Jiang was bustling around. When she saw Gu Liyue, she admonished her again, "Don't wander around these days. Go to your Second Aunt or your Eldest Sister-in-law and listen to them talk about the situation in the palace."
Gu Liyue was stunned. She knew they were going to the palace on New Year's Eve. "Do I have to go to the palace too?"
Jiang gave her a strange look. "You're a daughter of the Gu family. Naturally, you have to go. Your grandmother said that you should first show your face in the palace. When the recognition banquet is held later, everyone will have an idea."
Gu Liyue followed behind Jiang and hesitated before asking, "Aunt, but... since we're going to the palace, aren't you going to arrange some etiquette tutors for me? When the Feng family was going to send me to the Jiang family, they made me learn etiquette for a full half - month."
Jiang turned around and playfully flicked Gu Liyue on the forehead. "Silly girl, you're going to a palace banquet, not going to the palace for something else. Why do you need to learn so many etiquettes? As long as you don't be impolite. You're a daughter of the Gu family. There aren't so many requirements. Do as you like. Got it?"
Do as she liked?
Jiang was busy with all kinds of things. Seeing Gu Liyue still in a daze, she laughed again. "The Gu family is a marquis family. The emperor respects your grandfather and is very kind to everyone in the Gu family. Moreover, this is a palace banquet. If there are really some blind people, you don't have to worry. We'll be there for you. I remember your Second Aunt said she was going to your yard to take a hot spring bath. Hurry up and go."
Gu Liyue took a hot spring bath with Qin. After just three baths, she felt much better. Moreover, after each bath, the maids would apply mutton - fat balm all over her body, and her skin became much more delicate.
Qin stroked Gu Liyue's hand and said with a smile, "I guess you've had a hard time before. The calluses on your hands just won't go away."
Gu Liyue said, "It's much better than before. But my hands have become so smooth that it's actually harder to do needlework. I wanted to make an embroidered pouch this morning, but I wasn't as dexterous as before."
Qin said, "Ordinary girls do some needlework just for fun. It doesn't really have to be very delicate. If you like it, it's okay to do it occasionally, but you can't do it often. You've just come back. You have to take good care of yourself. Got it?"
"Thank you, Second Aunt."
Qin laughed again. "After I gave birth to your Third Brother, I always hoped to have a sweet little daughter. But then I gave birth to your Fourth Brother. Oh well. Once you become a daughter - in - law of the Gu family, it's just wishful thinking to have a daughter. I didn't expect that your Third Uncle's wife would be so lucky."
Gu Liyue lowered her head and asked in a small voice, "Second Aunt, do you know my mother?"
Qin leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool. After thinking for a while, she said, "Your father brought your mother back for a while. Your mother was a gentle and soft - hearted woman, just like you. She liked to lower her head and was easily shy. She was even more timid than you and loved to cry."
Gu Liyue was a bit dazed. She loved to cry. In the past, she was often scolded by Liu Qinting. Later, gradually, she didn't dare to cry openly and only dared to cry secretly in Yunniang's arms.
"Your mother... was very easy to get along with. She didn't like to go out, but your Third Brother worked in the Supreme Court and had to go out. He couldn't always decline all kinds of banquets. But every time they went, your mother would always be ridiculed by others."
Gu Liyue said in a low voice, "Mother... she must have had a really hard time."
Qin sighed. "It's hard for all the daughters - in - law of the Gu family. Don't think your Second Uncle is just a rough - looking man now. When he was young, he was extremely handsome."
Hearing her joking, Gu Liyue couldn't help laughing. "Both Third Brother and Fourth Brother are very handsome. It can be seen that Second Uncle must have been extremely outstanding when he was young."
Qin nodded. "My family doesn't rank among the top noble families in the capital. Even though I'm the eldest legitimate daughter of the Qin family, I still endured a lot of criticism. Moreover, your father was more handsome and elegant than your two uncles, and your mother..."
And mother. If she had at least the family background like Second Aunt's, or even if she were the daughter of an official family, perhaps she wouldn't have been so pitiful.
Maybe seeing Gu Liyue sad, Qin thought she had talked too much today. She quickly laughed and said, "Okay, we have to get up early to go to the palace tomorrow. It's not good to soak in the hot spring for too long. Get up."
Tomorrow was the New Year's Eve palace banquet. The emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty liked excitement. Since the Empress Dowager had been out of the palace for more than a year to pray and had just returned to the palace, this palace banquet would naturally be even more grand.
Gu Liyue lay in bed but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She was thinking about what Second Aunt had told her. Her mother was a gentle and graceful woman. Then why couldn't the Gu family tolerate her, and why couldn't her grandfather tolerate her? But from what Second Aunt said, her mother had clearly stayed in the Gu family for a while.
Did they find that she didn't fit in with the Gu family during that time, so her father took her mother away?
If so, why didn't her father keep in touch with the family? Even before the accident, he left a message for Yunniang for the Liu family but didn't leave a single word for the Gu family.
Before dawn the next day, the maids got up. While Gu Liyue was still asleep, they skillfully dressed her up perfectly.
The clothes and accessories that Gu Liyue was going to wear in the palace were all personally arranged by Jiang. She showed them to the old lady one by one for confirmation before sending them over.
She was a bit nervous, and her palms were sweating.
Tangyuan said, "Miss, didn't you rest well last night? Why are your eye - circles so dark?"
Gu Liyue murmured, "Maybe... I'm too nervous because I'm going to the palace today."
Tangyuan smiled. "That's right. It's your first time, so you're naturally nervous."
Servants were not allowed to enter the palace. Qin had already arranged for Gu Liyue to stay by her side all the time. No one would want anything to go wrong at the palace banquet. As long as they didn't take the wrong way, there would be no problem.
But Gu Liyue was still nervous. She had never thought that she would actually meet the emperor. She had heard in the opera how majestic the emperor was. Just thinking about it made her feel scared and want to back off.
In this way, she thought of her mother. Probably her mother was much more helpless than she was now. After all, she was a daughter of the Gu family. With this status, the Gu family would protect her. But what about her mother? Her mother was a daughter - in - law with a low status. There were many things she didn't want to do but had to do.
She was nervous all the way.
The carriage swayed to the palace gate. Everyone got off the carriage and walked into the palace on foot. Gu Liyue followed behind Qin. After walking for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, they arrived at the hall.
The eunuch led the Gu family to the front seats and asked them to sit down.
At this time, there were already many nobles sitting in the great hall. It was still early before the palace banquet started. Familiar people were chatting in small groups. When they saw the Gu family coming, many people looked curiously at Gu Liyue.
Some of them recognized Gu Liyue. They knew that she had once been the daughter that Madam Jiang wanted to recognize. They just didn't know why, after a while, she had become a daughter of the Gu family.
Qin led Gu Liyue to first visit her own family and then to some ladies with whom she usually had a good relationship. She introduced Gu Liyue to the young ladies of those families.
Among them, there were also some who had known her before. But in the past, they had been rather arrogant towards Gu Liyue. This time, they were much more affectionate.