The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

The mighty general saw Tong Huaqiong as soon as he entered the banquet hall.

He couldn't very well greet them in front of so many people, so he could only steal a glance, and then steal another glance.

Tong Huaqiong was busy talking to Grandma Min for a while, and chatting with Huang Jingshan for a while, keeping herself very busy on both sides.

In the Emperor's mind, she was a cheerful and generous country businesswoman who did not need to adhere to etiquette. Therefore, when she was happy, Tong Huaqiong's hearty laughter rang out.

The laughter reached the ears of the mighty general, making him feel as if he had returned to the days when he was young and laughed with Tong Dajiao.

When Tong Huaqiong met the gaze of the mighty general, she felt that if she looked away, it would seem like she had something to hide. So, as if possessed, Tong Huaqiong smiled at the mighty general.

With that smile, the mighty general instantly recalled his past with Tong Dajiao in the countryside, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Tong Huaqiong: "."

Unbeknownst to her, she was bullying the older man from afar.

Actually, she only smiled at Lao Caibang out of politeness.

Grandma Min watched her son and Tong Huaqiong interact with each other and was secretly delighted.

My mind is filled with excitement that the two of them might be getting along.

At the same time, she cast a disdainful look at her son.

See? Tong Dajiao is so open and generous, while you're all shy and hesitant to meet her alone.

In fact, these past few days, my son has been taking a detour every morning from Tong Huaqiong's house to Jiangbei Daying.

She felt that her son's pretentious actions were pointless. He had been circling around Tong Dajiao's house for days without even running into her. It would have been more direct and touching to give Tong Dajiao money and shops.

As the dishes were served one by one, the music and dance performances paused when Tong Huaqiong was eating the third dish.

The old emperor delivered a major speech, first warmly welcoming his grandson back to court, then reminiscing about the crown prince and rebuking the treacherous officials in court who had damaged their father-son relationship and had been executed.

Emperors throughout history have always been like this: all the blame lies with treacherous officials, while they themselves are portrayed as innocent innocent flowers.

Tong Huaqiong wondered how those treacherous officials came to be; wasn't it because the person sitting in the highest position indulged them?

The evil of treacherous officials is magnified because there is fertile ground for such evil.

Amidst Tong Huaqiong's silent complaints, the emperor finally praised Su Chengmin and others who risked their lives to protect the crown prince.

Of course, Tong Huaqiong and Chen Sufen were also praised.

The phrase "loyal to one's master" was applied to Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong, a modern-minded soul, felt utterly unfamiliar upon suddenly hearing the word "protector".

These two words not only confirmed the contributions of Tong Huaqiong and others, but also bound them to the Crown Prince's side.

All eyes fell on Su Chengmin and Tong Huaqiong, the Crown Prince's faction.

Especially the Crown Prince's several uncles, their eyes filled with inquiry and scrutiny.

Tong Huaqiong didn't know what kind of obstacles and disasters these imperial uncles would bring to the Crown Prince in the struggle for the throne, but in the end, it was His Highness the Crown Prince who ascended to the high position.

While she was still in a daze, Tong Huaqiong saw the so-called "meritorious protectors" of Su Chengmin step forward and kneel down to express their gratitude. Tong Huaqiong followed suit and knelt down as well, with Chen Sufeng, Gu Dashu and others following behind her.

A dense mass of people knelt on the ground.

After a series of tedious rituals, Tong Huaqiong felt her knees were about to swell from kneeling. The superior's command to rise sounded like heavenly music to her ears.

After getting up, Tong Huaqiong returned to her seat and quickly drank a sip of hot soup.

"Why didn't Tao Hua come?" Old Mrs. Min had wanted to ask this for a long time.

Tong Huaqiong swallowed the hot soup and said softly, "Her third sister-in-law is pregnant and alone at home, so she stayed at home because she was worried about her."

"Taohua is a good girl, I like her." Old Mrs. Min was increasingly satisfied with Gu Taohua.

