In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

Time flies, and it is the day of the Double Ninth Festival Palace Banquet.

Bailu and the Queen specially prepared many beautiful clothes for the seven little girls. They were all fashionable in Kyoto and could not be worn by any ladies who were not royal relatives or noble ladies with hereditary titles.

The gilded bronze mirror reflected the splendor in the room. Seven little girls were circling around a rosewood clothes hanger. January's fingertips brushed against the cloud patterns on the peacock blue and gold-embroidered jacket skirt.

They had already decided who would wear what color clothes, and they could just wear them today.

Yi Yue reached out and took off the peacock blue dress. As her fingertips touched the fabric, the golden cloud pattern on it emitted a fine golden light.

She smiled and spun around. "This color really brightens my complexion. It goes perfectly with the jade hairpin I got."

Eryue had already taken a liking to the honey-colored long skirt embroidered with chrysanthemum branches hanging on the innermost part. When she reached out to lift the hem of the skirt, the silver-thread chrysanthemum petals hidden in the pleats swayed.

March tiptoed to take off the moon-white cloak with dark patterns, held it in her arms and rubbed it gently.

The material of this cloak is as soft as clouds. It is cool in the mornings and evenings in autumn, so I wore it to the banquet without feeling cold and without blocking the peach-pink skirt underneath.

April embraced her pomegranate-red jacket embroidered with lotus flowers, her cheek rubbing against the smooth satin, a vibrant yet unobtrusive red that perfectly matched the new red-gold filigree necklace the Empress had given her.

May's fingertips hooked onto the dark blue long skirt embroidered with bamboo leaves. When the skirt swept across the ground, the bamboo leaf pattern was faintly visible.

Bai Lu was still praising it, "This color is calm and peaceful, and it looks the most refreshing in autumn. And with a bamboo-shaped silver hairpin on it, it looks like she stepped out of a painting."

"Although it's plain and elegant, mother likes clothes of this color the most."

June picked up the goose yellow short jacket embroidered with osmanthus flowers, put it close to her nose and sniffed it, and there was indeed a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

The Queen was helping a few young girls put on their clothes, laughing, "The craftsmanship of the Shangyi Bureau is amazing. They were able to produce such beautiful clothes in such a short time. They even asked the Incense Bureau to make the same incense..."

Qiyue held her lilac-colored skirt embellished with pearls, fiddling with the pearls on the hem with her fingertips, and was extremely happy. "These pearls are round like dewdrops, and they jingle when I walk. They match the pearl earrings in my ears perfectly!"

When the seven people were dressed, an autumn scene suddenly unfolded in front of the mirror.

Peacock blue is like autumn water reflecting the sky, honey color is like chrysanthemums blooming in the east hedge, moon white with peach red is like frost-stained peach blossoms, pomegranate red with red gold is like crimson maple reflecting the sun, stone green hides bamboo, goose yellow hides osmanthus, lotus contains pearls, which is even more vivid than the autumn scenery in the courtyard outside the palace.

Everyone exclaimed in amazement. "This dress is so beautiful!" "Yeah, it's much prettier than the skirts we usually wear!" The craftsmanship in the palace was indeed extraordinary. "But..." They suddenly turned their heads to look at Bai Lu and asked, "Mother, what are you wearing?"

Bai Lu smiled at them and said, "Mother is wearing her official uniform today."

"This is the Chongyang Palace Banquet, not an ordinary occasion, and there are also rewards for merit today. Mother can wear casual clothes on ordinary days, but today you must wear official uniform."

In the past, Bai Lu had a set of clothes suitable for a marquis, but the circumstances of his ennoblement were special, and the emperor thought the clothes were unlucky and not fitting well, so he simply made a new set for Bai Lu.

This official uniform was crimson, made of newly imported brocade from Jiangnan, with a fine, dark gold cloud pattern woven into the warp and weft. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with a two-finger-wide, dark blue-black gold border, and the edges were embroidered with a tiny circle of curling grass patterns. This was embroidery using the "one inch, eighteen stitches" technique unique to the Imperial Clothing Bureau, and the stitches were so fine that they were almost invisible.

The patch on the chest is even more exquisite, with a Qilin pattern woven from a whole piece of Shu brocade.

The Qilin stands with its head held high, stepping on the clouds. Its scales are outlined with red gold lines, its eyeballs are inlaid with extremely fine pearls, and even the tips of its mane are decorated with silver lines.

