When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

Soon the Queen Mother's birthday banquet arrived and the whole country celebrated.

The imperial capital was decorated with lights and even the night market was delayed, and a festive atmosphere was everywhere.

The Taixi Palace was even more magnificent, with bright lights and the palace gates wide open to welcome guests from all over the world.

Inside the main hall of Kunning Palace, pearls and jades shine together, and beautiful women are dressed in elegant clothes, creating a prosperous and grand scene.

Empress Dowager Shentu Yuanyi was over sixty years old. She wore a phoenix robe and a nine-phoenix pearl crown on her head. Her face was kind and majestic, and she sat upright on a high throne.

Officials and ladies of high rank entered the palace in turn according to their ranks, paid their respects to the Empress Dowager, congratulated her, and presented her with birthday gifts.

Marquis of Anding Jiang Buli walked to the front of the hall holding an exquisite jade box, faced the empress dowager, respectfully performed the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, and then held the jade box high.

"Your humble servant, Jiang Buli, the Marquis of Anding, presents a piece of thousand-year-old ice jade. May the Empress Dowager enjoy long-lasting blessings and good health."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly, "Jiang Qing is thoughtful. Get up."

The female official beside her stepped forward, took the jade box, and presented it to the empress dowager.

The empress dowager gently opened the lid of the box and saw a piece of crystal clear, cold ice jade lying quietly on the brocade. A hint of spiritual charm emanated from the jade, making people forget the worldly affairs.

"Mm, it's a good thing!" The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction and motioned the maid beside her to put it away. "Mr. Jiang is so filial. I will remember this."

"Jiang Qing, I heard that your eldest daughter Jiang He is doing well in the Imperial Guards. She is a promising child."

Jiang Buli's heart trembled. "Replying to the Queen Mother, He'er is indeed capable of this. I am deeply grateful for your praise."

"It's truly rare for a woman to be this good. I remember your second daughter will also be taking the entrance exam for Fengwu Academy this year, right?"

"Yes, Her Majesty the Queen Mother has a very good memory. My daughter, Jun'er, will indeed be participating in the selection for Fengwu Academy."

"Fengwu Academy is the place where our dynasty cultivates outstanding female heroes. If she is selected, she will definitely bring glory to the Jiang family. I also hope that she can achieve something and bring honor to the women of our dynasty."

"I will definitely urge Yun'er to study hard and live up to the Queen Mother's high expectations."

Du Shulan was secretly pleased when she heard at her table that the Queen Mother was very concerned about her two daughters.

It seems that her efforts in the harem over the years have not been in vain, and the Queen Mother indeed has a very good impression of the Jiang family.

Soon it was the Shen family's turn to present gifts. The head of the Shen family, Shen Jingshi, had just lost a pair of sons. He was in his forties but his hair had already turned white. He looked haggard and old.

He walked forward with heavy steps, holding an exquisite brocade box.

"I, Shen Jingshi, your humble servant, present a string of Buddha Lotus relics. I wish the Empress Dowager a long life, good health and happiness." Shen Jingshi's voice trembled a little, revealing endless sadness and helplessness.

His two sons, Shen Xubai and Shen Xuan, were originally the pride of the Shen family, but they suffered misfortunes one after another, causing the Shen family to fall into an unprecedented low.

The Queen Mother looked at him with pity. "Mr. Shen, I deeply sympathize with your grief. However, the Shen family's title has been hereditary for three generations. If there are no more suitable candidates from your family to serve the court, I am afraid that this title will be revoked."

Shen Jingshi trembled, nearly falling to his knees. He suppressed his grief and choked out a sob, "I understand, but my son has just passed away, and I'm really..."

The Queen Mother sighed softly, "The dead are gone, and the living are like this. Shen Qing, you must cheer up and think about the Shen family."

"Yes, the Queen Mother is right." Shen Jingshi wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and tried to stand up straight.

The royal family is ruthless. No matter how many merits the ancestors have made or how much they have contributed to the dynasty, if the descendants are incompetent, all the glory will be gone.

Shen Jingshi's wife He Xiangwan was in tears. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and her hatred for the Xie family increased a little more.

If it weren't for the Xie family, how could her two sons have died tragically? And how could the Shen family have fallen into such a predicament?

