The palace was surrounded by high walls, which shut out the vast world outside.
Two palace maids led the way, with Xuan Wenying and Lu Qiqi walking side by side behind them.
After walking through the cobblestone alley, it's still quite a distance to the place where the Queen holds her banquet.
Xuan Wenying felt a wave of fear whenever she thought of the scene where Lu Qiqi pulled out the ruby dagger.
She glanced at the palace maids in front of her, making sure they were at a safe distance, before turning her head to look at Lu Qiqi.
“The palace has strict rules, and bringing a sharp weapon into the palace is a serious crime.”
You deliberately put on this show in front of everyone; surely you have your own plans?
Xuan Wenying couldn't guess her plan, but since she had brought the person into the palace, she had to bring her home unharmed.
Seeing that the person in front of her did not answer immediately, she said, "The most taboo thing for nobles in the palace is someone who harbors disloyal intentions."
If something happens today, someone will surely pin the blame on you.
Listen to your aunt and stay by my side today.
Let's stay away from them and find an excuse to go home.
Lu Qiqi smiled gratefully and explained, "Thank you, Aunt."
However, my aunt doesn't need to worry too much. I handed over the dagger before entering the palace so that the aunt in charge of the inspection would do her job properly and prevent anyone from smuggling contraband into the palace.
After her explanation, Xuan Wenying immediately understood.
Sharp weapons like daggers are hard to hide in the palace, so if something really happens, they'll most likely resort to cheap, low-grade medicine.
Lu Qiqi handed over the dagger openly before entering the palace, and even if something happened, she would be cleared of suspicion immediately.
After all, no one would want to draw attention to themselves before doing something wrong, thus delaying their business.
Understanding something is one thing, but doing it is another.
She said, "Qiqi, your aunt doesn't care what you're planning."
Just remember one thing: behind you is the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion; the most important thing is to protect yourself.
"At worst, I'll have your uncle steal the iron scroll and the elixir book to save you."
Lu Qiqi's eyes widened in shock at Xuan Wenying's words.
When she saw a hint of cunning in Xuan Wenying's eyes, she realized that her aunt must have been a free-spirited person in her youth.
With the care of her family, Lu Qiqi was happy and touched. "Okay, thank you, Auntie."
Xuan Wenying thought for a moment and reminded her, "There's only one Iron Certificate of Merit, so we have to use it sparingly. Don't do anything foolish, understand?"
"Uh-huh."
The palace was vast, and the two walked for an unknown amount of time before finally reaching the back garden where the Hundred Flowers Banquet was being held.
The palace maid led the person into the back garden and then excused herself.
Xuan Wenying turned around and glanced at the people from the second branch of the family. Her eyes met Ding Wanyue's.
The two women exchanged a glance, and Ding Wanyue quickly turned her gaze to her youngest daughter, pretending that she hadn't followed the eldest daughter's family because she was slow on her feet.
But this scene directly pierced Xuan Wenying's eyes.
The Lin'an Marquis's family has always been harmonious, and the two brothers are especially affectionate and respectful to each other.
However, Ding Wanyue drew a line in front of everyone because her niece handed over a dagger before entering the palace.
If something really happens, I'm afraid I won't be able to rely on her much.
Thinking of this, a hint of displeasure flashed in Xuan Wenying's eyes.
Chen Wenjun was the one who arranged Ding Wanyue's marriage.
Otherwise, given Ding Wanyue's family background, let alone being able to establish a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion, she would even have to sit at the very end of the table when she came to their house for a banquet.
Now look what's happened! Treating Chen Wenjun's own daughter like this, how is this any different from feeding an ungrateful wretch!
This made her think of Ding Wanyue's past. Could it be that Ding Wanyue had been putting on an act in front of them for twenty years?
However, she quickly dismissed the idea, saying that it would be too terrifying if Ding Wanyue could act for twenty years.
"Aunt?" Lu Qiqi called out twice, but she didn't respond, so she raised her voice a bit.
Xuan Wenying was awakened by her, turned around and smiled, "Come on, let's go in and take a look."
I heard that Her Majesty the Empress ordered someone to cultivate a pot of Cymbidium goeringii with lotus petals. The petals are light green with yellow tinges and have a delicate fragrance.
However, this flower was extremely difficult to grow, so several famous gardeners were assigned to take good care of it.
"To see this today has truly broadened my horizons."
The noble ladies, under the guise of catching a glimpse of the beautiful flower, were actually there to attend the banquet hosted by the Empress and to give their younger relatives a chance to shine in front of others.
If one has the chance to be praised by the Empress, it will bring a good reputation when discussing marriage in the future.
More and more people gathered in the garden, and Lu Qiqi saw many familiar faces in the crowd.
They were all pampered young ladies who took her prescriptions to the pharmacy to get their medicine.
Lin Xue, in particular, stared at her with eyes that were practically bulging out of their sockets.
Scary!
"The Empress has arrived!"
A palace servant called out from afar.
The ladies and young women in the garden bowed upon hearing the sound.
Lu Qiqi, being among them, was no exception.
She kept her head down, and soon heard a voice speaking in a low voice.
"Ladies, please do not stand on ceremony."
"Thank you, Empress Xie."
The group straightened up, and when Lu Qiqi looked up, she saw two familiar faces.
One of them, dressed in Tatar attire, was Uqi, the one who had tried to take her life outside the border town.
The woman dressed in a pink dress, with her chin held high and looking at her with an arrogant gaze, was Li Minjun.
The person standing in front of the two was dressed in red with a golden phoenix totem embroidered on it, and wore a thumb-sized pearl hairpin on his head, which was also matched with a white jade hairpin, making him look even more rich and elegant.
Lu Qiqi didn't need to guess to know that it was the current Empress Jia.
Empress Jia glanced at everyone, a graceful smile on her face. "Springtime is the perfect time to enjoy flowers and have fun."
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