Cold-faced Empress

"Reserved? Just now, when you were talking so eloquently on the high platform outside, volunteering to be the first female guest in my manor, I didn't see you being reserved at all. It seems what you said is true, spouting nonsense is indeed your talent."

When Fu Siying was speechless, Mo Canglan said leisurely, "I am tired. If there is nothing else, Miss Fu, please leave."

Knowing that he must have refused the invitation, Fu Siying became anxious.

It seems he knew perfectly well that the Fu family was eager to sever ties with him, so why would they hold a celebratory banquet or dare to invite him?

But she desperately needed him to appear at the banquet!

After thinking it over, Fu Siying got up and, ignoring the heat, walked to the chair next to Mo Canglan and sat down, leaning forward to get closer to him.

He immediately began to speak with a sly glint in his eye: "My family wants to hold a celebratory banquet, and I figured they wouldn't dare invite you, so I came here to secretly tell you about it."

Mo Canglan gently raised her slightly closed eyes, like a flower bud opening, and looked at Fu Siying who was so close to her: "So kind?"

“Yes, yes!” Fu Siying nodded emphatically. “Since this is a celebratory banquet for this marriage, it would be inappropriate for Your Highness not to attend.”

As she spoke, sweat began to stream down her face from the heat. She grabbed a handkerchief and wiped it away, then looked at the stove right beside her feet, too suffocated to speak.

If she were to marry Prince Mu, wouldn't that mean she would live a life of misery from now on?

It's a good or bad omen.

Mo Canglan adjusted his posture and saw Fu Siying waving a fan in her hand. The thin gauze at the collar of her dress was blown up and down by the wind, and her fair neck was exposed like a crisp bamboo shoot.

"Without an invitation from the host, I will not make a fool of myself. Miss Fu, please leave."

Fu Siying asked urgently, "What would it take for you to agree? Would attending the celebratory banquet be of no benefit to you? I don't need to spell out your purpose for marrying me, do I?"

Mo Canglan replied without hesitation, "Nothing."

After saying that, he slightly raised his finger, indicating that the guest should be seen off.

He could guess the intentions of the Fu family's main branch, and he could also guess Fu Siying's thoughts. But he had no intention of helping either side. Even if he chose to appear at the celebratory banquet, it wouldn't be related to Fu Siying's request.

Seeing that Mo Canglan was difficult to persuade, Fu Siying got up in disappointment.

At this time in her previous life, she was unaware of the turmoil and believed that her family's willingness to hold a celebratory banquet for her was out of genuine sincerity, so she was extremely grateful to them. After all, her family had extensive connections and high status, and most of the people they knew and associated with were from prominent families. With the family's approval, her status as a noble lady from a prestigious family was considered legitimate.

For this reason, she didn't even care that the person she was to marry was the infamous Prince Mu.

But what is the reality?

Taking advantage of this celebratory banquet, our family not only invited various aristocratic families but also a large number of newly favored nobles supported by the Emperor and Prince Mu. The only exception was Prince Mu, for two reasons: firstly, because of his special health condition, he rarely accepted invitations; and secondly, because if even Prince Mu could be invited, our family would naturally be seen as part of his faction, making it impossible for us to maneuver effectively.

At the celebratory banquet, the family seized the opportunity to play both sides. When they encountered established families, they could say that Prime Minister Fu was close to Prince Mu, which angered them; when they encountered newly powerful figures, they could use the marriage to build relationships. In short, they spoke to people in one way and to people in another, using every means to play the double agent in order to ensure the family's survival amidst the changes in Dachang.

Not only did the main family benefit from the Fu family's actions, but they also secretly labeled the Fu family as part of the Mu Wang faction, forcing the Fu family into a corner. Such ruthless and despicable methods are truly ingenious!