Chapter 319: The Emperor Sends People to Urge

Ye Qianning felt that even if she put her foot down, they wouldn’t listen.

This couldn’t go on forever. Missing the Emperor’s birthday banquet would bring serious consequences.

"Dad, why don’t we get ready and head to the palace first?" she said, looking up at him.

Xiang Minghou thought for a moment before standing up, still holding her.

Zhan Yi and Mrs. Zhan quickly rose as well. "If Pangtuan is going to the palace, shouldn’t she be with our Zhan family?"

"I think it would be best for her to go with the Qian family," Qian Fu and Qian Fanji said, also rising.

It was the child’s first time attending a palace banquet, so the family she accompanied was also very important.

Gu Shuo shot a meaningful glance at the old man.

Elder Gu received the signal and stepped forward. "Of course, she should go with our Gu family."

"Elder Gu, you’re a merchant. I don’t believe you’re on the guest list for the banquet, are you?" said Qian Fu.

"My grandson is an imperial merchant, and I am his family dependent. How could I not be included?" ’Since the little lass is attending the banquet, I naturally have to go too. Otherwise, they’ll steal all the glory!’

...

Ye Qianning was truly speechless. ’They can even argue about this.’

Xiang Minghou’s expression darkened. "My daughter will, of course, enter the palace as a young lady of the Xiang family. As for the rest of you, dream on."

"The blood test involved four families, so on what grounds should she exclusively take the title of a young lady from the Xiang family?" Mrs. Zhan was still hoping to bring the little girl into the palace for her other daughter to see.

Although the Qian and Gu families said nothing, their expressions showed they completely agreed with Mrs. Zhan.

’All four families have a claim. On what grounds can Xiang Minghou hog her all to himself?’

Xiang Minghou refused to yield, and the other three families wouldn’t give in. As the sky darkened, the group was still locked in a stalemate.

"General, someone from the palace has arrived," the steward announced, jogging over.

Without a second thought, Xiang Minghou said, "Send them away."

"Yes..."

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, my lords! The Emperor’s birthday banquet is about to begin! Why are you all gathered here at the General’s residence?" The young eunuch had been waiting anxiously at the gate and decided to run in himself.

He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t come in, but one look and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. So, it turned out everyone who was late for the banquet was right here. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Your Grace, please calm yourself." Seeing the grim expressions on everyone’s faces, Dean Chen stepped forward to greet the eunuch.

"Dean Chen, this is a crisis! The banquet is about to start! The Emperor noticed that several families had yet to arrive, so he ordered this servant and a group of eunuchs to go to each residence and hurry them along." The young eunuch was frantic.

Dean Chen didn’t need to imagine how grim the Emperor’s expression must be. He turned to the crowd and said, "All of you, stop arguing. Today, the little lass will enter the palace as my apprentice."

Ye Qianning thought that was a good idea. She wiggled a little. "Dad, I’ll go with Master."

Xiang Minghou held her tight and refused to let go.

"Dad."

After a moment of silence, Xiang Minghou finally set her down.

Ye Qianning felt a great sense of relief and ran over to Dean Chen.

Dean Chen took the little one’s hand. "Is there anything left to argue about now?"

With her going with Dean Chen, who could possibly object?

"Let’s go. To the palace." Dean Chen led Ye Qianning out the door. ’What an exhausting day,’ he thought.

Zhan Yi and Mrs. Zhan exchanged a glance and followed them out, as did everyone else.

The sky was completely dark by now. The group had no time to return to their own manors, so they all boarded their carriages and headed directly for the palace.

Weighed down by their concerns, no one cared about their attire anymore. They would just go through the motions at the banquet and get it over with.

In the carriage, Mrs. Zhan couldn’t help but speak up as she looked at her son’s ghastly face. "Son, maybe you shouldn’t go."

"How could I do that? She’s my daughter. I have to be there to watch over her, or I won’t feel at ease." Zhan Chi didn’t care about his looks.

"Oh, so now you know how to say the right things? Now you realize you want a daughter? If you had been this dedicated from the start, things wouldn’t have become so complicated," Zhan Yi huffed.

Zhan Chi knew the little fatty didn’t like him much. ’But time reveals a person’s heart,’ he thought. ’Sooner or later, she’ll see my good side.’