324. Palace Banquet

Xie Wenling slowly returned to his seat: "Lord Marquis and Lady Marquis, there's no need to apologize. It was just a minor incident, so please don't take it to heart."

"Coincidentally, I also have something to tell everyone."

"His Majesty will soon hold a palace banquet, firstly to celebrate the victory at the front, and secondly to give everyone a lively celebration."

"Princess Fukang is also among those invited. I'm sure everyone will receive the news soon."

Xie Wenling's meaning was clear: he and Xiao Tuanzi were now the emperor's favorites, and he firmly stood by Xiao Tuanzi's side.

If anyone says or does something inappropriate because of this, and it makes the little dumpling sad...

They should know in their hearts how many people they offended that time.

The Marquis of Beiding and his wife are Xiaotuanzi's parents. If they apologize, they should accept it. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.

Those invited here are all intelligent people; how could they not understand such a simple meaning?

As soon as these words were spoken, the banquet hall instantly became lively.

The awkwardness and discomfort from before vanished instantly.

Everyone turned to look at the little dumpling, their faces filled with envy and congratulations.

"Oh my, congratulations, Princess!"

"That's right, that's right! Princess Fukang is so young, yet she has already won His Majesty's favor. She truly has a bright future!"

"Yes, yes! Congratulations, Princess Fukang!"

"There will definitely be plenty of delicious food and fun activities at the palace banquet, and Princess Fukang will surely have a great time!"

The little dumpling was completely bewildered. She blinked her round eyes, looked at Xie Wenling, and asked in a childish voice, "Brother Xie, are there any fun things at the palace banquet?"

"Of course," Xie Wenling nodded. "There will be lots of fun things at the palace banquet, including singing, dancing, and all kinds of snacks that you like. I'll play with you then, okay?"

"Great!" The little dumpling was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling. "That's wonderful! Yue'er is going to the palace banquet! Yue'er will play with Brother Xie and watch the song and dance together!"

Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding also breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Xie Wenling to express her gratitude: "Thank you very much, Lord Xie. It was thanks to your timely intervention that the awkward situation was resolved."

"No need to be so polite. The palace banquet was His Majesty's idea. I was just informing everyone in advance and also to let everyone stop dwelling on the little matter from earlier."

Qu Zijin also smiled and said, "Lord Xie has considered everything. It's just a minor incident, there's really no need to take it to heart."

The little dumpling's disappointment at the unpalatable snacks and the slight embarrassment at Tao Wanbi's fart vanished instantly, replaced by thoughts of the delicious food and fun activities at the palace banquet.

The atmosphere at the banquet became lively again. Everyone clinked glasses, chatted and laughed, and the topic of conversation revolved entirely around the palace banquet and the little dumpling. No one mentioned Tao Wanbi's matter again.

-

In the outhouse.

"Going to the palace banquet... then we have one last chance."

The system recovered.

I simply refuse to believe that the male lead wouldn't attend the palace banquet.

"So here's the question: how am I supposed to survive until the palace banquet?" Tao Wanbi asked weakly, exhausted.

What are you afraid of? You just farted in public and got a stomachache; at most, people will talk about you. As long as you're shameless, these rumors won't hurt you.

As for the people from the Marquis of Beiding's residence, they wouldn't kill you just because you ruined the banquet.

Just be careful not to get killed by Xie Wenling's schemes.

"Sounds simple, haha. But then the question arises, how do I defend against it?"

I'll keep an eye out for it for you.

Tao Wanbi was completely unconvinced: "Come on, what happened when you left?"

[...I sensed that mysterious power again, very close.]

"So you caught it?"

【……No. 】

"?"

[I'm being weakened too much right now. The plot has gone drastically off course, the mission is on the verge of failure, and my power is being constantly eroded.]

"You piece of trash..."

【Shut up! 】

[Now is not the time for infighting. Quickly slip back to your room while no one's around. News of the palace banquet will definitely spread soon. Think about how you can make a good impression at the banquet; this is your best chance to see the male lead!]

