That morning, Qiu Yelan and the two others got up early and asked the maids to wait on them.

“Since it’s just a small banquet for people of the same generation, we shouldn’t be rigged out in our best. It will make us look dull and show that we take them so seriously!” Zhuang Man thought hard in front of the bronze mirror, “But if we just go there casually, we won’t be impressive. We have to tread carefully.”

“It’s only we two who have to tread carefully.” Xin Fubing said while concentrating on selecting beads from the jewel case, “The nineteenth cousin will be impressive enough even though she wears a thorn hairpin and a coarse skirt. She can dress up anyway!”

Qiu Yelan didn’t plan to dress up actually because Xin Fubing was the main story this day and she had no intention of stealing the show. She smiled, “Are you afraid that I won’t help you then so you keep flattering me before we go out?”

“It had better be that sister-in-law handles them alone then, and we just have to go there for a meal.” Zhuang Man smiled, “Well, how good will it be if they let us go there for a fight? Even a dozen people or more are no match for sister-in-law.”

“A dozen or more people like Gu E’nuo?” Xin Fubing handed a selected bead flower to the maid and played with her thick and beautiful hair, “You really underestimate sister-in-law! I think even hundreds of them are no match for her!”

Qiu Yelan interrupted them and said, “Hundreds of princesses’ pulling out their hairpins and throwing them on me can be enough for me!”

Xin Fubing and Zhuang Man imagined the scene where countless hairpins were thrown on her, laughing together.

Amidst the laughter, they got ready, had breakfast together, and then went to greet the Empress. However, they met the Emperor on the way for the Empress.

They were slightly taken aback. It was not a secret in the court and the commonalty that the emperor and the Empress were not in harmony. After all, Empress Jiang was strong and pungent, so it was hard to imagine that she would love the weak emperor in her heart. The emperor who was under the control of the Empress Dowager and dared not even speak loudly would probably not be able to appreciate the Empress’s domineering disposition. So, the emperor always stayed with his concubines unless there was something serious or they were stipulated to stay together by ancestral rules.

These two days were not the days on which the rules said they must stay together. So, there must be something important since the emperor was going for the Empress.

Although the emperor was just a puppet in this dynasty, they still had to abide by the etiquette. So, they knelt to the side of the road when they saw the emperor.

After a while, the Emperor’s chariot passed by. The Emperor said a few words to a eunuch in the chariot and then a eunuch who looked like a director stopped and let them get up in a kind voice, “Your Majesty has something to discuss with the Empress. If there is nothing urgent, please have a rest in the side hall first.”

“We have nothing urgent.” Qiu Yelan said with a smile, “Thank you for reminding us. We will go to the side hall now.”

In the previous dynasty, even the Empress and the crown prince did not dare to look down upon the eunuch director, but the emperor of this dynasty was a puppet, so he did not dare to be arrogant anymore. He chatted with them for a while smilingly, and then tossed his Horsetail Whisk to go after the emperor chariot which had stopped in front of the door of the Hall.

They reached the door behind the chariot, and a guard of the Hall led them to sit and wait in the side hall. After entering the side hall, Zhuang Man couldn’t help guessing in a low voice, “How will the emperor come here? Does he have another beloved concubine and want to get her elevated again?”

“It can be difficult.” Xin Fubing looked around. Seeing the guards were far away and only their close maids were here, she whispered, “Although the Empress doesn’t care about the emperor’s obsession with his concubines, she doesn’t like it when he wants to elevate them.”

Empress Jiang didn’t usually take care of the Imperial Harem personally, but handed it over to Maid Lin. However, when it came to things like elevating or lowering the concubines, it had to be approved by her, while she hardly approved that. There had been four senior concubines already, namely the Noble Consort, Fair Concubine, Worthy Concubine and Virtuous Concubine. While except for Noble Consort Gu, the other three concubines always rode the Empress’s coattails.

