NOVPUBShen Roujia glanced at the extravagant scene before her. With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she remarked softly, “The General truly has a heart full of filial piety, arranging such a delicate birthday banquet for you, Old Madam.”
Her words, sharp as knives, pierced straight into Old Madam Gu’s heart. Each sentence hidden with traps, as if trying to find faults at any cost.
Old Madam Gu became noticeably more alert and her expression turned tense.
Shen Roujia laughed, “Where are the Gu family’s sisters? I don’t see them. It leaves me without anyone to talk to…”
Recently, there had been an incident at the palace. Consort Shu had specifically sent gifts to Gu Yunqing, but then the Zhao family suddenly fell, and the Qiao family came to exert pressure instead. Originally, a marriage was arranged for the third branch with the Qiao family, but it was called off due to this incident.
After everything was clarified, even Consort Li sent a message asking Gu Yunqing not to visit her in the palace anymore.
The second branch was furious and placed Gu Yunqing under house arrest because her unmotivated brother needed to focus on the imperial exams. They couldn’t let her ruin all the family’s official connections.
Later, Gu Qianqiu returned and caused a big scene over Gu Zhi’s marriage, disgracing the sisters in the family, who then refused to leave the house.
Shen Roujia brought this up clearly intending to reopen old wounds and embarrass Old Madam Gu.
Old Madam Gu pursed her lips, glaring at Shen Roujia. “The girls are shy and are inside embroidering.”
Shen Roujia nodded knowingly, “Oh, they are indeed shy, only daring to show off at polo matches.”
The Gu family’s fondness for attending these matches was well-known in the capital city. Old Madam Gu was so angry her stomach was churning. She felt as if she had invited a nemesis to ruin her peace.
She quickly laughed it off and turned to greet other guests. Just as Shen Roujia was about to stir up more trouble, she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
Ah, perfect timing. The white lotus had appeared, just in time to prevent boredom.
Gu Yunqing, having heard from someone that some members of the royal family were attending, decided to come out, hoping to see Xu Liangeng. To her surprise, she locked eyes with Shen Roujia’s smiling gaze.
Shen Roujia hadn’t forgotten the venomous words that had once spilled from Gu Yunqing’s pretty mouth. Words like “a cripple matched with an ugly woman”—Shen Roujia was the type to repay such insults tenfold. There was no way she would let such resentment fester.
Gu Yunqing, seeing Shen Roujia’s raised chin, couldn’t help but step back a few paces. Unexpectedly, Xu Liangeng really showed up.
Shen Roujia shifted her gaze and saw Xu Liangeng entering with a scroll of the Hundred Longevity Wishes as a gift. She couldn’t help but sneer. Xu Liangeng, using every trick in the book, had just secured a lucrative position at the horse market and was now aiming for military power.
Too bad he didn’t realize the Gu family’s sordid affairs. His appearance at Old Madam Gu’s birthday banquet was tantamount to slapping Gu Qianqiu in the face. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
Of course, Xu Liangeng quickly sensed something was wrong. All the officials’ wives present were unfamiliar faces, indicating this wasn’t an important event. Moreover, the person he was looking for, Gu Qianqiu, was absent, making Xu Liangeng uneasy. His smile grew fainter.
Shen Roujia scoffed, lifting her tea bowl and taking a sip.
