Consort Min was deeply moved upon hearing this, and even the Ninth Princess blushed.

Meanwhile, the Emperor had already seen it clearly; it was obviously the Ninth Princess acting foolishly. However, since Ah Qi was willing to protect his younger sister, he was too lazy to pursue the matter any further.

Ah Qi, being sensible, led the person away.

Then, Consort Min sat down with the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, my birthday is just a few days away," Consort Min said, turning slightly toward the Emperor.

The Emperor immediately pulled Consort Min into his arms: "What does Min'er want to do?"

Consort Min gave a coquettish reproach: "Your Majesty, Min'er just wants to have a grand birthday celebration."

After she finished speaking, she looked up and stared at the emperor with her big eyes, her gaze unwavering.

The emperor could not resist such temptation: "Very well, I will do as you say."

Consort Min was overjoyed upon hearing this.

The Emperor then directly issued an edict: "Guards, convey my decree that the Empress shall hold a grand celebration for Consort Min's birthday this year, ensuring it is a magnificent affair."

The Emperor's decree instantly made everyone in the harem envious, including the Empress herself.

"What!? His Majesty tells me to take full responsibility for her birthday celebration? Isn't this a blatant slap in my face?" The Empress immediately flew into a rage, never expecting such an outcome.

Amber quickly brought over some tea: "Your Majesty, don't worry. No matter how much His Majesty favors her, you are still the Empress, and no one can surpass you."

Although the Empress was somewhat unwilling, she could not show it. After all, as the mother of the nation, she had to be a model of virtue and pay attention to her demeanor.

"Isn't it just a grand celebration?" The Empress thought for a moment and then sent someone to tell the head maid: "The Consort Min's birthday is coming up in a few days. Make sure to hold a grand celebration. Start preparing invitations now. All members of the royal family must be invited to the banquet."

She wanted to see how these members of the royal family would evaluate the matter.

"Yes." The head maid received the decree and went to carry it out. Soon, the news of Consort Min's grand birthday celebration spread.

The Duchess of Zhenguo naturally heard about this matter as well. As soon as the invitation from the palace arrived at the Duke of Zhenguo's residence, she took the invitation and went out.

She wanted to bring Xu Yuehuai with her to the palace, so she went to Tianxiang Tower as soon as the invitation arrived.

"Where is your Manager Xu?" The Duchess of Zhenguo asked directly after getting off her sedan chair at Tianxiang Restaurant. Before the waiters could even announce her arrival, she went straight inside to ask where he was.

"Reporting to the Duchess, our Manager Xu is in his room upstairs." The shop assistants all knew the Duchess, so they told her directly.

"Alright, then you all go ahead with your work. I'm here to see A-Yue." After saying that, the Duchess of Zhenguo took the invitation and went upstairs.

"Ah Yue?" she called out as she pushed the door open and went inside.

Upon hearing the voice of the Duke of Zhenguo's wife, Xu Yuehuai was momentarily stunned, thinking he had misheard.

It wasn't until the Duchess of Zhenguo pushed open the door that she realized what was happening: "Mother, why are you here?" She then went forward and helped the woman to sit down.

"Ah Yue, how are you today? I haven't seen you in a long time. I just happened to be passing by and thought I'd come in to see you." The Duchess of Zhenguo was telling the truth; she really missed Xu Yuehuai. "I've heard about what happened the other day. Your parents are bloodsuckers. If you really can't handle it, remember to come to me. The Zhenguo Duke's Mansion can still afford to feed them."

“Mother, if you miss me, just say the word and I’ll come. Why bother you to make the trip?” Xu Yuehuai said as she poured water. Hearing those words, she felt a pang of sadness and quickly said, “Forget it, Mother. They’ve already messed with me enough. Let’s not let them continue to mess with you. Besides, if you and your godfather get involved with them, it will definitely affect you in the future.”

Lady Zhenguo understood that Xu Yuehuai was showing concern for them, so she chuckled and said, "In a few days it will be Consort Min's birthday in the palace. We can go together then, and I'll take you to have some fun. It'll be a good way to relax."

Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat. She wondered what she would do at Consort Min's birthday celebration; she was just a restaurant manager.

Not to mention, if you go there, you're very likely to meet Ah Qi.

She hesitated for a moment, then declined, as she wasn't one to enjoy joining in on the fun.

"Godmother, I won't go to this banquet for noble people in the palace. I'm not familiar with it, and the rules in the palace are..." Xu Yuehuai's refusal was very clear, but the Duchess of Zhenguo did not give up.

"Ah Yue, you absolutely have to come with me," she said firmly.

Xu Yuehuai wanted to refuse again, but didn't know how. At this moment, the Duchess of Zhenguo realized that what she had just said was somewhat inappropriate.

She quickly composed herself and said, "Ah Yue, you really have to come with me to Consort Min's birthday banquet. I've also made plans to introduce you to other people."

After the Duchess of Zhenguo finished speaking, she smiled at Xu Yuehuai, who was momentarily undecided.

She didn't want to go at first, but she was very curious. After thinking it over, she finally agreed to the Duke of Zhenguo's request.

“Alright then, godmother, I’ll go with you.” Xu Yuehuai said, looking obedient and aggrieved.

Her appearance immediately amused the Duchess of Zhenguo: "A-Yue, don't worry, it's just a birthday banquet."

Once the Duchess of Zhenguo left, news spread that Xu Yuehuai was going to attend Consort Min's birthday banquet.

San Niang and Zhou Wan went to great lengths to get Xu Yuehuai into the palace to attend Consort Min's birthday banquet.

The two of them took turns dressing up and styling Xu Yuehuai, but they always felt that something was missing and it wasn't perfect.

"Third Sister, I feel like something's missing no matter how I look at it," Zhou Wan said, looking at Xu Yuehuai in the mirror.

Third Sister tried to dress her up again, but it still didn't quite look right. The two of them shook their heads, not satisfied: "I think it's because of the clothes. The noble ladies in the palace wear fine clothes. Our A-Yue is pretty, so if she wears nice clothes, she'll look even better."

"Ah Yue, why don't we go to the clothing stores outside and buy a suitable outfit?" After Third Sister finished speaking, the two of them agreed.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Zhou Wan was naturally happy to hear that they were going out for a stroll. “A Yue, let’s go quickly. I was just thinking of buying Shi Chen a new outfit.”

Fearing that Xu Yuehuai would refuse, she quickly came up with an excuse that would not be refused.

Xu Yuehuai had been dressed up by them for a long time, so she decided to go out for a stroll to relax and look at some clothes.

Then the three of them arranged the work at Tianxianglou and went out to a famous clothing shop called Luoyige.

Sure enough, women are always delighted to see beautiful clothes, and Xu Yuehuai was no exception: "Third Sister, Zhou Wan, let's all take a stroll."