A banquet was held in the palace on New Year's Eve. After breakfast, the ministers and ladies began to prepare to enter the palace. Everyone was dressed in their finest attire. It was a rare opportunity to attend a palace banquet, and this year was different from previous years. It was said that the Emperor and Empress attached great importance to it and began preparations in mid-December.

In previous years, due to natural disasters, the emperor was very frugal, and his ministers also dared not be extravagant and had to live a low-key life, for fear of overstepping the bounds of the palace and being punished.

Since last year, the emperor and his concubines no longer need to tighten their belts. While they are not living extravagantly, they are certainly more presentable than before, at least befitting the status of the royal family.

In the past, ministers would dress very simply when attending palace banquets with their families. They had to be careful what they said in the palace, and they had to show their concern for the people and their worries about natural disasters. They didn't even dare to laugh too much during festivals.

From now on, I won't have to pretend anymore. On good days like Chinese New Year, I can laugh whenever I want, dress up if I want without anyone saying anything, and wear jewelry as I please without any taboos.

At this moment, a group of noble ladies were whispering in the garden outside the palace banquet. One of them, the daughter of a fifth-rank official, casually mentioned, "I heard that the Minister of War brought his granddaughter to today's palace banquet. Have you heard?"

"Is she the granddaughter of the Minister of War? I heard she came to the capital a few months ago. I can imagine why she's lingering here." Another noblewoman chimed in, playing along.

"Miss Lin and Miss Ye, you should say less. The Minister of State asked the Emperor for permission beforehand to bring his granddaughter to the palace banquet, and the Emperor had no objections. If we gossip here, we might offend someone, and none of us will have a good time."

The girl who spoke was about fourteen or fifteen years old. She was strikingly beautiful and clearly held a high status among the noble ladies. After she finished speaking, no one else uttered a word.

"Miss Zheng, we didn't say anything. The most beautiful woman in Jiangnan really has come to the palace. My sister Ye and I have long admired Miss Song's name and just wanted to see for ourselves just how stunning she is. We had no ill intentions," Miss Lin explained with a smile, as if she were truly innocent.

Miss Zheng didn't want to argue with her, and simply replied, "So I misunderstood. Since there's nothing else, I'll go in first, and you can chat slowly."

Watching Miss Zheng gracefully enter the hall, the Lin family girl scoffed, her expression filled with disdain. "Who does she really think she is? She's just relying on her ancestors' service in supporting the emperor and the titles they received."

Unfortunately, the Zheng family has declined now. His grandfather was merely a third-rank censor. If it weren't for his aunt being a concubine, the Zheng family would be nothing special.

No one else dared to speak. This was the palace, and anyone with a brain wouldn't dare to say anything out of line. They didn't know how they might offend someone. Outside, they were called noble ladies, but once inside the palace, everyone was more precious than them, and they couldn't afford to offend anyone.

Furthermore, the Zheng family cannot be said to have declined. Although they are not as powerful as before, they still wield considerable influence in the capital.

The prime minister's granddaughter, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. She glanced at her little follower, Miss Lin, and said in a light tone, "Speak less. Don't forget we are in the palace. If you don't want to lose your head, keep quiet."

The prime minister's granddaughter has always been known as the most beautiful woman in the capital, and is also a famous woman of great talent. Nowadays, the most beautiful woman not only needs to be beautiful, but also talented and virtuous. If she only has beauty but is also a fool, she is not qualified to be called the most beautiful woman.

As staunch supporters of the Prime Minister's granddaughter, Miss Lin and Miss Ye were naturally displeased to hear that the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan was attending the palace banquet. Weren't they deliberately trying to compete with Miss Gu?

Miss Gu is the granddaughter of the Prime Minister. Her full name is Gu Xinyue. The Prime Minister has three sons, and Gu Xinyue is the eldest son's legitimate daughter. Gu Xinyue is not only exceptionally beautiful, but also exceptionally talented, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

In truth, Gu Xinyue also wanted to see how beautiful the number one beauty in Jiangnan was, and whether she was more talented than her. Everyone has a competitive spirit, and she didn't believe that the other party didn't want to compete for something. Otherwise, why would she have traveled all the way to the capital and stayed at her maternal grandparents' house?

Song Xiyan wants to find a powerful husband in the capital, and she has no objection to that, but anyone who wants to steal her thunder will have to see if she agrees.

Over at the rockery in the garden, Zhang Xiantao was chatting with her son and several daughters of military officers. The noble ladies were always divided into two groups: the daughters of military officers gathered in one group, and the daughters of civil officials gathered in another.

Civil and military officials have always been at odds, so their children naturally wouldn't play together.

Zhang Xiantao and her friends had practiced martial arts since childhood, and their hearing was better than that of ordinary people. They overheard the conversation between the daughters of those civil officials.

"These so-called literati just love to pretend to be high and mighty, and they like to compete for the title of 'talented woman.' It's boring." One of the military officers' daughters snorted heavily, looking down on the daughters of the civil officials.

Of course, the daughters of civil officials also looked down on them.

"Xiantao, your belly is already showing, why are you still holding this naughty boy? Be careful he doesn't kick your belly." Zhang Xiantao's best friend advised her with some concern, and even wanted to take Zhao Heng from her arms.

However, Zhao Heng was already over a year old and very clever. Ever since he found out that his mother was pregnant with another child, he had become very clingy. Unless he couldn't see his mother, he insisted on being held by her.

It's impossible for anyone to take the person away from Zhang Xiantao.

"I don't want Auntie to hold me, I don't want Auntie to hold me, no no no no!" Zhao Heng waved his two short arms in a childish voice, clearly refusing.

"Okay, I won't hug you. Be careful, don't move around, or you'll kick your mother." This best friend got married earlier than Zhang Xiantao and is now a mother of three, the youngest of whom is three years old and can run around all over the place.

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