Birthday banquet

As the hostess of the banquet, Qin Xiyu naturally had to step forward to take charge. With a polite smile on her face, she moved through the crowd. On the surface, it was a birthday banquet, but in reality, it was just an opportunity for her and the noble ladies of various families to strengthen their relationships.

Through casual conversation, Fu Zhiqiao learned that the guests at today's banquet included people from the families of ministers, marquises, and grand tutors... The girls were all from prominent families. Most of them did not recognize Fu Zhiqiao and assumed she was a young lady from some wealthy family when they saw her there. However, since they did not know each other, they nodded to each other as a greeting.

Occasionally, one or two ladies recognized Fu Zhi Qiao as the person who taught them makeup last time, and they would come over with a smile to exchange a few pleasantries with her. Apart from that, no one else came over to talk to her.

Fu Zhi Qiao didn't have any intention of forcing herself into the circle of wealthy ladies. She found a secluded corner to sit and eat pastries.

Originally, Madam Qin wouldn't allow Zhou Miaosi to go out because she was heavily pregnant. However, Qin Xiuqi had to work during the day, and Zhou Miaosi was very bored at the Qin residence. Since she finally had a reason to leave the residence, she naturally wanted to go out for a walk. Moreover, since the incident with the pregnancy-changing medicine, Madam Qin couldn't maintain her authority as a mother-in-law in front of Zhou Miaosi anymore. So, with some coaxing, she had no choice but to let Zhou Miaosi leave the residence.

Zhou Miaosi knew that Qin Xiyu had invited Fu Zhiqiao to the birthday banquet. After greeting the ladies she knew, she began searching for Fu Zhiqiao. Her gaze swept through the crowd and finally settled on that familiar figure.

Fu Zhiqiao was eating something at the long table.

She was tall and slender, wearing a white silk blouse with floral patterns and a light pink tassel skirt. Standing there quietly, she resembled a landscape painting, giving people a sense of elegance. She neither overshadowed Qin Xiyu nor lost her own unique charm.

Her attire stood out relatively plainly among the group of wealthy ladies, making her easily recognizable.

"Zhi Qiao!" Zhou Miaosi came to her, holding her belly.

Seeing that Zhou Miaosi's cheeks were noticeably fuller, Fu Zhiqiao knew that she had been doing well these days. She put down the plate in her hand, took two steps forward and supported her, "Sister Miaosi, you are pregnant and you should be resting at home. There are many people here, so be careful not to bump into you."

"I was bored at home all by myself!" Zhou Miaosi said with a faint smile. She had originally been indifferent to the banquet, but as soon as she heard that Fu Zhiqiao had also been invited, she rushed over immediately.

"Sister-in-law is here." Upon seeing Zhou Miaosi, Qin Xiyu immediately stood up from her seat.

"We're all family, no need for formalities. Go and greet your guests!"

Qin Xiyu smiled and curtsied. After greeting them, she went to play with the other noble ladies. Standing in the middle of the crowd, Qin Xiyu enjoyed everyone's compliments and chatted and laughed with several young ladies from prominent families next to her. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Fu Zhi Qiao didn't know most of the ladies present, and Zhou Miao Si, who was pregnant, didn't like noisy environments. The two hit it off and chose a corner table to sit down and talk quietly.

As the two were talking, a commotion came from the doorway; Yu Yadan and Tang Yuying had arrived.

"Happy birthday, Sister Qin! You found a great place; it's spacious and exquisite." Tang Yuying expressed her satisfaction with the room's environment as soon as she entered.

Qin Xiyu greeted them with a smile, "Sister Tang, how are you, Sister Yu!"

Qin Xiyu and Tang Yuying had a disagreement before, but she could still tell the difference in matters like birthday banquets. The two of them represented not only themselves, but also their families. It was normal for girls to have some friction in private, but to bring it up publicly and target each other was simply immature.

Compared to Tang Yuying, with whom she had a minor disagreement, Qin Xiyu was closer to Yadan.

The two men each presented Qin Xiyu with a birthday gift.

Fu Zhi Qiao was sitting with her back to the door, so she had no idea what was happening at the door.

Zhou Miaosi noticed the commotion at the door and exchanged an inquiring look with Huang Li.

Huang Li stepped forward and, upon seeing what had happened, returned behind Zhou Miaosi and whispered in her ear, "It's the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo and the Yu family's daughter."

Zhou Miaosi nodded to indicate that she understood.

Fu Zhi Qiao then noticed the change in the room. Seeing everyone crowding towards the door, she asked, "Is someone important here?"

"She's alright, not someone important." Zhou Miaosi winked at her and gestured towards the door. "Look, that's the future Crown Princess."

Crown Princess?

Currently, there is only one heir apparent in the capital.

Fu Zhiqiao turned her head and saw Yu Yadan surrounded by a group of people.

Yu Yadan's background wasn't considered particularly high among these noble ladies; at least Tang Yuying, as the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, was superior to her. However, Yu Yadan was about to marry into the royal family, and with the added status of the heir apparent's wife, she had an extra layer of noble aura compared to the other noble ladies present. Therefore, as soon as she entered, everyone gathered around her.

Most of those invited by Qin Xiyu to her birthday banquet were people she knew well. Among the noble ladies, there were also many familiar faces. Without Qin Xiyu having to introduce them, everyone freely formed small groups and chatted.

