Regarding Empress Xie's praise, Noble Princess Consort Rong dismissed it. She stood up and, somewhat flustered, said, "Your Majesty, you flatter me too much." She forcefully pulled her hand out of Empress Xie's grasp. Then, she gently looked at the Emperor, "A dragon father does not sire weaklings. It is all because of Your Majesty's excellent teaching." After speaking, she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped her hands.
Seeing Noble Princess Consort Rong's act of wiping her hands, Empress Xie's gaze turned cold, almost unable to maintain her composed smile. She stiffened for a moment, then regained her dignified demeanor, saying, "Noble Princess Consort Rong is right, a dragon father does not sire weaklings. Prince Dai indeed resembles His Majesty when he was young."
After wiping her hands, Noble Princess Consort Rong tossed the handkerchief to the palace maid behind her.
"Compared to His Majesty when he was young, Prince Dai is far from it. At Prince Dai's age, my cousin was already the General of Constant Victory." As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something, and covered her mouth to laugh softly, "Your Majesty, I apologize, I forgot you were just a child back then and didn't know the Emperor's bravery."
The last sentence hit Empress Xie's sore spot. Noble Princess Consort Rong knew well what Empress Xie's sore spots were and purposely jabbed at them.
Upon hearing this, Empress Xie's eyes turned momentarily fierce, but she quickly regained her composure. Just as she was about to speak, the Emperor interrupted her.
"Everyone, please sit down."
Noble Princess Consort Rong smiled gracefully at the Emperor and obediently sat back in her seat.
Empress Xie felt stuck, unable to express the anger in her heart, making it difficult to maintain her smile.
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and raised her cup to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on the great victory in Liangzhou."
Seeing this, everyone else also stood up one after another, raising their cups to congratulate the Emperor.
Zhao Yao, being a child, of course, could not drink wine. He stood up and joined in with a few words of blessing.
Since the news of the great victory in Liangzhou returned to the palace, the Emperor had been in a very good mood. He stood up and drank three cups with his concubines and children.
After Empress Xie toasted, it was Noble Princess Consort Rong's turn to rise and offer her toast.
"Your Majesty, I wish Great Zhou prosperity and peace..." Noble Princess Consort Rong was smart and didn't mention anything about Prince Dai's great victory from start to finish.
After Noble Princess Consort Rong toasted, it was Princess Consort De's turn and the others.
The three consorts also said some auspicious words, and of course, did not forget to praise Prince Dai's competence.
Consort Li and Liang Zhaoyi said almost the same words.
After the concubines finished toasting, it was the princes and princesses' turn to toast, led by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince first congratulated the Emperor, then praised Prince Dai for his excellence. He also said that over the years, thanks to Prince Dai pacifying rebellions outside, the stability of Great Zhou had increased. He mentioned it was an honor to have a brother like Prince Dai, which was also a blessing for the people. Finally, he said that fortunately, with a War God like Prince Dai, the safety of Great Zhou and its people was assured.
His words came across as very sincere, almost as if they were his heartfelt sentiments.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Zhao Yao marveled in his heart: Brilliant! Crown Prince brother's words are truly brilliant!
The speech seemed to praise Prince Dai's achievements but actually elevated Prince Dai to the point where it sounded like Great Zhou's stability depended solely on him, suggesting that it was Prince Dai who secured the stability with his battles, attributing all credit to him and none to others.
The praise was executed masterfully!
He was considering how after Prince Dai's significant accomplishments, the court and public all lauded Prince Dai's capabilities, even suggesting he was more suitable than the Crown Prince to be the heir. Facing such a situation, he wondered how his Crown Prince brother would counter, but unexpectedly, from the start of the banquet, his Crown Prince brother made a brilliant countermove.
At first, Noble Princess Consort Rong felt proud hearing the Crown Prince's praise for Prince Dai, but the more she listened, the more something felt off. After the Crown Prince finished, she quickly said, "Crown Prince, you are too kind, the stability of Great Zhou..."
Before she could finish, the Crown Prince suddenly started coughing: "Cough, cough, cough..." making it impossible for her to continue.
Seeing the Crown Prince interrupt Noble Princess Consort Rong with a cough, Empress Xie felt disdainful, but remembering the earlier embarrassment Noble Princess Consort Rong caused her, she decided to play along with the Crown Prince.
