The place where the noblewomen are hosted is at Zichen Palace, and all noblewomen of sixth rank and above must enter the palace.

The banquet is hosted by the Empress, and only noblewomen of third rank and above are qualified to attend the banquet in the palace. The rest of the noblewomen receive a dish bestowed by the Empress and must take their leave.

At this moment, the banquet had not yet begun. Yun Jiao slowly entered the hall and was about to take her seat when a middle-aged woman approached her with a slight bow, "Greetings, National Lady."

Yun Jiao glanced at her and recognized her as the wife of Minister Han of the Ministry of Personnel, hastily returning the courtesy, "Mrs. Yuan."

Mrs. Yuan smiled and said, "Thanks to the miraculous medicine of the National Lady, my daughter is much better now."

Yun Jiao smiled and replied, "That is good to hear."

Mrs. Yuan was unaware of the truth behind her daughter’s illness. The issue of Miss Han’s dream encounters with a man was something she knew was disgraceful and hadn’t even told the maids.

She spoke with a smile, "My daughter’s marriage is already settled, and she will marry in the latter half of the year. I hope the National Lady will grace us with her presence then."

Yun Jiao nodded, "Congratulations, congratulations, I will certainly attend."

At this point, a palace maid came over, paid her respects, and guided Yun Jiao to her seat.

Apart from the Empress, Yun Jiao was the highest-ranked noblewoman in the hall.

Currently, there were no Princes in the Great Chu Dynasty; they were all still undergoing reforming labor in Jin Country, and the Emperor’s sons were still young, not yet granted the title of Prince, let alone having a Princess.

Yun Jiao’s seat was to the left of the Empress, so even Madam Chengen, the Empress’s own mother, was ranked lower than Yun Jiao and sat to the right of the Empress.

As for the Imperial Concubine and the Emperor’s other concubines, they were not qualified to attend this banquet.

A concubine is a concubine; no matter how high their rank, they remain concubines.

Noblewomen below third rank, having received the dishes bestowed by the Empress, all took their leave, and the banquet at Zichen Palace only then commenced.

To speak plainly, these banquets are not particularly entertaining; they are really just a form of consolation from the Royal Family to the ministers, a formality.

The ladies, each wearing a phoenix crown, gracefully took a few bites of the meal, merely putting on a show.

Yun Jiao rarely wore a phoenix crown, which probably weighed five or six pounds. With such a heavy crown, she dared not lower her head for fear that the crown hadn’t been secured properly and might accidentally fall off her head.

Finally, when the banquet concluded, Yun Jiao and the noblewomen rose to take their leave from the Empress. The Empress smiled and said, "National Lady, please stay a while. We sisters haven’t seen each other for a long time; let’s have a chat."

Yun Jiao had no choice but to stay.

When most of the people had left, the Empress descended from her phoenix throne, took Yun Jiao’s hand, and smiled, "Sister, come sit in my palace for a while. You rarely come to the palace."

Once in the Empress’s bedroom, the Empress dismissed everyone, leaving only a close nanny, and then said to Yun Jiao, "I have something to discuss with you."

She pondered for a moment, "Li Er is now eleven, and I plan to settle his marriage early."

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiao’s heart started to pound.

Wei Li was the Eldest Prince born to the Empress. She had seen him a few times, and the child seemed quite good, appearing humble and well-mannered. But why discuss the Eldest Prince’s marriage with her?

Could it be?

Sure enough, the Empress continued, "Among the young girls in Manxiang City, I have thought and looked again, and only your Ruru aligns with my heart."

"I thought, it’s better to settle the marriage between the two children early; it will also help them cultivate their relationship."

"Growing up together as childhood sweethearts, their feelings for each other will naturally be deeper than others in the future."