According to what Xin Fubing whispered, the concubines who rode the Empress’s coattails were easy to be elevated. Empress Jiang aimed at the court, and she didn’t take the position in the Imperial Harem so seriously, so she was willing to elevate the concubines when she was happy. That was how Worthy Concubine and Virtuous Concubine got entitled.

“In other words, the concubines on the Empress’s side don’t have to go for the emperor when they want to be elevated?” Qiu Yelan understood. “While those who need the emperor’s help are either truly beloved by the emperor or have something to do with the Empress Dowager, the Empress won’t agree with that easily.”

She thought of Fair Conbunie who hooked up with Jiang Yadan back then, “It is said that she got the title of Fair Concubine because the emperor begged the Empress for four months, but she hooked up with Jiang Yadan then… What’s her background?”

Because of Xin Fubing’s explanation, Qiu Yelan thought of the deceased, but Zhuang Man was thinking of the present one, “If the emperor really came to ask for a title for a concubine, who would that be? I haven’t heard of any girl coming into the Palace recently.”

“Isn’t the summer holiday just begin?” Qiu Yelan reminded her, “The summer holiday this year is arranged by Prince of Zhou. Can’t he arrange a few beautiful girls in the Palace for the emperor to see accidentally?”

“The people arranged by Prince of Zhou? How will the Empress agree to entitle them? It’s impossible!” Zhuang Man felt funny, “But why did Prince of Zhou do that? The emperor can’t persuade the Empress.”

Their guess was really correct. After a while, there was a loud noise outside. Since the guards didn’t stop them, some clever maids went to the door and watched for a while, and then they came back to report, “Several girls in the colorful dress have been brought into the Hall. They all look young and beautiful.”

“Maybe it will be difficult for us to greet the Empress. It’s almost time for the banquet. It won’t end soon in the Hall.” Qiu Yelan looked at the copper funnel in the corner and stood up.

“Let’s see if Maid Lin is outside. Tell her that we are leaving if she is there.” Zhuang Man also stood up and said.

“Maid Lin takes care of the Imperial Harem on behalf of the Empress. How could she be idle outside?” Xin Fubing teased.

Qiu Yelan beckoned a maid to come over, and told her to tell the Empress on behalf of them that they were leaving. Then she said, “It’s almost the time. Let’s go to the garden, alright?”

Gu E’nuo’s birthday banquet would be held in the garden. Although she got the title of princess, she was not a real descendant of the royal family. She lived in the Palace occasionally and celebrated her birthday there. If the banquet was held too formally, it would be overstepping.

Because it was a luncheon, when Qiu Yelan and the others arrived, the people on Gu E’nuo’s side were all there. Princess Changping and Tang Xinqiong of the three had been expected to be there, while the third one was not Tang Xinyao who had become Princess Yan but the icy-faced Tang, the Young Princess of the Duke of Guangyang.

Tang was almost stripped and beaten by Qiu Yelan in Prince’s Mansion of Xihe before, so she was reluctant to meet Qiu Yelan in the past two years. This time they didn’t know why she replaced Princess Yan to appear here, while there was something wrong with the way she looked at Qiu Yelan.

Even if the two parties had shown their feign courtesy, Tang’s expression remained terrible.

But since she didn’t bring it up, Qiu Yelan would pretend that she couldn’t see it. Anyway, she was not the one who suffered the loss… If Tang hadn’t made a stink face this time, she would have forgotten what had happened before.

After the host and guests took their seats, Gu E’nuo, the host, opened her mouth first and said, “Thank you for being here. Please excuse me for the poor reception.”

As for Qiu Yelan’s side, Qiu Yelan was older than the others, so she should be the one to speak.

But everyone knew that the main stories of the birthday banquet this day were Gu E’nuo and Xin Fubing, so she just smiled and said nothing.

Xin Fubing opened her mouth knowingly, “It’s okay. Anyway, we are not here to eat.”

