After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

As Rong Yingluo rose with Guo Shi, she finally saw the Empress's face clearly, which was quite different from what she had imagined.

The Empress has a Buddhist aura about her, which must be due to her being with Buddha for many years or her sincere devotion to Buddha.

Although she wore the phoenix robe of the Empress, exuding nobility, she gave people a sense of elegance like a chrysanthemum.

She lacked the imposing presence befitting an empress.

"Madam Gu, is this the wife the Duchess chose for the Heir Apparent?" the Empress asked gently.

Seeing that Rong Yingluo was staring at her in a daze, she smiled and asked.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed Rong Liuli," Guo replied respectfully.

Rong Yingluo shuddered, her face instantly burning; she had actually been staring at the Empress in a daze.

"Your Majesty, Rong Liuli greets Your Majesty. It is our first meeting, and I was so captivated by Your Majesty's Buddhist aura that I lost my composure. Please forgive me." Rong Yingluo was telling the truth.

She has met many people who are devoted to Buddhism, especially the elderly.

Those who sincerely turn to Buddhism will develop a certain Buddhist aura over time, but the Empress's aura is very strong, which shows that she is very sincere.

It is also a phoenix destiny, which can move heaven and earth even more.

"Young Madam Gu is quite eloquent. I have indeed been a devout Buddhist for many years, hoping that Buddha will bless my son and that he will return to my side someday." As the Empress spoke of her lost son, her eyes involuntarily reddened, and she dabbed them with a handkerchief.

"Your Majesty, Buddha will surely understand your heart's desire. Perhaps one day His Highness the Second Prince will return on his own," Rong Yingluo said hastily, feeling embarrassed that she had stirred up the Empress's longing for her son.

Fortunately, the Empress is easy to talk to.

The emperor is truly blessed to have such an empress.

"Thank you for your kind words, Madam Gu." The Empress loved hearing such words.

"As expected of Mrs. Gu, who comes from a merchant family, she knows how to talk. She wasn't shy at all when she first entered the palace to meet the Empress, and she even managed to make the Empress so happy." At this moment, a playful voice rang out from the side.

It was Consort Cao, the Crown Prince's birth mother.

Her identity can be determined from her clothing and jewelry.

But the meaning behind her words was all too clear: she was saying that Rong Yingluo was of lowly status and relied on the tricks of a merchant to curry favor with the Empress.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. My father taught me from a young age that business deals are always negotiated, so it is essential to learn the art of conversation."

Just like ten years ago, when my Southern Xia Kingdom negotiated peace with the Northern Cang Kingdom. The officials from the Ministry of Rites sent by the Emperor were the real masters of negotiation. At that time, the Northern Cang Kingdom only agreed to sign a three-year non-aggression treaty, but the officials from the Ministry of Rites managed to change it to eight years with their silver tongues.

When my father talked about that negotiation, he was full of admiration.

He studied it carefully for a long time, and then applied what he learned to make my Rong family's business thrive. Rong Yingluo bowed to the Imperial Concubine with neither arrogance nor servility, and then spoke eloquently about how she knew how to speak.

But her words silenced the entire room.

It's true that her father was a businessman, but he learned how to negotiate and conduct business from officials in the Ministry of Rites.

Who dares to say that the negotiation skills of officials from the Ministry of Rites are merely the behavior of merchants?

Rong Yingluo's father, who learned from officials of the Ministry of Rites, cannot be simply defined as a merchant who competes with the people for profit.

"You..." Consort Cao was momentarily speechless, taken aback by Rong Yingluo's words, "Sharp-tongued."

In front of so many people, Consort Cao could not convict Rong Yingluo of offending her.

Although Rong Yingluo was making excuses for her eloquence, she was actually using the name of a meritorious official from the Ministry of Rites, so who would dare to say that she was wrong?

