Chương 241: Inner Palace Victory Banquet, Princess Wannian

As the banquet drew to a close, Liu Hong showed signs of fatigue—his health was already weak, and it was not easy for him to endure for so long.

Seeing this, Zhang Rang softly greeted them, and the hall gradually quieted down.

Liu Hong raised his eyes to look at Liu Ce, then swept his gaze over the officials and said, "The Prince of Yan has been enfeoffed, and the northern border has been initially pacified. However, defending the land is not easy, and pacifying the people is even more difficult. I hope that the Prince of Yan will pacify the border people, and that all of you will also fulfill your duties, work together with the Prince of Yan, and jointly ensure the safety of the Han Dynasty."

These words sound grand and noble, but the meaning is very clear: Liu Ce, you should guard the border well; the rest of you should also keep quiet and not cause me any trouble.

Liu Ce and all the officials rose and bowed, saying, "Your subjects obey the imperial decree!"

Liu Hong nodded and said, "The banquet is over, everyone return to your seats."

After speaking, Zhang Rang helped Liu Hong to his feet.

Liu Hong set off to return to the inner palace.

Liu Ce led all the officials to the palace gate to see the emperor off, and only turned back after the imperial carriage had gone far away.

At this moment, members of the royal family, princes, and civil and military officials gathered around to congratulate Liu Ce.

"His Highness Prince Yan's demeanor today is truly captivating!"

"Congratulations, Prince Yan! Congratulations, Prince Yan!"

"I hope Your Highness Prince Yan will provide me with much guidance in the future..."

"His Highness the Prince of Yan is a young and talented man, truly a blessing to the Han Dynasty!"

"I hope Your Highness Prince Yan will continue to take good care of me in the future..."

Whether exchanging pleasantries or whispering, under the lights outside the hall, some people were genuinely celebrating, while others harbored their own thoughts.

Liu Ce greeted everyone politely, a standard smile on his face, but in his heart he was thinking: Let's finish this quickly, this outfit is too heavy, I need to go home, take a shower and go to sleep.

The crowd gradually dispersed only when the moon was high in the sky.

The celebratory banquet for the investiture of the king has come to an end.

Liu Ce boarded the carriage and returned to his residence.

On the way, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the night view of Luoyang.

There were still a few lights on the street, and the night watchman walked by, striking his clapper.

This bustling capital city appears peaceful and prosperous on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

"Your Highness, we have arrived." The coachman's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Liu Ce got out of the carriage and walked into the mansion gate.

As soon as he entered the mansion, he began to strip off his clothes.

Crown, royal robes, jade pendants, sashes... one by one, they were removed and thrown to the maid.

After changing into casual clothes, I immediately felt much lighter.

"Your Highness, would you like to take a bath?" the maid asked.

"Yes, absolutely." Liu Ce rubbed his shoulder.

"Prepare some more food. We only drank alcohol at the banquet and didn't eat enough."

"Yes."

Soaking in hot water, Liu Ce let out a long breath.

Being the Prince of Yan... is quite tiring.

...

The next day at noon, Liu Ce was still sleeping in—he had drunk quite a bit the night before.

Just as he was having a sweet dream, Steward Wang announced from outside the door, "Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived."

Liu Ce rubbed his eyes and sat up, asking, "What is it?"

"They said they would invite the prince to the palace in the afternoon to attend a celebratory banquet in the inner palace."

Liu Ce: "..."

Come again?

He thought to himself, speechless: "Damn it, this damn drinking culture is the same from ancient times to the present! They just drank yesterday, and they're drinking again today? If I ever become emperor, I'll definitely have to give them a good dressing down!"

Despite the complaints, I still have to go.

"Okay," he replied listlessly.

Get up, wash up, and change clothes.

In the afternoon, Liu Ce returned to the palace.

This time, instead of going to the Nangong Jiade Hall, we were led to the inner palace.

Side hall of Changqiu Palace.

As soon as Liu Ce entered, he saw many members of the Han imperial family: Liu Yu, Liu Yan, Liu Biao, Liu Dai, and others. There were also Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

Liu Bian, who was ten years old this year, saw Liu Ce enter and his eyes lit up. He ran over excitedly and said, "Royal Uncle!"

