From the early morning of the Eighteenth of May, Shen Zhui felt that their meticulously plotted schemes of the recent days were starting to bear fruit.
Firstly, his sister-in-law and mother-in-law were invited to the palace by the Xuan Yue Noble Consort, with Princess Anping accompanying them. They strolled in the gardens, admired the flowers, and feasted. Furthermore, the Consort directly expressed her intention to adopt Shen Xinlan as her adopted daughter during the banquet!
Subsequently, a senior ancestor figure from each of the Liu, Wei, and Yang families entered the palace to meet the Human Emperor, and they were seen having very pleasant conversations.
Then, in the morning, Duke of Yongguo, Kou Xun, suddenly fell seriously ill. None of the Kou Residence were seeing guests, and definitely not attending the Emperor's birthday banquet. The one who was supposed to act as the matchmaker for the Fan family could not attend, let alone propose a marriage on behalf of Fan Hongyi.
