Today was the mid-autumn festival. The city was vibrant as lanterns filled the air and waters. The palace was not left out. There was a banquet to celebrate the mid-autumn festival where all officials and their children were present and also the grand welcome of the censor- in- chief's adopted daughter, Mo Ling Xi.
The emperor of Daxia, Yan Yue, was in high spirits as he greeted his guests. "I'm very happy about the success of the mid-autumn festival. I hope Daxia remains happy and blessed in many more years to come. May Daxia remain peaceful", the emperor toasted with his empress and noble consort by his side. "May Daxia remain peaceful", all responded accepting the toast. "Censor Mo, I remember you said your daughter would be here to grace this occasion with us. You haven't introduced her to us yet", Empress Yan, Su She asked. Mo Xuanye stood up and bowed, "Your highness, my daughter was supposed to make it to the banquet today but her journey was delayed on the road. I apologize", he said. "What a shame. I would have loved to see how your daughter looked like" "I'll have her come pay respects to your highness once she returns", he said. "No need to wait", they heard a sweet feminine voice. A girl stood at the entrance and all attention were fixed on her immediately. She wore a silk blue dress and her long dark brown hair reached her waist. She wore no jewelry except two gold bangles on her wrists. Her eyes were dark with long eyelashes and her lips were pink. Her stunning features and appearance instantly captivated everyone in the room. Though she was dressed simply, her charm was surprisingly alluring. "I'm here", she said and walked into the palace. She stopped in front of the Emperor and knelt down, "I, Mo Ling Xi, pay my respects to your majesty. Greetings, your majesty and your highnesses", she said. "Please, rise", Yan Yue said. "Thank you, your majesty", she said and rose. She turned and smiled at her father. She knelt down and greeted him, bowing, with her head touching the ground in respect. "Stand up, my dear", she Mo Xuanye said lifting her up. "How was your journey?" he asked. "It was fine. We had fortunately found a shortcut so I could make it in time". "Miss Mo is truly filial", Yan Yue smiled. Her father nodded and led her to a seat. A set of dancers entered immediately to entertain the guests. She sat under the gazes of the girls. "She so pretty", she heard the whispers among them. "With her looks, I feel Ru lan's place is threatened", Jing Fang, an official's daughter said. "Do you think Ru lan will be threatened by her?" Mei Juan, another official's daughter said. "What do you mean by that? Ru lan is the only daughter to the Minister of Revenue. Even though Censor Mo's status is higher, she's still just an adopted daughter in the end. His Highness will definitely not cast a second glance at her", Rong Xue, one of Ru lan's lackeys, defended her. At the mention of 'His Highness', Lingxi lifted her eyes to see who they were talking about and she found both princes staring at her. She did not smile back and instead gave them a glare that caused the both of them to feel nervous and shift their gaze away. Everywhere was lively for some time until Su She started feeling dizzy. "What's wrong?" Yan Yue asked. "Just a minor headache. I'm a bit tired", she said and Yan Yue stood up to accompany her, "everyone, the empress is a bit tired now so we'll leave you guys to it. Please enjoy", he said. "Thank you, your majesty", they all bowed as he left with Su She and the Noble Consort. Ru lan stood up and proposed a toast to Lingxi. "I, Ru lan, welcome you on behalf of all the girls here today", she said with a smug smile and her head held high. Lingxi smiled and stood up with her cup, "thank you, it's my pleasure", she said and they both drank and she sat down back. "So pretentious", a girl sitting next to Lingxi sneered to herself but was loud enough for Lingxi to hear. Lingxi turned to her. The girl who just put a grape in her mouth noticed and smiled nervously. "Hi, my name is Liu Ying", she greeted. "Liu ying?" Lingxi said in thought, "then you must be Minister Liu's daughter, right?" "Yes. My father works in the ministry of justice" "Nice to meet you" "You too. You know, this place is very boring - always filled with pretentious looks. I had no choice that's why I'm here", she said. Lingxi smiled, "you do look pretty bored. You've been eating since I came in" "I once came up with a poem. It goes:
'Why bother about the troubles of life and tire yourself out? I live my life minding my own business. The only regret the dead have is not being able to eat or drink or laugh. I worry not about yesterday or tomorrow for troubles are ever waiting. I only seek to enjoy the pleasures of life and travel near and far with my soulmate without regrets'
"How is it?" Liu Ying asked with a smile. Lingxi smiled back, "enjoy the pleasures of life and travel near and far with my soulmate without regrets – sound wonderful" "Of course it is. If I were to place it in the present situation it would be - why should I bother with pretentious people? I live my life worrying not about their affairs, minding my business. I only care about not wasting what is put before me, eating and drinking to my satisfaction", she said as she gave a toast to Ling xi and they both drank. "I heard that Minister Liu feng is upright and doesn't care about the people around him when judging a case making him an outstanding official. No wonder you are his daughter" "Likewise"
Lingxi turned and noticed Ru lan and prince Yan Tian staring at each other. Just a moment ago, he had been trying to steal her attention, 'what a two timer', she said to herself taking another sip of her drink. Liu ying noticed too and could not help bickering, "do you know the one staring at Ru lan is the son of the empress, Yan Tian? He is said to be courting her because she is the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. If he marries her, he might be able to secure the position of crown prince in the future" "Secure the position of Crown Prince? Isn't he the son of the empress? Why should he resort to such tactics?" Lingxi asked. "You may not know this but recently, Yan Huan, the son of Noble Consort Shu, has been earning the emperor's recognition lately and there are many officials speaking in his favor. Hence, his position might be quite unstable. After all, as they say, might makes right. You must work for it" "You have a point. Is the one sitting next to him Yan huan?" "Yes" "The way you talk makes it seem you know a lot about them" "Of course" "Do you like any of them?" Liu Ying almost choked, "of course not. My father is the head of the ministry of justice so naturally, I know more than others" "I see" "You know, although these two brothers are always at odds, they both have one common enemy" "Who?" "Prince Xuan, Yan An" "Yan An?" "Yes, he is the only member of the royal family whose title cannot be revoked plus he leads the largest army, Chencui Army, plus..." she said whispering, "…..they often carry out secret operations. If I were to compare, I would say your father and him are on equal terms. You know, rumor has it that the former emperor wanted to pass the throne to his father, who was the emperor's younger brother. Unfortunately, he was assassinated. Although the case has been investigated, the results was unsatisfactory. After my father took office, he wanted to reopen the case as there were many inconsistences but the emperor refused and said the case had been closed and he did not want to cause unrest in the court. To me, that was a ridiculous excuse. I dare say his majesty is suspicious in this case" "You are very bold to speak against his majesty. Aren't you afraid of being charged with treason and get your whole family executed?" "Afraid? Why should I be afraid? I only stated the facts. If his majesty finds fault with me, it just proves his guilt. After all, the innocent has nothing to fear. I'm not afraid. He should be the one worried" Lingxi smiled, "then aren't you afraid I will tell on you?" Liu ying turned to face her, "I'm not afraid. Actually, I'm good at reading people and I can tell you're nothing like those pretentious people" "Really? Are you sure about that?"