Perhaps realizing that she was in a bad mood, Empress Dowager Guo coughed twice, pretending nothing had happened, and then spoke to Du Jingyi.

"You have raised the children well. Shao Yu can rest assured that he will guard the land of Daxing for me."

"Thank you for your praise, Queen Mother. I don't deserve it."

Mrs. Guo San interrupted appropriately and said.

"What the Queen Mother said is what we think, especially the three brothers. We have rarely heard of them being sick since they were born. It is obvious that we have taken great care of them. So Jingyi, you really deserve this compliment."

The three brothers were less sick. To be honest, Du Jingyi felt that most of the credit was due to Xia Meng. She had helped take care of them for quite a while and was careful and considerate. So when they talked about this, Du Jingyi missed Xia Meng a little.

However, Empress Dowager Guo was not very aware of Xia Meng's existence, so Du Jingyi would not bring it up casually. Just like before, he answered whatever was asked and did not say a single word more.

"I will be heading south in a few days. I wrote to my mother in advance and she said that my father's illness has recovered 70% to 80%, so I have to go see him first. You guys stay in Sui'an City and take care of yourselves. It's snowing hard outside. If you can stay at home, don't go out, so as to avoid frostbite on your hands and feet, which is also a troublesome thing."

Although Empress Dowager Guo did not say it explicitly, everyone present understood her meaning.

Her departure meant that the Guo family's power in the court would decline further. Gu Shaoyu was also gone, and it was clear that the families of the two families had high positions but no one to rely on, so naturally, they would not have an easy life.

Mrs. Guo San looked a little disappointed. After all, ever since she married into the Guo family, she had been enjoying the aura of the Prime Minister's Mansion for many years. However, in the past six months, her life was not as good as before. Naturally, it was a little difficult for her to accept.

But such days will be gone forever with the departure of Empress Dowager Guo.

She could even imagine that in the future, whenever the Guo family appeared in any occasion, they would no longer be the center of attention, and would be replaced by a new crop of upstarts.

Xueniang noticed her mother-in-law's disappointment, so she comforted her in a soft voice.

"Don't be sad, mother-in-law. Everything will get better in a few years."

In any case, Guo Silang is still young and has room for promotion. When he can return to the core of power in the court with his own strength, they will also return to the peak.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Guo San felt relieved. After looking at her daughter-in-law, she gave her a reassuring smile.

Several people accompanied Empress Dowager Guo and had lunch in Shoukang Palace.

Although they were a little reserved, they were not too panicked. The children ate properly and did not make any mistakes. However, after lunch, Empress Dowager Guo wanted to rest for a while, and they could not stay there all the time, so they went for a walk in the small garden of Shoukang Palace.

The day when the snow melts is the coldest time.

Several people were holding heaters in their hands, but they couldn't avoid the cold wind. It was the same situation as their current situation. Although their bodies were warm, the wind and snow outside were strong and cold.

"Did the Xing family send you a note?"

Mrs. Guo San asked first.

"Yes, I have already chosen the gifts for the warm-up party on the 22nd. We'll decide whether to go or not later."

"What happened? Did the people in the Earl's Mansion put pressure on you?"

"That's not the case. It's just that I sent an invitation to the Xing family on my father's birthday last time, but no one came. So I thought that since my cousin Zhao wasn't here this time, I didn't necessarily have to give the Xing family face."

Mrs. Guo San nodded and said, that’s true.

The Xing family had done some dishonest things before, so for the sake of the General's Mansion's reputation, it was okay for Du Jingyi not to go this time.

"You do have an excuse. We have no choice but to not go. I just watch others laugh. I always feel sorry for my father-in-law in my heart."

When Du Jingyi heard this, he quickly pulled Mrs. Guo San's sleeve.

They are in the palace, who knows where the emperor's ears and eyes may be. Isn't it a threat to say so rashly? Mrs. Guo San also realized that her words were wrong, so she immediately shushed him, looked around, and patted her chest when she saw that there was no one around.

"I'm really old now, and my brain doesn't work anymore. When I get back, I'll just stay at home to take care of my grandson. I'll let Xue Niang take care of the banquets in the future."

"What are you talking about, mother-in-law? We all need to be more confident when you are here. Otherwise, we won't know what to say when we meet those older ladies."

Xuenniang still acted like a spoiled child in front of Madam Guo San as usual. After she said this, Madam Guo San felt satisfied and recovered from her slip of the tongue just now.

They walked for a while, but it was too cold so they didn't walk around for long, so they returned to the side hall of Shoukang Palace, took a short rest, and chatted about daily life. Not long after, someone came from outside to say that the palace banquet was about to begin, and they could prepare something in advance.

Hearing this, everyone stood up, the maids helped to tidy up their clothes, and then everyone went out together.

After waiting for a while in the corridor of the main hall, Empress Dowager Guo came out. When she saw them, she said something.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"It's snowing hard, I'll stop you for a bit. Hu Xi, are the sedan chairs ready?"

"Don't worry, Queen Mother. We have prepared everything."

"Well, let's go then."

"Yes, madam."

Empress Dowager Guo had her own special sedan chair, and they were considered to have received some favors from the empress dowager. They followed her sedan chair and headed for the hall where today's palace banquet was held.

Du Jingyi had not attended such palace banquets many times, but he knew that they were extremely luxurious.

Court officials, concubines, and ministers like them were all invited.

They came with Empress Dowager Guo and were destined to be the focus of everyone, so before entering the hall, Du Jingyi took a few deep breaths and calmed his expression. When he entered the hall, he saw Eunuch Hu next to him shouting loudly.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived, Madam Gu, the First Duke, has arrived, Madam Gu, the Third Madam Guo, the Fourth Madam Guo, and the three young masters have arrived."

This series of titles attracted the attention of all the court officials and ladies who had arrived earlier, including the Xing family, the Earl's Mansion, the Li family, and various other relatives of the marquis.

The emperor had not arrived yet, but Empress Yan was already there.

She got off the phoenix couch and walked towards Empress Dowager Guo, followed by people from the Earl's Mansion and the women of the Duke of Fengguo's family.

Following Empress Yan at this time, it is easy to imagine that the two families are likely to be getting married. Considering the age of the granddaughter of Duke Fengguo, she is almost the same as the eldest prince, so Du Jingyi also knows where the future eldest prince's wife will come from!