In the afternoon, there was a banquet in the palace.

Queen Wang invited the noble ladies of the capital. Everything from clothes to jewelry was carefully prepared, and each of them looked like a fairy from a fairyland.

"It's better to be young. It's pleasing to the eyes just by looking at it," said Queen Wang with a kind face and gentle eyes.

"Come," Queen Wang waved to a woman in purple clothes, "I really like you. Come here and let me take a good look at you."

The woman she called was Chen Langyi, the legitimate daughter of Duke Dingguo. She had been carefully trained since childhood and was destined to be sent to the palace in the future. Now her eyes were fixed on the two princes.

Chen Langyi slowly walked to the side of Queen Wang, maintaining a perfect smile, and knelt to salute, "Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen. Your majesty is a splendid figure in the world, as bright as the moon. Your humble servant can only look up to you. I am unworthy of your praise today."

Queen Wang took her hand and said to everyone, "Oh, listen, this little sweet-mouthed girl is praising me so much that I feel a little embarrassed."

Everyone echoed, "The Queen is a beauty of heaven, and her beauty is stunning..."

The smile on Concubine Heng's face gradually disappeared. It seemed that this was the wife chosen by Queen Wang for the eldest prince. She thought so much and she was indeed a good person, with a good family background and good looks.

But why should her second prince marry a concubine's daughter? She gets angry when she thinks of Liu Qian, and she has to find a way to vent her anger.

"No matter how beautiful one's face is, it cannot withstand the ravages of time. Your Majesty, no matter how we compare, we can never compare to these girls who look like water plantains," Concubine Heng said loudly.

"The wrinkles at the corners of your eyes are usually invisible, but when you smile, they can't be hidden at all."

The atmosphere became a little awkward.

It is said that Concubine Heng is favored and dares to act unruly in front of Queen Wang. After seeing it today, I found that the rumors are indeed true.

Queen Wang's mouth twitched twice, and she tried her best to smile, "Well, yes, old age means oldness. Once a woman is over 30, no matter how she takes care of herself, she will never be as good as when she was in her teens."

She is thirty-two this year, and Concubine Heng is twenty-nine.

As expected, when the milestone of thirty came out, Concubine Heng's face turned ugly. Although she was favored now, when there were more and more beauties in the palace, could Xiao Hanyi still treat her as faithfully as before?

"Your Majesty, every year brings its own splendor, every step brings its own beautiful scenery. We are so limited in knowledge that we envy Your Majesty," Chen Langyi seized the opportunity to flatter.

Queen Wang thought to herself, yes, she is the queen, what is she afraid of? Even without the emperor's favor, she is still the queen who rules the country. But if Concubine Heng loses the emperor's favor, she is just a concubine.

The banquet continues...

In the end, Queen Wang asked Chen Langyi to stay alone in the inner hall to talk, which made the noble ladies envious. Everyone speculated that Queen Wang had chosen Chen Langyi to be the eldest prince's principal wife.

Someone had already reported the situation at the banquet to Xiao Conghui. Xiao Conghui snorted coldly. Could it be that it was this Chen Langyi who instigated him to rebel?

We can't keep Chen Langyi, we have to find a place for her to go.

Let’s go ask the little one in Guo Xiner’s belly first.

…

In the small compartment on the second floor of Zuijiangyue, a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes had a look of anger on her face.

The scene of her mother-in-law, Old Lady He, scolding her in front of a room full of maids and servants came to her mind.

"Yue'er has been working hard in the military camp for days. He finally came back yesterday, but you kept pestering him. You are the mistress of General Heng's mansion, can you please show some dignity?"

"Maid, you pestered him for an entire hour yesterday, and didn't go to bed until midnight. You used all means to pester me and prevented me from getting any rest."

"Yue'er's health is more important. You are being so frivolous and refusing to give in. You are the legal wife and you should be dignified. Doing those things with a man in bed, can you please have some shame? I saw Yue'er's face was a little dark this morning."

......

Hengyue came back from the military camp in the western suburbs last night. After a long absence, she got up early to pay her respects to her mother-in-law, Mrs. He, a little later than usual. Mrs. He said a few words.

When serving the dishes, Old Lady He deliberately found fault and asked Mrs. Du to move to her room so that she could serve her at night.

Mrs. Du slowly closed her eyes, the humiliation in her heart kept churning. A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated.

She was the legitimate daughter of Dali Temple Minister Du Heng, and had been raised by her parents since she was a child. How could she bear such humiliation? But she was the daughter-in-law, and her mother-in-law was scolding her. How could she talk back? She could only keep her anger in her heart.

However, after so many years, she really couldn't bear it anymore. Old Mrs. He was in poor health and had to take medicine all the time, and she had to take care of her personally.

This morning, for some reason, she suddenly didn't want to endure it anymore...

"Madam, we have been out for some time. It is better for us to go back early. If we are late, the old lady will be unhappy." The maid beside her added some tea with a cautious look on her face.

Mrs. Du looked at her. This was her personal maid Shaoyao, who was brought from the Du family.

That's good, I can hide away for a while and have some free time, I can hide here forever.

Mrs. Du took Shaoyao downstairs and stopped for a moment when she heard the storyteller downstairs talking about something interesting.

It was a story about a daughter-in-law who schemed to kill her mother-in-law...

On the way back home, the story kept lingering in her mind. She was the daughter of the Dali Temple Minister and had heard many strange cases since childhood. If she really wanted to take someone's life without making a sound, it would not be difficult.

Mrs. Du's eyes gradually became fierce, and a murderous aura gushed out.

"Let's go to Huichun Hall," Mrs. Du ordered.

At night, Mrs. Du served Old Madam He dinner. She felt a little scared because Old Madam He asked her to serve her at night.

"Mother, please take the medicine. I tasted it and it's just the right temperature," Mrs. Du brought the medicine.

Old Mrs. He didn't think much about it, drank it all in one gulp, and rolled her eyes at her, "Don't feel wronged, I'm doing this for your own good. Yue'er's health is also important."

Mrs. Du smiled and said, "What are you talking about? Even if you didn't say it, your daughter-in-law should come to serve you. It's just that there are many things to do in the mansion, and I'm afraid something will happen at night and disturb your sleep."

After hearing this, Mrs. He smiled.

"This is a new pajamas made for mother. Please try it today to see if it fits you," Mrs. Du handed a piece of clothing to Mrs. He.

She had tempered this dress with a kind of fragrance. If worn close to the skin, it would definitely penetrate the skin. The fragrance was non-toxic, but if it came into contact with the medicine she had just drunk, it could be fatal, and it could not be detected at the time.

Old Mrs. He took a look at the pajamas. The material was water silk gauze worth thousands of gold coins. It was delicate and smooth, and got its name because of its fineness and softness.

Well, this Mrs. Du still knows what is right and wrong. Old Mrs. He is very satisfied to see that the daughter-in-law she has trained is so respectful to her.

"Let Baozhu help mother change it?" Mrs. Du said with a smile.

Baozhu is a first-class maidservant beside Madam He.

Old Madam He nodded and said, "You are tired today, so don't serve me here anymore. Go back and rest."

Mrs. Du snorted in her heart, tonight is the day you die, but her face remained impeccably gentle, "Then mother should rest in peace too."

In the middle of the night, a scream was heard from Madam He's yard.

"Something's wrong with Madam He, someone come!"

The entire General's Mansion became lively...