Chapter 204: Palace Banquet

Chapter 204: Palace Banquet

The two young ladies and their maids each boarded their carriages, but Su Zhenyun was still lingering, not yet getting into his carriage.

It wasn't until Li Rong, by his side, urged him that he cast one last glance towards the residence before entering the carriage.

Li Rong, of course, knew what his master was looking at, but he could only pretend to be oblivious.

Who would have thought that fate would play such tricks—after all these years since Madam had left, there would be someone who looked exactly like her by the master's side.

He sighed and sat at the front of the carriage.

In Yanjing City, all the notable noble families were heading in the direction of the palace.

At the majestic palace gates, one after another, splendidly dressed nobles alighted from their carriages, laughing and chatting as they walked into the palace in small groups.

As soon as the Su family's carriage arrived, someone spotted them and ran over.

Before Su Youyue could get out of the carriage, Xiao Feiyan excitedly called out, "Yue'er, Yue'er! You're finally here! Happy New Year!"

The curtain was lifted, revealing the bright and charming face of the young lady, which made Xiao Feiyan laugh uncontrollably. "Yue'er, you look as beautiful as a camellia today."

As she said this, she reached out to touch Su Youyue's hand, which was resting on the carriage window.

Su Youyue returned the touch with a sweet smile. "Feiyan, you also look outstanding today, captivating."

Once Su Youyue got out of the carriage, Xiao Feiyan immediately moved closer to her side, sticking close as if to show everyone how close they were.

Many who hadn't yet entered the palace saw this scene and began whispering among themselves.

"How unfortunate that she came to the palace banquet this year. It's truly unlucky," a young lady whispered, her smile vanishing instantly.

Another young lady replied, "Indeed, she has the nerve to come, dressed so conspicuously as if she wants everyone to notice her."

They then turned to Lin Wanwan, who was with them. "Wanwan, why aren't you saying anything?"

Wasn't Lin Wanwan the one who disliked Su Youyue the most?

Lin Wanwan watched Xiao Feiyan and Su Youyue being affectionate from a distance, pursed her lips, and then said unhappily, "Miss Su is here because her name was on the invitation; it must have been the Emperor's intention. Are the two of you questioning the Emperor's will?"

The two young ladies didn't expect Lin Wanwan, who usually didn't get along with Su Youyue, to speak up for her. They were taken aback and felt her words were unnecessarily harsh, considering they hadn't said much.

Knowing Lin Wanwan's bad temper and sharp tongue, they didn't want to confront her directly and could only awkwardly say they didn't mean anything by it.

Although they said this, Lin Wanwan could see their dissatisfaction in their eyes. She suddenly felt restless and decided not to talk to them anymore, walking ahead on her own.

"This Lin Wanwan, after causing the death of her own nephew, must be under great stress. Her mind isn't clear anymore."

"Indeed, defending Su Youyue. Does Su Youyue even know about her support behind the scenes?"

"I wonder what skills Su Youyue has learned, managing to win over Xiao Feiyan and now even having Lin Wanwan speak up for her."

"I see her methods are quite significant, even dealing with Su Qian..."

After grumbling for a while and venting some of their resentment, they entered the palace.

Su Youyue entered the palace with Xiao Feiyan, completely unaware of the unpleasantness that had occurred with those few young ladies in the corner.

Among those entering the palace were many from Dongrong Country. These Dongrong people were also invited to today's palace banquet. After the banquet, there would be an exchange feast between the two countries, making these Dongrong people frequent guests in the palace.

As they arrived at the Supreme Harmony Hall, where the palace banquet was being held, they saw Princess Bai Liwei following closely behind Prince Bei of Dongrong Country.

Prince Bei clearly looked impatient, but Bai Liwei seemed oblivious, chattering away behind him.

Prince Bei appeared to have reached his limit and was about to lose his temper when he suddenly spotted Su Youyue. His eyes brightened, and he started moving toward her.

Bai Liwei noticed the change in Prince Bei's expression and followed his gaze, seeing Su Youyue. She clenched her teeth in hatred.

This wretched woman, how did she develop the ability to seduce other men!

"Prince Bei, my brother the Emperor will arrive shortly. You should take your seat," Bai Liwei said resentfully.

Prince Bei frowned, clearly displeased at being told what to do. He ignored her and headed straight for Su Youyue.

Bai Liwei nearly lost her composure in frustration but had to follow, fearing she might miss her chance for an arranged marriage.

She used to disdain the idea of an arranged marriage, but now it was her lifeline.

Every time she saw the new emperor, Bai Lihongxuan, she trembled at the way he stared at her like a venomous snake.

She had no doubt that once she was no longer useful, he would kill her without hesitation!

Just as Prince Bei was about to reach Su Youyue, another woman blocked his path, also heading toward Su Youyue.

"I never thought Miss Su would have the audacity to attend the palace banquet after sending her own sister to the country estate," Liu Jinzhu said with hostility upon arrival.

Standing beside her, Liu Tao, the third son of the Liu family, glared at Su Youyue. "Jinzhu, you don't understand. The more despicable a person is, the less they care about morals or shame."

Xiao Feiyan was immediately displeased. "Watch your mouths, both of you. If you insist on spewing filth, don't blame me for making you taste feces too!"

They subconsciously recalled Su Youyue's past act of having feces thrown at Old Lady Lu and Lu Song and took a few steps back. Their dislike for Su Youyue was evident in their eyes.

Su Youyue, however, was unfazed.

She understood why Liu Tao hated her. Su Qian was his ideal woman, the pure goddess in his heart. Now that he believed Su Qian's misfortune was due to her scheming, it was natural for him to hate her.

There was no need to care about someone who couldn't think clearly.

Xiao Feiyan's words, however, made her smile.

Liu Jinzhu, hating Su Youyue, had come to detest Xiao Feiyan as well. She couldn't help but say, "You two are truly disgusting."

At this moment, Prince Bei finally approached. Seeing someone bullying a beauty, he couldn't help but flare up. He was just about to play the hero and rescue her from her plight when he was tugged by Baili Wei, "Prince Bei..."

Interrupted, Prince Bei heard another voice up ahead.

"The scholarly children of the Eastern Pavilion Grand Scholar's residence certainly have fine breeding."

The man’s voice was cold and grim, sending shivers down one’s spine. Liu Jinzhu and Liu Tao subconsciously felt a chill run down their spines. When they turned around, they saw that Xie Yuan had somehow appeared behind them.