The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 8 Xu Liu's good plan

The palace maids shuttled back and forth, placing snacks in front of the seats.

Xu Rongrong lowered her head to peel the nuts in her hand. Xiao Linger was puzzled: "Sister, if you eat these now, how will you have room for anything else later?"

Xu Rongrong smiled and said, "Although the dishes that will be served later are delicious, they will mostly be meat dishes. By the time they are served to us, they will already be soaked in grease. I'm afraid you won't be able to eat them after just one look."

Xiao Ling'er suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Sister knows so much."

In her past life, she had eaten such a feast countless times. Once, after the palace banquet, she returned to the Marquis' Mansion and vomited so much that she couldn't get out of bed. From then on, she dared not to eat in the same place again.

As he spoke, the Crown Prince entered the room, accompanied by the other princes and princesses. The current Emperor, Wu Yang, had seven sons and one daughter. The eldest, Wu Tianao, was crowned Crown Prince at the age of five. Following him were the second prince, Wu Tianchi; the third prince, Wu Tianxiao; the fourth prince, Wu Tianqi; the fifth prince, Wu Tianhua, who died young; the sixth prince, Wu Tianqi; and the eight-year-old seventh prince, Wu Tianjun, and his twin sister, Wu Chan.

Now, the struggle between the Crown Prince Wu Tianao and the Second Prince Wu Tianchi is just beginning to unfold. While the Crown Prince's position is secure, the Crown Princess's family lacks significant connections. Meanwhile, the Second Prince, having married the Duke of Ning's eldest daughter, has military influence. The Second Prince's power is already taking shape.

Xu Rongrong coldly observed the princes who maintained a friendly and respectful demeanor. Over the next six years, they would completely split into five factions. In their quest to ascend to the supreme throne, they would stir up bloody chaos in the Great Zhou court.

The final winner in the previous life, the Fourth Prince Wu Tianqi, was now following closely beside the Crown Prince, without any sign of coldness or ruthlessness.

A bell rang outside Zhengyang Palace, and everyone in the palace stood up to welcome the emperor and empress to their seats.

Emperor Wu Yang had just turned forty. Although the empress was the same age as the emperor, she had taken good care of herself and looked no more than thirty years old.

The love between the emperor and the empress has always been a folk legend. In her previous life, Xu Rongrong also saw the emperor peeling grapes and feeding them to the empress himself. But even though they were so loving, three years later, the emperor gave poisoned wine to her only child, the deposed Crown Prince Wu Tianao, after the empress begged him to commit suicide.

After knowing the fate of the most honorable person at the palace banquet six years later, Xu Rongrong suddenly lost interest in the singing and dancing in front of her.

After the banquet started, palace maids shuttled back and forth, and delicious dishes filled the tables in front of everyone.

Xu Rongrong was somewhat surprised to find that, unlike in her previous life, the dishes tonight were served in small charcoal boxes, so even people like the Xu family who sat at the outermost edge could enjoy hot dishes.

"Look, Sister Xu, the dishes tonight are not greasy."

As Xiao Ling'er finished speaking, officials in the distance rose to their feet, toasting the Emperor and Empress, expressing their gratitude for their superiors' thoughtfulness. The Emperor chuckled, downing his wine. "No need to thank me. This was all Rong Ge'er's idea. He reminded me that there were so many family members at the Qixi Festival banquet today, and he was worried that the cold food would tire your stomachs. So, he arranged for the charcoal box. It won't be too hot, and you can enjoy the food to your heart's content."

Xu Rongrong looked at Mu Rong thoughtfully. How could it be completely different from her previous life?

Everyone praised Weiyuan Hou, and even the Crown Prince raised his glass: "Brother Rong is indeed very attentive. As your elder brother, I will learn more from you in the future."

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the singing and dancing dazzled everyone.

Halfway through the banquet, the emperor and empress left the table to rest, and the special features of the Qixi Festival banquet officially began.

"Madam Wang, this is your daughter. She is so pretty and charming. I wonder which young man she is engaged to?" This is the routine between ladies.

"Miss Zhao, the moon is bright tonight. Would you mind joining me outside the palace to admire it? My father is the Minister of Rites." This was a warm exchange among young people. Whether you were a well-mannered woman or a shy young woman, you could look at each other freely at today's banquet.

Xu Chaoqian didn't worry about these things. After handing his daughter over to Xu Liushi, he went to the Minister of Works to show his courtesy.

"Sister Xu, a lot of people are looking at you." Xiao Ling'er came over and whispered in her ear.

