Chapter 57 Jiang Fenghua was well-versed in the art of making friends and currying favor.

Tables, chairs, and benches had already been set up in the main hall of Kunning Palace. The wives of court officials and imperial relatives sat at the lower end of the hall to chat with the Empress, and the hall was filled with laughter.

Jiang Fenghua and Yuan Wenqiang entered, chatting and laughing, and bowed to the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, may you be blessed with good health and longevity."

The Empress smiled broadly. "Get up. There are many people here today, so there's no need for formalities."

"Thank you, Mother." The two women rose gracefully.

As soon as the two entered, they were showered with praise by the ladies.

The Third Princess mingled with the noble ladies, laughing and saying, "Don't tease me. I'm already a mother of three. I'm not afraid of being laughed at if word gets out. The Fifth Princess is the real beauty!"

Jiang Fenghua blushed slightly and said modestly, "Third sister-in-law, please don't flatter me. I'm new here and need your guidance so that I don't make a mistake and become a laughing stock among the ladies."

She had a sweet smile, graceful demeanor, and elegant and sophisticated attire. Her simple yet striking outfit didn't overshadow anyone, and she instantly blended in with everyone.

Jiang Fenghua didn't have the opportunity to cultivate relationships and curry favor in her past life, but in this life she is adept at it and quickly gained everyone's recognition and affection.

The Second Princess Consort walked in with a sour expression. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress."

The Empress was annoyed as soon as she saw her and said impatiently, "No need for formalities. There are too many people today. Go and have fun by yourselves. You don't all need to stay by my side."

The Second Princess Consort was quite informal. She greeted Consort Yan and sat down abruptly. She had long been uncomfortable with her mother-in-law. In just a few years of marriage, Consort Yan had sent countless women into the backyard of Prince Yu's residence.

She was the Princess Consort of Yu, and she had no way to vent her anger because she hadn't had a child for so many years, while the concubine had given birth to a daughter, and other maids were also pregnant one after another.

Consort Yan felt uncomfortable sitting there. She also looked down on her daughter-in-law, who had been married for so many years but had no children.

On the contrary, the lame Third Prince is fortunate, as his Third Princess has already given birth to two sons and a daughter for him.

Over here, Jiang Fenghua was talking to the old lady of the Zhang State Duke's Mansion, which made the old lady laugh repeatedly.

“My older brother often brings me local delicacies from all over the country. I’ve tried many specialties, but I always feel that the best taste is still the one from my hometown.” The Jiang family’s ancestral home is not Shengjing, and not all members of the Jiang clan live in Shengjing, so she also goes back to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors.

These words struck a chord with the old lady. "Yes, that's exactly what the Fifth Princess Consort said. Whenever I eat food from my Yuzhou, I find all other delicacies rather bland."

"Yuzhou has the most diverse cuisine; you have to go there to taste the real thing..."

"So the Fifth Princess also knows about that famous snack. It's a specialty of our hometown, Yuzhou. Whenever I think back on it, nothing I eat, no matter how delicious, is as comforting as a bite of hot glutinous rice cake."

She imitated the local dialect, speaking and gesturing as she spoke, "The sugar noodles are delicious too. Every time I finish eating them, I still feel like I haven't had enough, so I stretch out my finger and peck at them, lick them."

She had the innocent look of a child of a few years old.

Her actions evoked memories of Madam Zhang's childhood. The older she got, the more she missed her childhood and her family, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Jiang Fenghua quickly handed over her handkerchief, winking mischievously, "Grandma, don't you think the flowers on my handkerchief are incredibly lifelike?"

Madam Zhang immediately felt she had been impolite, accepted Jiang Fenghua's kind reminder, and grew to like her very much.

The Empress saw that Jiang Fenghua was so familiar with the families of the court officials. A woman should not only take good care of her husband, but also help him to maintain good relationships with all parties. Only then can she be considered a good wife. Jiang Fenghua did this very well.

"Oh dear, you young people should go have fun. Don't get bored chatting with us old ladies," Madam Zhang suddenly said.

