The daughter of the first wife grew up in the countryside and was extremely powerful

Because today is the birthday of Concubine Xi, this grand banquet was carefully arranged in the majestic hall of Qinhua Palace and the side hall connected to it.

The seats for men and women were clearly separated, with a row of exquisitely crafted and lifelike landscape screens cleverly placed in between, as if separating the two worlds, yet subtly revealing a harmonious beauty.

At this moment, when the sharp and long voice of the eunuch came, all the guests present stood up at the same time, bowed respectfully, performed the most solemn etiquette, and said in unison:

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen."

The emperor was in an especially cheerful mood today. He waved his hand lightly, and his hearty laughter echoed throughout the hall like a huge bell.

"Hahaha, everyone, please stand up!"

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After the two supreme beings sat steadily on the high main seats, they slowly stood up and sat back in their original seats.

Because of its noble status, the general's mansion was naturally arranged very close to the main seat, highlighting the extraordinary and glory of his family.

Gu Fanchu sat behind the old lady and secretly looked at the two most distinguished people at the time.

The man in the upper position was wearing a golden leather silk peacock feather dragon robe. The yellow robe was embroidered with golden dragon patterns with gold thread, and he looked very majestic.

Wearing a golden crown and surrounded by jewels and jade, he exudes a noble royal demeanor.

The man in his forties still looks handsome, decent and noble because of proper maintenance.

This is the most noble man in the world.

Sitting on his right was the current queen, who came from the Cui family, the first of the four major families.

Wearing the phoenix crown that only the queen can wear, she looks elegant, noble, dignified and decent.

Today's protagonist, Concubine Xi, naturally sat on the emperor's left.

"Today is my beloved concubine's birthday. Everyone, please don't be shy. Just enjoy your meal and drink."

Since the emperor had spoken, the people below naturally responded with yes.

After the eunuch announced the gifts that His Majesty had given to the imperial concubine, everyone began to eat and drink lively.

Gu Fanchu felt that someone was constantly looking at him, but he did not reveal any flaws. Instead, he carefully looked in the direction of the gaze while talking to Li Nanyiyi beside him.

That was undoubtedly the direction where the female members of the Dongqing Marquis's family were.

Dongqinghou Mansion, Gu Fanchu raised a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth.

After all, the Dongqing Marquisate once held a noble title in the imperial court, and its majesty and glory seemed to be still vivid in people's minds.

However, the deceased old marquis probably could not have imagined that in this third generation, there was not a single person in the marquisate who could support this neighborhood committee.

Once Meng Qingwen passes away, the title that symbolizes the family's status and glory will be taken back in an instant as if it were grasped by a ruthless hand, and will no longer have any connection with Meng Qiaoming and Meng Chengfeng.

Even this once glorious Marquisate may be taken back by His Majesty without mercy.

Unless Meng Qiaoming can accomplish one or two real big things through his own efforts, there may still be a glimmer of hope.

But Gu Fanchu couldn't hide the sarcasm on his face, and thought to himself:

What decent things can Meng Qiaoming, a fool who is muddle-headed and does nothing all day long, do?

On weekdays, he was just like a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy, following Meng Hewan all day long, obeying her orders without any opinions of his own.

Looking at this scene, Gu Fanchu was certain that in this life, the Dongqing Marquis Mansion would surely decline and would never be able to regain its former glory.

This is what she wanted to see.

Without himself and the General's Mansion to help the Third Prince ascend the throne in this life, what can his Marquis' Mansion use to stabilize the family?

When Gu Fanchu looked over, he happened to see Meng Hewan's gaze which she couldn't retract in time.

However, she did not realize that she was caught, instead she looked at her provocatively.

Of course she knew what would happen today.

She just wanted to show off her talent in front of the emperor and empress.

In her previous life, she had also been amazed by Meng Hewan's talent, and felt that such a woman was as bright and talented as the moon in the sky.

But later I found out that the poems she recited were just plagiarized from other people's works in books of her time.

Such a person who plagiarized other people's things was actually treated as a guest of honor by His Majesty and praised continuously.

She didn't expect that even with such a reputation outside, Meng Hewan still had the nerve to go out with him.

But today, she probably won't have the chance to show her talent.

When the banquet was halfway through, the Queen suggested that the young ladies from each family perform their talents to liven up the atmosphere.

After a few drinks, the emperor, whose face turned slightly red, immediately agreed.

Immediately, some outstanding ladies stepped forward, eager to show off their talents.

There are ladies dancing, ladies painting, and ladies playing the piano. It is always very lively.

Gu Fanchu sat still, looking at Meng Hewan who was feeling a little uneasy and extremely excited, with a cruel smile on his lips.

Meng Hewan is good at controlling people's hearts. She is waiting for the right opportunity. When everyone's performance is almost over, she will take out the things she prepared in advance to make everyone's eyes light up.

Then, by the way, I would compare myself with the real daughter of the Marquis's Mansion who knew nothing about music, chess, calligraphy or painting. Naturally, there was a huge gap between them.

So, how did the Meng family know that Meng Hewan was innocent and harmless?

Sure enough, the banquet became more lively because of the talent show of these young ladies.

When the performance was almost over, Gu Fanchu saw Meng Hewan secretly stand up and whisper a few words into the ear of Gu beside her, and then saw that Gu's face was full of relief.

She withdrew her gaze and looked at her aunt who was sitting next to the emperor.

Meng Hewan walked out to the table and when she reached the middle, Gu Yunshu suddenly covered her mouth and began to retch.

For a moment, the ladies and young ladies from the noble families who had seen Meng Hewan stand up and prepare to show her talents were immediately attracted by Concubine Xi's strange behavior.

"My dear, what's wrong?"

The emperor immediately reached out to hold Concubine Xi's slender shoulders and asked with concern.

The Queen, who was sitting as steady as a mountain, had a cold look in her eyes, but asked with concern:

"What happened to Concubine Xi? Go get the imperial physician."

Immediately, a palace maid ran out of the hall and asked the imperial physician to come.

Seeing Concubine Xi leaning delicately on the emperor's shoulder, naturally no one cared about the performance anymore.

Meng Hewan stood there awkwardly, and she felt many contemptuous eyes looking at her in the room.

She was beginning to suspect that Concubine Xi was doing it on purpose. She didn't vomit earlier or later, but only vomited after she had already stepped out!