After a lesson, both Xiao Yunheng and Li Xue calmed down, and Yun Zishu was able to have some peace and quiet for two days.
Concubine Wu's birthday arrived in an instant.
In order to show his love for the imperial concubine, the emperor decreed that in addition to the royal family and ministers of third rank or above, the royal family princesses, wives of officials of third rank or above and their legitimate daughters should enter the palace to attend the palace banquet.
On the royal road leading to the palace, luxurious and elegant carriages passed by one after another early in the morning.
"There are so many people." Leng Yue looked at the carriages on the street one after another, "Today's palace banquet is going to be lively."
"The imperial concubine is now in charge of the harem. Her power is equivalent to that of a queen. She also has Yun Chen as the heir apparent. The imperial concubine's father is a tutor who is highly respected by the emperor. Who dares not to take her birthday banquet seriously?" Yun Zishu was sitting there.
In the carriage, a faint voice said, "Every civil and military court must support her."
Leng Shuang was sitting in the front driving the car, and her tone was very cold: "Even if she looks like a queen, she has not sat on the position of queen after all. Your Highness does not need to take her seriously."
Yun Zishu said nothing.
She really didn't take Concubine Wu seriously. After all, she didn't need to rely on her for favors, and she wasn't worried that Concubine Wu would make things difficult for her.
No matter what Yun Zishu wants to do now, she must risk her life as the premise, so she is naturally not afraid of anyone.
The carriage drove all the way to the inner city and stopped outside the inner city gate.
Yun Zishu got off the carriage and was about to step into the palace gate when a young chamberlain came over and said respectfully: "Only the nobles and masters of the noble families can participate in the imperial concubine's Qianqiu Banquet. The maids and servants are not allowed to follow."
Yun Zishu looked at the chamberlain and said calmly: "These two beside me are neither maids nor servants. They are shadow guards from the Shadow Pavilion and have the authority to enter and leave the palace."
When the chamberlain heard this, his expression changed slightly: "But..." The imperial concubine specifically stated that the ninth princess was not allowed to bring anyone into the palace.
"But what?" Leng Yue said impatiently, "Can you still change the rules of Shadow Pavilion?"
As soon as these words came out, a look of fear suddenly appeared on the waiter's face.
Leng Yue said: "Leng Shuang and I are ordered to protect the princess. No one has the right to transfer us away from the princess."
The servant's face turned pale, and when he was about to speak, a woman's voice suddenly sounded next to him: "Why is the ninth princess embarrassing my father-in-law? This is the rule of the palace, and my father-in-law also acts according to the rules."
Yun Zishu turned her head and saw Wu Jingyi, Taifu Wu's granddaughter, who was also followed by two personal maids.
"My two maids know the rules better, unlike the Ninth Princess..." Wu Jingyi looked at Leng Shuang and Leng Yue with a slightly disdainful expression, "They always use their identities as Shadow Guards to scare people, just like the Ninth Princess
She is like a princess who uses power to bully others."
"Miss Wu is absolutely right." Yun Zishu looked calm, "I am just a princess who pretends to be powerful and bullies others to make you laugh."
Wu Jingyi's face turned green: "You——"
"The two guards of this palace also abide by the rules." Yun Zishu looked at the father-in-law in front of her who was obviously coming with bad intentions. "If you continue to obstruct me, you may need to go to the Shadow Pavilion and invite the commander to come and talk."
The waiter's expression changed, and he finally did not dare to say anything more. He turned around obediently and led the way for Yun Zishu and Wu Jingyi.
Yun Zishu walked into the palace gate expressionlessly, but she saw Wu Jingyi coming with two maids. She said, "Didn't Miss Wu just say that she abides by the rules, and that her maids also know the rules?"
Wu Jingyi's steps froze slightly and she said coldly: "You two stay outside."
"yes."
Yun Zishu twitched the corner of her mouth, as if mocking.
Wu Jingyi suppressed her anger: "Today is the imperial concubine's aunt's banquet. Yun Zishu, you'd better avoid causing trouble."
"As long as others don't mess with me, I have no interest in causing trouble at her birthday banquet." Yun Zishu tilted her head to look at her, her voice as calm as if she had no emotion at all, "But Miss Wu may have thought that she was protected by the imperial concubine.
I don’t dare to do anything to you, so I dare to call you by my name without any respect.”
