Peasant Woman's Decreed Life as a Wife

Chapter 1620: Chapter 1617: Considerations

“This palace does not know what she will do during this period, so we need Madam Chu to observe for two days. However, rest assured, this palace will send someone to the residence and will not involve Madam.”

“If Madam is unwilling to believe it, this palace is willing to personally speak to Lord Chu.”

Ye Muyu finally only said she would give her an answer after the banquet ended.

The Elder Princess did not press further, leaving her time to consider. Afterward, other ladies close to the Elder Princess joined in, making Ye Muyu less conspicuous.

A group of people entered the palace.

This banquet was not separated; it was all held outside the hall. After Ye Muyu arrived, she was led by a palace lady to the appropriate position.

She discovered that the position arranged for Chu Heng in the palace was surprisingly forward, even on par with the Second Rank officials, ranking among the top in the third-grade officials.

This detail made Ye Muyu pay more attention.

At the top, there were five seats, indicating that both the Dowager Empress and the Empress would attend. Besides them, there were also positions for two favored concubines.

Below them, there were arrangements for four long lines of seats, likely for the now-adult princes of Great Chu.

Following down were the Grand Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, as well as major officials from the Three Departments and Six Ministries, closely followed by Chu Heng’s position.

Opposite Chu Heng’s position was prominently the position for envoys from smaller countries, and further down, where one could hardly see Emperor Xuanming’s appearance, sat officials below the third-grade.

Ye Muyu, with Chu Ziluo, sat cross-legged at their position. The low table was not high, and it already had three plates with pastries, fruits, and melon seeds, etc.

The melon seeds were watermelon seeds. Nowadays, there were not many sunflower seeds in Great Chu. Instead, with the prevalence of watermelons, watermelon seeds became the first choice for hosting guests.

There were several kinds of pastries, all traditional, requiring tea to savor slowly.

Ye Muyu worried that drinking too much tea would be inconvenient, so she didn’t touch the pastries or watermelon seeds.

Chu Ziluo sat obediently beside her.

The banquet had not yet started, so Ye Muyu first took her to meet the other ladies. Afterward, returning, many people came voluntarily to greet her.

Ye Muyu responded with a faint smile, not saying much, nor offending anyone.

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly the hour to begin the banquet, and suddenly the voice of the Imperial Attendant sounded at the door: “His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress have arrived…”

The courtiers hurriedly returned to their positions and knelt to pay respects.

“Rise, beloved subjects.” Emperor Xuanming, dressed in bright yellow clothes, made it hard for people to look directly at him.

After Emperor Xuanming went up and sat separately from the Dowager Empress and Empress, the officials stood up.

Ye Muyu saw Chu Heng come around from the back, reaching out to pull her back to her position. She sat below him, his broad figure almost completely shielding her.

“Ah Heng, did you come with the Emperor?” Ye Muyu asked curiously in a low voice.

She seemed to have seen a few officials following Emperor Xuanming earlier. Seeing the direction Chu Heng came from and knowing that he had entered the palace early, she became more certain.

Chu Heng gave a slight acknowledgment, placing a plate of cold dishes and hot tea in front of her: “The hot dishes are probably cold by now, so you can only have cold dishes. If you feel cold, just drink hot tea.”

“Don’t worry about me; I will take good care of myself.” Ye Muyu casually picked up a pig’s ear, slowly eating. Even a pig’s ear at the palace banquet was as thin as a feather, with a specially made marinade, tasting exceptionally good, much better than reheated hot dishes.