Chapter 330: Chapter 330: Suffering Wife vs. Homewrecker (16) Chapter 330: Chapter 330: Suffering Wife vs. Homewrecker (16) The Empress Dowager was not old in age, seeming to be just over forty.
Of course, her real age was a bit higher than she appeared.
As an elder, Grand Princess Ronghua naturally received courtesies and was arranged to sit in the seat closest to the host’s position.
Normally, according to the rules, families like Lady Meng’s would be seated according to their imperial edict levels, but just then, Gu Shengyin was affectionately held in the arms of Grand Princess Ronghua, smiling, which meant she had to sit with her grandmother in a very conspicuous seat.
This garnered her quite a few assessing glances, especially from those families that had the intention of sending their girls to the palace, who all scrutinized Gu Shengyin.
When they recognized who she was, those looks turned quite friendly. After all, everyone seated there was well-informed, knowing that the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Liang was betrothed to the princely heir of Prince Zhenbei.
The Princess Consort of Zhenbei and the Old Princess Consort, being from the royal clan, of course, had seats rather close to the front as well.
At the moment, they were also sizing up Gu Shengyin.
The Old Princess Consort nodded internally as she saw her sitting with grace, her demeanor flawless amidst so many evaluating eyes, showing no change in her expression.
The Princess Consort of Zhenbei was not so pleased; Zhang Mingshu was her own niece, and it was because of this future daughter-in-law that she was sent to a separate residence, causing her to hold a poor impression of Gu Shengyin.
Not to mention that Gu Shengyin’s looks were exquisitely beautiful, unparalleled, which made her feel a hint of crisis, afraid that her son would neglect Mingshu after the marriage.
She feared her own son would favor the legal wife over the concubine. It has to be said that the mind of the Princess Consort of Zhenbei was filled with curious thoughts.
Gu Shengyin, of course, noticed the examining gaze of the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, but the other was too blatant, truly causing her to feel repulsion.
Grand Princess Ronghua at her side gently patted her hand, directing a stern gaze straight at the Princess Consort of Zhenbei.
The Princess Consort of Zhenbei suddenly met the Grand Princess’s severe eyes, and in her panic, she couldn’t help but lower her eyelids, not daring to confront her.
The Old Princess Consort looked at her daughter-in-law with a ‘you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear’ attitude, despising her for not having an ounce of the dignity of a princess consort after so many years, truly a disgrace!
A banquet was nothing more than enjoying the performances of the palace entertainers together, greeting acquainted madams, and receiving some gifts from the Empress Dowager. Gu Shengyin felt it somewhat dull and found an excuse to slip away quietly.
At this time, the Imperial Garden was truly quiet, given that all the ministers and their families were at the front.
The lights were bright, and under the guidance of a junior eunuch, Gu Shengyin slowly admired the forgotten beauty of this place.
“Is there something to quench my thirst?” asked Gu Shengyin.
The junior eunuch was young, with a clear and crisp voice, “Yes, but it will take some time for me to fetch it now. Miss, why don’t you wait in the small pavilion ahead?”
Seeing Gu Shengyin nod, the junior eunuch emphasized again and again not to wander off, lest she get lost in the Imperial Garden and offend someone, before he left.
Once he was gone, Gu Shengyin breathed a sigh of relief, found the small pavilion, and settled herself into a comfortable position to sit down.
She had been forced to drink a cup of wine offered by the Empress Dowager earlier, and her body could not quite handle alcohol, feeling somewhat tipsy now.
She shook her head to clear it, and looking up, she saw a tree with flowers extending through the roof of the pavilion. Not sure what they were, the large clusters of layered petals were blooming beautifully. She wanted to stretch out her hand to reach them.