Chapter 157: Attending the Imperial Banquet

Snowflakes fell densely from the gloomy, low-hanging sky, painting the courtyard parasol trees in white. The accumulated snow reflected the light filtering through the clouds, making the world between heaven and earth bright before dawn.

This year's first snow arrived later than usual, yet it was a once-in-a-century blizzard. Yu Youwei stood quietly under the eaves, her mind dwelling on Old Madame's message delivered by Mother Qi last night regarding today's entry into the palace.

With no festival or special occasion, why would the Empress idle away her time hosting a Qionghua Banquet and specifically name her to be brought along by Old Madame? Was there some hidden agenda behind this?

Ning San's rise to prominence had made the Ning family's power blaze like oil poured on fire, and Emperor Qian was bound to feel threatened.

Anyone with discerning eyes knew what role the royal family had played in the disaster that befell the Yu family. During that critical juncture, she and Yu Shiyu had joined forces to orchestrate a comeback for the Yu family, making it impossible for Emperor Qian to tolerate her any longer. How could he possibly allow her to gain a firm footing in the Ning family and utilize their power to help the Yu family grow strong, only for them to one day exact a bloody revenge?

What benefits had the Wu family offered the royal family to make them tacitly permit the Wus to go on a killing spree in the imperial capital, destroying the Yu family's foundations overnight?

Furthermore, her father's death was inextricably linked to the royal family. Having occupied that throne for a full sixty years, Emperor Qian could not possibly be ignorant of the inside story.

No matter how one looked at it, this Qionghua Banquet seemed like a Feast at Hongmen, yet she apparently had no choice but to go. Mother Qi had emphasized this when conveying Old Madame's words, and although she had talked back to Old Madame yesterday and shown no pleasant expressions toward her eldest sister-in-law Lady Liu, she had no intention of having a complete falling out with the Ning family unless absolutely necessary. After all, if she broke ties with the Ning family, the first to suffer would be the Yu family, which had only just caught its breath.

When Mother Qi came to deliver the message, she had also brought a set of jewelry bestowed by Old Madame—a complete set crafted from rare Sea-Heart Purple Jade, which possessed the effect of purifying the mind and calming the spirit. Frequent wear could reduce the probability of being invaded inner demons during cultivation. In the realm of cultivators, this could be considered a heavy gift.

She remembered that back in Jiangning Prefecture, Old Madame had bestowed upon her a blood-jade bracelet. Blood jade, also known as blood-soul jade, had the effect of nourishing spiritual power. The blood jade used in that bracelet was of pure color and delicate texture, already forming thread-like veins—truly a finest product among blood jades, priced at tens of thousands of spirit stones and yet practically priceless. At the time, she had thought Old Madame exceptionally generous, but compared to this complete set of Sea-Heart Purple Jade jewelry, that blood-jade bracelet paled in significance.

Early that morning while dressing, Yu Youwei chose the Sea-Heart Purple Jade jewelry as a disguised gesture of reconciliation with Old Madame. One had to lower one's head when living under another's roof! Previously at the Mu family estate, in order to give her mother peace of mind, she had been forced to endure the cold glares of the Mu family. Now, for the sake of the Yu family, she had no choice but to bow her head to the Ning family.

With her heart bound by emotional tethers, she was like a caged bird lacking true freedom!

Gazing dully at the gloomy, low-hanging sky, Yu Youwei felt an urge to draw her sword and slash through the pervasive, overcast clouds.

A crisp whistle broke the quiet of the Ning residence. Ning Bowen, who had been practicing his martial arts early in the morning, finished his sword form at the sound and looked toward the direction of the Biyu Courtyard, his thick brows furrowing. In the whistle, he heard the frustration and unwillingness of a dragon trapped in shallow waters or a tiger fallen to the plains, feeling somewhat irritated: Does she truly refuse to settle down peacefully within the Ning family?

When paying his morning respects to his grandmother, Ning Bowen reminded her once more: "Today as we enter the palace, I fear some people might use the rumors as ammunition. Grandmother must not make things difficult for sister-in-law in front of outsiders."

"Your grandmother is not muddle-headed to that extent." Old Madame's appetite for the early morning had been ruined by her grandson's words, and looking at Yu Youwei made her feel even more displeased, though she forcibly suppressed her urge to flare up.

