Halfway through the birthday banquet, the Empress Dowager excused herself by saying she was tired and returned to Shou Kang Palace early.
Whether Steward Yi had forgotten beforehand or had been waiting for this moment, he quickly brought out the birthday cake.
The six-tiered birthday cake had a bottom tier as big as a washbasin, and the top tier was three feet high.
Chen Xi's craftsmanship is beyond doubt!
The entire six-story building is filled with designs that perfectly embody the concept of longevity.
The color scheme is lively and festive, yet not tacky.
Even the Emperor was seeing this for the first time.
He happily took out the wooden knife, made a cut as a gesture, then scooped up the top "longevity peach" to taste, and the rest were carried by the eunuchs and distributed piece by piece.
Everyone was flattered and surprised.
This is a birthday cake for the "Long Live" Emperor; even a little bit of its blessing is enough to make one proud and elated for a long time.
Of course, smart people were even more certain that the rumors were true.
The Emperor must have received a share of this birthday cake from Baiyunjian!
Because only one's own business would be promoted so vigorously.
Yes, it's sales!
The emperor, the ruler of a nation, has said "delicious" three times in a row!
Jiayin secretly covered her mouth and kept laughing. When she saw the "big boss" looking over, she secretly gave him a thumbs up!
The birthday banquet didn't end until the sun was setting in the west, and everyone left the palace one after another.
Once they were on the Marquis's carriage, and only their own family members were in the carriage, Jiayin had no more reservations and started talking as soon as she sat down next to the Marquis.
"Godfather, Second Uncle, that old hag is absolutely wicked!"
Both the Marquis and Li Lao Er guessed who the old witch she was talking about was. A cold glint flashed in the Marquis's eyes, but Li Lao Er subconsciously looked out the window, worried that someone might be listening.
Jiayin lowered her voice and recounted what happened at Shou Kang Palace. At the end, she curled her lip and said, "The Third Princess is as stupid as ever. She spoke ill of others in front of so many people. I'm afraid everyone knows she's not a good person."
"And that eldest princess, I thought she was cunning and difficult to deal with, but I didn't expect her to be as bad as the aunties in our village."
"She speaks in a sarcastic and sour tone, and has no airs of a princess whatsoever."
"Of course, the worst one was that old hag. She started it all, and then she jumped in to smooth things over and keep things quiet. Luckily, I'm smart, or I would have really thought she was a good person!"
The Marquis and Li Lao Er, who had both looked unwell, burst into laughter upon hearing the last sentence.
"You silly girl, you never forget to brag."
The Marquis ruffled the chubby girl's hair and said, "You did well today. That's how you should be assertive. The Princess has already made it clear that she's your enemy. Even if you give in, she won't reflect on her actions; she'll only take advantage of you."
"If you fight back hard like this, she'll be more careful next time she tries to cause trouble, afraid that you'll ignore her and let her continue to lose face."
Li Lao Er frowned and said, "Logically speaking, a princess shouldn't be so petty, making things difficult for a child over a pastry shop. There must be something going on here, and I need to investigate further."
Jiayin was worried that her second uncle might be anxious and fall into a trap, so she quickly tried to persuade him.
"Second Uncle, there's no rush. Since we know she's not friendly to our family, she'll definitely make a move again in the future. There will always be a time when she slips up."
"The people here in Baiyunjian are quite reliable, and with the Emperor behind them, she wouldn't dare to plot against them behind their backs."
"So, we're sitting on our laurels, while she's hampered. No matter how you look at it, we have a much better chance of winning."
Li Lao Er nodded, "Alright, Second Uncle will investigate slowly, but you shouldn't let your guard down either!"
Granny He had been listening quietly the whole time, and only when the masters finished speaking did she whisper her report.
"My lord, my lord, this old servant took a few strolls around the palace today and met two old friends from back then. One of them is now in charge of the lowly palace servants in Shou Kang Palace."
“We secretly ate a meal, during which an inconspicuous palace maid came to take a break. My old friend went out to talk to her, and she was very polite.”
"I just asked one more question, and my old friend, who had drunk a bit too much, said that once she happened to see this palace maid and the head eunuch of Ronghua Palace having a very good relationship. So, she didn't dare to offend them."
"Ronghua Palace?" Li Lao Er didn't react for a moment, but the Marquis reminded him, "The place where the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince live."
Li Lao Er suddenly realized, then squinted and asked, "Didn't you say that the Consort's family were just ordinary fifth-rank officials, and that her biological parents died of illness after she entered the palace?"
"The Emperor favored her greatly because of this, and after she gave birth to the second prince, he directly bestowed upon her the title of Imperial Concubine. Could it be..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the Marquis already understood.
After thinking for a moment, the Marquis instructed everyone, "No one should mention these words again in the future."
"Yes, Your Highness," Granny He and Shui Ling Shui Yun quickly replied.
Jiayin blinked her big eyes twice, about to ask a question, but the Marquis patted her head twice and instructed her, "The affairs of the court are handled by us adults. You are just a child, so don't worry about them."
Helpless, Jiayin could only nod and extinguish the burning fire of gossip within her.
What can we do? We can't exactly say she's an old cucumber painted green, a real two-life witch, can we?
She knew what was going on with the palace maids and eunuchs having affairs, and she could also guess some of the reasons why the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine were trying to deceive everyone.
After all, those dozens of books on palace intrigue and domestic power struggles I read in my previous life weren't for nothing...
In the imperial study, the emperor was slightly tipsy from drinking a few cups of wine at the banquet.
He changed out of his heavy dragon robe and into ordinary clothes. He picked a kumquat at random, ate it, and surprisingly felt much clearer-headed and his stomach felt better.
He smiled and said, "Fu Niu'er's birthday gift is really nice, it looks good and tastes good."
Steward Yi chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant also often finds the Li family remarkable, always possessing some extraordinary and wonderful things."
"These kumquats are common in the southwest, but rare in Xindu. I heard they're very difficult to grow because of the different soil and water. But the princess not only managed to grow them, she grew them so well!"
"Perhaps even these kumquats know that they are being raised to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, so they dare not grow poorly..."
"Haha, you old servant, did you sneak a bite of cake today? Your mouth is getting slicker and slicker." The emperor was pleased by the flattery.
Before he could speak, Eunuch Feng entered, smiling obsequiously, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Third Princess requests an audience, saying she wishes to present a birthday gift!"
The Emperor stopped smiling, thought for a moment, and then said, "Let her in."
Soon, the Third Princess entered with her maids.
Upon seeing the Emperor, she bowed deeply and offered her congratulations on his birthday.
The Emperor rarely saw her so reserved and proper, and he softened for a moment, so he called her forward.
The third princess presented the Emperor with a pair of shoes she had sewn herself and said cautiously, "Father, I am clumsy and cannot make complicated clothes. I only sewed these shoes. I hope you will not find them unworthy."
The emperor was somewhat surprised to see that the stitching on the shoes was very rough.
Has this daughter changed her nature? She can actually calm down and do needlework!
But that's not all!
The third princess then presented a white porcelain plate containing a wedding cake with a large "longevity" character embedded in the center.
She said somewhat nervously, "Father, these are birthday cakes that I baked while tending the oven. Although they don't taste as good as birthday cakes, they are still a token of my filial piety."
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