Everyone in the hall stood up in unison, bowed respectfully, and welcomed the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.

After the Emperor and Empress took their seats, the Emperor granted permission for everyone to rise. At this moment, Gu Qinlan helped Princess Duan to sit down slowly.

As the palace banquet officially began, the Emperor first delivered a speech, reviewing the achievements of the past year and expressing his high hopes for the new year. The Empress added a few brief remarks, then signaled for the dishes to be served.

The palace servants filed in, carrying exquisite food boxes. Each table had two large food boxes containing eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, for a total of sixteen delicacies. Each dish was as exquisite and beautiful as a work of art, like a painting to be admired.

The Zheng family was somewhat taken aback as they participated in the grand palace banquet for the first time. However, this was not a surprising occurrence; many newlyweds attending a palace banquet for the first time had similar reactions.

However, it is clear that someone intends to embarrass the Zheng family.

At the seats diagonally opposite, a lady pretended to be considerate and reminded, "Madam Zheng, please speak softly, so as not to affect etiquette."

Gu Qinlan glanced up and immediately recognized the other person's identity.

Lady Liu, wife of the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Her husband was a member of the Fourth Prince's faction.

Before Gu Qinlan could respond, the Fourth Prince's Consort suddenly asked, "What's wrong? Who's behaving so strangely?"

Lady Liu immediately stood up in a panic and explained, "Fourth Prince's Consort, it was I who was reminding the family members of Prince Zheng Duan's residence, fearing that their noise would disturb you. I was truly flustered."

The Fourth Prince's wife frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction: "Prince Zheng? Zheng Dinglian? How could the Crown Princess be so negligent in her arrangements? How could she allow Gu Qinlan to participate in this palace banquet?"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.

The Empress frowned slightly, her gaze serious. "Fourth Prince's Consort, Zheng Dinglian is a third-rank military officer, and his family is naturally qualified to attend the palace banquet. The Crown Princess has drawn up the banquet list according to the rules; what objection do you have?"

The Fourth Prince's Consort immediately rose and bowed to the Empress: "Your Majesty, I have heard that this Lady Zheng set up numerous traps in the Prince Duan's residence to ensure her own safety, but this resulted in the deaths of many refugees. I am worried that the bloodstains on her body will offend the sacred bodies of Father and Mother."

Everyone in the hall turned their gaze to Gu Qinlan, their faces revealing undisguised worry and fear.

Madam Zhao was furious and immediately tried to get up to defend Gu Qinlan.

However, Gu Qinlan quickly gave a look, signaling Madam Zhao to remain calm. Then, she slowly rose, respectfully bowed to the Emperor and Empress, and only then spoke to the Fourth Prince's Consort:

"What the Fourth Prince's Consort said is true. On that day, refugees flocked to the Duan Prince's mansion and stormed it. In order to protect the family, I did indeed set up many traps in the mansion. As you said, those traps took the lives of many refugees."

"However, I do not believe that I have been tainted by bloodshed. Those refugees were no longer simply refugees, but rioters who betrayed our Western Wei, harmed the interests of the state, and were enemies of the court. Everyone had the right to kill them. Killing them was doing justice for Heaven, relieving the worries of Western Wei, and protecting the country and the peace of the people. How can it be considered bloody and cruel?"

"Even if I were to bear the burden of killing and be tainted by bloodshed, His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and His Majesty the Empress is the incarnation of the Heavenly Phoenix. They are recognized by Heaven and have protected the Western Wei dynasty and its people for centuries. How dare those filthy forces cause trouble in front of His Majesty and His Majesty the Empress? The filth in this world will only be purified by the righteous spirit of His Majesty and His Majesty."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and bowed deeply to the Emperor and Empress: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, when I was besieged by refugees, I offered prayers to the capital from afar, beseeching Your Majesty and Your Majesty for the safety of my family. I never imagined that my family would escape unscathed from that desperate situation. Your Majesty and Your Majesty's kindness is boundless; even though we are thousands of miles apart, you can still protect the people of Western Wei. I am always deeply moved whenever I think of this. With Your Majesty and Your Majesty's protection, Western Wei will surely enjoy eternal prosperity and boundless blessings."

Her words were earnest and sincere, deeply moving the emperor and empress.

The emperor was overjoyed: "Good! I have the approval of Heaven and the dragon's aura is upon me. What do I have to fear from blood and filth! Lady Zheng, you are as brave and capable as any man. I have praised you highly in the past. Seeing you today, I am even more impressed that our Western Wei has such a woman of extraordinary talent. It is truly a blessing for the country."

He paused briefly, then turned and whispered a few words to the Empress.

The Empress smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly.

The emperor looked at Gu Qinlan with a benevolent gaze and announced loudly, "Gu Qinlan, kneel down immediately to receive the imperial decree."

Gu Qinlan was startled, feeling as if a huge pie was about to fall on her. So she quickly walked to the center of the hall and knelt down respectfully: "Your subject Gu Qinlan obeys the decree."

The Emperor smiled broadly and said in a pleasant tone, "Gu Qinlan is exceptionally intelligent and handles situations with grace. Although she is a woman, she possesses courage and wisdom that rival any man. The Empress and I are both very pleased and hereby bestow upon Gu Qinlan the title of Princess of Linchuan County, with her fief of Jindu and a fief of one hundred households."

Gu Qinlan froze on the spot. County Princess?

She was actually granted the title of county princess?

This unexpected honor was like a huge pie falling from the sky, catching her somewhat off guard.

She couldn't help but wonder if she was still dreaming.

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's wife's face immediately darkened. She hurriedly stood up from her seat and vehemently retorted, "Father, Gu Qinlan is merely the daughter of a merchant. She has never made any contribution to the country. Conferring upon her the title of County Princess will likely cause controversy in the court and among the people. I hope Father will consider this carefully."

The Empress glanced at her indifferently and asked calmly, "Fourth Prince's Consort, are you questioning the decision that His Majesty and I made together?"

"Gu Qinlan has repeatedly given generously in Jindu to help disaster victims, distribute food, and benefit the entire city. Isn't this an outstanding contribution? Even if she didn't have these achievements, who would dare to object to my bestowing upon her the title of County Princess simply because I favor her? Does His Majesty and I need your consent to act?"

The Fourth Prince's wife was startled and hurriedly knelt down, her voice trembling as she said, "Your subject dares not overstep her bounds, but I feel this matter is of great importance and should not be handled hastily..."

"My decree has been made. Do the Fourth Prince's family want me to retract it?"

The emperor's face had turned ashen; he was clearly furious at the fourth prince and his wife's outrageous behavior and thought to himself that it was time to teach them a lesson.

The Fourth Prince's wife was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she knelt on the ground trembling, not daring to breathe.

The emperor, too lazy to pay her any more attention, turned his gaze to Gu Qinlan in the hall: "Princess of Linchuan, why don't you hurry up and express your gratitude? Do you have any complaints about my reward?"

Gu Qinlan snapped out of her shock, hurriedly performed a grand salute, and loudly proclaimed, "This humble woman accepts the imperial decree and is grateful for the bestowal of honors and gifts from His Majesty and the Empress. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

The emperor smiled with satisfaction and said, "Get up. This is the honor you deserve. From now on, you must share the burdens and solve the problems of the court."

Gu Qinlan replied respectfully, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered by this humble woman."