The dinner has started.

All the people moved from the main hall to the next hall where the dinner was arranged.

The hall was decorated with rare porcelains and statues. The white-colored pillars were decorated with silk golden-colored fabric.

The extravagant and ornate chandelier in the center of the ceiling of the hall was giving it a royal and opulent appearance.

The dinner was in buffet form for the guests. The all meal was of great quality and extravagant. Truly royal.

The tables and chairs were scattered all around the hall for the guests to sit on.

And for the royal family, in the middle of the hall, there was a large table arranged for the Emperor and the Empress along with all his concubines.

The table was decorated with the same golden cloth and the dishes and containers were not normal.

They were either gold or silver.

Ji Cheng and Zhao Ming came together in the dining hall for dinner, followed by Empress Dowager and Xiao Li. Behind them, other concubines were also coming.

They were all looking beautiful and graceful while walking.

On the other hand, Zhao Ming was very eye-catching, because she was struggling to walk in her long dress that too without heels.

It's not that she was uncultured and don't know how to walk, it just walking in this kind of dress without heels, making her look like an idiot.

Everyone was staring at her like they were looking at a monkey.

She could hear the giggles of the concubines behind and grunting of Wen Xu.

" These stupid morons. They are nothing in front of me. I was the top student in my class. I was a graduate from top business university, and they are looking at me as they were looking at a stupid."

She mumbled under her breath.

Ji Cheng turned to look at her and saw her that she was holding her gown with both her hands, exposing the little skin of her legs.

Seeing this he frowned.

His face darkened, he went to her and reached out his hand to loosen her grip on her dress.

Zhao Ming glared at him when he makes her lose her grip on her dress, which was now crumpled slightly.

Ignoring her glare, he stretched his hand and put it on her waist to support her while walking.

When he does that, everyone in the room, starting whispering to each other.

Unlike modern times, a simple show of affection in public would become a point of gossip. The holding hands and holding her waist is not normal.

Behind them, Xiao Li' s face has turned red from anger. But she tried to calm her emotions because she can't destroy her fairy kind of image.

Zhao Ming looked at him and asked, " What are you doing?"

She was confused because the guy like him, who considers others' opinions a lot, was holding her by her waist in front of everyone.

It's not that she has any problem. It was casual for her but this kind of gesture from him make her surprised.

Ignoring everyone's whispering he looked at her and said in a low voice, " Don't hold your dress like this in public. You're the Empress. Mind your image. Just try to walk slowly, don't worry I am here to support you. I won't let you fall."

He knows that she has partial memory. The doctor has told him that she may behave differently as she does not remember many things.

But he didn't expect that she would even forget to walk properly, which she was doing from her childhood.

Yet he didn't get mad at her for embarrassing him, he just didn't want her to show her skin even if it's little in front of another man.

That's why he held her by her waist so that she doesn't need to hold her dress, to prevent her from fall.

Zhao Ming looked at him and does not feel touched by his words.

The only words she could hear was, ' Mind your image as the Empress'. It's like provoking her rebellious instincts.

She glared at him and mumbled, " Who the hell is he to tell me something. I will walk however I want, why poking your insignificant nose in my matters. I am not your stupid wife."

She doesn't like when people tell her to do this or that. She hated it when people asked her to behave in a certain way.

She has lived for 7 years abroad. Her thinking is broad and does not like it when people meddle with her affairs.

Living for 7 years alone in a different country was not easy. When she came back to S country, everyone expected her to behave like them.

How could she do that? There was a huge culture difference between the two countries. Though S country was modern and women are treated equally as men, but it's not as open-minded towards women as it was abroad.

The others kept nagging on her behavior or whatever she does, which ignited her rebellious instincts making her refute everyone's words and ended up arguing with them.

One can also say that she experienced puberty later than others.

....

Ji Cheng didn't hear what she said, but he saw her mumbling and a smile came to his lips.

Though she doesn't have many memories, however, she was becoming more cuter than ever.

He liked her this feisty attitude.

...

When they entered the dining hall, Zhao Ming's eyes were wide open seeing the extravagance of this place. Everything here is decorated in gold, silver and the chandelier in the middle of the hall would make anyone in awe.

Ji Cheng looked at Zhao Ming's shocked expression and felt amused.

Because for him it was normal. These things he had seen from his childhood, but the expression that Zhao Ming had was similar to the expression that she had made when she entered the Palace after getting married to him.

When they reached the large dining table in the middle, she was utterly shocked.

Everything was in gold and silver. They were all beautifully carved as well. She couldn't hide her shocked expression.

' Waah. These people are so shameless. They are using people's taxes for their luxury lifestyle. ANd they have no sense of shame either.' she was shocked as well as slightly angry.

Though she was a business student but her roommate in college was a history student. So sometimes she tells Zhao Ming how the monarchy works in the past.

She also learned that many kings considered themselves as God and people follow them without any questions. Not unlike modern times, where people can choose their representative, the succession to the throne was hereditary.

She didn't like the fact that the kings used poor people's taxes for their luxury.

And seeing the wastage of money in this banquet, she was quite angry than surprised.

A disgusted expression placed on her face.

Ji Cheng asked her to sit down, he didn't notice her expression which was full of disgust.

She took a deep breath and reluctantly sat down.