The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Chapter 329 Palace Banquet 1

As darkness fell, the palace banquet was about to begin.

Officials dressed in various exquisite costumes, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, arrived at the palace banquet one after another.

They greeted each other with smiles, and happily toasted each other.

Although they were all focused on chatting, if you looked closely, you could see that they would occasionally glance towards the entrance.

Seems to be waiting for something.

The moon was completely obscured by clouds tonight.

However, the palace lanterns in the Imperial Garden still illuminated the entire night.

Everyone's face was beaming with joy.

Apart from……

In Chengqian Palace.

"Crack!" Another sound of something breaking.

"What did you say?"

"The Emperor went to that vile woman's place!"

"On such a formal occasion as today, the Emperor actually has to accompany that vile woman."

"Then what am I?!"

The Empress picked up the vase beside her and threw it away fiercely, her eyes revealing a ruthless glint.

The ground was a mess.

The old woman was too anxious to speak up and dissuade her.

After a while, seeing that the Empress had stopped throwing things, he finally spoke, "Your Majesty, the time is almost here, you should get ready."

The empress lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

“Your Majesty, today is Princess Wanming’s homecoming banquet.” She deliberately emphasized the words ‘Princess Wanming’.

The Empress immediately realized she had to go today; she was looking forward to seeing a good show.

She sat up straight and said, "Help me dress up properly."

"I must be radiant today."

In the Moon Palace.

Shen Shuhua was dressed in a magnificent palace gown by the palace maids according to the etiquette for a noble consort.

The last time she dressed up so meticulously was at the ceremony for her investiture as a concubine.

At this time, Zhao Ruhui was already waiting on the side, ready to go to the banquet with her mother and father.

"My mother is so beautiful."

Looking down at Zhao Ruhui, Shen Shuhua still felt somewhat guilty towards her.

She is the way she is now because of her mistakes back then.

She waved to Zhao Ruhui, "You'll be even more beautiful after some time to recuperate."

"You are my mother's daughter, you will definitely be even more beautiful than my mother."

There was a hint of unease in Zhao Ruhui's eyes, but she quickly composed herself. "Our daughter looks like you. You are beautiful, so our daughter is beautiful too."

"It's just that after so many years of being exposed to the wind and sun at the border, my skin is like this."

After she finished speaking, a look of disappointment appeared on her face, and she lowered her head.

"When I came to the palace this time, I saw that the women there had such fair and tender skin that you could squeeze water out of it. I wish I could become like them!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuhua felt extremely distressed, and her eyes immediately reddened.

He pulled her into his arms and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, your mother will raise you even better than they do."

"Over the years, putting aside everything else, Mother Consort has been particularly adept at maintaining her health."

"My mother is so good to me." Her voice choked with emotion, which made Shen Shuhua feel a pang of guilt.

Where Zhao Ruhui couldn't see, a triumphant smile appeared in her eyes.

When the emperor walked in, he saw this scene.

The woman he loved held their daughter, whom they had lost and found, in her arms.

Shen Shuhua saw the Emperor immediately, quickly let go of his hand, and pulled Zhao Ruhui to bow to him.

The emperor waved his hand to stop her.

"We're family, no need for formalities."

He reached out and helped Shen Shuhua up, then pulled her a few steps forward.

Then he turned around and asked Zhao Ruhui very gently, "How is it? Are you getting used to your first day in the palace?"

Zhao Ruhui did not answer immediately, but glanced at Shen Shuhua before speaking, "I'm quite used to it."

"That's good." The Emperor pretended not to understand her meaning.

Zhao Ruhui was surprised that the Emperor had already noticed something was wrong and didn't continue asking questions. She gritted her teeth in anger.

……

"The Emperor has arrived."

"The Imperial Concubine has arrived."

"Princess Wanming has arrived."

"Greetings to the Emperor, long live the Emperor."

"Greetings, Your Highness, may Your Highness live a thousand years!"

"Greetings, Princess Wanming! May the princess live a thousand years!"

The Empress, seated at the head of the table, also bowed to the Emperor.

She looked at Shen Shuhua, who was dressed in palace attire and looked exceptionally beautiful, and especially after noticing the voices of praise from below for Shen Shuhua's beauty, she almost ground her teeth to powder.

She is the one who should be standing beside the Emperor.

The Emperor pulled Shen Shuhua to sit on his right, while the Empress had already taken her seat on his left.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on finding your long-lost daughter."

"Princess Wanming has been raised among the common people for many years and has suffered injustice."

"You must make it up to her, Your Highness."

Shen Shuhua stood up, first bowed to the Empress, and then slowly said, "We were able to find Wanming this time thanks to Your Majesty the Empress."

"Your Majesty, I thank you once again."

After saying this, she pulled Zhao Ruhui to bow to the Empress.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Zhao Ruhui obediently bowed to the Empress.

The Empress beckoned to Zhao Ruhui, "Child, come to your mother and let her take a good look at you."

Without a second thought, Zhao Ruhui got up and walked toward the Empress.

They didn't even notice Shen Shuhua's composed face.

"Look, although her face is a bit dark, you can still see the resemblance of the Imperial Concubine in her eyes and brows."

"Zhu'er has now married and moved out of the palace. If you have some free time, come to Chengqian Palace to see your mother."

"The Empress Dowager likes you very much."

After speaking, the Empress took off her own emerald green bracelet and put it on Zhao Ruhui's wrist.

Zhao Ruhui's face lit up with joy. She caught a glimpse of the bracelet out of the corner of her eye; it was a vibrant green.

I used to hear from the old people in the border region that the greener and more transparent the bracelet, the more valuable it was.

The bracelet the Empress gave her was not only green but also translucent, making it extremely valuable at first glance.

Shen Shuhua saw that Wanming had already accepted the bracelet, and it was too late to stop her.

"Hurry up and thank your mother. This bracelet is part of the Empress's dowry."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruhui was about to perform the ceremony when the Empress stopped her.

"We're family, there's no need to be so polite."

Hearing the Empress's words, she stopped bowing.

The Empress kept her for a few words, but after a few chats she quickly grew bored, only to find that the other woman was utterly oblivious.

Shen Shuhua called her several times, but she ignored her.

It wasn't until the Empress spoke that she said, "Look at me, you finally found me, your mother must want to spend more time with you, and I've actually kept you by my side talking for so long."

Zhao Ruhui had just received something good, so naturally everyone wanted to speak up for her.

"Mother, you are the head of the harem. If you like me, I will definitely be happy too."

"I'll go find my mother after I've spent enough time with you."

The Empress was very pleased with what she had said, especially when she saw Shen Shuhua momentarily lost in thought.

She was extremely pleased.

What do you think? You never expected this, did you? The daughter you've been searching for is actually trying to curry favor with her in public.

Perhaps noticing that Shen Shuhua was somewhat unhappy, Zhao Ruhui quickly apologized to the Empress and went to Shen Shuhua's side.

She was so caught up in the bracelet that she forgot herself for a moment.

He was so focused on currying favor with the Empress that he completely forgot about his mother, the Consort.

"Mother, you won't blame me, will you? I just accepted the bracelet from the Empress Dowager and spent a few more words with her."