"In that case, I should also prepare some gifts. I absolutely cannot be outdone by Gu Erli."
As she spoke, she immediately stood up and went straight to the storeroom to choose a birthday gift for Gu Jingchun.
The same goes for Ye Wenxi.
As Gu Jingchun's sworn brother, upon learning that it was Gu Jingchun's birthday, he immediately brought out all the good things he had collected and presented them to Gu Jingchun in a grand procession.
Gu Jinxi originally came to see Shen Hechuan, but she was puzzled when she learned that Shen Hechuan was preparing a birthday gift for Gu Jingchun.
"birthday?"
"Today is not Mother's birthday!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Hechuan turned around and carefully explained.
“Son, as you know, your mother has many identities and many birthdays, but today is your mother’s true birthday.”
Gu Jinxi blinked, told Shen Hechuan, and then quickly returned to her palace to retrieve the birthday gift she had prepared for her mother.
Besides them, there was another person who also wanted to celebrate Gu Jingchun's birthday.
At this moment, outside the city gate of Tiandu City, a group of people dressed in tattered clothes were pulling a cart full of goods to the city gate.
However, their attire drew disdain from those around them.
The soldiers guarding the city frowned when they saw them and waved them away.
"Go, go, all of you, you can't enter the city!"
Li Er and his group were quite surprised.
"Why?"
Why can't we go into the city?
They came into the city today on a mission; they need to deliver these things to their young master for his birthday!
We can't afford to delay any longer.
However, no matter how they explained, the soldiers wouldn't let them into the city.
"Why won't you let us in? Look at those people, they're pulling oxcarts too."
"Can they be compared to you?"
“They are ordinary people, but look at you, are you even ordinary people?”
"Are we going to let you in here and let you lie on the ground, affecting the city's appearance?"
As the soldier spoke, he forcefully pushed them back.
Upon hearing this, the group stopped arguing, lowered their heads, and slunk away.
Once they reached a secluded spot, they changed their clothes and went to the city gate again.
This time, they entered the city without any hindrance.
Once inside, Li Er and the others turned back to look at the guards, their eyes filled with obvious killing intent.
But Li Er grabbed his hand and shook his head in a warning gesture.
"Don't forget our important business this time. If anything goes wrong, be careful of being punished by our master!"
The group then came to their senses and, pulling their belongings, headed towards Gu Jingchun's residence.
Meanwhile, Gu Jingchun's residence was bustling with activity.
Every noblewoman in the capital who could be named came to Gu Jingchun's residence.
Originally, Gu Jingchun did not want to receive them.
However, there were simply too many people, and the constant flow of carriages had completely blocked the road.
Lanxin rushed over to report.
Gu Jingchun then sighed.
"In that case, let them all come in!"
And at this moment, at the doorway.
A large group of noble ladies gathered at Gu Jingchun's door, discussing the matter animatedly.
"What's the deal with this Gu Jingchun?"
“We came here out of goodwill to celebrate her birthday, but they just left us here and wouldn’t let us in.”
He then lowered his voice again.
"Having grown up in the countryside, even now that she's risen to prominence and is about to become a phoenix, she still can't shake her petty nature."
Chang Jiaojiao and Ding Jiaojiao spoke up from the crowd.
The two men spoke with utter contempt.
"I think Gu Jingchun has probably never seen such a grand occasion before, so he can't entertain us!"
"We came here unprepared, but as a noble lady from a prominent family, you should be able to handle any unexpected situation with ease."
Otherwise, how could she possibly become Empress in the future?
"I hope she's not crying in her room right now."
After the two finished speaking, the people around them began to murmur among themselves.
Even if they dared not say much, the disdain and dissatisfaction in their eyes were evident.
Situ Mingji and Jiang Mingwan, standing in the crowd, both smiled slightly upon hearing this.
Just when everyone thought that Gu Jingchun would hide and not come out.
Suddenly, the door opened from the inside.
A group of well-trained people walked out and began to spread out in an orderly line.
Lan Xin stood in the middle of the crowd and first said a few words on behalf of Gu Jingchun, thanking everyone for coming to the gathering.
Then they were all recorded and respectfully invited inside.
Lanxin deliberately avoided mentioning birthdays, only saying that the young ladies were having a small gathering, in order to avoid any negative impact.
Soon, everyone entered the mansion.
This was also the first time everyone had entered Gu Jingchun's residence.
They originally thought that Gu Jingchun, who was running her own business, couldn't possibly have much money.
The mansion must be quite shabby.
Jiang Mingwan, who was in the crowd, was also innocent. The banquet was too rushed, and even if Gu Jingchun was very capable, it would be difficult for him to prepare everything in the shortest amount of time.
Not to mention the banquet.
However, when they went inside, they found that everything was already arranged neatly.
The courtyard was not only exquisitely decorated, but the banquet tables were also arranged in a unique circular pattern.
A tall platform was erected in the middle.
The moment they entered, a woman began to dance.
This immediately drew the attention of the noble ladies, who obediently followed the servants and sat down in their respective seats.
As soon as we sat down, several plates of pastries and fruits were served, including a few very delicate snacks.
It's crystal clear and very beautiful.
Out of curiosity, I put one in my mouth, and it was pleasantly cool to the touch—quite delicious.
She opened her eyes wide in surprise, gave a thumbs up, and began to sample the other snacks.
The other noble ladies, seeing this, immediately began to taste it as well.
They were full of praise and didn't have time to say anything else.
Jiang Mingwan and Situ Mingji originally wanted to take this opportunity to see Gu Jingchun make a fool of himself and to secretly spread the message that Gu Jingchun was not worthy of being the empress.
I never expected Gu Jingchun to be so capable; he managed to do so well in such a short time.
The two sat in their respective seats with different expressions.
At this moment, Gu Jingchun also came out.
She sat down in the main seat, exchanged a few pleasantries with the ladies, and then sat down.
At this moment, Situ Mingji couldn't help but speak up.
"Miss Gu, since today is your birthday, why hasn't His Majesty come to celebrate with you?"
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