Aside from Yu Youwei, those accompanying Old Madame into the palace were Ning Ruotong, the second young miss of the direct lineage of the eldest branch, and Ning Ruoying, the sixth young miss. Born of the same mother, the two sisters had completely opposite personalities. The elder sister was a quiet introvert, while the younger sister was a chatterbox like a little lark. On the journey from the Ning residence to the imperial palace, Yu Youwei shared a carriage with the sisters, her scalp tingling from Ning Ruoying's endless barrage of "whys."

Just as they were about to disembark, Ning Ruotong suddenly smiled and said, "Sister-in-law can actually just ignore my younger sister; she has always been accustomed to talking to herself."

"Ning Ruotong, can you be any more vicious?" the little girl Ning Ruoying wailed.

"Grandmother is in the carriage right behind us. Do you wish to be punished and locked up in the dark room?" Inside the carriage, Ning Ruotong sat with absolute propriety, her skirt pleats maintaining their original shape, her voice gentle as a warm spring breeze. Yet the implication forced her younger sister to tightly seal her lips.

"Banquet banquets in the palace are the most boring things ever, though the food is not bad." Blinking, Ning Ruotong revealed a playful smile.

Seeing goodwill in her eyes, Yu Youwei smiled: "Then I must eat more, so as not to have made this trip to the palace in vain."

"No one in the Ning family is willing to spend effort on making such delicate delicacies, and I dislike chattering about uninteresting, vapid topics with those boring people, so I always just eat with an open stomach." Rumors regarding the imperial capital had long since spread throughout the eldest branch, though they had kept them from Old Madame, and no one dared to gossip with those in the seventh branch. Ning Ruotong had already foreseen the situation inside the palace and could only offer this hint.

"That's why you've become an old maid who can't get married." Ning Ruoying couldn't hold back her caustic mockery.

Ning Ruotong's expression shifted, revealing a trace of desolate misery as she ignored her younger sister.

Feeling perplexed but finding it inconvenient to inquire further, Yu Youwei steered the conversation elsewhere: "Is younger sister Yuluan not in the capital?"

Ning Ruoying said with disdain, "She and that disreputable concubine-mother of hers are back in our ancestral home!"

"Sixth sister, if you continue to speak without restraint, I'll have mother lock you in the dark room the moment we return." Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Ning Ruotong gave her younger sister a warning look before turning to tell Yu Youwei some anecdotes about the palace.

Inside the Shufang Hall of the palace, noble matrons and high-born ladies of the imperial capital's elite class were gathered in crowds. Amidst the rustling of silks and lingering fragrances, idle gossip concerning Yu Youwei spread like a flood, their appetite for scandal no less than that of common market folk.

No one defended Yu Youwei; even households with decent relations with the Ning family made no attempt to conceal their contempt for her. At most, after discussing her, they would sigh: "How could the Ning family allow such a woman to cross their threshold? It's just that Seventh Master Ning is far too good-natured!"

Before the disaster befell the Yu family, the connections they had accumulated within the imperial capital's top-tier social circles had been all but wiped out in that near-annihilation. Now, with the Fourth Lady of the Yu family inviting the Master of the Sword-Wielding Sect to stay at the Yu residence, people were once again eagerly trying to mend fences with them. However, when it came to Yu Youwei, a mere concubine-born daughter, no one was willing to step forward and protect her.

A concubine-born daughter was always a thorn in the legal mother's heart; even though it was plucked out upon marriage, the scar remained. Anyone whose brain wasn't kicked by a donkey would know better than to risk angering the Fourth Lady of the Yu family by speaking up for Yu Youwei.

As Yu Youwei followed Old Madame Ning and her granddaughters into the Shufang Hall, the hall fell eerily silent. She calmly surveyed the group of women idle to the point of molding—detached and cold, not even deigning to force a perfunctory smile.

Old Madame acted as though she were too dull-witted to understand why the bizarre atmosphere had formed, saying with an amiable smile, "I thought we set out early, yet it turns out we've arrived the latest."

Old Madame of the Yuwen family from the Northern Manor, herself a cunning old fox, smiled and stepped forward to greet her: "The snow last night was wonderfully auspicious. I set out quite early myself and only arrived a short while ago."

Did snow have anything to do with setting out early? This old lady certainly knew how to spin a yarn! Yu Youwei sneered inwardly.