Originally, Zhu Yu was a bit worried that the two of them didn’t even bother to find a carriage and just walked over, which might seem a bit off, but upon reaching the gate of the Duke Yan Mansion, they realized it was unnecessary.

Despite the street in front of the Duke Yan Mansion being quite wide, it was already blocked by the carriages of various dignitaries, so much that those luxurious, grand carriages were stuck in place and couldn’t move, forcing the highly esteemed court officials inside to disembark and walk to the mansion gate.

Zhu Yu naturally believed that, given the usual insight and capability of the steward and servants of the Duke Yan Mansion, they couldn’t fail to handle a somewhat larger event. So the only explanation was that the number of guests today far exceeded their original expectations.

As for why it exceeded expectations, it wasn’t hard to guess the answer—recently, Duke Yan frequently used his power and status at court to place his cronies and trusted followers in critical positions, and Emperor Jin didn’t show any displeasure, seemingly allowing it to happen. This undoubtedly signaled to others around—a hint that cozying up to Duke Yan would soon lead to great fortune.

Hence, those who were hesitant and watching from the sidelines now started to have thoughts, and those who wanted to curry favor but lacked the opportunity figured that even if they couldn’t get a drink, as long as they could present their gifts and have them registered, they would at least be one step closer to Duke Yan.

Lu Qing and Zhu Yu were posing as distant relatives of Duke Yan, a relationship that wasn’t close and hadn’t had much interaction over the years. It’s understandable not to have an invitation. Following protocol, they entered through the side gate and registered their names, presenting their birthday gift for inspection to ensure there was nothing inappropriate. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

When the registrar saw they were distant relatives of Duke Yan, it was inappropriate to turn them away, but they weren’t given much attention either. Casually glancing at the unremarkable pair and their equally unimpressive gift, the registrar instructed the servants to lead them to a long table in the corner of the courtyard, indicating this was where they should sit.

The table seemed to be occupied by relatives of Duke Yan who weren’t influential but had thoughts of climbing the social ladder. Spread throughout, they didn’t seem very familiar with each other, and when Lu Qing and the others sat down, there wasn’t much of a reaction.

Zhu Yu felt fortunate that there were so many people looking to curry favor with Duke Yan at this juncture, along with many such distant relatives, otherwise even getting through this meal wouldn’t have been easy.

In front of the vast courtyard, a stage was set up. The performers on stage were enthusiastically singing, while many elaborately dressed people roamed around, with few genuinely enjoying the performances. Most were looking for someone more powerful to chat and interact with.

Thinking back to the last time at General Cao’s birthday banquet, Lu Qing was still Prince Xiaoyao, having to endure insincere greetings and contemptuous looks from others, treating him as the most notorious but useless figure in the Capital.

Besides that, there were also Lu Zhang and Lu Ze who needed to be attended to.

In comparison, sitting here this time, they were almost ignored, yet it felt more relaxed, allowing them to coldly observe from this unnoticed corner.

Thus in Zhu Yu’s eyes, the entire courtyard seemed to turn into a huge stage, with those prestigious officials and ministers coming and going, not much different from the performers on stage.

After looking around for a while, Zhu Yu noticed something: "How come I don’t see General Cao?"

She spoke very softly, but fortunately, Lu Qing’s hearing was especially keen, understanding every word, and while lowering his head to pour tea, he told her, "It seems after being accused of privately making weapons last time, the rift between them became more apparent.

Today, we can see if General Cao arrives late, there still might be a slight grudge between them, but it doesn’t go much deeper.

However, if he doesn’t come at all, that would be interesting."

When it was almost time to start the banquet, General Cao finally arrived.

Once he arrived, naturally many people immediately gathered around to chat, like stars around the moon. The attitude of the sought-after Duke Yan towards General Cao remained warm, seemingly relieved.

Throughout the banquet, Zhu Yu didn’t see Zhao Bi’s son-in-law, Bai Qihong. Previously, Lu Qing had mentioned that Bai Qihong didn’t want to follow his father-in-law’s arrangements and requested the withdrawal of an order from the Holy Emperor, which led to a major argument between the son-in-law and father-in-law. Zhao Bi was so furious he nearly tore the roof off the Duke Mansion.

This proves the rumors true—Bai Qihong truly isn’t aligned with Zhao Bi. With differing paths, naturally, they couldn’t work together.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yu felt a faint sense of comfort.

Previously, when working on the canal project, Bai Qihong’s dedication and drive had already made her see him in a new light, recognizing him as a promising official intent on benefiting the people through practical efforts.

Originally, she found it unsettling that such a good person was associated with Zhao Bi.

The fact that someone entering the same household didn’t necessarily mean they shared the same path was proven correct by Bai Qihong’s stubbornness, allowing him to withstand the enormous pressure from his father-in-law.

If Bai Qihong is given sufficient space to perform in the future, he should be able to make significant contributions in the Ministry of Industry, benefiting the people all over the kingdom.

Bai Qihong didn’t come, but Lu Zhang did, and he didn’t come alone; he brought Yan Shu along, arriving late, almost exactly at the start of the banquet.

When Zhu Yu saw Yan Shu, she was so surprised that her mouth involuntarily dropped open and forgot to close, until Lu Qing handed her a cup of tea with an amused expression, bringing her back to her senses, where the two exchanged a curious glance.

It’s well known that Duke Yan dislikes Yan Shu. This was evident from the beginning when he instigated and misguided Lu Zhang on how to treat his betrothed bride.

For many years, Lu Zhang always obeyed his grandfather and never dared to defy him. Previously, his indifference and neglect towards Yan Shu satisfied Zhao Bi.

This time, it was Zhao Bi’s wife’s birthday, meaning Lu Zhang’s grandmother, and the banquet was being held in the Duke Yan Mansion. Given Lu Zhang’s usual nature, he should’ve left Yan Shu in the Prince Yi Mansion to avoid an eyesore.

Yet he surprisingly brought her along!