Chapter 731 - 220: Snatching Love_3
His smile became somewhat distracted.
Jiang Li didn’t want to engage in much conversation with Yin Zhili, so she took advantage of Yin Zhili’s momentary distraction to find an excuse to return to Lady Lu’s side. After this, Jiang Li stayed close to Lady Lu, unwavering in her step; she really didn’t want to deal with the Yin sisters. Ignoring Lady Lu’s hints, she pretended to be none the wiser.
Not much later, Emperor Hongxiao and Yin Zhan also arrived.
Today’s banquet in the palace was specifically to celebrate Yin Zhan’s military achievements, so naturally, he was the guest of honor. Jiang Li saw Yin Zhan for the first time, and he was not what she had expected. She had thought Yin Zhan would be a rough and burly man like Ye Mingyu, but to her surprise, he was quite handsome. Handsome and wild; by today’s standards, he’d likely be the dream man of many women. By comparison, Yin Zhili and Yin Zhan did not look alike at all. Yin Zhan had deep and distinct facial features, resembling Yin Zhiqing significantly, while Yin Zhili seemed as mild as a water ink landscape painting, extremely gentle.
Jih Heng sat in a corner of the hall, and with the lighting dim in some areas, Jiang Li was too far away to discern his expression. As a result, she didn’t know if Jih Heng had looked towards Yin Zhan, or what kind of look he might have had in his eyes.
The palace banquet began soon after.
Jiang Li bowed her head and slowly ate her food. Up to this point, Emperor Hongxiao hadn’t brought up the matter of granting rewards, and naturally, Yin Zhan hadn’t requested a marriage grant. The Empress Dowager and the Empress were both present as well. The Empress Dowager, who rarely left the Cining Palace, seemed quite happy today, speaking with the Empress. Consort Li, who had once enjoyed a period of favor, was now but a handful of dust. The ministers of the imperial court were eager to strategize which of their daughters would be best to send into the palace. Now that Emperor Hongxiao’s position had stabilized and there was no more Prince Cheng or worries from behind, coupled with his youth, any girl who caught his eye could potentially bring her family to great heights.
Therefore, many young ladies went all out to dress themselves as beautifully as celestial beings that night.
However, Jiang Li didn’t see it that way. From Consort Li’s incident, one could tell that the emperor was not one to indulge excessively in the company of women. Becoming the next Consort Li would not be easy. Amidst the fragrance filling the hall, Yin Zhiqing was particularly conspicuous. With her naturally peerless beauty and dressed to the nines, it was hard for her not to stand out. Others might have thought she was harboring ambitions of entering the palace, but Jiang Li knew that Yin Zhiqing’s aim was clearly Jih Heng.