"I am not worthy of having a precious baby. This is a kitten that ran into my palace a few days ago. I felt sorry for it so I fed it some food and water. But it became attached to me and followed me wherever I went. I have no choice but to take it out today."

Concubine Zhao pretended to smile helplessly. She came to her seat and sat down slowly. The little orange cat in her arms did not make any noise and nestled quietly in her arms.

Jiang Qingqing couldn’t say that she particularly liked animals like cats and dogs, but sometimes, seeing their cute appearance would soften her heart.

Therefore, she couldn't help but look at the kitten in Concubine Zhao's arms a few more times.

Not long after Concubine Zhao sat down, Empress Xu came out from the backyard. She sat in the main seat, looked at the lively scene in the hall, and smiled.

"It's rare that so many people are here today." Empress Xu's gaze finally fell on Concubine Zhao's arms, and her gentle smile faded a lot. "There are children in the palace. What are you doing here with a wild animal?"

Although no name was called out, everyone could understand that this was what Empress Xu said to Concubine Zhao.

Although Concubine Zhao was named in person, she seemed exceptionally calm and not panicked. She even had time to touch the little orange cat's head.

"This little kitten is only a few months old. It is lazy on weekdays. I have raised it for half a month and have never seen it stretch out its claws."

Concubine Zhao looked calm on the surface, but her words did not show any sign of compromise.

Jiang Qingqing was sitting in the lower seat, and couldn't help but frown as she listened to the two men's somewhat pointed words.

In the past, at banquets in the palace, Empress Xu always tried to create harmony and never said anything bad about anyone openly.

She couldn't help but turn her head slightly to look at Gan Yuan and Gan Lin behind her. They were obviously unaware of the situation and shook their heads at her.

Empress Xu snorted, "There are so many people in the palace, everyone can tease it, but in the eyes of this little thing, it's not just for everyone to tease. What if it gets angry and bites someone, can you bear the responsibility?!"

What Empress Xu said was indeed correct and it was indeed true.

Concubine Zhao was afraid that she could not persuade Empress Xu any more, so she could only hand the little orange cat in her arms to the palace maid behind her, and asked the palace maid to leave the palace and wait in the warm room.

Seeing the kitten leave the palace, Empress Xu's expression looked a little better.

This was just a small episode, and soon the matter was over in everyone's eyes. Empress Xu said a few appropriate and high-sounding words to thank Xiangguo for sending rare treasures, and then the flower-viewing banquet was officially opened.

Singing and dancing started in the palace. Taking advantage of the noisy atmosphere, Jiang Qingqing turned to Gan Lin and asked, "Go check. I haven't been in the palace these days. What happened to Empress Xu and Concubine Zhao?"

Gan Lin responded promptly, then turned around and left the hall silently.

"By the way, why didn't I see my brothers today? Where are they?" Jiang Qingqing always felt like something was missing. She looked around and then she remembered that Jiang Chen and the others were not in the hall.

Gan Yuan leaned forward slightly and whispered in Jiang Qingqing's ear, "The Third Prince left the palace today. He said that some merchants in Qi Town had some problems recently. He, who nominally owns Qi Town, has to go and take charge of the situation."

Is there something wrong with Qi Zhen?

This was a sound of wind that Jiang Qingqing had never heard before, and she frowned immediately.

"Is it serious?"

Gan Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Looking at the way the Third Prince left Huaning Palace this morning, it shouldn't be serious. If Your Highness is worried, when Gan Lin comes back, can you ask her to go see Qi Zhen?"

Jiang Qingqing nodded slightly, then collected her thoughts and sat up straight.

Han Qingyi was sitting down below, watching Jiang Qingqing chatting with the maid on the podium. She recalled Jiang Qingqing's threats to her on the palace road, and she suddenly felt uneasy.

The hand hidden under the table tightly grasped the hem of the clothes.

After the song and dance, the rare and precious plant pots were placed in the courtyard. With Empress Xu leading the way, everyone in the palace stood up and walked into the palace.

The afternoon sun was at its brightest and most merciless. Jiang Qingqing disliked the sun at this time of year the most, so she simply stood at the palace gate, hiding in the shade of the palace buildings.

Those rare and precious flowers and plants were just for viewing, and Jiang Qingqing was not interested in them.

She just came here to intimidate Han Qingyi.

The women in the yard were chattering away, while Jiang Qingqing stood bored in the shadow of the building, hiding from the sun.

Han Qingyi followed the crowd at first, chatting with a smile, but as she discovered that these concubines of Apocalypse looked at her with more or less tinted glasses, she became too lazy to deal with this group of people and subconsciously went to a deserted place to stand.

As she stood there, she accidentally came near Jiang Qingqing.

The two people were standing almost on the same level.

"Don't think you can scare me just now on the palace road. Do you think I have no one to support me in Li State? Now that I come to Tianqi again, I am not the hostage I was back then. My mother is the mother of Li State!"

Han Qingyi saw Jiang Qingqing looking at her with a smile but no words, and she immediately became angry and spoke.

Having the mother of the Li Kingdom as a backer cannot really make Jiang Qingqing panic.

"So what? Your country of Li was defeated by Tianqi after all. You are the legitimate princess of Li, so what? You still have to bow to us?"

Jiang Qingqing looked at Han Qingyi with a smile.

She looked at Han Qingyi and suddenly remembered that Han Qingyi was several years older than her.

Now that she has reached the age of marriage, Han Qingyi should be talking about marriage.

"It's been five years since you returned to Li State, and you haven't arranged a marriage yet?" This was something Jiang Qingqing was really gossipy and curious about.

Han Qingyi was already wary of Jiang Qingqing. After hearing what Jiang Qingqing said, she looked at her with an irritated look.

"Whether I'm getting married or not is none of your business!?"

After saying that, in order to avoid the annoying Jiang Qingqing, Han Qingyi walked out of the shadows again and prepared to blend into the crowd.

But Jiang Qingqing's curiosity was aroused, and she wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. She could even endure the scorching sun in the afternoon and followed Han Qingyi.

She said persistently: "If you are not mistaken, you are almost in your early twenties, and you haven't talked about marriage? Won't your father urge you? Won't your mother help you to expand the power of the family?"