Gu Shaoyu gently gave Bei Chen a few instructions, and Bei Chen accepted and left.

The palace banquet officially began at 5 PM. Officials who lived further away had to set off very early, as it would be inappropriate to make His Majesty wait for his subjects.

The old lady wanted to find opportunities for her granddaughters Gu Huanhuan and Gu Eun, and also wanted to give her three grandnieces a chance to find husbands, so she arranged for them to depart from the mansion at the end of the 11 PM.

At the palace gate, as arranged by the palace, carriages were specially parked at a designated location outside the second gate, and officials and their families from various prefectures attending the palace banquet entered the palace through separate male and female entrances.

"Eldest Sister"

Second Sister

On the palace road, Xie Tingting, Xie Wanwan, and Xie Xiuxiu, the three young ladies of the Xie family, bowed and greeted Xie Zhaozhao and Xie Xiangxiang.

Xie Tingting was dressed exceptionally beautifully, and her words were very sweet: "Elder sister, you and the Grand Secretary look so good in your court robes."

Xie Zhaozhao smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

Xie Tingting, holding Xie Xiangxiang's hand, said affectionately, "Sister, you and my elder sister are both in the Marquis's mansion. My elder sister must take good care of you, right? Sister, you are so lucky to be able to marry into the same mansion as my elder sister."

Xie Xiangxiang sneered, gritting each word out through gritted teeth, "They really do take good care of us, they really take too good care of us!"

Xie Zhaozhao ignored her completely, only talking to Old Madam Xie and her second aunt.

As always, Madam Xu looked quite docile, and scolded, "Xiangxiang, how can you talk like that?"

Xie Tingting didn't care that Xie Zhaozhao ignored her. She chatted and laughed with Xie Xiangxiang, their voices low but their excitement evident.

As Madam Xie and Madam Hou talked, they walked into the palace, with the younger generation following behind.

Xie Tingting took Xie Xiangxiang's hand and walked up to Xie Zhaozhao, deliberately separating the old lady of the Xie family from the old lady of the Hou family. Xie Tingting tilted her head and smiled, as if she were very sincere.

"Elder sister, we grew up together. Even if you marry well, I can't thank you enough."

Xie Zhaozhao looked at her, her expression unreadable, and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"Eldest sister, I thought you would consider our shared childhood and treat Second Sister better. I never expected you to be worse than an outsider, actually leading the bullying of Second Sister. Things change, eldest sister, leave yourself some way out, so you won't be left with nowhere to go in the future!" Xie Tingting carefully reminded Xie Zhaozhao.

"Miss Xie, do you know who you're talking to?"

"Tingting, don't mess with her!" Xie Xiangxiang quickly stopped Xie Tingting, turned to look at Xie Zhaozhao, and said sarcastically, "Heh, what a show of power! Tingting is young but she knows how to protect her sisterly bond. She's not like you."

You always talk about rules, right? Well, one day, someone will make you see those rules through to the very end!

Xie Zhaozhao turned to Yuanyuan and said, "The Crown Prince's wife has no manners whatsoever, she is disrespectful to her superiors, she should be slapped!"

Without saying a word, Yuanyuan slapped Xie Xiangxiang twice hard across the face, causing a strand of her hair to fall out.

Xie Wanwan and Xie Xiuxiu watched without daring to utter a sound.

Xie Tingting quickly helped her sister tuck her hair back up, staring at her incredulously, and said through gritted teeth, "Elder sister, we are all your own sisters... This is on the palace road, how can you hit your own sister in front of so many people? Aren't you afraid people will say you're vicious?"

Xie Zhaozhao glanced lightly across their faces and said, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and shout it out."

Xie Tingting originally thought that Xie Zhaozhao would be mindful of her reputation in the palace and in front of everyone, but she didn't expect her to become more and more ruthless.

He stamped his foot, offered a few words of comfort to Xie Xiangxiang, and then returned to Madam Xu's side.

Seeing her tearful eyes and gloomy face, Xu said, "You got beaten? You never learn. You deserved to be beaten."

Xie Tingting remained silent.

Upon entering the palace, the three Zhi sisters followed closely behind Madam Tu. Zhi Yaoyao carried a guqin, Zhi Qinqin held a xiao (a type of vertical flute), and Zhi Meimei only brought her dance clothes and shoes. All three of their costumes were borrowed from Xie Xiangxiang by the old lady and Madam Tu.

The grand banquet was held in the Taiping Hall. After entering the palace, everyone rested in a side hall of the Taiping Hall and waited for the banquet to begin.

The Imperial Seal Bureau had already set up the throne inside the Taiping Hall, the Imperial City Guard had planted yellow flags on the east and west sides outside the hall, and the Imperial Guard had dispatched twenty-four palace guards to protect the east and west sides inside the hall.

The Imperial Music Bureau set up nine-part music performances inside the palace and a grand music performance outside. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices set up a wine pavilion to the west of the throne and a food pavilion to the east. To the east and west of the wine and food pavilions were the pavilions for delicacies and condiments, respectively.

The Crown Prince's seat was located to the east of the throne, facing west. The princes were arranged on both sides of the banquet, facing each other from north to south. Officials of the fourth rank and above were arranged inside the hall, while those of the fifth rank and below were arranged in the corridors on the east and west sides outside the hall.

There were servants such as the potter, wine connoisseur, and food connoisseur serving nearby.

After everyone sat down, Xie Zhaozhao greeted Madam Hou and then took Manman to Xingning Palace. She whispered to Yuanyuan, "You stay here and keep an eye on Madam Xu's movements."

Madam Xie had already gone ahead to Xingning Palace.

"Your Highness, look how beautiful Zhaozhao looks in her court dress!" Old Madam Xie said happily as she looked at her eldest granddaughter.

Consort Xi thought to herself that her sister-in-law was the most beautiful woman, but what she said was: "The Grand Secretary's wife is the most noble lady in the capital."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "Compared to Your Highness, I am like candlelight vying with the sun and moon."

Madam Xie smiled and said, "You two don't need to be modest."

Consort Xi smiled faintly: "I've had miscarriages all of my children, not a single one of them survived. I'll never have any children in this lifetime! Zhao Zhao grew up under my care, so she's my child."

Hearing this, Madam Xie was heartbroken and felt so guilty that she couldn't speak for a long time.

What can be done? That's how it is in large families; daughters often have no say in their own lives.

Xie Zhaozhao asked Madam Xie, "What are the arrangements for Third Sister? Does Mother already know about the selection of a concubine?"

"They weren't told about the selection of a concubine," said Madam Xie. "Your father betrothed her to Liu Zekun, the second son of the prefect of Yingzhou. I've met Liu Zekun; he's a good boy, good-looking, and very studious. He always gets first place in the local academy."

Xie Zhaozhao thought to herself that it wouldn't be bad if Xie Tingting could marry into Yingzhou.

Madam Xie said, "Your father wants to finalize this marriage as soon as possible. Prefect Liu won't be staying in the capital for more than a few days, so he wants to finalize it before he leaves."

That happened during the first month of the lunar calendar.

"Grandmother, please take a break tonight and have someone keep an eye on Tingting. I'm worried something might happen."

"What's the meaning?"

"When I entered the palace just now, she and my second sister threatened me at the palace gate, saying that fortunes change every thirty years, and they're waiting to get back at me!"

"You insolent thing!" Old Madam Xie hurriedly stood up and asked Consort Xi for her leave, "Your Highness, this humble woman will take her leave now."