Union

Chapter 156 The incident happened
The palace banquets were grand and solemn, and the guests were mostly nobles, high-ranking officials, and imperial relatives.

At palace banquets, not only must one's words and actions conform to etiquette and rules, but even the clothing and jewelry worn must meet certain standards. Exceeding these standards is unacceptable, and dressing too shabbily or simply is also unacceptable.

Fortunately, Lin Shuqing's appearance was slightly diminished, but her clothes and accessories were not in any way wrong.

Madam Feng shifted her gaze from Lin Shuqing to her other children. Seeing that everything was alright and that it was time to leave, she led everyone out the door.

The group split into two carriages.

Xiao Fengshi rode in one car with Chen Yanxi and Chen Yanhuai, while Zhang Luxi and Lin Shuqing, the sisters-in-law, sat in the other car.

Duke Rongguo rode along on horseback with his eldest and second sons.

Walking onto Zhuque Avenue, one is surrounded by high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the royal family. The journey is filled with pleasantries and pleasantries, a lively and dignified affair.

During this time, the Duke of Rongguo couldn't help but walk on the side of Xiao Feng's carriage and call out, "Third Brother."

Chen Yanhuai shuddered, "What are you doing, Dad?"

“You’re a grown man, can’t you be a little more respectable next year and ride horses with your father and brothers? You’re like a woman, sitting in a carriage all day long. You’re not ashamed, but your father is.”

Chen Yanhuai dared not refute, and could only stammer, "Okay, okay." He pulled his fox fur coat tighter around himself, thinking that it was freezing cold outside and he was not in good health, so it was naturally more comfortable to stay in the carriage.

However, my father just mentioned it casually, so I let it go in one ear and out the other. There was no need to argue with him about it.

Anyway, he'll still be taking the bus next year.

The group quickly arrived at the palace gate, where it was already very lively and bustling.

All the nobles disembarked here. Only a few distinguished old ladies or relatives of the imperial family were granted the honor by the Empress and Empress Dowager, and were carried into the palace in palanquins by palace eunuchs.

The sedan chair had no shelter around it, so it couldn't block the cold wind, but it did save the old lady some walking effort. Only someone who is old and frail or in particularly bad health would receive such an honor.

Young Mrs. Feng was still young, so naturally no sedan chair was brought to ferry her. Fortunately, she was in good physical condition and managed to walk all the way with her daughter-in-law and daughter, which was quite an easy journey.

Halfway there, they saw Lady Chang'an, the wife of the Marquis of Chang'an, in the distance.

Zhang Luxi, sensing the situation, helped her mother-in-law walk a little slower. Seeing this, Madam Feng gently patted her eldest daughter-in-law's hand, and the group continued walking forward, accompanied by palace maids.

The ladies in front, including the Lady of Chang'an, seemed to have noticed Lady Feng and the others behind them.

They all stopped and smiled, saying things like "in-laws" and "fate," and stood there waiting for them to come forward.

When Madam Feng led her daughter-in-law and daughter to her side, everyone greeted each other, and a joyful atmosphere filled the air.

Among those walking with the Lady of the Marquis of Chang'an was the wife of the heir of the Duke of Xuan's mansion, and the other two were none other than the Lady of the Marquis of Changshun's mansion, her eldest daughter-in-law Lin Shuyu, her second daughter-in-law, her third daughter-in-law, and her two concubine daughters.

Lady Changshun, who loved to joke, couldn't help but laugh at the scene before her. "Heaven knows that our mother-in-law wants to see her daughters. Look, she's only just arrived at the palace and has already met both young ladies. They are more beautiful than flowers and look radiant. Our mother-in-law can finally rest assured. Quickly, quickly, Shuyu, don't drag this old man along. Hurry up and go with your sister to your mother to fulfill your filial duties."

At that moment, Madam Feng smiled and turned to Lin Shuqing, saying, "Go and serve your mother. I'll have your sister-in-law and Xi'er come over here."

Lin Shuyu and Lin Shuqing arrived before the Lady of Chang'an Marquis in this way.

When the women gathered together, after exchanging pleasantries, the conversation inevitably turned to which family had welcomed a new baby that year, and which family was looking for a spouse. Eventually, the conversation reached the wife of the heir apparent of the Duke of Xuan.

I asked her, "I heard that General Pingxi went to the capital this afternoon?"

As the youngest member of the family, the wife of the Duke of Xuan's heir was rather humble in front of the two elders. However, as the current head of the Duke of Xuan's household, her gentle, dignified, and composed demeanor was very endearing.

