When the carriage arrived at the palace gate, Wanruo and Xiuzhu got off the carriage together and entered the palace with the master and mistress. Xie Xiangli also went with them.
There are four children in the first house. In addition to the legitimate children Xie Xianyu and Xie Xiuzhu, there is also a concubine's son and daughter, who are born to two concubines respectively. The eldest master did not have much interest in women, so he only took in three concubines in total. Among them, concubine Zhuang was a maid brought as a dowry by the first lady.
Also, because the first wife was virtuous and did not treat the concubines harshly, the first house was considered the most peaceful in the Xie family, and the relationship between brothers and sisters was also better.
As soon as you enter the palace gate, the towering palace walls are pressing in, majestic and intimidating. As Wanruo steps in, she suddenly feels inexplicably uneasy.
"The palace banquet will be held in Ninghui Palace today. All officials will be attending the banquet, but it will only be lunch. We will go home for dinner. I heard from my father that my eldest brother wrote to say that he would try to get back before New Year's Eve. It seems that I don't know if he can make it."
Xiuzhu excitedly held Wanruo's hand and chattered.
"It doesn't matter if you can't make it on the day. You won't be late later than the 15th at the latest." Wanruo said with a smile.
"Of course. After the fifteenth day, my second brother will also be getting married..."
Wanruo had heard that Miss Liu and Xie Xiangli had been engaged a few years ago, and had been waiting to welcome her into the family after Xie Xianyu got married.
Xie Xiangli paused, turned around and looked at Xie Xiuzhu with a smile: "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about my future second sister-in-law! When you get married next year, there will be another sister-in-law in the mansion. It will be quite lively."
Xie Xiangli looked at Wanruo with a smile, as if with deep meaning.
Before Wanruo had time to think about it, Xiuzhu dragged her into Ninghui Palace.
At this time, His Majesty had not yet arrived, but most of the dignitaries had already arrived. The hall was bustling with people exchanging greetings.
Everyone sat down. The eldest master was chatting and socializing with other officials, and the eldest lady was greeting the women of other families. Wanruo was a junior and a new bride, so she didn't want to show off, so she sat obediently next to the eldest lady.
Suddenly she felt a sinister gaze falling on her. She turned around and met Jiang Xuejun's gaze.
She frowned slightly. How could Jiang Xuejun enter the palace? She remembered that she had made a mistake in Prince Xuan's mansion and had been confined to her house.
She glanced around Princess Xuan. Even Concubine Zhuo was not allowed to enter the palace for the banquet, so how could she enter the palace?
Wanruo withdrew her gaze, not wanting to bother with her any longer.
Suddenly, a small eunuch's shrill voice came: "The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived!"
The hall instantly fell silent, and everyone stood up and saluted: "Welcome Your Majesty, welcome the Queen."
The emperor was already old, with half-haired mane, but his steps were still steady, and his eyes were full of majesty, making him intimidating without even being angry.
"The palace banquet on New Year's Eve is also considered a family banquet. There is no need for you to be polite. Just be as you please."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor walked to the dragon throne at the top and sat down, while the empress sat on the phoenix chair at the bottom. She glanced at Wanruo who was sitting in the hall.
The singing and dancing started, and the dancers came in and danced to the beat of the music.
The banquet was extravagant and the dancing was graceful, but Wanruo had no interest at all. Somehow, she felt uneasy and just wanted to finish it quickly and leave the palace.
Suddenly, the Queen Mother, who was sitting on the phoenix chair at the top, covered her forehead in pain.
"Your Majesty, are you having a headache again?" the old nanny asked hurriedly.
The queen frowned and waved her hand: "It's nothing serious."
The emperor noticed her behavior and asked, "If you feel unwell, go and rest first and let the imperial physician take a look."
The Queen quickly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Then she glanced at Wanruo who was sitting in the hall and said, "I heard that the new wife of the Xie family is a great doctor. The palace doctors are always ineffective. Why not let her take a look at me?"
The emperor looked over upon hearing this and asked, "Is this Xie Xianyu's new bride?"
Wanruo quickly stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty, the Empress, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty."
"I also heard that you know some medical skills."
Who in the whole city of Yanjing didn't know that Xie Xianyu had turned his family upside down in order to marry a merchant girl?
The censors submitted several memorials to the emperor, but the emperor did not care about such trivial matters and just treated them as a joke.
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