The palace maids all knew Yuan Xingzhou's identity, but since the Prince of Ye had not yet officially announced his identity, they did not perform a grand ceremony, but instead gave a normal curtsy.
Zheng Quchi was the first to reply: "It's nothing. It's just that the Queen saw that I was dressed shabbily, so she specially sent palace servants to bring me a few sets of evening banquet attire. I'm thanking them right now."
She spoke so naturally and sincerely that even the palace servants wondered if they had misheard her words, which were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.
After listening, Yuan Xingzhou looked at the head palace maid. His gloomy and cold eyes, which seemed to crush bones, inexplicably contained a hint of a smile: "If the Queen is so inclined, why not bestow upon me my robes as well?"
The head palace maid hurriedly said in a flustered manner, "We dare not. The young master's clothes will be arranged by the head steward. Now that the general's wife's things have been delivered, we will take our leave."
After they were all scared away by Yuan Xingzhou, Zheng Quchi buried himself in the pile of clothes and began searching diligently.
Yuan Xingzhou leaned closer: "What are you looking for?"
Zheng Quchi didn't even turn his head: "Poisoned needles, or maybe there's poison powder sprinkled on the clothes, or is there something here that could cause the seams to slip and tear at the slightest movement, or..."
Yuan Xingzhou: "..." She really treated the royal palace as a den of dragons and tigers.
"She wouldn't dare to harm people so openly. She sent these things simply to make you uncomfortable, to make you understand the difference between ordinary people and the royal palace, to make you feel intimidated, fearful, and ashamed of yourself."
Zheng Quchi paused in his movements.
is that so?
She seemed to be overthinking things, but unfortunately, she didn't get a single one of them right.
If he and she were to enter the palace intrigue drama together, she would definitely be a naive concubine who only survives one episode, while he would be a cunning concubine who makes it to the finale.
——
As dusk approached, a royal banquet was being held in the palace. Palace lanterns hung high, red candles flickered, and the lavish banquet was attended by many people, yet there was no noise or commotion.
Because every invited guest took their seat with solemnity, and although the palace servants were busy moving about, they were well-trained and organized despite the chaos, so the banquet did not feel disorganized.
The grand banquet held in the palace for the officials was a magnificent affair. Everyone present was dressed elegantly and splendidly, yet every move they made was so disciplined and self-controlled that no one dared to be careless in the slightest.
Unlike the protagonists in the book, Zheng Quchi and Yuan Xingzhou arrived late. They took their seats early, in a position that was neither too high nor too low, neither too far forward nor too far back. Yuan Xingzhou's demeanor was very aristocratic. Sitting next to her, he felt perfectly at ease with the surrounding environment, as if he were born to be the king of this kind of occasion, completely at ease.
But she couldn't help it; she was overwhelmed by the sights and found everything at the royal banquet to be incredibly novel.
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