Chapter 48: The Banquet

Gu Chaoyan was not as excited as Qing. She was just showing a very slight smile.

She was aware of these changes, and all of these were within her plan.

Also, her goal was more than this. She needed to get thinner and fairer, at least as pretty as she was in her previous life.

She got dressed and ate some breakfast.

Then Cai Ming from Madam Gu’s yard was there asking for her.

She was behaving in a very polite and silent manner.

As she arrived, Mrs. Gu, Gu Ruxue, Gu Xiuying and Gu Caiqin as well as Madam Gu were all waiting there. However, Gu Chaoyan did not believe that they were waiting for her out of kindness.

As she approached them, Gu Xiuying shrilled. “What a star you are, letting us wait for you to come.”

As the words were spoken, Madame Gu appeared. She clicked her cane as she heard the voices, frowning. “What are you arguing about?”

Gu Xiuying did not fear a thing. She bowed and pointed at Gu Chaoyan, saying, “Grandma, I am talking about her. She knows the time, but comes later on purpose! We are all waiting for her.”

Gu Ruxue laughed loudly. She had to make Madame Gu hate Gu Chaoyan.

Madame Gu turned to Gu Chaoyan with displeasure on the face. “Chaoyan, did you do that on purpose?”

Cai Ming went to her late and she did not know about the time of arrival at all!

So she did not hold back her thoughts.

She looked at Madame Gu and then at Mrs. Gu and her gang as she said, “I am the lineal daughter of the Gu Mansion, the eldest Miss, what is the problem of me coming so late?”

Having said the words...

She gazed at Gu Xiuying. “No wonder you are the daughter of a concubine. You are such a shame to have not learnt the rules.”

Gu Xiuying flushed out of anger rather than humiliation! Stuck with words, she pointed at Gu Chaoyan. “You hideous woman! How dare you...”

The words had just been spoken, when a slap landed upon Gu Xiuying’s face.

Before Gu Xiuying was able to say anything, Gu Chaoyan bowed to Madame Gu. “Grandma, we are all people of literacy, and what we need most of all are rules. Third Sister is not obedient enough for her to be at the Huo Mansion.”

Madame Gu was both furious and surprised.

She was furious that Gu Chaoyan had slapped Xiuying before she gave an order. Xiuying might be annoying, yet she was both good-looking and intelligent, and she was definitely going to marry someone better than Gu Chaoyan. So she did not plan to wrong Xiuying in any way.

What surprised her was that Gu Chaoyan was right about the positions and rules.

However, thinking that Ruxue would soon become the lineal daughter, Madame Gu thought through and decided to agree with Chaoyan this time.

Madame Gu said to Gu Xiuying, “Just stay here today, you are grounded for half a month.”

Gu Ruxue and Mrs. Gu had no idea how to beg for mercy, so they gave up.

Madame Gu had made the decision, after all.

Mrs. Gu was surprised too. She had not expected that the weak and crazy Gu Chaoyan in the past had now become so intimidating. She even asked for the dowry the day before! Now she regretted that she should have killed her in case of potential trouble.

...

At the Huo Mansion, or more precisely, the home of Elder Huo.

Elder Huo invited the Gu Family to the banquet not because they were in a good relationship with each other, but because as the Elder of the court, he invited every official above Rank Five.

That was why Madam Gu was pretty sure that Madame Wang would be present too.

They had just entered the Huo Mansion when a maid bumped into Gu Chaoyan accidentally.