Consort De and Consort Xian exchanged glances, watching Huang Yarou's actions.
Both saw a hint of disdain in each other's eyes.
"Hmph, such a flatterer, completely undignified!"
Consort Xian Qian Muyao muttered in a low voice, clearly looking down on Huang Yarou.
Noble Consort Liu Aoqing, having achieved success in martial arts, had exceptional hearing.
Upon hearing this, she directly taunted, "It's better than you two insidious villains, always stirring up trouble behind people's backs."
Consort De Shen Jingyi, who was also mocked, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
However, she didn't say anything, apparently not thinking Liu Aoqing was wrong.
Qian Muyao, who was not skilled in martial arts, never directly confronted Liu Aoqing.
To avoid the other party directly acting out of anger, which would only make her lose Face, she immediately fell silent.
Seeing the two looking angry but not daring to speak, Liu Aoqing pouted, secretly thinking it was boring.
Just then, Emperor Du Qian and Empress Ye Wanxi arrived together, so she couldn't be bothered to continue dealing with them.
Behind them were First Prince Du Rui and Third Princess Du Shiyun.
The four walked together, as if they were a family invited to attend a hundred-day banquet.
Unlike the Imperial Concubines who arrived earlier, they now looked like outsiders.
Every Imperial Concubine who realized this had slightly reddened eyes, and their jealousy was imaginable.
However, there were also some who didn't care much, apparently having a good mindset and no longer hoping for anything.
Shu Consort Huang Yarou looked at this scene and recalled the information she had just heard.
"I didn't expect this little fellow, First Prince, to abandon coming alone; he was clearly frightened just now."
"So he went to meet the Empress first to ensure his safety before he could confidently come to the hundred-day banquet."
"He's still too young after all, otherwise he wouldn't rush to the Empress for protection as soon as he encountered danger."
"If he could have continued to come independently, he would have surely impressed people."
This could be seen from the gazes of the well-informed ministers towards First Prince; they were a little disappointed.
"However, just based on his status as the legitimate eldest son, as long as he doesn't court death in the future, the position of Crown Prince should be without suspense."
"The only problem is whether he can outlive the Emperor and successfully ascend the throne."
Huang Yarou thought of this, a playful expression on her Face.
"Unfortunately, the other Princes are not pushovers; they won't just watch him ascend."
"To smoothly take that position in the future, he will have to go through some hardships."
After a final glance at First Prince, Huang Yarou turned her gaze to the Emperor and Empress.
The two looked displeased, clearly quite unhappy about the attack on First Prince.
If it weren't for the fact that they both needed to preside over Ninth Prince's hundred-day banquet,
They might have personally inquired about this matter long ago, instead of wasting time here.
As everyone stood up to greet them, the Emperor and Empress took their seats at the main table, looking down at the assembled crowd.
"Your subjects pay respects to Your Majesty, and to Empress."
"May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years! May the Empress live for a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand times a thousand years!"
All the Imperial Concubines also followed the officials, rising to bow to the Emperor and Empress.
"Your concubine pays respects to Your Majesty, and to Empress!"
"..."
Seeing everyone's respectful demeanor, Emperor Du Qian's expression improved somewhat, no longer as grim as when he first entered.
"Hmm, all ministers may rise and be seated!"
"Today is the hundred-day banquet of My Ninth Prince. Everyone, please relax and don't be too constrained."
"To save everyone's time, I won't say any more unnecessary words. Let the hundred-day banquet begin directly!"
The Emperor, ready to act quickly, immediately ordered the baptism ceremony to begin.
The reason for his haste was to finish as soon as possible, so he could deal with the troubling matters in the shadows.
This segment would be personally performed by the Empress, symbolizing the Prince's recognition and blessing by the imperial orthodoxy.
Therefore, Shu Consort Huang Yarou directly carried Du Yun and rose, walking to the Empress, who had also stood up.
"Next, I'll trouble Empress. I hope Yun'er won't cause Your Majesty any inconvenience," Huang Yarou said as she handed over Du Yun.
"Shu Consort sister, rest assured, This Palace will be careful," Empress Ye Wanxi replied, carefully taking him.
As he didn't feel much aversion from the Empress, Du Yun was very curious about her and directly looked up to examine her closely.
"I didn't expect the Empress to still have such a good figure after having three children."
"She's also not much worse looking than Mother Consort. Having her perform my baptism isn't too much of a loss."
