Meanwhile, Chu Lian finally arrived at the Empress Dowager’s Ninghe Pce, together with Royal Princess Duanjia.


    At this time, Ninghe Pce was in a flurry. Most of the female imperial rtives had already arrived. Since she had been dyed for quite some time in the imperial gardens, Chu Lian didn’t have the chance to meet the Empress Dowager personally. Instead, it was Princess Wei who pulled her to one side and helped her, giving her instructions on the necessary etiquette for today’s event.


    Chu Lian hade into the pce today dressed as an Honoured Lady, so her maidservants had not given her a married noble madam’s hairstyle as usual. When Princess Wei had seen her daughter Duanjia standing together with Chu Lian, their simr figures made them look like a pretty pair of sisters from behind.


    Princess Wei smiled and patted Chu Lian’s fair, tender hand. “Matriarch He and Old Duchess Zheng have gone to apany the Empress Dowager. In a few moments, just follow behind me with Duanjia. After the meal, all the titled noble madams will be allowed to enter the pce for the banquet.”


    It was clear that Princess Wei was being kind to Chu Lian. Of course, Chu Lian had sensed it for herself. She immediately gave a genuine smile and agreed.


    After having her afternoon meal with the various female members of the imperial family, Chu Lian and Duanjia sat in the corner of a side hall and sipped some honey water to help with digestion. They also watched as some pce servants led a few noble madams in to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.


    This was the first time Chu Lian had seen such a grand event, so she couldn’t resist observing everything.


    “Royal Princess, why are all the madams carrying a container of food?” Chu Lian asked curiously.


    Royal Princess Duanjia set down the teacup in her hands and cast a strange look at her. She was clearly surprised as she eximed, “You don’t know?”


    Chu Lian shook her head, puzzled. She really didn’t know anything about that at all. In the original novel, or at least the part she had read, Chu Lian had never attended any event as grand as this in the pce.


    Royal Princess Duanjia rolled her eyes at Chu Lian, speechless with her. “Your mind must bepletely used up for thinking about food! How could you not know about something this simple?! Those madams are carrying round cakes in those boxes.”


    After Royal Princess Duanjia’s exnation, it was only then that Chu Lian found out that there was traditionally a round cakepetition held inside the pce during the Mid-Autumn Banquet, ever since the time of the Emperor’s great-grandfather.


    Every noble madam who came to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager or the Empress would bring some round cakes prepared in their own estates, representing their house. The pce servants would ce each set of round cakes on an offering table. When the banquet ended, everyone would choose the most delicious round cake, and there would be a prize for the winning house.


    This was also the current Empress Dowager’s favourite part of the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    Chu Lian found it a little funny. She hadn’t expected that there would be such an interesting event during the pce’s Mid-Autumn Banquet.


    “Which house won thepetitionst year?” Chu Lian asked.


    Royal Princess Duanjia sipped some tea before throwing a sideways nce at her. “The Pan Estate.”


    The Pan Estate? Pan Go’s estate?


    A trace of suspicion showed up on Chu Lian’s face.


    Royal Princess Duanjia had been watching her expression. She chuckled once and said, “Chu Liu, you’re pretty sharp! Let me tell you, it wasn’t justst year, two years ago, or even the year before that. The Pan Estate has always been the champion of the Mid-Autumn Banquet!”


    Chu Lian’s eyes widened a little. The inklings of something wereing together in her mind.


    Royal Princess Duanjia didn’t try to disrupt her thoughts. She continued on to exin, “Last year, Madam Pan presented a te of hazelnut-voured round cakes.”


    The princess then reached out to point at a distance away. “There, see that person dressed in a purple overcoat? That’s Madam Pan.”


    Following the direction that Royal Princess Duanjia was pointing in, Chu Lian saw a round-faced middle-aged madam with slender brows. Her face was fair and her lips a little thick. When she smiled, she revealed eight pearly-white teeth, and when she was speaking with others, she always carried a slight smile on her lips, giving everyone a good impression of her.


    Chu Lian couldn’t help but remember the day she had gone to Guilin Restaurant and chanced upon the sight of her father in front of the Pan Estate’s entrance.


    Just as Chu Lian was about to sink into her thoughts, she suddenly heard a voice filled with mockery call out in their direction.