with a smile.

"This kid has made progress." Concubine Shu said with some relief.

Concubine Shu has seen the changes in Fang Hao over the past few months. Sometimes, even she finds it difficult to guess what Fang Hao is thinking.

But Fang Hao's calm attitude towards fame and disgrace could not be faked. She knew that it was because her son had really grown up.

The place where Emperor Qing held a banquet for his ministers was in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the outer city of the imperial palace.

When Fang Hao arrived, most of the civil and military officials were present. As a prince, Fang Hao sat at one of the tables closest to Emperor Qing.

When Fang Hao sat down in front of his desk, he found that most of the royal relatives, including the eldest princess, the crown prince and the eldest prince, had arrived.

Fang Hao bowed to the Crown Prince and the First Prince, and they both returned the greetings.

It can be seen that the eldest prince is quite adaptable to this environment, but the crown prince, probably because of his young age, looks a little nervous.

Fang Hao sat below the prince, looking at the prince's rather uneasy look, and whispered, "Eat something, you'll feel better."

"Ah?" The prince was a little confused, as if he couldn't understand Fang Hao's intention.

Fang Hao smiled and picked up some fruits placed on the table. He picked a grape and put it in his mouth and said, "Eating some sweets will make you feel better. Prince can try it."

The prince was stunned, even though there was no rule at the banquet that prohibited eating fruit beforehand.

But everyone agreed that they could only eat after the emperor announced the start of the banquet, and in order to avoid losing manners in front of the emperor, people generally did not dare to eat too much.

Therefore, such banquets are generally boring.

It is indeed rare to see someone like Fang Hao, who eats fruit before Emperor Qing enters.

At this moment, the eldest princess opposite Fang Hao chuckled and said, "Chengze, it's ok for you to be greedy, but how could you cause trouble for the crown prince and do something disrespectful in front of the king?"

After hearing this, the prince's expression changed. It was obvious that he was led by the princess' words. He looked at Fang Hao with some wariness in his eyes.

Fang Hao pretended not to understand and said, "The grapes are especially delicious today. Would you like one, Auntie?"

The princess covered her face and smiled, "Forget it, auntie. If Ze'er wants to eat, just eat more."

After hearing this, Fang Hao actually ate two more pills, without treating himself as an outsider at all. Not only the royal family members, but also the civil officials and nobles who were closer were a little curious.

I feel that the second prince is a bit casual.

At this moment, the faint sound of zither and qin came from the side of the palace, and the palace music was solemn.

A eunuch shouted loudly: "His Majesty has arrived."

The most powerful person in the whole world, the only master of Qing Kingdom, Emperor Qing, walked slowly over from the side with the Queen.

He walked to the dragon throne with a warm face and sat down, waving his hand and said, "Let's start!" Then, the palace maids replaced the hot dishes with fresh sauce, and the ministers buried their heads in eating. The scene was quite lively.

Fang Hao watched coldly. Among the royal relatives, the eldest princess and Prince Jing were both there. Among the civil and military officials, Fang Hao also saw the famous Si Nanbo Fan Jian.

But I didn’t see the dreaded head of the Supervisory Commission, Chen Pingping. I guess he doesn’t like such occasions either.

In the middle of the banquet, Emperor Qing said, "I got a lot of good things during my tour of the border this time."

As he spoke, he signaled the eunuchs to present three items, which were a sword with a cold and sharp light, a set of elegant calligraphy, and a golden cup and a glass lamp.

"I am hosting a banquet for all my ministers today. Why don't you come up and show off yourselves? The one who gets the most applause can choose one first. How do you think?" Emperor Qing looked at Fang Hao and the other two and said casually.

After these words were spoken, the eldest princess showed an expression that was neither a smile nor a smile, and Fan Jian also looked as if he was thinking about something.

As soon as Fang Hao heard this, he knew what his adoptive father was planning. He was planning to use him and the eldest prince to "train" the crown prince.

But the prince is only six years old now, and it is obvious that the royal family is ruthless.

After hearing what Emperor Qing said, the eldest prince showed an eager expression and said, "Father, is that sword the 'Qinggang Sword' made by the sword-making master Ou Longzi?"

"Yes, this sword is Qingguang."

Emperor Qing simply continued to introduce: "What I have prepared for you is extraordinary. This copybook is the masterpiece of the calligrapher Mr. Pan Ling, the Kuaizai Tie. As for the colored glaze cup, it was made by a Western craftsman. There is only one of its kind in Qing Kingdom."

The eldest prince liked martial arts, so he had a sword; the second prince liked literature, so he had a copybook of calligraphy; the crown prince liked collecting, so he provided a glass cup.

Emperor Qing's move obviously has a deeper meaning.

When the eldest prince heard that the sword was really the Qinggang Sword, he jumped onto the stage and said, "Father, let me go first and perform a spear show for everyone to liven up the atmosphere. How about that?"

Emperor Qing smiled and said, "Come on!"

As he spoke, he ordered people to bring the eldest prince's beloved spear, obviously he had prepared it in advance.

The eldest prince had no doubts and immediately brandished his spear. He knew from a young age that his mother, Ning Cairen, was from Dongyi City and had no chance of becoming emperor.

Therefore, among all the princes, he has the least psychological burden.

Although this spear technique does not look very beautiful, it has a strong spirit of battle and killing. It can be seen that the eldest prince's attainments in martial arts have reached a high level.

"Good!" As soon as the eldest prince finished his performance, many military heroes and loyal ministers cheered.

When the eldest prince stepped down, the one who took the throne next to him was not the second prince, but the crown prince who was only six years old.

The prince walked up to the stage slowly and steadily. His small body looked quite majestic. He was reciting a passage from "Su Yu Lu", one of the Five Classics of Qing State.

Not long after he entered school, he was able to recite this classic in front of everyone. For a time, both the meritorious nobles and the civil officials in the court cheered for the prince.

Many ministers also flattered Emperor Qing, claiming that His Majesty had taught his son well and that it was a blessing for the country to have such a crown prince.

Fang Hao took a look and saw the Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi. He wrote down the name. This man was quite capable as he could flatter someone to such an extent.

The eldest prince and the crown prince finished their performances, and now only Fang Hao was left.

Everyone was also a little curious about what the Second Prince would perform for them.

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(End of this chapter)