"Crown Prince, what's wrong, did you catch a cold in the rain today?" Empress Xie asked with a concerned face.
As the father, the Emperor naturally couldn't pretend not to notice and also asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Princess Consort De said, "Today's rain was heavy, and the wind was strong. The Crown Prince's health has always been not great; perhaps he caught a cold after being exposed today."
Princess Consort Liang said, "I felt cold today as well."
Princess Consort Liang said with concern, "Quickly, get the Crown Prince a cup of hot tea."
Noble Princess Consort Rong's face turned cold, "Crown Prince, if you're unwell, you should rest in the East Palace and needn't attend tonight's banquet."
After coughing for a while, the Crown Prince stood up and bowed apologetically to the Emperor, "Father, I'm fine, it's just that I drank too quickly just now."
Empress Xie glared at the Crown Prince, feigning some dissatisfaction, saying, "You scared your father."
"It was all my fault." The Crown Prince looked ashamed, "Please punish me, Father."
"As long as you're fine." The Emperor lifted his hand, indicating the Crown Prince to sit down.
As soon as the Crown Prince sat down, Noble Princess Consort Rong prepared to continue her previous statement, but the third prince beat her to it.
The third prince stood and toasted the Emperor's drink. Among all the princes, he was the most literarily talented. His words of blessing were filled with classic references, and he finally praised Prince Dai, likening him to Bai Qi of the Qin Dynasty, whom none could defeat.
Upon hearing the third prince say her son was like Bai Qi, Noble Princess Consort Rong was naturally displeased. Although Bai Qi won battles often, he had put to death 400,000 Zhao troops, making him a very cruel person.
The third prince was seemingly praising Prince Dai's bravery but was actually insinuating that, like Bai Qi, Prince Dai was ruthless and a wanton slaughterer.
Of course, Consort Rong couldn't stand by while the third prince slandered her son and immediately dropped her face, unceremoniously questioning what the third prince meant by comparing Prince Dai to Bai Qi, hinting at cruelty.
"Noble Consort, you've misunderstood, my words don't mean that..."
Noble Princess Consort Rong abruptly interrupted the third prince coldly, "Then, what do you mean?" she said with a cold laugh, "Third Prince, you are well-read in literature, do you not know what kind of person Bai Qi was? By comparing Prince Dai to Bai Qi, are you mocking Prince Dai?"
Princess Consort Liang hurriedly said, "Noble Consort, the third prince really didn't mean that..."
Noble Princess Consort Rong raised her hand and interrupted Princess Consort Liang, displeased, "Enough, the third prince's meaning is quite clear to me." After speaking, she turned to the Emperor and, with a wrongful look, said, "Your Majesty, Prince Dai won a victory for you, yet he was compared to Bai Qi by the third prince."
In a confounded manner, the third prince said, "Father, I meant nothing else..." The Emperor cast a single glance, silencing the third prince, who dared not say more.
Princess Consort Liang was about to defend the third prince, but seeing the Emperor's impatience, she dared not speak again.
At this moment, the fourth prince stood and toasted the Emperor. He too first congratulated the Emperor and then praised Prince Dai for the great victory, mentioning that the triumph was not solely due to Prince Dai but also owed to the efforts of numerous soldiers and the Emperor's wise leadership. Lastly, he said that with the Emperor, Prince Dai, and many soldiers, Great Zhou's stability would only increase, and the people's lives would continue to improve.
Zhao Yao, in his heart, frantically gave thumbs up to his fourth brother.
His fourth brother's words were not only beautifully articulated but also watertight.
The Emperor smiled upon hearing the fourth prince's words.
Next came the fifth prince and others who learned from the fourth prince's words.
Finally, it was Zhao Yao, the youngest son. He didn't mimic the fourth prince's words, "Second brother is amazing, and Father is even more amazing. Second brother is a hero, and Father is a great hero."
Though his words were childish, they weren't incorrect. The Emperor didn't mind him, knowing well that his youngest son was inarticulate and not well-spoken.
"Zhao Yao, is that all you can say?" The Emperor wasn't dissatisfied; it was the ninth prince who was displeased. Hearing others praise Prince Dai to the skies made him very happy. To him, praising his second brother was like praising himself. Zhao Yao's simple words left him dissatisfied. "Can't you say anything else?"
Looking at the ninth prince, Zhao Yao innocently and sincerely replied, "No, I can't."