Chu Jinjin had no idea that a group of women had already devised a plan to make things difficult for her.

Along the way, Li Xinzhi told me a lot of inside stories that are difficult to access at the ordinary level.

It turns out that Princess Le'an had no desire to take on this hot potato.

Princess Le'an's mother was just an ordinary concubine, and her maternal clan was not very powerful. According to later generations, she only wanted to enjoy her status as a princess and be a happy, carefree person.

Unexpectedly, the emperor somehow remembered his sister, with whom he had little emotional connection.

Princess Le'an was very worried. Doing this well was what a princess of the Great Chu should do, but if she did it poorly, she would not be able to explain it to the emperor. She complained to Li Xinzhi several times. The two had known each other since childhood and were close friends who could talk to each other.

Chu Jinjin nodded repeatedly as she listened. This was almost exactly what Zhan Qin had analyzed. The probability of the princess making things difficult for her was practically zero.

Li Xinzhi whispered, "But sister, be careful. The Imperial Concubine is very powerful now, and many people are worried about not having a chance."

Chu Jinjin wasn't worried about that, and quietly told Gu Shouping about the bellyband she had unintentionally obtained.

I didn't say it before because I was afraid Li Xinzhi would be upset. One man was involved in the scheme, and the other man had countless women.

"I thought of that already." Li Xinzhi's expression dimmed for a moment, but she quickly perked up and said seriously, "Can my sister entrust the undergarment to me with peace of mind?"

Chu Jinjin shared the same idea. After all, she wasn't familiar with the princess, and if she were to offer it up rashly, the princess might not believe her.

The undergarment was so thin that it was almost invisible when tucked into the sleeve.

Li Xinzhi sighed, "Princess Le'an will owe you a huge favor this time. I've long suspected that Prince Consort Zheng is no good."

As we were talking, we arrived at our destination.

Chu Jinjin's first impression was like entering a garden full of spring blossoms, the whole room filled with an alluring fragrance.

A group of noble ladies were also curiously observing her.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; almost everyone has heard of Chu Jinjin, but few know what she actually looks like, as they are not on the same level.

In their imagination, it should be rude.

When people actually saw it, they were stunned for a moment.

For a merchant's daughter, a banquet hosted by a princess was an unimaginable honor.

Wang Shi was in charge of dressing the three sisters tonight. Chu Jinjin, as the matriarch, wore a unique silk fabric from the Northern Desert. The color was a light green, which was appropriate for the occasion and rare. It made her skin look radiant, and with her unique and vibrant temperament, she was extremely eye-catching in the dim lighting.

Some people couldn't help but look at Wang Ruoyun.

Women actually understand women better; men only see beauty and physical appearance.

No wonder Xu Wenda was so infatuated with her.

Wang Ruoyun's sense of powerlessness intensified.

During their marriage, Xu Wenda had behaved perfectly and swore she would never have any contact with Chu Jinjin again, but she knew very well in her heart that she could not replace Chu Jinjin.

Even if I have children later.

Men are such despicable creatures; what they can't have is always the best.

No one thought much of Li Xinzhi and the Chu family coming in at the same time; they assumed it was just a coincidence.

Among those present, besides Princess Le'an, Li Xinzhi held the highest position, and they all stood up to pay their respects.

Then, it was Chu Jinjin's turn.

We agreed on the way here that we wouldn't make our sworn sisterhood public for the time being, partly because we were worried about Zhou Guoshou, and also because of the Emperor who came to test us out of nowhere tonight.

Following etiquette, Chu Jinjin accompanied Wang Shi to first meet the princess, and then pay her respects to the other noble ladies in turn.

The princess was fine; she simply said "No need for formalities" and then something went wrong. She knelt for more than ten seconds.

Li Xinzhi immediately understood what was going on and frowned as she looked at Princess Le'an.

Princess Le'an gave a wink.

She was the hostess tonight and could stop it, but she didn't want to offend the Imperial Concubine; that woman was too petty.

Wang was at the front, and her bowing posture was so perfect that no one could find fault with it. She came along today because she was afraid of offending the important person.

Fearing that Chu Jinjin might act impulsively, he subtly waved his finger behind him.

Chu Jinjin didn't care about any of that. As long as she was in the right, she wouldn't be afraid to fight anyone. She came here to donate money, why was she being harassed like this?

"May I ask who you are, Madam?" Chu Jinjin straightened up slowly, helping Wang Shi to her feet, and said calmly, "What has my Chu family done to offend you?"

Intentionally making someone kneel for an extended period is a common form of punishment.

Li Xinzhi snorted coldly: "The Duchess has quite the airs."

The Duchess was surprised to find Li Xinzhi suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Li Xinzhi was a first-rank imperial consort, equivalent to a first-rank minister, and could enter the palace to meet the emperor directly without prior notice.

"Madam Li is too kind." The Duchess was momentarily confused as to why Li Xinzhi had intervened, so she smiled and offered herself an excuse, "It was my first time seeing the legendary Miss Jinjin, and I was lost in thought. Please rise quickly."

Chu Jinjin gave her a deep look and remembered it.

There are three seats in the main seat. The next two people to pay their respects to are Wang Ruoyun. According to the Xu family's status, she should not be able to sit in this position, but unfortunately, she has a concubine sister.

Apart from her, all other noble ladies only needed to exchange a simple greeting.

Chu Jinjin completely ignored her.

I didn't want things to turn out this way, but this so-called Duchess deliberately made things difficult, which was clearly Wang Ruoyun's doing.

She's already being polite by not immediately retaliating after everyone else has already slapped her in the face.

Wang Ruoyun: "......."

Wang Ruoyun clearly saw Chu Jinjin's contemptuous gaze, and both old and new grudges instantly welled up within her. She was so angry that her face turned red: "Chu Jinjin, what do you mean? Why won't you bow to me?"

"Do we need to bow to each other?" Chu Jinjin asked innocently. "If we really need to bow, it should be you bowing to me."

Wang Ruoyun: "...You are shameless."

Chu Jinjin married first, and although it was only for a short time, it was indeed a more advanced marriage to the Xu family, so she should indeed call her "elder sister".

"How am I shameless? It's Xu Wenda who's shameless." Chu Jinjin had considered getting along peacefully with Wang Ruoyun. After all, the main reason she was divorced was Xu Wenda, and Wang Ruoyun's actions even made her feel quite sorry for her.

She threatened to commit suicide for a man.

But that was in the past.

How could Wang Ruoyun not know that the Imperial Concubine was making such underhanded moves?

She was clearly innocent and had expressed her stance.

Chu Jinjin smiled and said, "This shameless man will belong to my sister from now on. I wish you both a long and happy life together."

A group of noble ladies looked at each other in bewilderment.

The insults were scathing, yet not a single vulgar word was used.

Wang Ruoyun was so angry that she almost lost her composure, and stood up to pounce on the person and hit them.

“Third Miss Chu, Sister Ruoyun, what do you take this place for?” Princess Le’an was very satisfied with the situation. Her expression was solemn. “The north is suffering from a severe drought, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. His Majesty has been anxious for several nights without sleep, and yet you are still here arguing over trivial matters of love and affection.”

No matter what, she is a princess of noble birth. If she really wants to show her power, everyone present will be her servants.

Not only Wang Ruoyun, but all the noble ladies, including Li Xinzhi, lowered their heads.