A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace-Chapter 772

「Two days later.」

The Little Heir’s full-moon banquet arrived as scheduled.

Lord Marquis Zhongyong was the Emperor’s trusted confidant, and the Marquis title was personally bestowed by His Majesty. In the recently concluded war against the Southern Ocean Kingdom, he had established tremendous military achievements. Meanwhile, his sister, Consort Xian, was deeply favored by the Emperor in the Harem and had successively given birth to three princes. The Xia Family Marquis Mansion was rapidly rising in court. Not only had they secured a firm footing, but they were also highly sought after!

Who in the current imperial court would not wish to form connections with Lord Marquis Zhongyong? Even if they did not have connections, they would try to create some. Thus, the Little Heir’s full-moon banquet was an excellent opportunity. Those with invitations naturally had no worries. And those who did not have an invitation but wished to climb the social ladder were somewhat vexed. To forge some connections, they were so desperate that they practically scoured their family trees for eight generations, fearing they might overlook an ancestor with even a slight connection. One family doing this wasn’t so alarming, but the problem was that many families were doing the same.

Not to mention others, the Ni Family alone could no longer withstand it! Previously, Lady Ni wouldn’t receive even one invitation in a month. Now, she could receive ten or twenty a day. In just a few short days, her room was almost full, with no place to put all the invitations! Old Master Ni himself was also being dragged around by his colleagues to drink every day, under the noble pretext of ’making friends’. Though he was an unrefined man who loved drinking and feasting, he wasn’t a fool; he understood what these daily invitations were truly about. Over time, the couple became so wary they hardly dared to step outside. As a result, this group of people turned their attention towards Ni Manxue.

Back in their younger days, all the young ladies had grown up together like close friends. Some had married, while others remained unwed. Those young ladies, as long as they had some ties with Ni Manxue, were either cherished by their own families or by their in-laws. It was as if these young ladies were to be regarded as crucial links for forging family connections. And so, under the onslaught of various young ladies and young wives, Ni Manxue too was overwhelmed.

At that time, she was still in her month of postpartum confinement. Hearing that so many people wished to visit her, she couldn’t help but find it deeply ironic.

Back then... when I was with him, how many people laughed at me!

Now... that we’re happily together, why are they all crowding around?! 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Dong’er also felt her mistress was in the right. "Exactly!" she said. "When you married the Marquis back then, he was just a guard! Everyone laughed at us! But now, the Marquis is a Marquis, and they’re shamelessly cozying up, not even minding the hypocrisy!"

Ni Manxue gave a weak smile. "Never mind. If I don’t want to see them, then I won’t. We don’t need to discuss this."

Dong’er bowed her head and muttered an "Oh," without saying more.

「On October thirteenth, the day of the full-moon banquet.」

The Marquis Mansion was adorned with lanterns and colored banners. All important court officials, civil and military alike, seemed to have put aside their grudges for the time being. They met with an amicable demeanor. The Marquis Mansion was not small, and the banquet hall was very spacious. Ni Manxue personally oversaw the full-moon banquet for her son, ensuring everything was in perfect order.

During the event, the Emperor even sent someone to convey his decree. He directly approved Xia Tingfeng’s petition to bestow the title of Princely Heir upon his son and also bestowed many gifts to express his congratulations. The crowd, kneeling in a dense mass, hurried to express their gratitude. Xia Tingfeng personally accepted the imperial decree and stood up with the support of Eunuch Li.

Eunuch Li said with a smile, "Marquis, congratulations, congratulations! His Majesty is very pleased with the addition of a new young master to your noble house! He even said... the Marquis should raise him well! So that one day, he may continue to be a pillar of the state!"

Xia Tingfeng smiled appreciatively and bowed with clasped fists. "Many thanks to His Majesty! And thank you for your efforts, Eunuch Li!" With that said, he ordered someone to invite Li Shengan to take a seat and serve tea.

Li Shengan could not well refuse. Out of respect for the Marquis, a little tea wouldn’t hurt! It was tea, not wine, after all. If it had been wine, he wouldn’t have dared to drink it, not even if his life depended on it!

And so, after drinking half a cup of tea, Li Shengan still hurriedly left.

The full-moon banquet continued. Everyone seemed to regard the people from Xia Residence with even more respect. This was, after all, support personally demonstrated by the Emperor in front of all civil and military officials! If one didn’t try to curry favor, would one dare to offend them instead?!

「After the full-moon banquet.」

Ni Manxue took some more time to recuperate, and her health improved a lot. Ever since she had a son, coupled with her husband’s support, she had certainly become a rising star among the noble ladies of Capital City. Whether it was a tea-tasting at a Madam’s residence or a flower-viewing event, they were pleased to invite her. However, Ni Manxue had no interest in these gatherings; attending only two or three out of ten invitations was considered a good turnout for her. Gradually, those who were not familiar with her stopped reaching out.

Outside the palace, there was peace and harmony, while the days inside the palace were also quite interesting. After October and into the winter, the weather became increasingly cold. Noble Consort Shih, managing The Six Palaces, grew even more proficient. As the year-end approached, she managed to organize various banquets, both big and small, with proper form and style, learning from previous precedents. Zhao Junyao accidentally learned of this and praised her twice. From that point onwards, she became unstoppable! She took the matters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs much more seriously than in previous years. Apart from her own little schemes, she wouldn’t let anyone else interfere or play any tricks.

If she discovered any wrongdoing, palace maids were immediately caned to death. Lesser-ranked Honored Ladies and Ladies were demoted. As for higher-ranking concubines, she would assign people to thoroughly investigate before meting out appropriate punishment. Higher-ranking concubines all cared about their reputation. Nobody wanted to ruin their reputation for a meager profit. Thus, under the Noble Consort’s formidable methods, the Harem indeed became much more orderly and transparent than before.

Xia Ruqing, looking at her list of tribute items, was very satisfied.

This Noble Consort might be ruthless and vicious in her methods, but she doesn’t seem as despicable as the former Empress; she’s actually quite straightforward! If I want to harm you, I’ll make it clear I’m going to harm you! It’s written all over my face. When we cross paths, a vicious fight is inevitable! But the Empress was different. She was a smiling tiger, appearing kind and benevolent on the surface but stabbing you in the back. Looking at it this way, the Noble Consort seems to have the upper hand! Hmm!

Xia Ruqing gave her assessment.

In this round, the Noble Consort wins! Although she’s definitely not a good person, at least there’s a clear distinction between them now.

With the Harem in better order, Zhao Junyao was also quite pleased. For this reason, as the year’s end approached, he especially rewarded Noble Consort Shih with quite a few gifts, saying it was ’to reward her for her hard work in managing the Harem’.

Noble Consort Shih, holding these gifts, looked at them one by one. She was truly excited and knelt down on the spot. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your concubine will surely work even harder in the future to alleviate Your Majesty’s worries!"

Zhao Junyao smiled. "Do your best! As long as you behave yourself, I won’t mistreat you!"

These words, while sounding like vast imperial grace, actually felt somewhat cold. Noble Consort Shih was momentarily bewildered.

What does ’behave’ mean?

A pang of pain shot through her heart.

Had she and her cousin really reached such a state?! Behave? When had his Lady Xia ever behaved? That woman is a vixen! Pregnant, lying-in, or having her monthly period—when has she ever behaved? So why, when it came to her, did she need to ’behave’?