Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

In the front courtyard of the Chen residence, Chen Tongyu and Madam Fan greeted everyone at the entrance. Zheng Luoqi was naturally on the invitation list for this occasion, but Zheng Yuxiang would not be coming. Zheng Yuxiang usually does not attend any events; in short, he is hard to invite. Of course, some people would rather he not come.

Zheng Yuxiang isn't going, but Zheng Luoqi will. Zheng Luoqi usually goes out to set up fishing operations, but today is different. Today is the female lead's family banquet, which is another plot point. Although this part wasn't described much in the original novel, it's an important turning point, and the relationship between the male and female leads has developed further.

Zheng Luoqi would certainly not allow such a thing to happen. Zheng Luoqi's life motto is: "I'd rather break up ten marriages than destroy one temple."

The plot here involves the emperor arriving at the banquet in disguise. He encounters the female lead being harassed somewhere and helps her again. The two gradually notice each other, and their feelings for each other deepen.

Zheng Luoqi's carriage slowly arrived in front of the Chen residence. Zheng Luoqi lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. Today, Zheng Luoqi was wearing a moon-white brocade jacket, and her jet-black hair was tied up in a simple high ponytail and secured with a silver hairpin, making her look exceptionally elegant and dignified.

As soon as Zheng Luoqi entered the Chen residence, Chen Tongyu greeted him, "Lord Zheng, you've arrived! Please come in!"

Zheng Luoqi smiled and said, "Yes, I heard it's Madam Chen's 60th birthday, so I brought a small gift."

Bo Yu, who was behind him, immediately handed the prepared continuation to Chen Tongyu.

"Then thank you, Lord Zheng," Chen Tongyu smiled, accepted the gift, and gestured for Zheng Luoqi to go inside.

Just as Zheng Luoqi was about to step inside, a sharp, mocking voice suddenly reached his ears: "Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Lord Zheng? What brings you to this banquet today!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked in the direction the sound came from. He saw a handsome man in fine clothes standing not far away, with a half-smile on his lips. This man was Wen Yichuan.

"Hmph, if you can come, why can't I?" Zheng Luoqi rolled her eyes at him and said disdainfully.

“I thought someone like Lord Zheng would be impossible to persuade,” Wen Yichuan said with a smile, seemingly harmless, but his words were actually laced with sarcasm.

Zheng Luoqi glared at him and sneered, "I wouldn't call myself a big shot, but I'm at least a person."

"You!" Wen Yichuan's expression changed slightly. Zheng Luoqi was clearly mocking him as a dog.

Chen Tongyu quickly came to the rescue: "Alright, today is Madam Chen's sixtieth birthday. Young master, sir, please go inside first. There are many people waiting for me to entertain them. I hope Lord Zheng and Young Master Wen will do me a favor."

As soon as Chen Tongyu finished speaking, a group of maids surrounded Chen Xianlin and brought her out.

"Lord Zheng, Young Master Wen, this way please." Zheng Luoqi didn't want to argue with Wen Yichuan, so she followed Chen Xianlin inside, and Wen Yichuan followed her in as well.

After entering, Zheng Luoqi noticed that the banquet hadn't started yet, so she wandered around for a bit.

As we walked, we came to a garden, a place with few people around.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the flower bushes, and a cat suddenly darted out. Zheng Luoqi reacted quickly, and after seeing that it was a cat, she grabbed it and hugged it. It was a tabby cat.

Zheng Luoqi hugged the cat and petted it. She found it to be very well-behaved, lying motionless in her arms and letting her stroke it. Zheng Luoqi noticed that the cat was very clean, suggesting that it was usually well-maintained.

"Ali, Ali, where are you!" Zheng Luoqi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in a pink dress with a dark expression of anxiety running towards them.

The woman then noticed the cat Zheng Luoqi was holding. She was initially stunned by Zheng Luoqi's beauty, then realized she had come looking for her cat. "Young master, the cat in your arms is mine. I wasn't watching it and it ran here. I'm so sorry."

The woman ran up to Zheng Luoqi, her eyes filled with anxiety and apology. Zheng Luoqi, holding her tabby cat named Ali, looked at the woman with a calm heart.

The woman's appearance was as beautiful as a flower, her eyes revealing a hint of amazement. Her gentle and considerate manners were irresistibly attractive. Zheng Luoqi smiled slightly, placed Ah Li on the ground, and the cat stretched and leisurely strolled among the flowers.

Zheng Luoqi put down the cat and turned to leave, but the woman hurriedly called out to him, "May I ask your name, sir?"

Zheng Luoqi turned around and gave the woman a meaningful look. The woman quickly lowered her head, her face already flushed. "This humble woman, this humble woman is called Lin Qianning. I just wanted to get to know you, young master. I saw that you also like Ah Li, so, so I dared to ask."

After saying "Zheng Luoqi," Zheng Luoqi left without waiting for Lin Qianning's reaction.

On her way back to the banquet, Zheng Luoqi kept thinking about who Lin Qianning was. If she was from the Lin family and could still be here, she was most likely the daughter of the head of the imperial clan. If she remembered correctly, she should be Lin Wanwan's younger sister.

Zheng Luoqi walked until she arrived at the banquet, which had already begun.

Lin Qianning also returned to the banquet. Upon seeing Lin Qianning return, the maidservant hurriedly greeted her happily.

"Oh, Miss is back."

"Little sister, why did you take so long?" Lin Wanwan asked in confusion.

"Ali suddenly ran away, and I went to look for it, which took me a while," Lin Qianning explained.

……

The banquet began, and Madam Chen, who was seated at the head of the table, said with a smile, "I am very happy that everyone could come to my birthday banquet. It is an honor for our Chen family!"

The crowd echoed and flattered Madam Chen, who listened with a smile, seemingly enjoying the praise.

As the banquet began, Zheng Luoqi noticed that Wen Yichuan kept staring at Chen Xianlin. Zheng Luoqi thought to herself: Oh dear, something's up. It seems something has happened. Wen Yichuan has already noticed Chen Xianlin. Where is the male lead? The male lead, Xue Huaiyu, should also be at the banquet at this time.

Zheng Luoqi then whispered a few instructions, and Boyu acknowledged and withdrew.

Then Zheng Luoqi searched for the male lead at the banquet. Sure enough, not far from the banquet, Zheng Luoqi spotted Xue Huaiyu at a glance. He was dressed in fine clothes today, like a handsome young nobleman, and he stood out in the crowd. Many officials who came to the banquet recognized him at a glance and wanted to step forward to pay their respects, but Xue Huaiyu raised his hand to stop them, indicating that the officials should not make a fuss. He just wanted to attend the banquet in a low-key manner.

Zheng Luoqi sat quietly. His handsome appearance and outstanding temperament attracted the attention of many noble ladies who came to the banquet. He could always feel their curious glances from time to time, but Zheng Luoqi always looked calm and composed, not caring about it at all.

A moment later, Boyu turned back, bowed and whispered in his ear, "Master, I have found out that Miss Chen did indeed meet Young Master Wen in the backyard, and some things happened during that time."