The official uniform was brought over, and Bai Lu put it on. She also tied a matching jade belt around her waist. The belt buckles were seven according to the regulations for the rank of marquis, each of which was carved with a lotus pattern. The middle one was also embedded with a warm jade the size of a pigeon egg, which was cool to the touch.

Everyone was stunned, saying, "This is so beautiful!" "Yes, the stitching is so fine that even I have never seen it before."

The Queen nodded, very satisfied. It seemed that the Emperor had made this official uniform for Bai Lu in advance, with great care, so it looked very good now, without any roughness or cheapness.

She looked at Bai Lu with amazement and said with a smile, "Official uniforms are mostly worn by men, but the emperor knew you were a woman, so he asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Clothing Bureau to make them for you in a more refined way."

"How could other officials wear something so exquisite? Even the gold thread and pearls on it are much more beautiful."

Bai Lu nodded, a warm feeling crossing her heart. Although there were always conflicts between her and the emperor, the emperor was really good to her. The official uniform of the Marquis was her honor, and the emperor was giving her a great honor.

The Queen came forward and said, "Put this official hat on you."

The black gauze hat has a brim that is slightly wider than that of ordinary officials. The top of the hat is decorated with a ruby, and two strings of pearl tassels hang below.

Bai Lu bowed and said, "Thank you, Queen."

Just as she bent down, the tassel swayed slightly and fell on the crimson fabric.

Bai Lu had an oval-white face, unadorned with makeup, yet possessed a cold and stunning beauty. With her hair cascading down through her crown, she truly looked like an immortal, a sight that made one dizzy.

The Queen was so amazed that she nodded repeatedly. But after nodding, she looked at Bai Lu with a complicated and indescribable look, her eyes concealing a deep meaning.

"What's wrong, Queen?"

The Queen was silent for a while, then she said to Bai Lu, "Your face is truly beautiful. Be careful when you go to the banquet later."

"Because you have such a beautiful face, I'm afraid that as soon as you go out, some people out there will... probably go crazy."

Bai Lu twitched the corners of her mouth and nodded with a smile: "I understand, Your Majesty." This expression was indeed too ostentatious.

She waved her hand, asking the children to follow her closely, and then asked, "Empress, aren't you going to the Double Ninth Festival?"

"There's nothing good for me to do. The Double Ninth Festival banquet is held every year, but I don't have many days off." The queen said lightly.

After hearing this, Bai Lu felt an uncontrollable sour feeling in her heart.

Then, the queen said, "Let them enjoy the Double Ninth Festival... I will relax in the palace, which is also my own leisure."

"Okay, Queen, then you should have a good rest."

Bai Lu winked at the Queen and handed her a waist badge, "This is what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked me to give you."

Looking at the badge, the queen was stunned. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. Her eyes became hot and tears fell. She choked and said, "Okay..." She nodded, and her movements looked even very stiff.

Bai Lu and the others didn't have time to continue accompanying the Queen here, so they immediately went to the Golden Palace.

Along the way, I saw many concubines, princesses and princes coming out. They all wanted to go to Lushan.

As they walked, everyone was dressed elegantly, but not too formally. After all, they were going up a mountain, not attending a grand ceremony, so anything was fine. Only the ladies of the imperial court would dress a bit more formally.

Those who were wearing the clothes of ladies of high rank, as well as the concubines who held high positions in the palace, gathered in twos and threes and talked, but they had sad expressions on their faces and sighed.

"The clothes we're wearing now really aren't suitable for hiking... Let's turn around and just keep going up."

There were also those who were unwilling to climb the mountain or those who were physically weak and said, "We can hire a sedan chair, and His Majesty will allow it..."

When they saw Bai Lu approaching with seven children, they were all startled, then bowed their heads respectfully. Most of them knelt before Bai Lu.

Bai Lu nodded gently and asked everyone to stand up. She didn't know who these people were. Hong Ying, who was standing beside her, hurried forward and said respectfully to Bai Lu, "The Empress is worried that we don't understand the palace rules, so she has specially sent this servant to accompany you."

Hongying asked the seven children to pay their respects to the concubines in the harem. Bailu was dazzled and recognized a few of them at random - some were called Concubine De, some were called Concubine Xian, some were called Concubine Shu, and there were also a few noble ladies.

Several princes and princesses timidly followed the concubines, including several women of high rank. Even those of high rank, such as the wives of dukes, did not dare to provoke Bai Lu and the seven children, after all, they were now deeply favored by the emperor.

Bai Lu had no intention of bullying anyone. She spoke to them gently and left with the children.