Then the wife of the Duke of Xuan said, "My father-in-law came to the capital this afternoon. He was supposed to come to see His Majesty, but His Majesty asked him to go back and pay his respects to his parents first."

"Your Majesty is so kind... General Pingxi has traveled a long way to get here; he must be very tired..."

While chatting with the others, Madam Feng couldn't help but glance at the three women, including the Lady of Chang'an Marquis.

Surprisingly, it was very quiet over there.

It was only when Lin Shuyu sensed something was wrong that she changed the subject, asking about her parents' health and her brother's two children, which eased the tension.

But the only ones who seemed to be having a good time were Lady Chang'an and Lin Shuyu. Lin Shuqing, on the other hand, still had her delicate brows furrowed, and her face showed no joy. Even when Lady Chang'an tugged at her, telling her not to act like an outsider, she didn't react.

Lin Shuqing is definitely acting strangely.

Ms. Feng confirmed this idea in her mind.

She couldn't figure out her daughter-in-law either, so she couldn't guess what had happened on such a big holiday that made her look so long.

As they talked, they soon arrived at Qingping Palace, where the banquet was being held.

The Qingping Palace was already quite crowded. At first glance, it was filled with the sounds of birdsong and the sight of jewels and jade. Everyone was chatting and laughing, creating a lively and bustling scene.

When Xiao Feng and her companions arrived, someone was already standing by to welcome them inside. In no time, they were laughing and joking together.

Soon, His Majesty entered from outside with civil and military officials, followed closely by the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

When it was time to begin the banquet, His Majesty first offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, followed by the officials and their wives bowing three times to express their gratitude for Heaven's grace. Then His Majesty delivered his blessing, which was responded to three times by everyone, and the banquet then began.

The old rules were cumbersome and complicated. For someone who had never attended a palace banquet before, just the constant vigilance to avoid making mistakes in the etiquette was enough to kill them.

In addition, the fire in the hall was burning brightly and there were many people. By the time they finished their rites and sat down to eat, they were already drenched in sweat and their faces were flushed.

Chen Yanxi was considered to be the person with the worst physical condition in the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, even slightly worse than the Third Master Chen Yanhuai.

When the banquet began, she sat next to her mother, looking quite exhausted and panting heavily.

Seeing this, Ms. Feng wanted to tell her daughter to take it easy for a while, and that once she had rested and wasn't so hot anymore, she could eat a few bites of whatever was edible.

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Feng noticed Lin Shuqing sitting on the other side, whose complexion was even worse than Xi'er's.

Her face was deathly pale, she was drenched in sweat, and she was panting like a drowning person who couldn't swim, making a futile struggle.

Madam Feng's heart skipped a beat. She asked Lin Shuqing, "Are you feeling unwell? Should I call the imperial physician?" "No need to trouble Mother. It's not appropriate to call the imperial physician on such a joyous day. Otherwise, it would cause trouble if the Empress Dowager and the Empress heard about it."

Madam Feng frowned. "Then can you really hold back?"

"It's nothing serious. It's just that the sudden change in temperature makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I'll just need to rest for a bit."

"Really? If you're feeling unwell, don't bear it. Her Majesty the Empress is always kind and gentle. I'll talk to her and have a palace maid take you to the next hall to rest."

Lin Shuqing said again, "I won't trouble Mother and Her Majesty the Empress..."

Seeing her resistance and even pick up her chopsticks to eat, Madam Feng sighed and stopped paying attention to her.

But since she was her own daughter-in-law, she still kept half of her attention on her.

Lin Shuqing finished her meal and a palace maid came to pour tea. The jade chopsticks in Lin Shuqing's hand seemed to fall to the ground unintentionally. The palace maid was about to go and get her new ones, but Lin Shuqing waved her hand and said, "No need, let it be like this."

Seeing that Madam Feng was looking at her, Lin Shuqing said respectfully, "Mother, it's too stuffy in the main hall. Your daughter-in-law would like to go out for some fresh air."

Meanwhile, the men were enjoying their drinks, while the women's banquet had largely ended. Many of the ladies were chatting and catching up with each other. Of course, there were also plenty of young women and wives taking the opportunity to go to the restroom or air out.

Madam Feng didn't take it seriously, only instructing her, "Take good care of the maids around you, and don't go too far."

"Yes, Mother."

Lin Shuqing left with her personal maid. Just as Madam Feng was about to ask her daughter if she wanted to go out for a walk as well, a palace maid came to deliver a message that the Empress had summoned her to speak with her.

Lady Feng immediately disregarded everything else, entrusting her daughter to the Crown Prince's wife, Zhang Luxi, before going to chat with the Empress.