Her words were pungent, but Gu E’nuo just smiled calmly, “Thank you so much for coming to my birthday party. It’s not a big deal…” She said, turning embarrassment into gratitude.

“We come here to congratulate you, but what you said is wrong. How can your birthday not be a big deal? Even if you don’t care about yourself, you have to remember how your mother suffered in the past, right?” Seeing that she tried to show her grace and generosity, Xin Fubing immediately put on a mellow expression on her face, she talked eloquently, “Nothing about parents is trivial, isn’t it?”

“Miss Xin, I really admire your filial piety. You really put me to shame…” Gu E’nuo said with a smile, “But it is said that your grand uncle Marquess Qin is sick these two days? I have thought that you and Madam Qiu would not have time to come here!”

Seeing that the subject had been turned to Marquess Qin, Qiu Yelan said, “Our grandfather just got drunk at the family dinner and then passed out. When he woke up, he told us to do things as usual. We naturally listened to him.” Marquess Qin’s safety was such a big deal. She was in the Summer Palace for the past two days, but she kept asking about it.

According to the latest news sent by Jiang Yashuang last night, although Marquess Qin was still unable to get up, he was completely awake, and he would be able to act as usual after ten days or a half month of recuperation, so the Jiang Family insisted that he was just drunk.

After all, based on the extent of Marquess Qin’s current impact on the situation, the news of his illness, regardless of the severity, was not a good thing for the Empress’s party.

Naturally, as long as they could deny that, they would.

Therefore, after Qiu Yelan denied it, she didn’t forget to taunt her, “I see that the Young Princess of Duke of Guangyang doesn’t look well. Are you sick? If so, don’t hold out then. You’d better go for a doctor and have a rest!”

Tang was expressionless and said, “Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. I am fine. But Miss Xin, you have such a pale face. Are you sick?”

“It’s a birthday banquet. But you either mentioned that the elder of the guests was not in good health, or put on a stink face, or even said that the face of the guest was pale.” Zhuang Man looked surprised, “Are you trying to make yourselves embarrassed?”

Knowing that she always spoke bluntly and her words were always unscrupulous, Gu E’nuo and the others exchanged glances, ignored her, and still said to Qiu Yelan and Xin Fubing, “We don’t intend to offend. But the last time when I saw Miss Xin, she was as beautiful as a flower. Why do you become so haggard after a few days? If you have something on your mind, you should talk to your family even if you don’t want to talk to us. It will be a pity if you, such a beautiful lady, get sick.”

Her words were bitterly sarcastic, so the people on Qiu Yelan’s side thought that they just wanted to have a fight with them on this day. So, Xin Fubing sneered and said immediately, “Gu E’nuo, don’t we come here to celebrate your birthday today? Why do you talk about me now? I was really not well in the past two days because I was ill, but now I have recovered, otherwise how dared I enter the Palace? Are you suspect that I am here to infect you?”

Zhuang Man then exaggerated embellishment to stir up trouble, “I see that the Young Princess doesn’t look well as well. You suspect Cousin Xin, but we suspect the Young Princess! Did you invite us here to quarrel with you?”

She began to roll up her sleeves then, saying enthusiastically, “We won’t be afraid of a quarrel!”

“We feel sorry to offend you, but we are really surprised. After all, we have seen Miss Xin before and we know that she is in good health, so we are so surprised to see your pale face that we said the wrong thing.” Gu E’nuo and Princess Changping looked at each other, smiled and said, “It’s our fault. Well, I will make amends by drinking the wine… How about that?”

After that, Gu E’nuo poured herself a glass of wine, drank it all, and showed the bottom of the cup towards Xin Fubing.

She suddenly made a concession, which made Qiu Yelan and the others more vigilant. Obviously, they didn’t want to quarrel with them but tried to keep them staying there.

“But what can you do in broad daylight?” They were vigilant but not worried, “We’ll see what you are going to do on earth!”