Looking at the backs of Bai Lu and the children, the concubines and officials' families were in an uproar, discussing: "That was Marquis Bai just now, right? She is worthy of being the first female marquis of our dynasty, so dignified and beautiful!"

"Oh my god, she's as heroic as a young man! This official uniform makes her look like a deity!"

"Yeah, with her looks, she's really passed on all her good genes to her children... The average person wouldn't be worthy of being the father of these seven children. It shows how good-looking their father really is..."

However, Lord Bailu himself was too good-looking, so perhaps she had forced her children to look so good.

"Also, she looks quite gentle. I never thought that such a gentle Marquis Bailu would actually kill his own stepmother."

Everyone couldn't help but shake their heads, and marveled in their hearts: Bai Lu is so beautiful, but so cruel and ruthless.

But some people refuted this. Women could best understand women's situations. They all knew Bai Lu had suffered for so many years outside. So what if she was a bit fierce? The people outside were really making a fuss!

Bai Lu and Hong Ying walked to the palace road, and soon they met the prince, who came with several generals and Duke Liang.

"General Murong, General Li, and General Shi." Bai Lu nodded to the three generals one by one, then turned to look at Zhou Langya next to him and nodded to him as well, "General Zhou."

Now, their official positions have all been promoted. Only General Li is still a general, and the others are all generals. But Bai Lu still addresses everyone as before, and no one thinks there is anything wrong with it. They don't worry about these empty formalities privately, after all, they are all acquaintances.

The four of them walked towards Bai Lu together, all smiling and saying, "I didn't expect you to be dressed so beautifully today. Oh, you're really eye-catching!"

Zhou Langya stared at Bai Lu carefully for a long time, then smiled at her: "Yes, she is so beautiful... She really is like someone who walked out of a painting."

Seeing that the four of them were praising her, Bai Lu smiled and exchanged a few words with everyone.

Duke Liang and Duke An both bowed to Bai Lu and said with a smile, "Our Lord Bai is now a proper official in uniform."

"Let's go, let's go to the Golden Throne Hall. His Majesty must first allow all the officials to pay homage! After that, he will take us officials to attend the Double Ninth Festival banquet."

"The Empress sent the Imperial Concubine to lead the ladies of the harem and these family members up the mountain."

Bailu nodded and looked at Hongying.

Hongying said hurriedly, "This is exactly what I came for. After all, our Lord Marquis will be accompanying all the officials to pay homage to His Majesty. I, along with the seven princesses, will definitely not let anything slip if I follow the Imperial Concubine and the others."

Bai Lu glanced at her with a half-smile. "Hongying is bringing seven princesses with her. Is it true that nothing will happen?" She really didn't believe it.

Seeing that Bai Lu was silent and only looked at Hong Ying quietly, the prince said hurriedly, "Let Madam Murong take care of her."

"I am at ease with General Murong's wife."

Bai Lu nodded, and the prince immediately waved his hand and asked the eunuch beside him to quickly take the seven princesses away.

The seven children all looked up at Bai Lu pitifully. Bai Lu said gently to them, "Don't worry, they are all trustworthy people."

The children followed him obediently. The children were very smart, so he naturally trusted them.

"General Bai and the others are still up ahead, being dragged around by Pei Huizhou and questioned. We're too lazy to pay any attention to him!"

Bai Qi, Mu Guiying, Qin Liangyu and others all came to reward people for their contributions. They were all important figures and had to come.

Bai Lu specifically told them that when they meet other people, they don’t need to say anything else, just say that they have a good relationship with her.

Before this, everyone in the court also wanted to please these three generals, but later they found that it was impossible to please them at all - these three generals had very special personalities, were not talkative, only had a good relationship with Bai Lu, and only listened to Bai Lu.

It has been heard for a long time that the three generals are Bai Lu's guards. Now everyone thinks that they are dull and inflexible people who only know how to protect Bai Lu.

Everyone felt a little more respect for Bai Lu and began to wonder about the generals. Even Pei Huizhou began to wonder.

After hearing these words, Bai Lu twitched her lips and became speechless.

She frowned and said to everyone, "Why is Pei Huizhou everywhere?"

Hearing this, the Crown Prince also jumped out to join in the disparagement of Pei Huizhou. He leaned over to Bai Lu and smiled gently, "Come on, let's go to the court and give Pei Huizhou a good scolding!"

Zhou Langya somehow got close to Bai Lu at this time. He looked up at the prince thoughtfully.