Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 1430 - 249, Old Stories (46)

The time had soon arrived for the banquet, and Xiao Linshuang had returned, led by a little palace maid, accompanied by Sixth Prince Zhao Hongyan as well.

Their flushed, happy little faces suggested they had just been playing together.

As the group got up and headed toward the side hall, Yao Hanai and several young noble ladies were also making their way over. Lin Yuan glanced out of the corner of her eye and caught Yao Zhilan whispering something to the ladies, while Yao Hanai walked at the forefront with a face full of righteous indignation.

"You should avoid associating with them," Yan Ruchun suddenly whispered, Lin Yuan blinked, turning to look at her.

Yan Ruchun maintained a straight-ahead gaze, as if she wasn’t the one who had just spoken. But when Lin Yuan looked her way, she added, "I’m only giving you a friendly reminder because you trust my father—I mean nothing else by it. If you think I have ulterior motives, feel free to pretend you didn’t hear anything."

After speaking, Yan Ruchun briskly walked a few steps ahead, intentionally creating distance between herself and Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan’s lips curved slightly, and she continued on toward the side hall.

By the time everyone arrived, about half of the guests were already seated.

As a recently appointed County Master, Lin Yuan’s status was relatively high among the female guests. Moreover, being under Princess Anle’s protection, the palace maids naturally led them to seats behind Princess Anle.

Yan Ruchun was cared for by Consort Liu, and Yao Hanai’s father was The Grand Scholar, so naturally, they got seats near the front. However, Xu Muqing and others had to take seats much further back.

Xu Muqing was actually pleased with the seating arrangement and started drooling over the fruit plate on the small table as soon as she sat down. But since the banquet had not yet begun, and everyone was maintaining their dignity while chatting, no one was eating anything yet.

This was frustrating for Xu Muqing, who sat up straight in front of the little table, her chubby little hands fidgeting restlessly under the cover of her wide sleeves.

Wei Borong, sitting across from her, happened to see her and then noticed his beloved little chubbster rolling her eyes while sneakily and swiftly popping something she was holding into her mouth.

Wei Borong chuckled, delighted at the sight of Xu Muqing’s small mouth moving, pausing, and then unable to resist moving again.

Although it wasn’t Lin Yuan’s first time entering the palace, it was her first time attending a palace banquet. To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie. The whole Dynasty Dayong’s officials were in this hall—effectively, the core leaders of Dynasty Dayong were all gathered. If an enemy spy were to sneak in and slip some poison, they could easily take down the entire Dynasty Dayong!

Thinking this through, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She had watched too many palace drama shows and was even making up her own plots.

As she was musing, Lin Yuan suddenly felt an intensely hot gaze fixed on her, coming from the men’s section across from her.

She subconsciously wanted to look back but immediately dropped her eyelids decisively. Foolish girl—she could guess who it was without even looking, and she almost looked back inviting trouble! Thankfully, Xia Zheng wasn’t there, otherwise his jealousy would surely be provoked again.

Watching Ma Junying’s ardent eyes locked on Lin Yuan, Cheng Yuexiu, who had been paying close attention to Ma Junying, wished she could claw Lin Yuan’s face to shreds!

"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!"

She cursed the word ’bitch’ three times, but Cheng Yuexiu still could not dispel the anger in her heart. These days, she had either been fawning over Ma Xiaonan or getting her father to help Ma Junying by pulling strings and building relationships. Yet he had completely disregarded her kindness. Even knowing Lin Yuan would marry no one but Xia Zheng, his heart remained with that little bitch.

"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived!"

The sharp voice of an old eunuch suddenly rang out at the entrance, and everyone knelt to one side to greet Their Majesties.

After the Emperor and Empress were seated, the people below expressed their gratitude in unison, then finally stood up and returned to their seats.

Once seated, Lin Yuan caught sight of Su Qiuyu returning to her place from the Empress’s side. Although her demeanor was cold, her eyes and brows betrayed a sense of pride that placed her above everyone else.

Look at that, you’re all kneeling on the ground, but I was the one supporting the Empress as she entered.

Su Qiuyu’s seat was arranged beside Princess Cuiwei. Lin Yuan had encountered Princess Cuiwei once during her last visit to the palace, and though it was just a brief meeting, she had made a deep impression.

The Legitimate Eldest Princess, born of the Empress, was supposed to be the apple of everyone’s eye, yet she bore a sorrowful expression and seemed exceedingly aloof.

Glancing back at the Empress’s niece, Su Qiuyu, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but wonder why the task of supporting the Empress was handed not to her own daughter, but to her niece instead.

Lin Yuan quietly inquired with Tian Hui, who was sitting beside her. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Tian Hui looked somewhat troubled, but after glancing around and seeing that no one was paying attention, she whispered the story to her.

It turned out that Princess Cuiwei had once been fond of a young man, but he was just a lowly guard. The Empress, feeling he was unworthy of her precious daughter, refused to consent to the match. However, Princess Cuiwei was a woman of strong character, and once she was set on someone, no amount of opposition would make her yield.

Ultimately, the Empress proposed a condition: if the guard could bring back a thousand-year ginseng from the deep mountains, she would agree to the marriage.

Although a thousand-year ginseng was rare, one could find it with diligent search. The guard, thinking he would have a better chance of finding it deep in the mountains, ventured into the wilderness.

But while the mountains were full of treasures, they were also full of dangers. The guard encountered a black bear and was overpowered, losing his life to its claws. Even more heartbreakingly, the Eldest Prince, deeply concerned for his sister, slipped out of the palace in disguise to follow the guard into the mountains, hoping to help his sister be with the man she loved.

Thus, the two perished together.

On learning of this, the Empress was overwhelmed with grief, never having imagined that her efforts to prevent her daughter’s marriage would cost the life of her beloved son. And Princess Cuiwei, in this tragedy, lost not only her lover but also her dearest elder brother, plunging her into the depths of despair.

Princess Cuiwei believed the entire ordeal was a conspiracy: the Empress had deliberately sent the guard into the deep mountains to search for the ginseng, only to ambush and kill him once he was isolated. And even if the Empress did not order a hit, the sheer dangers of the mountains would have been enough to ensure his demise.