From the address, it could be seen that Du Yun had gradually integrated into this ancient society.
At this moment, Empress Ye Wanxi did not know what Du Yun was thinking, otherwise, she might not have personally performed his baptism.
She lowered her head slightly to look at the infant in her arms, finding that he was also looking at her.
His curious little expression was beyond adorable.
Ye Wanxi felt a sense of déjà vu and couldn't help but recall the past, sighing in her heart.
"Time really flies. Thinking back, it's truly nostalgic."
"My son used to be this cute too, but unfortunately, he became more and more troublesome as he grew up!"
Ye Wanxi, whose heart was touched, gradually softened her originally majestic expression.
Perhaps she felt that Du Yun himself wouldn't pose much of a threat to First Prince Du Rui.
Ye Wanxi's attitude towards him was quite good, unlike with the other Princes, who just looking at them made her displeased.
Coupled with other matters on her mind, the entire process went quite smoothly.
It wasn't until he was dressed in splendid attire that Du Yun was handed back to Shu Consort Huang Yarou by Empress Ye Wanxi.
"Thank you for your hard work, Empress. This sister expresses her gratitude here!"
"Shu Consort sister, you are too polite. As the mistress of the Harem, this is what This Palace should do."
After speaking, she didn't wait for a response and returned to sit beside the Emperor.
Huang Yarou didn't mind, directly holding Du Yun and returning to her own seat.
After the baptism ceremony, the next step was the ancestral worship segment.
Led by the Emperor and Empress, Huang Yarou carried Du Yun, and together they went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
They were preparing to offer incense to their ancestors, present corresponding offerings, and report the birth of the Prince.
And the joy of the hundredth day, praying for ancestral blessings.
Everyone else followed closely, wanting to observe the ceremony.
Being carried by Huang Yarou throughout the entire process, Du Yun couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"I didn't expect just a Prince's hundred-day banquet to be held so grandly."
"I don't know if it's always like this in ancient times, or if it's just our Dongxing Imperial Family!"
After worshipping the ancestors, Emperor Du Qian led everyone back to the venue to begin the gift reception segment.
Du Yun was placed directly in a specially made cradle, passively receiving congratulatory gifts from the Imperial Family and court ministers.
"So many treasures, I'm rich now!"
"Too bad I can only look at them for now and not use them; they'll just gather dust in the warehouse."
"Otherwise, I'd really like to hold each one in my arms and enjoy the pleasure of being weighed down by treasures."
Throughout the gift reception process, Du Yun also had to accept everyone's kowtows or bows, to express their blessings to the Prince.
For the congratulatory gifts given to him, Du Yun couldn't help but be happy when he saw treasures he liked.
"These guys are really rich. I'll have to find more opportunities in the future to see if I can 'shear' some more 'wool' from them."
However, some of the congratulatory gifts might have problems; he could faintly feel a threat from them.
Every time he encountered them, it made him uncomfortable, wishing he could stay far away from these gifts.
"Very well, I've remembered you!"
"When I grow up and get the chance, just wait and see how I deal with you!"
Huang Yarou, who already knew his little expressions like the back of her hand, also looked at those gifts thoughtfully.
"Yun'er doesn't like these things. It seems I'll have to have someone inspect them carefully later."
"If problems are indeed found, then...!"
Huang Yarou made up her mind and had people quietly classify the gifts.
She put all the suspicious items together, making it easier for later inspection.
After the gift reception segment, it was time for the banquet celebration.
As everyone took their seats, the Emperor first raised his cup, announcing the start of the hundred-day banquet.
Then various performances took turns, allowing everyone to enjoy them while dining, celebrating Ninth Prince's hundredth day together.
During this time, there would be a naming ceremony, where the Emperor would formally bestow a name upon the Prince and announce it to the world.
It was also from this moment that Du Yun's full name began to appear before the world.
After that, the Emperor did not stay long at the banquet and soon rose and left with the Empress.
Presumably, he went to deal with the matters that occurred before the banquet, while the hosting of the banquet was handed over to Shu Consort Huang Yarou.
Originally, according to rank, it should have been taken over by Noble Consort.
However, since this was Ninth Prince's hundred-day banquet, Noble Consort Liu Aoqing didn't mind giving some Face.
No one was surprised by this; they just ate and drank as usual.
As if they didn't yet know that the Emperor and Empress had already left.