Tao Wanbi nodded reluctantly.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her still slightly aching stomach: "Okay, I'll sneak back in a bit. Keep an eye on things for me and make sure no one sees me!"

She was so ashamed that she didn't want to see anyone for a while.

Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things for you. Just get moving.

The system is in order to prevent any unexpected problems from arising.

Tao Wanbi slowly stood up, clutching her stomach, and carefully opened the outhouse door. She peeked out and, seeing no one outside, quickly lowered her head and staggered back to her temporary room, afraid of running into someone again and making a fool of herself.

-

Anye Town.

Lin Fuman was hunched over the ledger, her abacus clicking away so fast she didn't even have time to drink some water.

Li Yuniang handed her the gold-edged invitation, which she glanced at and pushed aside, saying, "I'm not going, Mother. Please reply for me."

“Fufu, this is a palace banquet,” Li Yuniang reminded her. “His Majesty personally extended the invitation, how can you not go? Besides, I heard that Princess Fukang will also be there, so you can chat together.”

"Huh? A palace banquet?"

Lin Fu sighed, put down the abacus, and rubbed her sore eyes: "But I'm just too busy. I simply can't find the time."

"Besides, Mother, you know that many people have been watching me since I mentioned those ideas. Some people will definitely try to make things difficult for me. Rather than suffer, I'd rather stay home and do some work."

Li Yuniang also sighed, sat down next to Lin Fuman, reached out and touched her head, her tone gentle and patient: "Fufu, Mother knows you're busy, and she also knows you're afraid of being bullied."

"But the palace banquet is not an ordinary banquet. His Majesty invited you because he approves of your ideas and gives you an opportunity to let more people know that what you want to do is not nonsense, but can really help the people."

“You told your mother before that you wanted more girls to be able to study and be independent, and that you wanted women to have their own way of life. Your mother supports you.”

"But this path is inherently difficult; there will always be those who oppose you and those who make things difficult for you. You can't avoid it just because you're afraid of being bullied."

"Once you've made your decision, you must bravely move forward. No matter how many difficulties you encounter, Mommy will be with you, okay?"

Looking into her mother's gentle eyes, Lin Fuman's hesitation slowly dissipated.

She thought of the abandoned baby girls, the talented little girls who had no chance to shine, the little dumpling's bright eyes, and the support of Qu Zijin and Xie Wenling...

Courage rekindled in her eyes: "Mother, I understand, I'll go! Even if someone tries to make things difficult for me, I'm not afraid. I'm ready to fight!"

“That’s my good daughter,” Li Yu’s mother said with a smile and a nod. “Mother will help you prepare. Don’t panic when the time comes. Mother believes in you.”

"Yes!" Lin Fu nodded vigorously, picked up the abacus again, and was even more energetic than before.

-

The Imperial Palace.

The little princess was leaning against the window, staring blankly at the birds outside.

Suddenly, she heard a palace servant say that His Majesty was going to hold a palace banquet and had invited many people.

Her eyes lit up immediately: "A palace banquet? What palace banquet? Can I go? I want to attend the palace banquet too, and play with Little Moon!"

"Yes, you can go!" The palace maid nodded with a smile. "His Majesty specifically said that the princess will also be attending. You'll be able to play with Princess Fukang and eat delicious snacks together!"

"Great!" The little princess jumped up excitedly and circled the palace servants twice. "I can go to the palace banquet! I can see Little Moon again!"

After being excited for a while, she suddenly remembered something, stopped, and asked with a frown, "Then, what about Jiayou? Can he not participate?"

The palace attendant hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, the young prince is a prince, and he must attend occasions like palace banquets."

The little princess's excitement immediately diminished by more than half.

She sat listlessly in the chair, her little hand supporting her chin, looking unhappy.

If the young prince goes, he will definitely see Tao Wanbi, whom he always thinks about. What if he gets possessed again?