The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Chapter 423 - The Net is Gathered

Although they didn't get to drink the chrysanthemum wine, the joy of personally brewing the wine made everyone forget about that detail. Coupled with other fine wines in the palace, like osmanthus wine, pine flower wine, and lotus flower wine, there was no lack of variety.

In fact, Ye Yun's brewing had added an extra layer of enjoyment to the Double-Ninth Festival banquet. It was later heard that on that day, some bold young talents invited the girls they fancied to brew wine together, leading to several blossoming romances. It seemed that next year's chrysanthemum wine at the Double-Ninth Festival would be even more anticipated.

The jar of wine that Ning Chen and Ye Yun brewed together was carefully stored by the servants, afraid that even the slightest mistake would occur. After all, this jar contained not only wine but also the lingering affection between the emperor and Ming Guifei.

Linlang Hall...

Yi Zhaoyuan returned in a fit of anger.

This was the first time the Third Prince had seen his mother so furious. She smashed several pieces of teaware, making him feel too intimidated to breathe.

"What a vixen! Now the emperor's heart is entirely devoted to her. Just seeing the Fourth Prince's face makes me furious. Ye Shi gave birth to a child who looks so much like the emperor! I've heard the Fourth Princess resembles him too. Isn't that just making the emperor favor those three even more?"

Yun Xiu mustered the courage to go up and comfort her.

"Zhaoyuan, calm down; it's just looks. I've heard that during the late emperor's reign, the eldest prince, Ning Ze, resembled the late emperor the most, but in the end, wasn't it our emperor who inherited the throne? The emperor is the third child; our Third Prince is also the third child. Perhaps he's the one who will be more fortunate!"

These words touched Yi Zhaoyuan's heart and slightly quelled her anger.

It was understandable for her to be anxious; she could see that next year the Fourth Prince would be studying alongside the Third Prince and the others, and the children would be compared even more closely.

Now, the eldest prince was not in good health, frequently falling ill, which caused him to lag behind in his studies. Only the Second Prince and the Third Prince could be compared.

The Second Prince was clever, but the Third Prince was especially diligent, making it a close contest.

Yi Zhaoyuan always listened for news about the Fourth Prince. She learned that the teacher often praised him; the Fourth Prince had an exceptional memory and could memorize quickly. She worried that once he entered the Imperial Study, he might outshine the Third Prince.

After sitting down, she pulled her son close.

"Han'er, I know studying is hard for you, but all of my hopes for your future depend on you. Your father often praises your studies, so you must work even harder. Next year, when the Fourth Prince enters the Imperial Study, and you are compared, I fear your father may show bias!"

The young Third Prince furrowed his brows tightly, growing increasingly resentful toward Ming Guifei and the Fourth Prince.

In his mind, it was because of Guifei and the Fourth Prince that his father seldom visited his mother, causing her to be so angry and haggard all day long.

"Don't worry, Mother. I will study hard and become the crown prince. I won't lose to Fourth Brother; I will make you proud!" the Third Prince declared, clenching his fists.

Yi Zhaoyuan patted her son's shoulder, her eyes filled with expectation.

After the Double-Ninth Festival banquet, Jing Xian Fei was punished and became much more docile, not daring to pull any more tricks for a while.