She was indirectly praising the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

"What Madam Gu said is so true. My husband was Lord Qi who went to the border to negotiate back then. He told me about that negotiation when he came back. You may not know how dangerous it was. If you are not careful, you will fall into the trap of the Beicang Kingdom officials." A lady clapped her hands and stood up, very excited.

Rong Yingluo was taken aback. What a coincidence! She had only casually borrowed it and attached it to her father.

This matter was told to her by her master; it had nothing to do with her father.

Rong Yingluo immediately stepped forward and bowed to Madam Qi: "Madam, Lord Qi is a good official in the hearts of the people. It was the Emperor, Lord Qi, and the other officials who participated in the negotiations that spared the people on the border from the suffering of war."

"Mrs. Gu is such a wonderful person." Madam Qi smiled and helped her up, her smile kind and friendly. "This is my second daughter-in-law, Ke Miaoran. You two shouldn't be too far apart in age. You can get to know each other and become friends."

Lady Qi was happy to let her daughter-in-law befriend Rong Yingluo.

With so many noble ladies present today, and in the Empress's palace, Rong Yingluo's words will surely spread far and wide.

The Emperor will naturally find out, and her old man might even get a promotion thanks to Rong Yingluo's praise.

Regardless of whether such a woman survives, the Qi family will certainly owe her a debt of gratitude and must be on good terms with her.

"Greetings, Madam Qi." Rong Yingluo seized the opportunity and immediately greeted her as an equal. She was naturally happy to make a friend.

The fact that Lady Qi dared to ask her daughter-in-law to befriend her in front of Consort Cao shows that she was not afraid of Consort Cao.

"Mrs. Gu, you're too kind. Since we're destined to meet, and I'm older than you, please call me Sister Ke, and I'll call you Sister Rong." Ke Miaoran smiled and returned the greeting.

She admired Rong Yingluo for daring to contradict Consort Cao in front of so many people.

"Sister Ke"

The two quickly hit it off and started chatting.

Rong Yingluo stole the spotlight the moment she entered, and both Gu Qingya and Gu Qingwan showed jealousy in their eyes.

Guo's eyes also darkened slightly.

A merchant's daughter, through her clever words and flattery, caught the empress's eye; she truly knew how to please and fawn.

To dare to compare the act of trading with the betrayal of two countries is simply outrageous.

I don't know what the Empress and Consort Qi were thinking, to fawn over such a woman. It's truly baffling.

But she didn't show it on her face; she was only slightly stunned for a moment before she resumed her smile.

Today, the Rong family has offended the Crown Prince and Consort Cao. It is unknown how the Crown Prince's people will make things difficult for the Gu family.

What a jinx!

I must tell the Second Master what Rong Yingluo said and did when she entered the palace.

People came to pay their respects to the Empress, and she told those who arrived first to find a place to have fun.

The palace prepared many games for the young ladies and gentlemen of various families to play.

In the capital, all kinds of gatherings are public matchmaking events. As long as it's not a private, one-on-one meeting, it's all with the permission of the adults in the family.

As soon as they left the Empress's Qiwu Palace, Gu Qingya couldn't wait to pull Gu Qingwan away.

Guo also had some close female friends, and she quickly found some familiar ones to chat with.

Rong Yingluo stood alone at the palace gate, unsure which direction to take.

At this moment, Lady Qi and Ke Miaoran walked over.

"Sister Rong, come with us." Ke Miaoran walked over naturally and took Rong Yingluo's hand.

Her mother-in-law had just spoken to her privately, saying that Madam Gu was a pitiful person who might die any day, and that as a merchant's daughter, no one would likely want to play with her. She told her to make sure she accompanied her to familiarize herself with the palace, so as not to offend any noble people.

"Thank you, Sister Ke." Rong Yingluo naturally accepted the olive branch offered by Ke Miaoran.

The two held hands and went to find a place to play.

"Sister Ke, are your family related to Her Majesty the Empress?" Rong Yingluo asked casually, otherwise why wouldn't she be afraid of offending Consort Cao?

"How do you know? Did Prince Gu tell you?"