Then, she summoned a gentle and beautiful young woman to her side, saying, "Mo'er, what are you daydreaming about? Come and chat with the Third Princess and the Fifth Princess for a while."

Zhang Yumo is already nineteen years old, but she has never married or betrothed anyone. With the status of the Duke of Zhang's family, she can choose any young master in Shengjing City.

However, she couldn't muster any interest in anyone except...

“Grandmother,” Zhang Yumo called softly, her face blushing whenever she looked at Jiang Fenghua.

Jiang Fenghua looked at her. She remembered that in her previous life, a lady from the Zhang family had jumped into the river. It was this Lady Zhang.

In his previous life, his elder brother did not go on a study tour, but instead honestly participated in the imperial examination in the capital. He ranked first in the palace examination and should have been the top scholar, but the emperor crossed him out and made him the third-ranked scholar. He then entered the officialdom, but it was not smooth sailing. He was dissatisfied with his official career, was suppressed by the Su family, and finally resigned.

She knew it wasn't that her elder brother lacked talent, but rather that the officialdom was too corrupt, leaving no place for the Jiang family.

He never married. The Zhang family came to his door several times to propose marriage, but he refused each time. He didn't want to be a burden to the Zhang family's daughter. However, Zhang Yumo couldn't bear it and jumped into the lake.

Jiang Fenghua felt a pang of regret; how could her elder brother have missed out on such a gentle and kind sister-in-law?

"Yu Mo greets Princess Heng." Zhang Yu Mo walked up to Jiang Feng Hua and gave a slight bow.

Jiang Fenghua warmly took her hand and said, "Sister Yumo, there's no need for such formalities. Let's keep in touch. When my elder brother brings Yuzhou snacks back to Beijing again, I'll definitely send you an invitation so we can eat together."

Zhang Yumo's cheeks flushed instantly, her palms burned, and she nodded shyly, "Mm."

Previously, Consort Yan had also asked the Zhang family to marry Zhang Yumo on behalf of Prince Yu, but she was rejected by Old Madam Zhang. Later, she did not arrange any marriage for Zhang Yumo, and she has remained in the mansion ever since, becoming an old maid.

Consort Yan sneered and joked, "I heard that last month, Madam Liao from the Marquis of Zhongyong's family wanted to strengthen ties with the Zhang family through marriage. This is indeed a good match. If Miss Zhang marries into the family, her aunt will become her mother-in-law, and there will definitely be fewer conflicts in her future life. Miss Zhang is truly blessed!"

Zhang Yumo blushed, feeling both angry and helpless. Old Madam Zhang was so angry that her face changed color. The Zhang family had not agreed to the marriage with the Liao family. The Liao family was filthy inside and out. Who would want such relatives? The Zhang family had long since severed ties with the Liao family behind their backs. No one would want to marry their daughter to them. But Old Madam Zhang couldn't say that.

Jiang Fenghua quickly came to her rescue and changed the subject, "The Luo family of the Earl of Dongyang's mansion is the maternal family of Princess Yu. If Fenghua is not mistaken, Consort Yan is also from the Luo family. So, Consort Yan and Princess Yu are relatives. Now that she is the mother-in-law, it is the envy of many. It would be perfectly acceptable for Princess Yu to call Consort Yan 'aunt' or 'mother'. This would be a happy ending for everyone."

In terms of family background, the Luo family of the Marquis of Dongyang is far inferior to the Duke of Zhang's family. The Zhang family rejected Consort Yan's marriage proposal, and Consort Yan turned around and married her own niece, which can be considered a second-best option, and it was already quite shameful.

Upon hearing this, both Consort Yan and Princess Yu turned deathly pale.

The Second Princess Consort Luo Ziqiong was caught in the crossfire, and she was furious. All that talk about a harmonious mother-in-law and a close aunt was nonsense. If Consort Yan really treated her like a niece, she wouldn't have been sending people to Xie Yu's room so often.

She couldn't say these words, much less lose her temper on the spot; she swallowed this bitter pill.

Consort Yan failed to marry the granddaughter of the Duke of Zhang, so she married a distant relative from her own family. After marrying him, not a single egg was laid, so there was no happy ending to the marriage.