Chapter 307: Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet (1) (1/2)

Chapter 307: Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet (1)

As Han Yunxi waited, Long Feiye still didn’t show up. Even Zhao mama began to have her doubts. “Esteemed wangfei, could it be that His Highness…isn’t planning on attending?”

“I’m just worried he’s run into some trouble.” Han Yunxi still had a good grasp on the current politics. In terms of sentiment and logic, Long Feiye had to attend the empress dowager’s birthday banquet.

Logical reasons came from the fact that Long Feiye had just tyrannized Eunuch Xue a few days ago. If he stood up the empress dowager today, then he’d cause an even greater commotion. Unless Long Feiye was planning to rip Emperor Tianhui’s face to shreds and start a coup, he wouldn’t have a reason for the insult.

Sentimental reasons came from the fact that the empress dowager was a senior member of the family. Everyone still had to appear harmonious on the outside. As a member of the junior generation, and one whose wedding was facilitated by the empress dowager herself, Long Feiye had no excuse not to attend the banquet. It just wouldn’t fly. Moreover, now that Grand Concubine Yi wasn’t going, Long Feiye still had to show his face for her sake.

“Esteemed wangfei worries too much. Could anything happen to His Highness? Let’s go, we should dress you up and finish your makeup quickly. Perhaps His Highness is already on his way back,” Zhao mama still had plenty of faith in her household’s master.

There was only an hour left before the banquet began, so Han Yunxi really did need to make preparations. But she’d hardly reached the doors of the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion before Long Feiye arrived. Usually, he preferred to dress in black, or in white when he had some leisure time around the estate. Tonight, he was going to the banquet in a violet robes. They didn’t have much ornamentation, making him appear somewhat casual, but the color enhanced the refined and elegant features that served as a foil to his dignified, somewhat threatening air. It made people unable to take their eyes off him.

When Han Yunxi turned around and spotted him, she subconsciously fell into a daze again. Actually, Han Yunxi wasn’t some smitten girl addled by good looks. She’d seen Gu Qishao’s devastatingly beautiful face multiple times without succumbing to its charms. Perhaps Long Feiye’s looks were the type to be her inescapable calamity.

Long Feiye felt rather helpless before her dazed stare, but simply handed over a large parcel to Zhao mama. Then he ordered cooly, “I’ll be waiting by the door. Make her presentable before sending her out.”

When he finished, he went to sit on the swing in the courtyard to wait. Still, Han Yunxi stared at him. He doesn’t seem to have any reaction about the kiss I gave him last time. She was even wondering why he hadn’t seen her for the past few days. Was he avoiding her on purpose? But this guy had just acted like nothing had happened between them at all. He was still the same as before, cold and cheerless.

“Esteemed wangfei? We have to hurry, there’s no time to waste.” Zhao mama lightly nudged Han Yunxi before she recovered her senses. However, once mistress and servant entered the rooms and opened up Long Feiye’s giant parcel, they realized why he said he would wait.

There was a perfect set of banquet robes inside, complete with hair accessories, face ornaments, shoes, and other jewelry. The robes consisted of the most conservative qu style, which revealed no skin aside from the neck. Despite this, it had a dignified, majestic air about it. More importantly, it was also violet to match Long Feiye. There was only a single set of robes, but many accessories to match in all sorts of patterns and styles. All of them were precious, rare items, and the sight of them flummoxed both Han Yunxi and Zhao mama.

None of the things they’d hand-picked from their shopping trip could compare to even a single item from Long Feiye’s parcel!

Of course, Han Yunxi was still very happy to use them, because Long Feiye had given them himself.

“Esteemed wangfei, this old servant has watched His Highness grow up since he was young. He’s never picked out anything for a woman before!” Zhao mama sighed with feeling.

Han Yunxi wore a face full of confidence. “I’ll be the first and the last.”

Zhao mama secretly chuckled in her heart. She was willing to bet with her life that this girl would never dare to say such words in front of His Highness’s face.

After putting on the robes, Han Yunxi selected a pinkish purple dangling jade hair ornament and stuck it in her hair. Then she added a jade pendant of the same hue to dangle from her waist. The overall effect was simple, fresh and cool, but didn’t lack in refined elegance. As Han Yunxi walked out of her rooms, attired in purple, she smiled and said the same lines from her first trip to the palace. “I’ve prepared myself, would Your Highness offer his inspection?”

Just like last time, Long Feiye stared at her for a long time without saying a word. But this time, he didn’t turn away when he was finished. Instead, he approached her and took out a white jade crystal bracelet.

The entire bracelet was translucent and glittered with a pure radiance like clear water. There wasn’t a single imperfection in the entire bracelet, which carried a faint hue of purple through its white to create a beautiful, almost illusory sight.

“Here.”

It was the only word he uttered, but it shocked both Han Yunxi and Zhao mama.

This is made from jade crystal!

Jade crystal was one of Cloud Realm Continent’s rarest stones, considered even more priceless than gold, jadeite, or luminous-night pearls. Of all its types, white jade crystal with a hint of purple was the rarest stone of all. The biggest one found to date was only the size of a thumbnail, and currently existed in the hands of Northern Li’s emperor as his ring. Legends said that placing a jade crystal stone in the mouth of the dead would ensure that their bodies never decayed, just as if they were alive. Where did Long Feiye find such a large piece of jade crystal? Enough to make into a bracelet? And it didn’t have a single imperfect flaw!

If this wasn’t worth the value of an entire country, then what was?!

Could it be that he’d been busy over the past few days just for the sake of this bracelet?

When Long Feiye saw that Han Yunxi was still in a daze, he took her hand and personally helped her put on the bracelet.

A gift for her? Her first present?