The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

Jiang Nansheng did not expect that Zhang Qi would come in person. After all, he had not attended the Jiang family's banquet for many years.

At this time, the banquet hall was bustling with activity. The sunlight shone on the carved beams and pillars, casting a festive glow.

Jiang Nansheng bowed and said slowly: "If I knew that Prime Minister Zhang was coming, I would definitely go out to greet him."

Zhang Qi had already changed out of his official robe when on duty. Wearing a straight-cut blue cloth, he looked like a simple old man that could be seen anywhere on the street.

He looked calm, as if he didn't care about the excitement around him. He nodded to Jiang Nansheng and said:

"Of course we have to come over to have a drink for the baptism ceremony of the Duke's grandchildren."

When everyone at the banquet saw Zhang Qi, they couldn't help but imagine what would happen if Wang Fengliang came today.

The hall is elegantly and exquisitely decorated, with carved screens and exquisite porcelain, all of which demonstrate the nobility of Duke Dingguo's Mansion.

Everyone was sitting or standing, whispering to each other, with curious expressions on their faces.

Chen Zhengde looked at Zhang Qi who was sitting opposite him, raised his glass, smiled and toasted him: "Sir Zhang, I have just arrived at the cabinet and have not had time to consult you. Today gives me a chance."

Zhang Qi looked over with a calm expression, "We are all colleagues, sharing His Majesty's concerns... Besides, today is the third-day baptism ceremony for Lord Jiang's children, so it's a bit too ostentatious to steal the show."

Chen Zhengde held up his glass, Zhang Qi looked at him quietly, and then said: "The imperial physician has warned me that I am not fit to drink alcohol right now, so I am afraid I cannot enjoy this glass of wine from you, Lord Chen."

Although it was not a secret that Prime Minister Zhang Qi did not drink, it was a bit unreasonable for Chen Zhengde, who was in the same cabinet, not to know about it.

Zhang Qi's words seemed to imply that Chen Zhengde was not a member of his faction.

Chen Zhengde took back the wine glass in his hand, but before he could say anything, Jiang Nansheng had already called the servants to bring a pot of hot tea to Zhang Qi.

This action did not seem to be deliberate, which made Chen Zhengde's behavior just now seem even more abrupt.

Zhang Qi nodded to the person beside him as a greeting, which made Chen Zhengde's smile a little stiff.

Although he had been away from Beijing for many years, his eldest sister regained favor before the death of the previous emperor, and the Chen family once again appeared on the political stage of Shengjing City.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, although it was not stated, everyone knew that Emperor Jianming was from the Chen family. Therefore, when he entered the cabinet, no one had ever embarrassed him like this.

In order to hide his embarrassment, he looked at the person next to him and said with a smile: “Just now, when Lord Zhang said to come over for a drink, I should have reacted.

I had completely forgotten that you shouldn't drink alcohol... Mr. Jiang's twins are really enviable."

After all, his official position is not as high as Zhang Qi's, so he still needs to keep a low profile before appearing on the cover. Besides, this is the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.

Jiang Nansheng smiled and said, "Master Chen is being modest."

He didn't waste too much time on it. He just said sorry and turned around to greet the guests.

Jiang Nansheng's smile was gentle and elegant, and his back seemed calm and unhurried as he turned and left.

Zhang Qi withdrew his gaze from the figure and gently placed the blue and white porcelain hand-pressed cup on the table.

Then someone said, "Wine can make a person successful, but it can also lead to immorality. I think Prime Minister Zhang understands this better than anyone else."

Without looking up, one can tell from this person's words that he is dissatisfied with Zhang Qi.

Zhou Boyan looked at the Farewell My Concubine dish on the banquet table and said jokingly, "This is a dish that will show its head."

In fact, he was implicitly criticizing the person who had just spoken, saying that he was a coward. Sometimes he looked down on their behavior.

Everyone at the banquet started to clink glasses and didn't pay attention to what he was saying.

Even if they heard it, no one would agree with it. After all, not everyone is Zhou Boyan, the loyal and brave marquis who inherited the title.

After the banquet was over and Jiang Nansheng sent the guests away, Qin Lang walked over and said, "Zhang Qi came here today to ask for your help, or to ask the Jiang family to mediate?"

The position of the Cabinet Prime Minister was coveted by many, and Zhang Qi's final appointment and dismissal was a result that many people had never expected.

In the past, the biggest support behind the Zhang family was the Wang family, with whom they had a marriage relationship. At present, there are many people who want to bring down Zhang Qi, and the only reason is that he is the prime minister.

If Zhang Qi fell, the next prime minister would be none other than Chen Zhengde.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nansheng's expression did not change, but his eyes became even colder.

……

Gu Jinchu dozed off for a while and then woke up. He seemed to hear children crying.

Bai Shao was sleeping lightly on the brocade stool beside her. She opened her eyes when she heard the noise. Without Madam asking her, she said hurriedly, "Madam, the Tenth Young Master and the Sixth Young Miss were taken away by the wet nurse to be fed."

Gu Jinchu nodded after hearing this, and then asked, "Is the previous third-day baptism ceremony over?"

After the banquet, my grandmother and mother will return to the General’s Mansion and the Qin family in Daxing.

If we want to meet again, it will probably be when she is out of confinement or when her mother gives birth.

It seems that since she gave birth to the child, she has become more sentimental than before.

Even though Fifth Master and Old Madam Jiang were very kind to her, sometimes she just wanted to stay with her mother and grandmother, as if that would make her feel more at ease.

Knowing that the lady had woken up, Bai He came in with a tray and said with a smile: "The Fifth Master had someone send it over. He said it was a sweet dish for the banquet. I'll let you use it to kill time when the lady wakes up."

Gu Jinchu looked up and saw that the plate contained candied yam made from yam beans produced in Jinan Prefecture.

Each one is small and exquisite, just the right size for one bite.

The yam is wrapped in an amber sugar shell, crystal clear, like a sweet temptation, and Gu Jinchu especially likes this crispy and sweet taste.

In the late stages of her pregnancy, she rarely ate sweet food. She gently picked up one and instantly pulled out long sugar threads, which looked like golden threads in the sun.

It makes people want to put it in their mouths even more eagerly.

It was sweet and crispy, then soft and smooth, and Gu Jinchu looked very satisfied after eating it.

The number of pieces in the palm-sized plate could be counted with one hand, which satisfied her craving.

Bai He saw that his wife was eating happily and stood beside her with a smile on her face. Seeing this, Gu Jinchu couldn't help but ask her, "What happened to make you so happy?"

Bai He held the tray to his chest, grinning and saying, "The Fifth Master said that we served Madam very well, so he gave us a table from the banquet hall."

Thinking of the delicious food on the plate, Bai He looked proud.

This is sometimes very different from the banquets prepared for the servants in the mansion. The servants in which courtyard are treated like this.

Bai Zhi came in and happened to hear what she said. Bai He was afraid of Bai Zhi, so when he saw her, he shrank his neck and smiled with his lips pursed.

Bai Zhi quickly walked to Gu Jinchu and said, "Madam, the eldest princess is here to see you."

"Please come in!" Gu Jinchu looked at Bai Shao and Bai He and whispered to them:

"Baizhi will stay and serve. You can go downstairs and have dinner with everyone. Remember to leave some dishes for Baizhi."

"Yes, ma'am!"

When Bai He heard this, his eyes lit up. He bowed, saluted, and then jumped out.

Bai Shao and Bai Zhi looked at each other. They had grown up with their master since childhood and understood the meaning in each other's eyes. Then they also retreated.