She must settle this account!

Finally, it was the Xie family's turn to present gifts. Xie Changyu, the young master of the Xie Trading Company, walked calmly to the center of the hall with an exquisite jade box and a scroll in his hands.

He was dressed in gorgeous clothes, had a handsome face and outstanding temperament, and attracted everyone's attention as soon as he appeared.

"Your servant, Xie Changyu, on behalf of the Xie family, presents a magnificent cloud brocade robe and a poem, respectfully wishing the Empress Dowager good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."

Xie Changyu's voice was loud and clear, and he spoke with confidence and composure.

His grandmother's name was Shentu Zhiyuan, and she was a cousin of the Empress Dowager Shentu Yuanyi. According to seniority, he should call the Empress Dowager "great aunt".

But today's occasion is special, he represents the Xie family, so naturally he has to treat him with the courtesy of a subject.

The Queen Mother looked at this handsome and noble nephew, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

"Oh? A gorgeous brocade dress and a poem? That's quite new." The Queen Mother leaned slightly to the side and said to the female official beside her, "Go, present them to me for my inspection."

The female official took the order, went down the steps, took the jade box and scroll from Xie Changyu, and carefully presented them to the empress dowager.

The Queen Mother first opened the jade box, and saw inside it an extremely gorgeous cloud brocade dress, with brilliant colors and cloud patterns, as if the entire sky was contained in this dress.

On the dress, a fire phoenix spread its wings as if ready to fly, with its tail stretching out like the gorgeous sunset in the sky, which was breathtaking.

The hem of the skirt is decorated with a pattern of phoenix tail feathers, which are layered and lifelike, as if a slight swing could set off a sea of ​​fire.

"What a gorgeous brocade dress!" The Queen Mother couldn't help but admire it. "The weaving craftsmanship of this brocade is probably only possible in your Xie family."

Xie Changyu smiled slightly. "Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment. This was custom-made for you. Of course, it must be meticulously crafted and nothing can go wrong."

The Empress Dowager showed a rare genuine smile on her face. Everyone said that the Xie family's Yunjin daughter was rare, and today she finally saw it for herself.

At the same time, there was a whisper from the guest seats.

"Why does the embroidery on this gorgeous dress look so familiar? Yes, I remember, the Shen family's new snow satin products use this pattern!"

"I've noticed it too. The overall pattern of the phoenix is ​​exactly the same as on the Shen family's snow satin. Could it be that the Xie family copied the Shen family?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't say such things carelessly. The Xie family is an imperial merchant. If anyone plagiarizes whom, it's a big deal."

Although the discussion was quiet, it reached the Queen Mother's ears clearly. She frowned slightly, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

"What are you arguing about? Come up!"

Under the gaze of everyone, He Xiangwan stepped forward, knelt in the center of the hall, and looked up at the Queen Mother. "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

The Queen Mother glanced at her and said, "Speak."

"The embroidery on the gorgeous brocade dress presented by the Xie family is exactly the same as the pattern on my Shen family's new snow satin piece. I suspect that the Xie family has plagiarized my Shen family's design."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Xie Guangting and Chu Jinghong's faces suddenly turned ugly. They never expected that such a change would occur in the gift presentation session which was originally a sure thing.

If the charge of plagiarism is proven, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor, and the entire Xie family would be implicated.

Xie Changyu's expression remained unchanged. He calmly walked up to He Xiangwan and looked down at her. "Mrs. Shen, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. You said my Xie family plagiarized your Shen family. What evidence do you have?"

He Xiangwan looked up and met his gaze, a sly glint in her eyes. "Evidence? You want evidence, right? I'll give it to you right now!"

As she spoke, she pulled over Luo Jinfeng, the wife of the Crown Prince of Zhenguo Mansion, who was sitting on the left seat.

It just so happened that Luo Jinfeng was wearing a dress made of Shen's snow satin today. The embroidery on the dress was indeed 70% similar to the embroidery on the brocade dress.

"Everyone, look, this is the new product of my Shen family's snow satin. Isn't the pattern exactly the same as the one on the brocade dress presented by the Xie family?" He Xiangwan said loudly, with a hint of pride in her tone.

Everyone looked sideways, whispered to each other, and discussed one after another.