In the years of famine, I led a comfortable life with my husband

Guo Jiayi's face turned visibly pale. Su Zhizhi then withdrew her gaze and continued talking to the people around her as before.

Not until all the guests arrived and the flower viewing banquet officially began did Su Zhizhi sit down in her seat and listen to what Xu Wanqing was saying next to her.

On the contrary, Guo Jiayi's eyes were fixed on Su Zhizhi, and she didn't even remember what Xu Wanqing said.

Her hands unconsciously clenched, allowing her well-maintained nails to dig deep into her palms.

In fact, there is no feud between Guo Jiayi and Su Zhizhi, but the Guo family and the Su family have an irreconcilable hatred.

Originally, Lord Guo and Su Zhizhi's father entered the court as officials together. Originally, Guo's father was Su's father's subordinate, but when the Su family fell, the Guo family couldn't wait to step on them. It can even be said that the Guo family was one of the main forces that brought down the Su family. But before the two families turned against each other, Su Zhizhi and Guo Jiayi were originally close friends who could talk about anything.

But Su Zhizhi didn't remember all these details now. She could roughly guess a thing or two based on Guo Jiayi's expression, but she still needed to verify it, and soon this opportunity came to Su Zhizhi.

The flower viewing banquet is not just about appreciating flowers and drinking tea, it is also about examining the knowledge of all the female members present, especially the unmarried girls. If they can make a splash at the flower viewing banquet, they won’t have to worry about their husband’s family in the future, and naturally a bunch of young men from aristocratic families will line up to propose to them.

Therefore, various flying flower orders emerge one after another at the flower viewing banquet, which is quite interesting.

Guo Jiayi has always been known as a talented woman in the capital. Logically speaking, the Flying Flower Order should be no problem for her. However, today, Guo Jiayi didn't know what happened. She was not in the right state and didn't even hear Xu Wanqing's call.

"Ms. Guo, Miss Guo?!" Xu Wanqing didn't expect that someone could be distracted in front of her. Although she had a good impression of Guo Jiayi before, she was a little dissatisfied at this moment.

Guo Jiayi suddenly came back to his senses after being reminded by the girl next to him, and met Xu Wanqing's dissatisfied eyes.

She quickly stood up and knelt down to apologize, "I was distracted for a moment and offended Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Xu Wanqing's expression improved slightly, and she repeated what she had just said. Then she sat back in her seat and looked at the wooden stick in her hand.

Now the girls who drew two red wooden sticks were to recite poems to each other, and unfortunately, Guo Jiayi and Su Zhizhi both drew red wooden sticks. She looked at the signature in her hand which was exactly the same as the one in Su Zhizhi's hand, and her face became paler.

But the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. If she refused at this moment, it would naturally offend the eldest princess. She didn't dare to think about what would happen to the Guo family if she angered the eldest princess.

The two of them stood up and sat opposite each other at two tables that had been set up in the middle of the banquet hall. Su Zhizhi just smiled at Guo Jiayi, and Guo Jiayi's expression changed a little. Su Zhizhi became more and more certain of her thoughts.

The poetry competition started soon. Su Zhizhi was at ease, but Guo Jiayi, known as a talented woman in Beijing, made frequent mistakes and couldn't even continue a line of Su Zhizhi's poetry.

Seeing Xu Wanqing's face becoming more and more ugly, Guo Jiayi's body was shaking constantly. Finally, when Guo Jiayi stretched out his hand again to show that he gave up, Xu Wanqing's face became extremely ugly.

Just when Xu Wanqing was about to attack Guo Jiayi, Su Zhizhi spoke up first, saying, "Miss Guo, are you feeling unwell today? Although I've only just arrived in the capital, I've heard of Miss Guo's reputation as a talented woman. But Miss Guo today..."

Guo Jiayi calmed herself down, forced a smile at Su Zhizhi, and then knelt down in front of Xu Wanqing. "Your Highness, Princess, I've been feeling a little unwell today. I didn't expect to disturb your Highness's elegance. I hope your Highness will forgive me and allow me to leave first and return home to recuperate."

Guo Jiayi had already confessed her guilt in public, so Xu Wanqing could only wave her hand, signaling Guo Jiayi to leave. "In that case, you should go back and rest. Someone, take Miss Guo out."

Before leaving, Guo Jiayi's eyes were still scanning Su Zhizhi, as if trying to figure out what Su Zhizhi wanted to do.

But Su Zhizhi didn't even look at Guo Jiayi again, but just walked straight back to her seat. After all, her opponent was gone, so this game was equivalent to being invalid.

Guo Jiayi's departure did not cause much stir, and the flower viewing banquet continued. In subsequent activities, Su Zhizhi would sometimes come out to show off, and Xu Wanqing looked at Su Zhizhi with more and more appreciation and love.

While sitting in their seats, Su Zhizhi was chatting with Xu Wanqing. She was humorous and witty, which made Xu Wanqing laugh non-stop. Xu Wanqing, who was originally in a bad mood because of Guo Jiayi, now felt much better.

Until the end of the flower viewing banquet, Xu Wanqing's satisfaction with Su Zhizhi reached its peak. Su Zhizhi even accompanied Xu Wanqing until most of the other guests had left, and then Su Zhizhi was ready to say goodbye.

Unexpectedly, before Su Zhizhi could say anything, Xu Wanqing held her hand and said, "Zhizhi, I know I was right about you that day. After the flower-viewing banquet, I feel more and more that you are most suitable for my taste. Why don't you live here with me from now on? There are many empty courtyards in the princess's mansion, so it won't be a problem to support you. You can stay by my side in the future, how about it?" Xu Wanqing looked at Su Zhizhi with eyes full of hope and love.

If it were anyone else, they would have happily accepted it by now, but Su Zhizhi hesitated for only a moment, then slowly shook her head, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, I already have a husband, and I came to the capital this time with him. He is still waiting for me to return home. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."

Hearing this, Xu Wanqing could only click her tongue with regret. Su Zhizhi had already said this, and no matter whether it was true or not, she could not force Su Zhizhi to stay in the princess's mansion, so she had to agree to Su Zhizhi's request.

However, in order to show her appreciation for Su Zhizhi, Xu Wanqing personally sent her to the gate of the princess's mansion and even specially dispatched her confidant to send Su Zhizhi home.

Su Zhizhi did not refuse and got on the princess's carriage and was escorted back to the palace.

What happened at the flower viewing banquet quickly spread throughout the capital. In an instant, Su Zhizhi became a popular figure in Xu Wanqing's eyes.

A flower-viewing banquet made Su Zhizhi famous in the capital.