Gu Yanyue knew what Yu Wenran was thinking as soon as she heard it. He was like a child who had just got a new and interesting thing. He had to find someone to show it off to before he would settle down.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, the dishes she usually cooked were just enough for her and Yuwen Ran to finish, so Yuwen Ran naturally had no chance to show off to others. However, today was Yuwen Ran's birthday, and Gu Yanyue considered that the birthday cake would be more lively if they were eaten together, so she made it much bigger.

The birthday boy is the most important today, so Gu Yanyue accepted it.

When Yuwen Ran brought Gu Yanyue back to the palace banquet, his steps were floating. If Gu Yanyue had not smelled that the smell of alcohol on him was not as strong as that on herself, she would have thought that Yuwen Ran was drunk and was not in his right mind.

As soon as Yu Wenran sat down, he had the cake brought up. He proudly repeated to everyone what Gu Yanyue had just said to him: "This is the birthday cake that the Queen personally cooked for me. I think that none of you have ever had this birthday cake like me, so I wanted to share this delicacy with you all."

Everyone knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reward."

When she stood up again, Concubine Yu looked at Gu Yanyue with eyes that were about to burst with anger.

She originally thought that the beautiful jade she had specially sent people to find from the Western Regions would be the best gift His Majesty had received this year, but she didn't expect that Gu Yanyue would directly cook a dish that no one knew about. She had hidden it when asked before, and now His Majesty obviously liked the gift from Gu Yanyue more, and the gift she had sent before had become a joke.

After everyone had shared the cake, Yuwen Ran announced the end of the palace banquet.

At first, there were too many people at the palace banquet and Qin Ruoruo didn't find a chance to talk to Gu Yanyue. Now that the palace banquet was over, Qin Ruoruo wanted to wait for Gu Yanyue on her way back to the palace and tell her not to leave the palace again.

As a result, she didn't wait for Gu Yanyue to come, but waited for Qin Ranran first.

Ever since Qin Ranran married Prince Xiang, she had become increasingly dismissive of her elder sister, Qin Ruoruo. Seeing Qin Ruoruo waiting there alone, not knowing who she was waiting for, she approached her maid with a swagger, her mouth tauntingly: "Sister, are you waiting here alone late at night hoping to see which courtier has a prominent family so you can seduce him and marry her off to a wealthy family?"

Qin Ruoruo already knew her half-sister's speaking style, and she responded in her tone, treating it as a courtesy. "I thought it was something else? Turns out it's a stink bug talking. No wonder it stinks when it opens its mouth."

"Qin Ruoruo, who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that? I am the concubine of Prince Xiang now, and I will not tolerate your insolence!"

Qin Ruoruo smiled and said, "So what if she's a concubine? After all, the title of concubine is just a nice name. In reality, she's still just a concubine. The main wife will always be above you, and the position of housekeeper will never be yours."

"Miss Qin, you're probably feeling a bit jealous because your sister got married before you, and into a wealthy family?" Prince Xiang walked over to Qin Ranran from another direction and said with a faint smile, "Even though Ranran is a concubine, Miss Qin still has to bow respectfully when she sees her. After all, etiquette cannot be abolished."

Qin Ruoruo was intimidated by King Xiang's status and could only bow to Qin Ranran, "Your humble servant greets the Concubine."

But Qin Ruoruo's gift was not in vain. When she possessed the body, she deliberately emphasized the word "concubine". How could she let Qin Ranran be happy again so easily?

As Qin Ruoruo expected, Qin Ranran's face darkened on the spot. Qin Ruoruo bowed and was about to walk around Qin Ranran and King Xiang to wait for Gu Yanyue in the front.

Before she could take a few steps, she heard Qin Ranran shouting behind her: "Come here—Qin Ruoruo is committing an insubordination. As my elder sister, she still violates the rules despite knowing the etiquette. Propriety cannot be abolished. Drag her away and give her thirty lashes of the cane to teach her a lesson!"

Before the palace attendants could even approach, they heard a sudden round of applause from behind them. "Good! Good! Good! A proper etiquette cannot be abolished!"

After seeing that the person coming was the Queen, the attendants did not dare to move forward. After all, there were many ladies in the palace who were more noble than the concubine of Prince Xiang. In front of the Queen, the words of the concubine of Prince Xiang seemed less important.

Gu Yanyue said "yes" several times in a row, and walked to the front of Prince Xiang with Yuwen Ran. She silently blocked Qin Ruoruo behind her and said with a smile: "Since Prince Xiang's concubine wants to discuss etiquette with Miss Qin, then I have a question for Prince Xiang. For such a grand banquet for His Majesty's birthday, Prince Xiang did not bring his principal wife to the banquet, but instead invited his concubine to the palace. Is it that Prince Xiang's principal wife is not up to the task, or is it that such a major event as His Majesty's birthday is not worthy of His Majesty's attention?"

Gu Yanyue's words were extremely skillful. No matter which one the King of Xiang acknowledged, he would indirectly offend the other. He quickly leaned over and said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. The reason I didn't bring my principal wife to the palace for the banquet is because Murong had a cold today and was not fit to go out. So I took the initiative to bring my concubine into the palace to accompany me to the banquet."

Prince Xiang thought that by bringing up the matter of Murong Yue's illness, Gu Yanyue would give up as usual. However, she didn't expect that this time, Gu Yanyue didn't fall for it. She raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Since Murong married you, how come her immunity has been so much worse? I used to hear her say that she didn't get sick once a year, but now she's sick every other day. This can't go on. How about this? I order the imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to come to Prince Xiang's residence to help Murong recuperate, otherwise it would be very bad if she develops a chronic illness in the future."

Prince Xiang was sweating and didn't continue what Gu Yanyue said. Gu Yanyue ignored Prince Xiang and Qin Ranran and continued, "Prince Xiang, please think about it carefully. If you have considered it, please come to my palace to ask me for an order. If you are worried about being gossiped about, you can also go to His Majesty."

After saying that, he left Prince Xiang and Qin Ranran standing there, and left with Yuwen Ran and Qin Ruoruo.

Prince Xiang was so angry about Gu Yanyue's behavior that his heart ached. Even after he returned home, his expression did not seem to improve.

Qin Ranran thought this was a good opportunity to show her virtuous side to King Xiang. As soon as she entered the yard, she tried her best to flirt with King Xiang. After she lured King Xiang into the house, she helped him take a bath.

Qin Ranran was very satisfied with the servants in her courtyard. She didn't have to worry too much about anything. Just like tonight, as soon as she entered the door, she saw warm water. The maids calculated the time and prepared it so that Qin Ranran and Prince Xiang could take a hot bath as soon as they returned home.

After taking a bath, King Xiang was tired because he was almost busy all day. He had no energy to do anything else, so he just fell asleep while holding Qin Ranran.