No unmarried girl from a humble family would refuse an invitation to a banquet in the palace.

If you're looking for a place to climb the social ladder, the imperial palace is the place to be.

The palace was filled with scions of prominent families and promising young officials. It was secondary for frivolous young women to come to the palace to attend banquets; the main purpose was to find a wealthy husband.

For example, the niece of Su Shihang's first wife, Madam Lu, had a pair of eyes that darted around, and her thoughts were obvious.

In particular, his gaze kept glancing at Su Chengmin.

Grandma Min felt a surge of anger and frustration when she compared the girl to Gu Taohua.

Last time, Su Shihang called Su Chengmin home, intending to betroth his niece, Lady Lu, to Su Chengmin as his wife. Old Madam Min was so angry that she blocked Su Shihang's way to court and scolded him.

"Shameless bastard," Old Madam Min muttered under her breath in the Golden Palace.

Upon hearing this, Tong Huaqiong asked in surprise, "Aunt Min, who are you cursing?"

Before Old Madam Min could answer, someone stood up and pleaded with the Emperor to grant his son a marriage.

Tong Huaqiong looked at the minister who had stood up. Among the group of old courtiers, he was considered a top-tier handsome man, with exceptionally outstanding looks. Even in middle age, one could still see the dashing charm he had in his youth.

This person looks so familiar, like a middle-aged version of Su Chengmin.

Just as Tong Huaqiong was about to ask Old Madam Min who this handsome uncle was, she heard Old Madam Min slam her hand on the table and scold, "Su Shihang, you damned ingrate! Cheng Min has been raised in the Min family since he was eight years old, and you haven't put in a single effort. Where do you get the audacity to ask the Emperor to grant him a marriage?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You only remembered you have a son because Chengmin gained the Emperor's favor. What did you do besides trembling a little? Where do you get the nerve to rush over and act like a father?"

Tong Huaqiong wanted to give Grandma Min a thumbs up.

She dared to curse without restraint in front of the emperor; wasn't she afraid of angering him?

Those around seemed to have gotten used to hearing Old Mrs. Min's cursing.

However, upon hearing Old Mrs. Min's words about "trembling," they tactfully raised their wine or teacup to cover the smile on their lips.

Tong Huaqiong noticed that the Emperor had a helpless smile on his lips, as if he had become accustomed to Old Madam Min's insolence and did not blame her at all.

Su Shihang's ashen face showed his embarrassment.

Before he could even mention which family the girl belonged to, his former mother-in-law started cursing.

I thought that Old Madam Min would restrain herself in front of the court officials, but she showed no restraint whatsoever.

"You heartless, rotten bastard, shameless piece of trash. You tasted the sweetness of trading your future for your crotch, and now that you're too old to trade anymore, you're starting to set your sights on Cheng Min."

Grandma Min decided to carry on with her shrewish ways to the very end.

Tong Huaqiong listened to Old Madam Min's filthy curses while observing the Emperor's reaction.

She could tell that the emperor was unusually magnanimous towards Old Madam Min, and there was not a trace of anger on his face.

The reason why Old Madam Min dared to be presumptuous in front of the emperor was that she had the means to do so, and the object of her presumption was never the emperor, but others. Therefore, the old emperor was sometimes happy to see it happen.

Because Old Lady Min is portrayed as a shrewish woman from the countryside who knows nothing and speaks without restraint, she once dispelled the late emperor's suspicions about the Empress Dowager and the emperor and his mother with her words, which led the Empress Dowager to regard her as a confidante.

It can be said that in the emperor's heart, Old Madam Min held a similar position to that of his aunt.

"You want to use your son's marriage to get benefits? Don't you already have a son at home? You said your son is close to you. Since he's so close, you can switch sons back and forth. Wouldn't it be perfect to have two sons at once?"

"Or is it that your son is the neighbor's child, and you're not quite sure about the situation?"

Grandma Min continued to berate Su Shihang relentlessly. (End of Chapter)