Wu Jingyi's expression changed, and she subconsciously looked at the two maids behind her. For some reason, her intuition told her that it would be safer to stay away from them.
Besides, she knows the rules now in the palace.
For a minister's daughter to call a princess by her first name, regardless of whether the princess is favored or not, is an extremely disrespectful act. If a quarrel breaks out, even if the imperial concubine protects her, she will still ignore it.
Even though Wu Jingyi was the niece of a noble concubine, she did not dare to openly challenge the strictness of the palace rules. She had some scruples and finally stopped.
The two arrived together at the Changchun Palace where the imperial concubine lived. The interior and exterior of the palace were completely new, the decorations were very bright, and even the palace attendants put on brightly colored new clothes.
The banquet was crowded and lively, and the etiquette was much more relaxed than usual. The noble ladies went to meet the concubine in twos and threes. After seeing the ceremony, they went directly to the side hall to chat. In the main hall, the concubine and the eldest princess sat on the main seats, one on the left and one on the right, and other concubines from the harem sat with them.
They were talking and joking, with respectful and flattering smiles on their faces.
As the daughter of Concubine Wu, Yun Zirou naturally went there early to cuddle up and act coquettishly. Wu Jingyi is the niece of Concubine Wu, so she came up to say hello affectionately when they met her.
Princess Baozhu didn't look so arrogant today. She didn't dare to speak when she saw Yun Zishu. She didn't know what stimulated her.
There were many people today, so there was no need to go up one by one to see the ceremony. Yun Zishu went directly to the side hall where the young ladies were.
The ladies were all dressed up brightly and full of vigor.
However, as a popular figure in the imperial city in the past two days, the first woman in the Yong Dynasty to divorce her husband, and also a royal princess, Yun Zishufu immediately attracted the attention of all the noble ladies as soon as she appeared in the side hall.
"Your Highness the Princess." A cautious official woman took the initiative to salute.
Yun Zishu's attitude was gentle: "No need to be polite."
A woman who deliberately curry favor with the imperial concubine smiled in a sinister way: "Her Royal Highness the Princess is so powerful now. Not only can she divorce Major General Xiao, but she doesn't even need to salute when she sees the imperial concubine?"
Yun Zishu sat aside with a calm expression: "I have never heard of which concubine the princess should bow to."
As soon as these words came out, everyone at the table took a breath.
All the noble ladies looked frightened and looked at the woman who had just spoken provocatively. That noble woman had a good relationship with Xiao Yunwu, and her father was a county king who only had a name but no real power.
When Yun Zishu said this, her face turned red. She was frightened and frightened for a moment, and she didn't know how to end it.
If the noble concubine had listened to what she just said, I'm afraid the matter would not be rectified.
The direct princess is indeed more noble than the imperial concubine.
But as we all know, Concubine Wu is the most powerful master in the harem at the moment. Not to mention the princess, even the concubines have to act based on the expression of the concubine.
Yun Zishu... how dare she?
The fourth princess Yun Zijiao said: "I heard that Ninth Sister divorced General Xiao."
Yun Zishu turned her eyes: "What? Fourth sister also wants to follow suit?"
Yun Zijiao's expression suddenly changed, and then she smiled stiffly: "Jiu Mei Hu... what are you talking about? How can I have those deviant thoughts?"
As we all know, Yun Zijiao did not have a good relationship with her husband-in-law, and the fourth princess was from a humble background, her mother was only a beauty, so she had little say in her husband's family.
The fourth princess's consort is also a man with a bad temper. If he is slightly dissatisfied, he will hit or scold Yun Zijiao.
On weekdays, whether Yun Zirou, Xiao Yunwu, or even Wu Jingyi was seeing Yun Zijiao, she would involuntarily try to establish a relationship. However, she usually had very few opportunities to go out, and even fewer opportunities to win over people's hearts.
When Yun Zishu said this at this time, she immediately felt fearful in her heart. If these words reached the ears of the consort, she would be beaten again.
"By the way." Wu Jingyi raised her eyes slightly and stared closely at Yun Zishu, "A few days ago, the princess bought a set of phoenix crown hairpins in the Imperial Treasure Pavilion. I heard it was worth ten thousand taels of gold. Why didn't Her Royal Highness take it out as a gift?
Imperial concubine?"
Yun Zishu smiled half-heartedly: "Who told you that my tiara is for the imperial concubine?"