When the invitation from the Empress arrived, the noble ladies of the entire capital were instantly abuzz with excitement.
They were all eager and ready to compete and show off their talents at this grand event.
As word had already spread, not only would ladies from prominent families attend the banquet, but also young masters from various households would come to show their support.
With the emperor and empress living alone, the women had no choice but to marry one of the suitable sons from noble families.
To make the event more interesting and entertaining, the banquet was specially divided into men's and women's groups, so that the young masters and ladies could better showcase their talents and compete with each other.
Who wouldn't want to be known as a talented man or woman?
She would shine brightly at the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Empress, and with a bit of luck, she might even catch the Emperor's eye.
This would be a great help to the family.
Jiang Chuwei only needed to open her mouth slightly to tell Qiu Mama, who was beside her, her thoughts. This experienced nanny was able to quickly arrange all the affairs properly and without any omissions.
At the same time, people are filled with endless curiosity about the current empress.
It is said that the Empress was pregnant at the time, and the Emperor had no intention of selecting concubines during this period.
Whether they were young ladies or wives, they all felt both envy and jealousy towards the Empress.
However, even if the emperor has no immediate plans to hold a selection of concubines, there is always a chance that something might happen. If any family's daughter is fortunate enough to catch the emperor's eye, then those anxious ministers will surely rack their brains and use any means necessary to send their daughters to the emperor's bed.
However, today's banquet is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.
Jiang Chuwei knew perfectly well that it was impossible to guard against women who racked their brains and tried every means to enter the palace!
After all, the emperor was not like her, trapped in that vast harem, unable to go anywhere.
The emperor would often travel incognito among the common people, which naturally gave women more opportunities to get close to him.
Jiang Chuwei wasn't too worried about this. In her view, if the Emperor couldn't even uphold his own bottom line, then no matter where he was, all sorts of women would flock to him.
She tried to defend herself, but found that she was powerless to stop it.
However, to her surprise, these women were incredibly shameless, to the point of being utterly shameless, daring to scheme and plot in the heavily guarded palace.
The banquet was very well divided, with separate areas for male and female guests.
Madam Jiang, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, attended the banquet.
Since the last time Madam Jiang accompanied her daughter to spend the night in the palace, she had witnessed her daughter living a happy and content life in the palace, and had never taken the initiative to visit her again.
Now, she has devoted all her attention to her two daughters-in-law. She pays special attention to Zheng Yao, secretly planning to carefully cultivate her into her future capable successor.
When Jiang Chuwei saw Zheng Yao, she couldn't help but feel quite surprised.
I had expected Zheng Yao to be full of sorrow after all the ups and downs, but to my surprise, she had a face that showed no sign of distress.
Ye Huan, on the other hand, remained as lively and playful as ever, chattering incessantly.
Seeing this, Madam Jiang quickly reminded her softly, "Huan'er, this is a grand banquet in the palace. You must not be impolite and must always pay attention to your image."
Upon hearing this, Ye Huan immediately hugged her mother-in-law's arm tightly and replied coquettishly, "Mother! You know perfectly well that your daughter-in-law and Chu Wei have known each other since childhood and are as close as sisters. If I were to deliberately pretend to be dignified and quiet in front of her, it would seem out of place!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang smiled and gently tapped Ye Huan's forehead with her finger, feigning reproach and playfully scolding, "Your little mouth is the most talkative!" Ye Huan mischievously made a face at Madam Jiang, then quickly stuck out her pink little tongue, looking extremely cute.
At this moment, Madam Ye, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but remind her, "Huan'er, you can't address Her Majesty the Empress by her given name so disrespectfully." She frowned slightly, looking at her daughter with a hint of reproach. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly; this daughter of hers, it was now so difficult to even see her, she had to go to the General's Mansion herself.
Madam Ye couldn't understand why her daughter, whom she had always treated well and had never mistreated, was unwilling to come home to visit more often.
Is it really true that a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup? Thinking of this, Madam Ye couldn't help but feel a burning hatred for Ye Huan.
"Okay, Mother~" Ye Huan replied with a smile, rushing towards Madam Ye like a happy little bird, wanting to give her a big hug.
However, Madam Ye nimbly dodged to the side, and said with a stern face, "A girl should know better! Don't be so impetuous all the time."
In fact, Madam Ye knew that her daughter's lively and active nature was endearing, but she still needed to pay attention to etiquette and manners in front of outsiders.
She recalled hearing a lot of gossip when her daughter first married Jiang Hai.
Some people even said to her face that it was like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.
Even worse, some people actually said that her precious daughter was the real cow dung!
Whenever she heard these words, Madam Ye's anger would rise, and she could not help but argue with people several times, and even got into physical fights.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Despite her best efforts to protect her daughter's reputation, those hurtful words spread like wildfire, causing her daughter's bad reputation to grow further and further.
But Ye Huan didn't care at all. She told her mother that those people were just jealous that she had married a good husband, and they were envious of her!
Madam Ye thought about it and realized that she was indeed more open-minded than her daughter.
The daughter was right. Madam Jiang doted on Ye Huan, treating her like a precious gem.
There were never any of those wicked mothers-in-law who tormented their daughters-in-law.
With such a favored empress residing in the General's Mansion, it's no wonder that countless families in the capital are envious and jealous!
At this moment, many people watching the interaction between the mother and daughter showed expressions of envy or jealousy.
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