As soon as Yu Yadan appeared, people fawned over her, saying, "You don't know, Yadan is the daughter-in-law personally chosen by the Princess. After she marries into the royal family, the Princess will definitely treat her like her own daughter and will not let her suffer any grievances."

These words made the other noble ladies extremely envious of her.

Yu Yadan's cheeks slowly flushed red, and she looked shy and bashful: "Oh dear, please stop talking about me. Today, Xiyu is the star of the show."

Qin Xiyu chuckled, "Go on, go on, I want to hear it!"

She loved listening to stories of talented men and beautiful women!

Unfortunately, Qin Xiyu's wish was destined to be in vain. The chances of Yu Yadan and Xie Zhuo meeting were few and far between, so where would she find a story to tell her?

After chatting for a while, Qin Xiyu led Tang Yuying and Yu Yadan to the long table and demonstrated how to get food for them.

Tang Yuying was very interested in this novel way of eating, and besides, it was her first time visiting Taibai Tower. She became interested as soon as Qin Xiyu introduced it to her.

Yu Yadan wasn't very interested in the food. She looked around the room and glanced up casually, but unexpectedly, this glance led her to discover someone she never expected.

Why is Fu Zhiqiao here?

Yu Yadan's pupils widened suddenly, and for a moment she thought she was seeing things.

She didn't know that Taibai Tower was Fu Zhiqiao's property. She glanced at Zhou Miaosi standing next to Fu Zhiqiao and assumed that Fu Zhiqiao was someone Zhou Miaosi had brought with her.

Yu Yadan walked straight toward the two of them.

"Young Madam Qin."

Zhou Miaosi, holding her belly, stood up and returned her greeting.

Yu Yadan greeted Zhou Miaosi familiarly, deliberately engaging in conversation with Zhou Miaosi while leaving Fu Zhiqiao aside. After a while, she seemingly casually turned her gaze back to Fu Zhiqiao and asked, "This young lady looks a bit unfamiliar. I wonder what to call her?"

Yu Yadan's pretentious act of saying that Zhou Miaosi looked unfamiliar and asking her to introduce herself was simply an attempt to point out her identity as a merchant and thus belittle her in front of Zhou Miaosi.

Unfortunately, Fu Zhi Qiao wasn't buying it.

Yu Yadan's condescending tone made Zhou Miaosi feel a little uncomfortable. She was about to explain for Fu Zhiqiao, but before she could speak, Fu Zhiqiao interrupted her: "Does Miss Yu really not know who I am?"

Zhou Miaosi glanced at Fu Zhiqiao in surprise. Firstly, she didn't expect Fu Zhiqiao and Yu Yadan to know each other, and secondly, she didn't expect her to be so rude to Yu Yadan.

Yu Yadan's face stiffened, and her fingertips slowly tightened. Although the corners of her lips were still turned up, there was no trace of a smile in her eyes.

My throat felt like it was blocked by something, and I couldn't say a word for a long time.

She was also an invited guest today. She couldn't really control what kind of guests the host invited to the banquet, but ever since the news of her engagement to Xie Zhuo came out, she had been the center of attention and fawned over wherever she went. This was the first time she had ever encountered such impolite treatment.

Yu Yadan was very unwilling, and her smile was almost impossible to maintain. She had been at a disadvantage in every confrontation with Fu Zhiqiao, and it seemed that she could never get the better of Fu Zhiqiao.

She tossed her hair, glared at Fu Zhiqiao, and turned to walk away.

Zhou Miaosi glanced at Yu Yadan, whose face was flushed with anger, and then at Fu Zhiqiao, who had a calm expression. Her eyes were filled with surprise, and she couldn't help but ask, "Zhiqiao, do you know the Yu family's daughter?"

"I wouldn't call ourselves acquaintances, we only met once."

Zhou Miaosi was even more surprised to hear this. In her memory, Fu Zhiqiao was always kind and gentle to everyone, and had never shown her dislike so openly. She wanted to ask what was going on, but there were too many people here, and it wasn't the place to talk, so Zhou Miaosi didn't press the matter further.

Yu Yadan's mindset was far less composed than Fu Zhiqiao's. Fu Zhiqiao had humiliated her in front of Zhou Miaosi, and she simply couldn't bear such an insult! Originally, she wanted to confide in Tang Yuying, but when she turned around and saw Qin Xiyu and Tang Yuying getting along very well, she felt even more resentful. She walked over and asked directly, "Sister Qin, how come just anyone can come to your birthday banquet?"

Qin Xiyu was puzzled.

Tang Yuying was also completely confused. Seeing that Yu Yadan's mood was off, she tugged at her sleeve and pulled her aside, asking, "What happened?"

Yu Yadan's eyes were red, her lips moved, and she finally whispered, "Yu Ying, the woman who's been bothering the young master is also at the banquet today."

"What?" Tang Yuying was taken aback and asked, "Who is it?"

Yu Yadan pointed, and Fu Zhi Qiao's figure came into her view. Tang Yu Ying frowned slightly, somewhat incredulous: "It's her? Are you sure it's her? She's just a merchant, how could she know the prince?"

A look of worry appeared between Yu Yadan's brows. She nodded and said, "It's definitely her."

"Her status is lowly. Even if she enters the Prince's mansion, she will only be a lowly concubine. You are the principal wife of the Prince's mansion. Are you afraid that you can't control her?" Yu Yadan's position as the Crown Prince's wife is already set in stone, and there is no way to surpass her. Tang Yuying did not take this matter to heart.