Xu Rongrong naturally noticed it, but she knew that Xu Liu would never let her have a good marriage.

But she was not interested in this. Her only wish tonight was not to make a mistake and repeat the same mistake.

Mrs. Cao Yang, the wife of Huayang Governor Cao, came to visit and said: "Mrs. Xu is so lucky to have raised Miss Xu to be such a lovely girl."

Xu Liu stood up and thanked her, "I'm not grateful for Madam Yang's compliments. Of the three maids in my family, Rong Jie is the most delicate, so I naturally treat her with more care." So she's not in good health. What a pity, she only has the appearance of a beautiful woman. Cao Yang's expression remained unchanged. After a few more pleasantries, she left.

Afterwards, several more ladies came with great excitement, but left disappointed after learning that she was "fragile".

Xu Rongrong curled the corners of her mouth. Xu Liushi's actions were so obvious, it seemed that she had already prepared a backup plan.

Sure enough, Lady Wu Jiang, wife of Marquis Changxing, appeared.

"Oh my, I was wondering why the lights in the hall were so bright today. It turns out there is a stunning beauty hiding here." She grabbed Xu Rongrong's hand and kept praising her.

Xu Liushi changed her usual behavior and said with a smile, "Mrs. Jiang, you are too kind. Our Rong Jieer is shy and she would be embarrassed if you did that to her."

"Oh, I was reckless. I really like this child and I'm afraid someone else will snatch her away. Rongrong, don't blame me, right?"

"Look at what you said. It's a blessing for this child to have you like him." Xu Rongrong calmly withdrew her hand and knelt in greeting, "Greetings, Madam Changxinghou."

"Oh my! This girl has such a beautiful voice." The wife of Marquis Changxing said exaggeratedly, turning around and calling the Marquis Changxing's son over, "Ping'er, come and pay your respects to your sister."

Wu Ping, the son of the Marquis of Changxing, came running over and said to Xu Rongrong, "Meetings, Miss Xu."

Looking at Wu Ping's somewhat frivolous face, Xu Rongrong sneered: Xu Liu is really good at scheming!

Wu Ping, the eldest son of Marquis Changxing, is only nineteen years old now, but he is extremely lustful and everyone in the capital knows it.

Although he has not yet married, he has countless concubines and maids, and even five or six mistresses.

He prided himself on being a romantic, but the Changxing Marquis's Mansion was in a mess.

Wu Jiang, the wife of the Marquis of Changxing, had always wanted to marry her son off to a stunning beauty, both to calm him down and to restore his reputation. But how could a daughter from a respectable family willingly marry into such a house?

Although there were marriage proposals from smaller families, Wu Jiang boasted that she was the Marquis of Changxing and a member of the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty. How could she be interested in him without an official title?

Now it seems that Xu Rongrong is just right, isn't she?

Although Xu Chaoqian was only a sixth-rank official, he was still a capital official. After they got married in the future, it wouldn't be difficult for Marquis Changxing to find him a third-rank job with his help in the court.

Wu Jiang made such a plan, but what about Xu Liu?

She knew Wu Ping's character very well. Wouldn't it be perfect to throw Xu Rongrong in there to compete with those concubines, maids, illegitimate sons and daughters?

In addition, the Marquis of Changxing Mansion is also a royal family marquisate. If Xu Rongrong marries there, she will have the title of the wife of a royal prince, which will be of great benefit to her two daughters' future marriages.

As for whether Xu Chaoqian would object? How could it be possible!

Since she could become the relative of Marquis Chang Xing, even if she sold Xu Rongrong, Xu Chaoqian would go to collect the money in person.

Unexpectedly, he escaped from Weiyuan Marquis Mu Rong, but was targeted by the son of Changxing Marquis.

She looked at the man in front of her who was looking at her with a dazed look, and felt a bit of a headache.

Who doesn't know about the troubles in Changxing Marquis's mansion? Madam Xiao, who was standing by, also felt that this person was not right.

But how could she have any say in the Xu family's affairs? To avoid Xu Rongrong's embarrassment, she found an excuse to take her daughter out of the palace.

Wu Ping, the son of the Marquis of Changxing, waited for a long time with his back bent. When Xu Rongrong didn't respond, he stood up and said with a smile, "I think this banquet is too noisy and unsuitable for a beautiful and noble woman like my sister from the Xu family. I see the moonlight outside is just right. I wonder if my sister would do me the honor of going out with me to admire the moon?"