The costumes that Xiao Lan prepared for herself and Lin Feilu for the end-of-year banquet were simple yet elegant; all of which were in colours of teal, blue and white. The designs were tasteful as befitting of their status without being too eye-catching. Xiao Lan did not use any of the jewels that Consort Xian had gifted her. Instead, Lin Feilu took possession of at least half of them.
Xiao Lan did not ask Lin Feilu what she had intended to do with the jewels. After all, it seems that her daughter was the central pillar of their livelihood now.
The end-of-year banquet was a celebration prepared not only for the concubines of the Imperial Harem, but also for the empress to pay homage to Buddha. As this banquet was only held once a year, naturally it would be a grand-scaled festival. Not only will the concubines perform their arts, but there will also be a fireworks spectacle. In ancient times like these, fireworks were not a common sight to behold. Apart from the beauty of the shapes and colors, the ancients revered fireworks simply for its ability to shoot up into the sky.
Lin Nianzhi particularly loved fireworks. She was very excited to talk about them, while Lin Feilu responded in a supportive manner, “It sounds amazing! I really want to see it!”
As if the fireworks were her creation, Lin Nianzhi explained proudly, “When the banquet is over, everyone will go to the Stargazing Court to enjoy the fireworks. When that happens, just follow me and we will stand in the best spectating spot!”
Lin Feilu nodded repeatedly.
Soon, it was the end-of-year banquet. Today was the last day of the year.
The concubines who were invited to attend had arrived at the banquet on time. Step by step, Lin Feilu led Xiao Lan into the banquet hall. Her face expressed the curiosity and joy that belonged to a little girl of her age.
The seating arrangement in the banquet hall was arranged according to each concubine’s rank. Xiao Lan was almost the lowest among all the invited concubines, after all, there was only one other concubine who ranked below her. Emperor Lin had been worrying about national affairs in the past two years and had no time to select new concubines, so there was no newcomer to be favored. In the past, anyone who was favored a little had already been promoted and were at least above an Honorable Lady’s rank. That was why Xiao Lan’s banquet table was arranged close to the entrance of the hall.
The banquet hall was large and the tables were divided into two rows. The emperor and the empress were seated at the highest end of the row. Although Lin Feilu had considerably good eyesight, she could not get a good look at anyone further inside the banquet hall.
She could not even see the faces of the consorts, let alone any further away.
She also wanted to study the beauty of the two noble consorts and the almighty emperor up close, but she could not see anything from where she was seated.
When she shifted her gaze slightly upwards, it was a sea of flowers and jewellery sticking into every concubine’s hairs.
It was nothing more than a bed of attention-seeking flowers.
How could the emperor have so many women? These are simply the ones who had been favored. How could he sleep with so many of them?
Three bells rang, and the end-of-year banquet officially began. Not only was it impossible to see their faces, Lin Feilu also could not make sense of the emperor’s and empress’s speech. It was very windy where Lin Feilu and Xiao Lan were seated, moreover, the emperor and empress still had to pay attention to their manners, thus it was unreasonable for them to shout loudly in the banquet hall.