Chapter 443: When a man gets married, a woman gets married

Even with their exceptional patience, the King of Lingnan and Zhu Junning could not maintain their composure and nonchalance at this moment; their faces were terribly grim.

Even knowing that the Duke of Chu already knew what the Prince of Lingnan had done to the Duke of Chu's family, they all assumed that since Lingnan hadn't yet broken ties with the imperial court, the Duke of Chu wouldn't publicly humiliate them even if she wanted revenge. Judging from the Duke of Chu's past actions, this didn't seem like her style.

But they hadn't expected the Duke of Chu to do that, and to embarrass them in public. However, they had no time to ponder the Duke of Chu's intentions or his next move; the palace banquet was about to begin, and they needed to hurry into the palace.

They never expected that, after only two days in the capital, one embarrassing thing after another would be waiting for them.

"Let's go." The King of Lingnan adjusted his mindset, and his expression returned to calm.

"Yes." Zhu Junning helped Pei Tinglan walk forward, and said in a low voice, "Grandmother, remember that your surname is Mei. As long as you don't admit that you are Pei Tinglan, the Duke of Chu and the others can't do anything to you for the time being."

Pei Tinglan was still angry, but she knew this wasn't the time to lose her temper, so she could only nod with a straight face. Zhu Junning's expression also returned to calm. Seeing that Pei Tinglan still had a long face, he wanted to say a few words of advice, but he was afraid that if he said too much, Pei Tinglan would get angry, so he swallowed the words he was about to say.

The family of three entered the palace with the crowd and were then ushered into different banquet halls by palace servants. Zhu Junning saw Jiang Yu ahead of her being led by a palace servant towards the male guests, and her pace slowed for a moment, a hint of envy in her eyes that Zhu Junning couldn't recognize.

Yes, she envied Jiang Yu. Although she didn't think she was inferior to Jiang Yu, and although she felt that if her father had supported her in the same way the old Duke of Chu had supported Jiang Yu, she could have done even better than Jiang Yu.

But those are all hypotheticals. The reality is that Jiang Yu has already reached the pinnacle of power, while she is still being tested by her father. Moreover, their Lingnan Prince's Mansion is currently in crisis, and its future is uncertain.

Lowering her eyes to conceal her gaze, she bid farewell to the Prince of Lingnan, who was heading to the men's banquet hall, and helped Pei Tinglan towards the women's banquet hall. This banquet was intended to welcome the Prince of Lingnan's family, and Zhu Junning and Pei Tinglan were naturally seated at the very front. The Lady of Anyuan Marquis, a high-ranking first-rank lady, was seated next to them.

Zhu Junning and Pei Tinglan had to exert great effort to maintain their composure when they saw the seating arrangement. However, after they had been seated for a while, the Lady of Anyuan Marquis did not speak to them again, which made them both silently breathe a sigh of relief.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

......

"Consort Su has arrived!"

........

A series of chants rang out as the Empress Dowager, supported by the Empress, entered the banquet hall. Her face was somewhat ashen, but her eyes were bright. After everyone had paid their respects, the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Rise, all of you."

After speaking, she leaned back in her chair, appearing indifferent to the matter. The Empress, after exchanging a few polite words, personally attended to the Empress Dowager. The noblewomen seated below, seeing the Empress Dowager's frail appearance and the Empress's attentive care, couldn't help but think to themselves that the Empress Dowager's days were truly numbered.

Zhu Junning carefully observed the Empress Dowager for a while, and only relaxed somewhat after confirming that she was truly seriously ill. Everyone knew of the Emperor's filial piety; given the Empress Dowager's illness, he was unlikely to commit any bloodshed. If that were the case, their escape from the capital still had a chance.

Her gaze shifted to Consort Su's face, but only for a moment before Consort Su looked at her as well. Their eyes met briefly before they looked away. Zhu Junning picked up her cup, trying to conceal her inner turmoil.

She couldn't fathom how her father had become entangled with this concubine who had once been the emperor's most favored. It was even quite possible they had a child together. Who else knew about this...?

"Lady Anyuan Marquis".

The Empress Dowager's aged voice interrupted Zhu Junning's thoughts. The Lady of Anyuan Marquis, who was sitting beside her, rose and bowed to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager smiled and gestured for her to sit down, saying in a weary voice, "We met when we were young, and later Jingrong even became your in-law. I am destined to be with you."

Lady Anyuan's face showed nostalgia. "Jingrong has always been kind-hearted and has the softest heart of all. After my daughter married into the Duke of Chu's mansion, Jingrong treated her like her own daughter."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded, then turned her gaze to Lu Yifang and said, "You are also a good person. Although you suffered some hardships in the past few years, your children are now filial and successful. You are destined for good fortune."

Lu Yifang stood up, bowed, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is right. Although my son is a bit weak, he and his wife are harmonious and filial. Not to mention Yu'er, the entire Duke's mansion is counting on her."

The Empress Dowager smiled and waved for her to sit down. "Although Jiang Yu didn't grow up by your side, she is intelligent and filial. She even came to the palace a while ago and talked with me for quite a while. Is she in the banquet hall over there right now?"

Lu Yifang quickly agreed, and the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "I haven't seen her for a few days, and I'd like to have a word with her now."

Lu Yifang and Lady Anyuan dared not accept this, as summoning Jiang Yu from the men's banquet hall was not something they could decide. The Empress, sitting next to the Empress Dowager, flickered her eyes slightly, then smiled and said, "If the Empress Dowager wants to speak with the Duke of Chu, that's easy. Just send someone to fetch him."

The Empress Dowager nodded, and the Empress whispered a few words to the nanny standing behind her. Then we respectfully withdrew, and soon Jiang Yu came with the nanny.

She first bowed to the Empress Dowager, and when she saw the Empress Dowager beckoning to her, she quickly walked over. Someone had already arranged a seat next to the Empress Dowager, and as soon as Jiang Yu sat down, her hand was tightly grasped.

The Empress Dowager's somewhat cloudy eyes carefully scanned Jiang Yu's face. Jiang Yu didn't understand why the Empress Dowager was acting this way and felt somewhat uneasy, but her expression remained unchanged. After a while, the Empress Dowager said:

"It's not easy being a woman, let alone you who carries the entire Duke's mansion and holds a position in the imperial court. But men should marry when they come of age and women should marry when they come of age. Although you are not an ordinary woman, you should still keep your marriage in mind."

These words silenced the entire banquet hall; no one could fathom why the Empress Dowager would speak to the Duke of Chu in such a manner. In truth, these noblewomen had privately discussed her marriage. Her divorce was rarely mentioned anymore; their main discussion revolved around whether the Duke of Chu would remarry. If she were to marry, would it be a formal marriage or a son-in-law taking in a son-in-law?

Many families even considered introducing their less important but good-looking descendants to the Duke of Chu for a try. After all, the Duke of Chu was now a favorite of the emperor.