Tonight, Zhao Yefan wore a wide robe with large sleeves, the robe was printed with exquisite fish and beast patterns, and the cuffs were inlaid with delicate gold patterns, showing his noble air.

As the heir of a duke and the manager of Shuyulou, he was handsome, wealthy, and powerful, naturally attracting a small number of noble ladies who flocked to him.

At this moment, Su Yi sat down to Su Muxue's left.

"Are you so bold as to provoke the Sixth Princess of Dongyue Kingdom into such a state of anger?"

Then, he straightened up, glanced past Su Muxue at Mu Jin, and said teasingly, "Is this your sister-in-law?"

Su Muxue turned to Su Yi with an unhappy expression and said, "Fifth Brother, you must not pay any attention to that Zhao Yefan anymore. He's ugly and has no taste, and he'll accept anyone who comes his way. You'll be corrupted if you follow him."

Su Yi looked up at Zhao Yefan, who was surrounded by a group of noble ladies, and couldn't help but laugh, "That won't do."

Su Muxue was furious: "You! Then I won't talk to you anymore, and Ajin is not allowed to talk to Fifth Brother and Zhao Yefan either."

Knowing that the two siblings were just bickering, Mu Jin didn't take it seriously. However, she thought that she hadn't paid any attention to Su Yi either, so she nodded in agreement with Su Muxue.

Sitting opposite the three, Su Yuntian stared at Mu Jin and Su Yi with a gloomy expression. The three of them were talking back and forth, seemingly arguing about something, but the faint smiles on their faces were piercing Su Yuntian's heart.

It was as if the three of them were a family, and no matter what, she couldn't participate.

At this moment, palace attendants stepped forward and invited those who had not yet taken their seats to their respective places, presumably because the Emperor of Dongyue was about to arrive.

Zhao Yefan also sat back down next to Duke Zhao Xin.

Zhao Yefan's ancestors had made great contributions over generations, so even if he didn't take the imperial examinations, he could still secure an official position in the court based on his ancestors' good deeds.

Yet he became the kind of businessman that everyone despises. If Zhao Xin hadn't had a son late in life, and Zhao Yefan was the only son in his generation, Zhao Xin would have wanted to drown him.

Zhao Xin, who hadn't seen Zhao Yefan for a long time, couldn't help but scold him in a low voice as soon as Zhao Yefan sat down next to him.

"You unfilial son! If it weren't for this palace banquet, it would be difficult for your father to even see you!"

Zhao Yefan still had a playful smile on his face when he looked at Zhao Xin.

“If seeing me often makes you sick from anger, I can’t bear the stigma of being unfilial.”

The Duke was furious, but he couldn't lose his temper in front of everyone, since those present were all important figures. He kept a cold face, but after a while, he couldn't help but speak coldly.

"Once the palace banquet is over, you will come back to the manor with me. You have no choice but to come!"

Zhao Yefan neither agreed nor disagreed. He merely glanced at his father, the Duke, who was helpless against him, chuckled, and casually looked ahead at his seat.

At that moment, Su Muxue was also staring coldly at Zhao Yefan, and the two of them looked at each other at the same time.

Zhao Yefan seemed to be taken aback for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses, raised his wine glass, gave Su Muxue a provocative smile, and then took a sip.

Su Muxue turned her head away with a cold face, refusing to look at him again.

With a shout from a palace attendant, the Emperor of Dongyue entered the venue, surrounded by palace attendants and concubines.

At this moment, all those attending the palace banquet knelt down to welcome him.

Mu Jin knelt down along with everyone else, and only stood up after hearing the words "My beloved subjects, rise."

Next, the courtiers raised their glasses in toasts to congratulate the emperor.

At this moment, Emperor Su Mu raised his wine cup and said to the people attending the banquet: "In recent days, a disaster has occurred in the Yuelong region. I am deeply gratified that everyone here has spared no effort in donating money and supplies to help with the disaster relief."

This banquet is simple; all the food is quite ordinary. It's also a rare occasion that we haven't gathered together in so long, so please treat this palace banquet as a regular family meal. Don't worry about me; just relax and enjoy yourself.”

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their glasses again to thank the Emperor of Dongyue for his favor, and then continued to toast and chat with their colleagues and acquaintances.

At this moment, Su Mu turned to look at Su Yi, who did not raise his glass to toast her, but instead continued drinking his own wine.

He wasn't annoyed, but when he glanced at Mu Jin sitting with Su Yi and his sister, he was surprised. He said to Su Yuntian, "Third brother, why isn't your princess with you? Why is she at sixth brother's table instead?"

Before Su Yuntian could answer, Su Muxue interjected, "Father, I really like Ajin. I insisted on bringing Ajin with me. Anyway, Third Brother has Consort Chenchen with him, so he won't be lonely."

When Su Mu heard Su Muxue call Mu Jin "A Jin", Su Mu raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more, only making a casual remark.

"You're such a troublemaker." After that, Su Mu stopped caring about whether it was in accordance with the rules and stopped talking, so she could chat and laugh with the concubines next to her.

When Shen Rong entered the banquet, she saw Mu Jin sitting down with Su Yi and his sister, which was against the rules, and she was immediately displeased.

This is not only a slap in the face to her son, but also a slap in the face to herself.

When she saw that Su Mu just laughed and cursed a couple of times without saying anything more, she became even more resentful towards the three of them.

Shen Rong bowed and gave a few instructions to a personal maid beside her. After receiving the order, the maid left the venue.

Shen Qianqian sat to Su Yuntian's right, looking like a demure and devoted wife and mother. She poured wine for Su Yuntian, and he occasionally served her food. To outsiders, they appeared to be a loving couple.

But only Shen Qianqian knew that Su Yuntian was absent-minded all night.

During the middle of the month, the palace staff served crabs to each table; the crabs were still very plump and delicious in early winter.

This was the first time Mu Jin had ever seen crabs in this era since she transmigrated here. In her previous life, she loved eating shellfish, but she didn't like peeling them herself. So now, she just tapped the crab shell with a spoon out of boredom and then picked it up to smell it.

Seeing her actions, Su Muxue asked her a question.

"Does Ajin also like to eat crabs? Actually, I quite like them too, but they're too much trouble to eat."

Mu Jin smiled and didn't want to admit that she didn't eat it because she was too lazy to peel it, so she laughed it off and said, "It's okay, it's okay."

Su Yi, who was standing beside them, heard their conversation. After thinking for a moment, he called over a palace servant to bring some clean water. After washing his hands, he began to peel the crab.

After a while, Su Yi somewhat awkwardly placed the peeled crab meat onto the plate in front of Su Muxue.

Su Yi said to Su Muxue, "Try it, it's my cooking, your fifth brother's."

This was the first time Su Yi had ever peeled a fruit for Su Muxue, who was overjoyed.

"Wow, Ah Jin, look at this! It's like the sun has risen in the west! It's rare that our King Yi has been so kind as to peel a crab for me. I must savor it carefully so as not to disappoint King Yi's kindness."

Just as he was about to take a bite, Su Yi interrupted him with one hand.