"Pah!" Queenie Zhu sneered. "It's definitely going to be Cindy who enters the palace! Even if I'm jealous, it won't be because of you!"
"Oh really? Then how about we make a bet?" Grace raised her eyebrow.
"What kind of bet?"
"Last time, you slapped me—don't think I've forgotten!" Grace said. "So let's bet a slap, shall we?"
"A slap? How does this bet work?" Queenie asked.
"If the family chooses me to enter the palace, I'll return your slap. If they don't, I'll offer you my face and let you slap me again. Deal?"
"Really?" Queenie Zhu's eyes gleamed with malice.
"Really."
"Great! I accept your bet! I absolutely want to bet with you! Hahaha!" Queenie Zhu burst out laughing.
"Heh, Grace, you're not just useless, you're out of your mind!" Jenny Zhu laughed. "Why do you think you'd be chosen to enter the palace? Just because you're the Zhu family's 'legitimate eldest daughter'?"
"That's right! Because I'm the legitimate eldest daughter of the Zhu family!" Grace tilted her head and declared.
The other Zhu sisters around her burst out laughing at her ignorance.
"Grace." Rona Zhu, a girl from Grace's third uncle's branch, frowned and tugged at her. "How could you suggest such a bet? Don't you know there's an unwritten rule in the royal family—those without a Spirit Root can't enter the palace?"
Rona Zhu's mother had humble origins, and her own talents were among the lowest. She was often bullied and looked down upon.
So, she and Grace shared a similar plight, which made them more likely to talk to each other.
"Rona Zhu, mind your own business!" Jenny Zhu snapped. "Grace, you made this bet yourself! No backing out!"
"I'm not backing out," Grace replied. "I'm the eldest daughter of the Zhu family—my word is my bond! Jenny Zhu, you'd better not go back on your word either!"
"Whoever backs out is a turtle loser!" Queenie Zhu yelled.
"Fine! Whoever backs out is a turtle loser!" Grace echoed.
Jenny Zhu exchanged a glance with Cindy Zhu and said, "Let's wait and see. In the end, will it be you—the most distinguished eldest daughter—who enters the palace, or will it be Cindy? Hmph!"
After the banquet began, the Dowager Lady and her sisters, aunts, and in-laws sat at the main table.
The Dowager Lady's younger sister, whom Grace and the others called 'Great Aunt,' casually asked which Zhu girl Minister Zhuo would send to the palace.
She asked so casually.
But everyone at the surrounding tables who could hear them was listening intently.
Colin Gu, the Emperor, was young, capable, and handsome. Every Zhu sister dreamed of entering the palace.
But aside from Minister Zhuo, no one else was qualified.
Because only Minister Zhuo held an official rank above Grade Two.
So, only he could send his daughter to the palace.
Everyone kept their eyes glued to the Dowager Lady—including Cindy Zhu.
Cindy Zhu's eyes were so full of hope, it was almost painful to watch.
The Dowager Lady chuckled and replied, "Grace, of course."
As soon as she said this, everyone at the ten-plus tables turned to look at Grace.
Some were surprised.
Some were jealous.
Cindy Zhu's face changed instantly. She blurted out, "Big Sis doesn't even have a Spirit Root—how can she enter the palace?"
"Cindy!" Grace Wan immediately scolded her. "Grace is our Zhu family's most distinguished daughter. Who else would it be if not her?"
"That's not right!" Queenie Zhu exclaimed, clearly agitated. "Didn't they say girls without a Spirit Root can't become imperial consorts?"
"The palace does have strict requirements for Spirit Roots," the Dowager Lady said. "But there's no actual law about it!"