First Meal

"The Emperor and the Empress has arrived."

The hall full of sophisticated and beautiful people stood and bowed towards the incoming couple. The woman was delicate and graceful, while the man was robust and cold. Side by side, the couple's looks and demeanor made the hall even more dazzling than before. Some of the more observant officials noticed their conjoined hands. Hu Feng lead them to the thrones, and waited patiently for Mu Qing to fix her dress and sit down. When she was done, he sat in his own throne, but his hand had never left hers.

"Raise."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

An eunuch stepped from the side, faced the crowd, and said some acious words about the son of heaven. The slew of nobles then sat in their designated seat, carefully arranged by rank with the most important towards the Emperor. Hu Feng waved his hands to motion for the band and dancers to begin the festivities. The woman to his side scanned the whole hall until her eyes landed on her family right beside her. Two eyes carefully examined her conduct, and Mu Qing made sure to look at her mother with indifference.

The banquet hall was truly astounding. Baby blue silk curtains hung all around the room to ensure uninvited insects stay uninvited. The large windows were wide open to let the cool spring breeze enter, and small star shaped lanterns enveloped the whole ceiling. It was though the banquet was a picnic underneath the stars. Instead of the bright red and gold, which Mu Qing found graudy, she much preferred pastel colors. Instead of lining the tables in rows and columns, they were arranged in a U-shaped formation, leaving a big center for the dancers. This was to ensure that people can see and talk to one another without having to twist their heads. Mu Qing had worked extremely hard for this day, and she made sure that everything was to her taste. Elegant with simplicity.

Mu Qing glanced at Ke Ying on the side to tell her to start serving the food. Soon, charming maids entered the hall with trays of piping hot meals. Each maid was designated to one family. Everyone soon started eating in a very posh manner. Mu Qing looked down at the food between Hu Feng and her. Her eyes were bright, and her mouth salivated at the food.

'Marrying Ice Cube is not so bad after all!'

To everyone else, Mu Qing looked indifferent and cold, like a flower on top of a cliff. However with his sharp eyes, how could Hu Feng miss the subtle changes in her demeanor. In a rush, Mu Qing pulled out her hand from his grip and picked up her chopsticks. A cold galred made her movement freeze, Mu Qing looked at her mother. However that did not stop her from eating a delicious piece of grilled salmon. The fat of the fish coats her mouth, and the smokiness filled her nose. Her face lit up in uncontained joy.

Hu Feng glanced at his Empress in silent. He observed her every move, while sipping on fragrant rice wine. While Mu Qing was cold on the outside, she was clearly a glutton on the inside. This woman was getting more and more amusing. Noticing the stare in her general direction, Mu Qing turned to look at Hu Feng. She took the piece of fish in her bowl and put it in his, hoping the food would distract him away from her. He picked up the fish and ate it. Seeing him eat, Mu Qing happily went back to her own bowl. Occasionally, Mu Qing would turn around and place pieces of food in Hu Feng's bowl. This was their first meal together.

As the meal progress, the door opened and an eunuch announced, "Crown Prince and 7th Princess of Yan has arrived."

A charming man in silver walked next to a pretty girl in scarlet red.

"Long live the Emperor," Yu Xi cupped his hands towards Hu Feng. Like always, Yu Chun stood there without bowing or curtsy.

"I would like to be the first to congratulate Your highness on your birthday. The Yan country wish to present you this ten thousand year old ginger," Yu Xi addressed Hu Feng but his eyes stayed on the enchanting woman on the throne.

The Emperor nodded his head and dismissed the siblings. Yu Xi walked to his table and pour himself a glass of wine. However, Yu Chun stay rooted in her spot. Many onlookers were quite interested in the Emperor's Junior sister. She was glamorous in the scarlet red dress, and her makeup was flawless. Many of them could see that Yu Chun was eyeing for her Senior brother, especially since she wore the color red*(1). As the upper class of society, if they could not see a scheme then they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Yu Chun looked at the cold man with full confidence, "Senior brother, Yu Chun has slaved away since early morning to make your favorite meal. Your Junior sister was afraid that you could not eat the food at the banquet. Please have a taste."

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward, and everyone stopped what they were doing. The implications were clear.

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1) I would like to think the wearing all red without any color was something that only the Empress can wear, like how only purple was worn by royalty. It also makes her look like a bride waiting for her groom.