The old lady from the Chengguo Mansion next to her had a drooping face and looked a little unhappy.
She had finally followed her husband from being a peasant to her current position as a first-rank lady. In the circle of noble ladies in Beijing, apart from those in the palace, she was also a well-known figure. Apart from the two people around her, no one else was on equal footing with her.
How come there are so many people riding on her head for no reason?
Having been praised for many years and growing older, Old Lady Jiang of the Duke of Chengguo Mansion, who had become somewhat arrogant, thought to herself and said:
"You can't take advantage of your resemblance to the Empress and become arrogant. We all followed His Majesty all the way here. You sitting in front of us old guys is a joke!"
I guess these are the poor relatives of the Queen.
But she is a first-rank lady!
Chulu remained expressionless and bowed slightly, then stood up and looked at the two old ladies with a smile. "To answer you two, this position was arranged by the Emperor and the Empress together. It was not my own decision. If you have any questions, please ask them after the Emperor and the Empress arrive."
The expressions of Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Cui changed all of a sudden.
No one expected Chulu to be so rude. She almost pointed at the two of them and scolded them, "What's the point of telling me? If you have the guts, say it in front of the Emperor and the Empress!"
The ladies nearby all changed their expressions. There was no more contempt in their eyes when they looked at Zhou and the others. Instead, there was a bit of solemnity and scrutiny.
At some point, even the girls nearby all looked over here, sizing up Ji Changying, the only one in Zhou's group who was about the same age as them, with curiosity and scrutiny.
Feeling the gazes of a group of girls, Ji Changying turned around and looked back without showing any weakness.
The group of girls were stunned by the stare. They had never seen a young lady act so boldly, frankly and calmly after being stared at like that.
Mrs. Hu felt her scalp tingling as she listened to the old ladies talking. It was just a position, but they could actually cause two pampered old ladies to denounce them.
She really didn't understand the noble ladies in the capital.
What's the difference between where they sit? What's the point of arguing? If not, just give them the seat.
But Chulu had already stood in front of them and had already offended the other party. Wouldn't it be a slap in her own face if she spoke now?
Then you must not do this.
Madam Zheng from the nearby Zhenguo Mansion sneered, "If you really have any objections, raise them in front of the Emperor and the Empress! Do you really think everyone has to give in to you just because you're old? I'm afraid your face is thicker than a city wall!"
Mrs. Cui's face turned pale, but she knew that there were people who were even more impatient than her.
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're dumb. You're so venomous! No wonder you poisoned my son to death!"
Madam Jiang glared at Madam Zheng fiercely and said something rude that made Madam Zheng's face turn pale:
"Even though you've reached the position of Duke's wife, you're still full of harsh words. No wonder Duke Cheng still takes concubines at his age. I guess he's turned off by the sight of your old face."
The two have been at odds for years, and they know how to hurt each other as soon as they open their mouths.
Madam Jiang was about to jump up and down when the wife of the Duke of Chengguo, who was standing behind her, could no longer bear it. She stepped forward and supported her arm, saying, "Mother! We're in the palace now. We can talk about it after we get back."
Feeling the strength in her hand, Madam Jiang angrily shook off the hand of the Crown Prince's wife: "Are you going to strangle me to death?"
The Crown Prince's wife stood there with a face full of shame and anger. She knew that her mother-in-law had always been disrespectful, but this was the first time she was made so embarrassed in public that she couldn't even raise her head.
"Princess Yi has arrived!"
"Princess Xuan has arrived!"
"Princess Zhuang has arrived!!"
Several princesses arrived one after another, and a group of people were busy paying their respects, so the things happening here were quickly ignored.
"It's really lively today! Everyone, get up!"
Princess Yi smiled and raised her hand to signal everyone to stand up. When she saw Zhou and others standing over there, she couldn't help but be stunned.
When he saw Zhou's face clearly, his eyes widened in shock.
The other two princesses saw her expression, looked over in confusion, and immediately widened their eyes.
"Aunt Chulu, what is this...?"
Princess Xuan couldn't wait to ask Chu Lu on the side.
"In reply to your Majesty, your Majesty specifically instructed these distinguished guests not to perform formalities. It was not your servant who stopped them."
Chu Lu bowed to the princesses and answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
Unexpectedly, after asking for a long time, Chulu avoided the main point and did not say anything about who these people were. The princesses were all smart people, and they all had their own thoughts in their hearts, so no one spoke for a while.
Mrs. Cui frowned, and there was some fear in her eyes.
Princess Zhuang smiled and said, "Come on, everyone, please take a seat. The banquet is about to begin."
Hearing this, Ji Changying pulled Zhou and Hu to sit down without any hesitation.
She was tired of listening to this group of people talking.
However, before everyone could get comfortable, several groups of people arrived one after another, such as Duke Cheng, Duke Zhenguo, Grand Tutor Song, Grand Protector Cui, and so on.
A group of people greeted each other and exchanged polite words. Ji Changying sat there motionless. Seeing her motionless, Zhou felt more at ease.
Seeing how calm they were, the Zhou family's aunts, not recognizing any of them, simply lowered their heads to look at the jade slab on the table, praying in their hearts, "Can't see me, can't see me"...
Little did they know how eye-catching their group was, and countless court officials kept glancing at them.
At this time, a servant from Duke Chengguo's mansion came running in a panic, and whispered something to Duke Chengguo.
Duke Chengguo immediately looked in the direction of the person who came with a gloomy expression.
It was Xie Siheng who brought Ji Fengshou and the others here.
As soon as Ji Changchuan arrived, he ran to Ji Changying's side and whispered, "We just saw the emperor. We exchanged a few words and then were brought here. Guess who I saw?"
Ji Changying also lowered her voice and asked, "Who?"
"That kid from yesterday! He's actually the deceased prince's son!"
Ji Changchuan had a complicated expression.
If that's really the case, then he's his uncle's son, which means he's...his cousin?
I originally thought he was only six or seven years old, but after asking, I found out that he was actually nine years old!
But my body doesn't look too good...
"He is actually the emperor's grandson? How come..."
Before Ji Changying finished speaking, he heard a eunuch singing outside:
"The Emperor—has arrived!"
"The Queen has arrived!"
The host of the palace banquet finally arrived, and everyone knelt down to pay their respects.
Emperor Mingde glanced at the crowd and saw that Zhou and the others were in the front row, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"Get up!"
Since he was in a good mood, he naturally didn't want to make things difficult for others and helped them get up happily.
Beside him walked Jiang Qianruo, who was dressed in her best attire, holding the hand of the pale and frail grandson of the emperor, Zhongli Tao.
After everyone sat down, Xie Siheng's seat was just opposite Ji Changying.
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