The little guy has grown quite a bit taller in the past two years, but he still looks very young.

Liu Ce smiled and said, "Your Highness..."

"Uncle, the horseback riding and archery you taught me two years ago, I've mastered them now!" Liu Bian said proudly, his little face tilted up.

"Last autumn hunt, I even shot a rabbit!"

"Oh? That's amazing?" Liu Ce said with a smile.

"Then next time your royal uncle will take you to Youzhou. The grasslands there are vast, and there's plenty of prey. You can shoot to your heart's content."

"Really?" Liu Bian was even more excited.

"real."

Liu Bian cheered.

He sighed inwardly: This child is so naive, it's a pity he was born into an imperial family. Historically, Liu Bian's end was far from good...

Just then, Liu Xie also came over.

The child was even younger, only six years old, but his eyes were much more composed than Liu Bian's.

"Xie'er greets Imperial Uncle." He bowed respectfully.

Liu Ce quickly helped him up, saying, "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities."

He sighed inwardly: This person is indeed clever, what a pity...

At this moment, Liu Yu, Liu Yan, and others also came over and exchanged pleasantries with Liu Ce.

"My dear nephew, this conferment of the title of king is truly a great honor for our ancestors," Liu Yu said with a smile.

"It is all thanks to His Majesty's kindness and the care of my uncles and elders," Liu Ce said modestly.

As they were talking, announcements came from outside: "His Majesty has arrived—The Empress Dowager has arrived—The Empress has arrived—" Everyone quickly tidied their clothes and prepared to receive the emperor.

Liu Hong, Empress He, Empress Dowager Dong, along with several of Liu Hong's concubines, Princess Wannian, and others, filed in.

Today's occasion was more private, more like a family dinner, so the atmosphere was much more relaxed than yesterday.

Empress He wore a crimson robe today, her hair styled in a low bun, adorned only with a red-gold hairpin, without any other pearls or jade. Yet, her natural beauty still made her radiant and captivating.

Liu Hong personally introduced Liu Ce to Empress Dowager Dong.

Empress Dowager Dong—Emperor Ling's birth mother—was a kind-faced old woman who held Liu Ce's hand and praised him, saying, "Good child, you are truly the pride of our Liu family. In the future, you will assist the emperor well and safeguard our Han Dynasty."

"I will remember the Empress Dowager's teachings," Liu Ce said, bowing.

Liu Hong then introduced Princess Wannian, who was about ten years old, to Liu Ce: "This is your imperial niece, named Wannian. Wannian, quickly call her Imperial Uncle."

Princess Wannian was exquisitely beautiful. She bowed obediently and said, "Wannian greets Imperial Uncle."

Liu Ce smiled and nodded, saying, "Greetings, Princess."

Everyone took their seats.

Inside the hall, gilded beast-head lamps burned, and incense smoke swirled around the beams and rafters. The palace servants all bowed their heads and moved with utmost deliberation, pouring wine and serving dishes with only a glance out of the corner of their eyes, and even the clinking of cups and chopsticks was so quiet that it made no sound.

The banquet begins.

Since it was a family dinner, the rules weren't that strict.

Liu Hong, Liu Ce, Liu Yu, Liu Yan and others chatted in a harmonious atmosphere.

While dealing with the situation, Liu Ce secretly observed Empress He.

The woman was unusually quiet today, spending most of her time eating with her head down or whispering to the concubine next to her.

But Liu Ce could sense that her gaze kept lingering on him out of the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, not long after, that gaze returned.

Liu Ce was picking through the food on the table—today's dishes were more refined than yesterday's, including roasted venison, steamed fish, stewed chicken soup, and various desserts.

He had just taken a bite of the steamed bun when he felt a gaze fall upon him.

It's obvious who it is.

Liu Ce lowered his head to sip his wine, then pretended to look up casually—and met Empress He's gaze.

She sat in the main seat, her crimson robe highlighting her striking features. Though her face wore a gentle smile befitting an empress, her eyes held a tenderness known only to the two of them, and she subtly raised an eyebrow.