The Empress is His Majesty's first wife, and she is approaching sixty. Her hair is gray and her face is fair. Although she is well-maintained and looks like a kind and gentle old lady, she has been in charge of the harem for thirty or forty years. The Empress is dignified and her gaze is gentle yet full of power, which makes people respect her from the start.

Seeing Lady Feng approaching, the Empress beckoned her to come closer. "I saw that child Yanzhou, and that's when I remembered you. You too, you've hardly come to the palace this past year, and I've felt quite lonely around you."

"It is my fault. I will definitely send official invitations to the palace to pay my respects from time to time in the future. I just hope that you will not find me troublesome."

"How could it be a bother? Her Majesty is more than happy to have you here."

The one who said this was none other than the old lady of the Duke of Xuan's mansion.
Besides her, several other elderly women with gray or silver hair were seated below the Empress. The Crown Princess and other royal consorts were also present, and several noble ladies, such as Lady Feng, were summoned to enjoy the Empress's imperial favor.

As everyone was chatting and laughing, a senior palace maid suddenly walked up behind the Empress and whispered a few words to her.

The Empress instinctively turned her ear to listen, but when she understood the meaning behind the palace maid's words, the smile on the Empress's face faded slightly.

After that, the Empress excused herself to change her clothes and briefly left the banquet.

Ms. Feng also left the table.

She had noticed earlier that after hearing the palace maid's words, the Empress seemed to glance at her. At that moment, Lady Feng felt something was amiss, but she didn't think much of it. However, after the Empress left, her clothes were stained with tea by the palace maid who served her, forcing her to go outside to change.

All these coincidences shocked Ms. Feng.

Her intuition told her that something was wrong!
As Xiao Feng followed the palace maids around the winding main hall, she could see lights shining in a magnificent palace in the distance.

Although the Empress came to avoid people, she is getting on in years and her legs are not very strong, so she now relies on her imperial carriage to travel. And right now, the Empress's imperial carriage is parked outside the palace.

When they saw Lady Feng approaching, the two older palace maids guarding outside the palace did not stop her. Instead, they bowed slightly to her and let her in.

Madam Feng walked into the main hall without any hindrance, and saw that the hall, which had only had a few lights on just moments before, was now brightly lit.

The fist-sized luminous pearl illuminated the hall as if it were daytime; the overly bright color made Xiao Feng feel dizzy for a moment.

When she saw Lin Shuqing lying on the ground with a bruise on her forehead, Xiao Feng felt even more dizzy and unsteady.

But at this point, she didn't realize the seriousness of the problem, only thinking that Lin Shuqing had gone to the wrong place and hit her head in the dark.

At this moment, she managed to remain calm and maintain a dignified expression as she watched the imperial physician kneel on the ground and carefully examine Lin Shuqing's pulse.

But when the imperial physician announced the diagnosis, Madam Feng completely lost her balance and stumbled, falling straight to the ground.

"Your Majesty, this lady is more than two months pregnant. The reason she hasn't woken up yet is not because she hit her head, but because she has been unable to eat or sleep properly these past few days and her body is very weak."

In short, it's just a lack of sleep, nothing else is a big deal!
Upon hearing this, the Empress hesitated slightly. After a moment, she nodded slightly and dismissed the servant.

Although a gag order was issued before they went down, sometimes it's better not to say anything at all.

That's so ironic!
But Madam Feng didn't care about losing face at all. She was struck dumb, feeling dizzy and nauseous.

This is Yanzhou's wife!
Yan Zhou had only been back in Beijing for less than ten days, yet his wife was already more than two months pregnant.

Right under the noses of everyone in the Rongguo Mansion, Lin Shuqing cheated on her husband and gave her son a cuckold's horns.

Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, Xiao Feng fainted completely.

As her consciousness faded into darkness, Lady Feng heard the palace maids and the Empress calling her in alarm. She heard them, but refused to wake up, preferring that it was just a terrible nightmare.

How ironic!

She thought she was a lady of high society, but she actually did such a shameful thing behind the scenes. She even disgraced the royal family, causing everyone in the household to lose face because of her.

The lintel of the Rongguo Duke's mansion turned black because of her.

How dare she?

Who does she think she's letting down by doing this?!
When Ms. Feng woke up again, she felt a sharp pain in her philtrum.

She felt like she had slept for a very long time, but in reality, when she opened her eyes, the scene before her unconsciousness was still there.

The Empress, with a compassionate face and sorrowful eyes; Lin Shuqing, lying on the floor unaware that the sky had collapsed; and one or two of the Empress's trusted palace maids...