Chapter 335: The Banquet

Chapter 335: The Banquet

Feng Nian's heart sank, and he knelt even more submissively.

"Feng Nian, how have you been managing your duties?" Emperor Xingyuan questioned with anger.

He Qingxiao never made any mistakes when he was in charge.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duties. I deserve punishment."

Emperor Xingyuan closed his eyes and then opened them again, waving his hand dismissively. "That's enough, you may go."

As Feng Nian left the palace, his heart was heavy with dread.

Although the Emperor did not punish him, he had fallen out of the Emperor's favor. It would be difficult to regain the Emperor's trust in the future.

Xin You stood under a weeping willow, her cold gaze following Feng Nian as he walked away, his expression dejected. She then turned and boarded the carriage waiting nearby. "Take me back to the Xin residence."

On the way back, Xiaolian was fuming. "That Jinlin Guard Commander is no good, nothing like Lord He."

"Hmm."

Xiaolian observed Xin You's expression and tentatively asked, "Miss, should we visit Lord He?"

You've done so much today, Miss. Surely, visiting Lord He wouldn't be too much?

Having spent every day with Xin You, Xiaolian could tell that her young lady felt differently about Lord He.

The jade monkey figurine Lord He gave her was often in her hands.

"Lord He likely isn't at home resting. Xiaolian, go to the Changle Marquis Mansion and invite Aunt Gui to visit the Xin residence tomorrow."

"Yes."

That afternoon, Aunt Gui received the invitation, both surprised and delighted. When He Qingxiao returned, she couldn't wait to tell him.

"Lord Marquis, Miss Xin has invited me over."

He Qingxiao was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. "That's good; it'll keep you from worrying so much."

"Do you have a message for Miss Xin, Lord Marquis?"

He Qingxiao shook his head.

"Really, no message?" Aunt Gui was skeptical.

Miss Kou, Young Master Xin, Miss Xin—they were all one and the same. She couldn't believe that Lord Marquis saw Miss Xin as just a friend.

He Qingxiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Aunt Gui, tell Miss Xin my injuries are healed, and she needn't worry."

Aunt Gui smiled. "Lord Marquis, don't worry, I'll make sure she gets the message."

He Qingxiao looked away, hiding his sudden embarrassment. "Thank you, Aunt Gui."

The next morning, Aunt Gui brought a heavy three-tiered food box and took a carriage to the Xin residence.

"Aunt Gui," Xiaolian greeted her warmly, reaching for the food box.

"No need, it's quite heavy."

"Then I should definitely be the one to carry it," Xiaolian insisted, reaching out to take the food box, but it almost slipped right out of her hands.

Aunt Gui held it steady, giving Xiaolian a kind smile. "I told you it was heavy."

Xiaolian: "But this is way too heavy!"

Then it hit her that such a heavy food box must be filled with delicious treats, and the young maid's face lit up with excitement. She hooked her arm with Aunt Gui's, and they went inside.

"Aunt Gui's here," Xin You approached.

Aunt Gui, holding the food box, gazed in surprise at the girl approaching.

She had met "Miss Kou" several times and had spent real time with her, but the girl before her, though she looked the same, felt like a totally different person.

It was as if a plum bud had finally burst into full bloom, showing off its noble beauty against the chill.

She looked just like the lofty emperor she had once seen.

Xin You casually reached out to take the food box from Aunt Gui.

Aunt Gui, startled to see the box already in her hands, hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Miss Xin You."

Xin You gently supported her. "No need to be so formal with me."

Looking into the girl's clear eyes, the brief sense of distance Aunt Gui had felt just melted away.

So what if she looked like the emperor? What was important was that Miss Xin was the daughter of the late empress.

Noticing Aunt Gui's shift, Xin You gave a small smile. "Aunt Gui, let's head inside."

Entering the parlor, Xin You placed the food box on the table and asked with a smile, "Are these the amazing dishes Aunt Gui made?"

At the mention of her specialty, Aunt Gui lit up, taking out the dishes one by one. "Here's the crispy yellow taro you love, these are vegetarian rolls, and this is lotus root with osmanthus honey..."

As the spread of snacks was laid out, Xiaolian swallowed her saliva. "It would be a dream to eat your cooking every day!"

Aunt Gui laughed. "If I could cook for Miss Xin and Xiaolian every day, it would be my joy too."

Xin You felt a hint of something meaningful in Aunt Gui's gaze.

Her cheeks gradually warmed, beyond her control, and it wasn't until Aunt Gui was about to leave that she vaguely understood: perhaps it was because only Aunt Gui gave her the feeling of a maternal figure, like Aunt Xia from the valley.

"Lord Marquis asked me to tell Miss Xin not to worry about his injury."

"It's good that Lord Marquis is fine."

Aunt Gui couldn't read anything from Xin You's expression and sighed inwardly: Could it be that Lord Marquis is the only one with feelings?

Waiting a moment longer and not hearing any message to take back, Aunt Gui regretfully returned to the marquis's residence. Opening the return gift, she gasped at the sight of the ginseng inside.

Hiss—Was Miss Xin this generous only to Lord Marquis, or was she like this with everyone?

Finally, when He Qingxiao returned from his duties, Aunt Gui quickly showed him the return gift. "This ginseng is of top quality, worth at least a hundred taels of silver."

He Qingxiao looked at the plump old mountain ginseng and picked up the box. "Then I'll keep it safe."

Aunt Gui stared at the young man's back, feeling confused: He just accepted such a valuable gift without blinking?

The Lord Marquis isn’t like that!

He Qingxiao went straight back to his room, opened the box again, and gazed at the plump ginseng for a moment before reaching out and gently patting its head.

Just then, a servant came in with water, and his eyes widened at He Qingxiao’s gesture.

Why is the Lord Marquis touching the ginseng’s head?

Oh no, has the ginseng turned into a spirit and enchanted the Lord Marquis?

"What are you standing there for?" He Qingxiao gave a calm look at the servant who stood still.

The Lord Marquis is still normal.

The servant quietly sighed in relief and walked in with the basin.

The next morning, the Eldest Princess’s carriage arrived early to fetch them. Xin You and Xiaolian got into the carriage and went to the palace with Princess Zhaoyang and her two children to attend the banquet.

"Aside from us, Prince Xiu will also be entering the palace. The others are the palace concubines and their imperial children," Princess Zhaoyang explained the general situation of the palace banquet to Xin You, and seeing her calm expression, she couldn’t help but laugh softly.

She had been worried that Ayou might be nervous, but it seems she worried for nothing.

This palace banquet was a family feast, held in a garden pavilion. Palace attendants were already waiting at the palace gate, leading Princess Zhaoyang and her party forward.

Along the way, pavilions, towers, and rock formations created a stunning view, a marvel of craftsmanship. Soon, they could see people dressed in finery slowly making their way into a long pavilion, which stood by the water, with lotus flowers reflecting the sunlight in the pool.

"Princess Zhaoyang has arrived—"

When the palace attendant called out, the chatter and laughter in the pavilion paused, and everyone stood up to greet Princess Zhaoyang, their eyes, subtly or openly, turned to the young girl beside her.

Among these people, very few had seen Xin You before, and most were seeing her for the first time. Seeing her face so strikingly similar to Emperor Xingyuan, their eyes couldn’t help but change.