"Oh dear! My little darling, wait a minute..."

"Smack!"

"Ouch..."

Before Cai Gugu, who was standing next to the princess, could finish speaking, Xiao Yun tripped and fell flat on her face.

"Second Miss".

The girls who were nearby exclaimed in surprise and ran over.

The portrait in Xiao Yun's hand flew out as she fell.

Princess Yannan's temples throbbed, and she covered her face with her hands, unable to bear to look.

I don't know who my youngest daughter inherited her personality from; she's dignified for only a few breaths.

With so many girls watching in the flower hall today, it's truly embarrassing.

"Does it hurt, Miss?"

"Is the Second Miss injured anywhere?"

The girls quickly helped Xiao Yun up and brushed non-existent dust off her dress.

The floors of the Prince's mansion were spotless; for today's banquet, even the floors of the verandas were wiped clean.

"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. Thank you for your concern, sisters." Xiao Yun patted her chest, still feeling a bit shaken.

It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt. How could it not hurt when your hand hits the ground with a "thud"?

However, she is quite resilient, and falling on flat ground is nothing to her. A few days ago, she fell even more badly while climbing a tree to pick persimmons outside the mansion, and her buttocks are still slightly sore. However, in order to avoid being confined to her quarters, she told her maid not to make a fuss.

Xiao Dai was furthest from the doorway, and by the time she ran over, Xiao Yun had already been helped up by the girls.

"No one was chasing you, so what was the point of running? Walk slower in the future, it would look terrible if you chipped a tooth."

Although her younger sister was mischievous, she was also vain at heart. Xiao Dai tidied up the crooked pearl flowers in her sister's hair while teasing her.

"Yun'er, listen to your sister. From now on, walk with small, quick steps. That way, you'll have a ladylike demeanor and won't fall."

The girls listened to the Second Miss's words and gave her a thumbs up in their hearts. As expected of a girl from the Prince's Mansion, she was well-behaved, sensible, and adorable.

In an instant, the words "impatient and reckless" vanished from everyone's minds, as if they had nothing to do with the pretty young girl in the room.

Aunt Cai bent down and pinched Xiao Yun's knee. When she didn't hear Xiao Yun cry out in pain, she finally felt relieved.

Aunt Cai whispered in her ear, "Second Miss, don't be so impetuous in the future. When you go to the capital, the Emperor will definitely make you learn the rules again."

Seeing Xiao Yun wince in pain but then break into a playful smile, Aunt Cai's heart melted completely.

The second young lady is so adorable, how could she bear to teach her manners strictly?

When Xiao Yun thought of her second brother, who was now the emperor, a serious face came to mind.

Her second brother, dressed in a dragon robe, and her strict governess appeared alternately in her little mind, like a raging flood or a ferocious beast, extremely frightening.

Xiao Yun shuddered.

"Hey! The doll that the second young lady drew is so pretty, but why does it look so familiar?"

The painting happened to fall onto the hem of Lin Ruyin's skirt, and she bent down to pick it up and examine it carefully.

Girls who love painting quickly gathered around and praised, "Second Miss's painting skills have truly inherited the eldest young master's. Look at the child in this painting, so delicate and beautiful, with such a lovely face and such a happy smile. He's even cuter than the dolls in the New Year's paintings."

"That's right, look at the smooth lines, the even and perfect coloring, the child's red lips and white teeth, even the teeth are drawn so neatly, like seashells."

Everyone chimed in with their praise, making Xiao Yun feel quite flattered.

She looked at her mother with pride, her face practically screaming, "Mother, praise me!"

Not hearing any ghostly wails or howls, Princess Yannan slowly lowered her fingers from her eyes.

He asked, "Didn't you hurt yourself?"

"No, Mother is afraid that I will fall and hurt myself, so she doesn't even dare to look?" Xiao Yun was amused by her mother's reaction and walked over with small steps.

Xiao Dai followed, saying, "Mother faints at the sight of blood, thankfully you're alright today."

Just as she was about to snuggle into her mother's arms and act coquettishly, she suddenly remembered that there were other people in the room. She reacted quickly and grabbed the princess's hand, "Mother, please take a look at my new painting."

"Your Highness, look! The Second Miss's painting is truly beautiful." Lin Ruyin held the painting in both hands and walked to the princess's side.

"She hasn't been learning to paint for very long, so how could she produce any good works?"

Princess Yannan smiled modestly.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Xiao Yun has to draw a flower several times to do it, and she can't sit still because it feels like there are thorns growing under her buttocks.

Of course, this couldn't be said to outsiders. The princess knew what was going on and tried her best to smooth things over for her youngest daughter.

Every single girl present was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Xiao Yun herself couldn't stand her own paintings, let alone the girls present.

Everyone praised her, but it was only because she was a young lady from the Xiao family that they were giving her face.

Anyway, my daughter is still young, so it's not shameful for her to draw badly since she hasn't been learning for long.

"Your Highness, look! It's really beautiful." Seeing that the princess was speaking modestly and didn't even glance at the painting, Lin Ruyin moved the painting closer to the princess.

"this……"

Even though she couldn't bear to look, the princess forced herself to glance at it.

One glance, and she felt as if an electric current had passed through her body.

The child in the painting is lovely and looks exactly like my second son when he was a child, as if they were made from the same mold.

"Ruyin didn't lie to the Princess, did she? It turns out that the Second Miss is good at painting children. Given time, she will surely surpass her teacher."

Seeing that the princess was staring at her intently, Lin Ruyin showered her with compliments.

Seeing her mother's expression, Xiao Yun swallowed nervously, thinking to herself:

Could it be that Mother Consort saw through it at a glance? That shouldn't be possible!

She had a very good relationship with her personal maid, and there was never a precedent of her betraying her.

She quickly let go of her mother's hand, "No, it's not as good as Sister Lin said. It's just that I was lucky when I painted this picture."

The girls inside the room covered their mouths and giggled at Xiao Yun's words.

Another girl praised, "Second Miss is too modest. Her painting skills are entirely due to her foundation, and have nothing to do with luck."

Xiao Yun's maids arrived shortly afterward, huddled outside the flower hall, eyes downcast, wishing they could disappear on the spot.

They were afraid that the princess would summon them in for questioning.

If the princess asks about the origin of the painting, if she tells the truth, the second young lady will be unhappy; if she doesn't tell the truth, the princess won't be easily fooled.

Xiao Dai hadn't taken the praise for her sister to heart, thinking it was just polite talk.

Seeing that her mother's gaze was fixed on the painting and she couldn't take her eyes off it, she stepped forward and took the portrait.

"This painting is indeed quite good."

At a glance, Xiao Dai noticed something amiss; the features resembled those of a family member.

Especially that smile, it's like a miniature version of my second brother.

However, my second brother usually has a stern, icy expression and rarely shows such a cheerful smile.

Xiao Dai remembered that many years ago, when her second brother returned in triumph, he told their father and mother about the victory and how none of the soldiers he had led had been injured or killed. He had shown such a bright smile.

"Hey! Why does this doll look like the Second Young Lady?"

Just as Xiao Dai was about to put away the portrait, a young woman also noticed something amiss.