The next day.

While doing Nan Wusi's hair, Ye Zi exclaimed, "Miss's hair is so smooth today."

"Of course it's smooth. I struggled for a long time yesterday and finally spent 100 beauty points to upgrade my flowing hair to level 3. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to comb this lotus crown hairstyle today," Nan Wusi thought to herself.

After Ye Zi finished her makeup, she wore a bright red silk dress with gold threads, paired with a pair of lotus-shaped gold earrings, making her look even more elegant.

However, Nan Wusi was utterly speechless about the makeup of this era. The makeup was not only heavy but also incredibly unnaturally white, paired with bright red lips, reminding her of Japanese geishas. After looking around, Nan Wusi couldn't stand the makeup any longer and had Ye Zi remove it so she could do it herself. What Nan Wusi didn't know was that the original owner of this body had always been ridiculed for her dark skin, which was why she particularly favored this kind of unnaturally white makeup. She simply hadn't considered whether this makeup suited her at all.

Although Nan Wusi's makeup skills weren't great, she still knew the basic steps. She chose a dark brown snail-shell ink and outlined her eyebrows along the arch, giving her a very heroic look. After removing the mask, her dark skin was revealed, and she used the snail-shell ink as a contouring agent to refine her cheeks, making her face appear much smaller.

Finally, I chose a darker-colored lip gloss as an accent to the overall makeup look.

Ye Zi, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. Looking at the young lady who seemed to have become a completely different person, her admiration for her was beyond measure.

Nan Wusi hadn't originally planned to dress so extravagantly, but the system mission required her to amaze everyone. Her appearance hadn't changed much yet, and the system shop had just refreshed with dresses that increased charm, so using them now would come in handy. However, she worried that if she stole the female lead's thunder, she would be targeted.

It was already remarkable that the female protagonist, Ouyang Jiangli, could attend such a grand banquet as a concubine's daughter. Her performance at the banquet, which stunned everyone, solidified her reputation as the most talented woman in the capital. This paved the way for her later marriage into the royal family as a concubine's daughter.

Nan Wusi absolutely did not want to clash with the female lead so early; she didn't want to become cannon fodder so quickly.

With the time to enter the palace fast approaching, Nan Wusi could only sigh inwardly and follow his mother into the carriage.

On the carriage, Jiang Zhirou saw that her daughter was unhappy and must be worried about the upcoming palace banquet, so she comforted her, "Sisi, don't worry. You can attend the banquet as you please. If anything happens, your parents will support you."

Upon hearing this, Nan Wusi felt both moved and guilty. She knew her father's precarious situation at court. Although he was outwardly a powerful and respected general, he was constantly feared by the emperor and was often stationed on the border, rarely able to return to the capital. Her parents, who had always kept a low profile, were now openly defying imperial power because of her marriage. They couldn't possibly be unaware of the pressure and risks involved.

Although she had only been in this book world for two short days, she truly felt her parents' love for her, and she found it increasingly difficult to treat the characters in the book as mere two-dimensional figures.

"Mother, will there really be any problems if we refuse the arranged marriage?" Nan Wusi asked after a moment's thought.

"Don't worry, as long as the Emperor still needs us, he won't turn against us easily," Jiang Zhirou said, patting Nan Wusi's hand.

The carriage quickly arrived at the palace gate. The two were supposed to get out and walk, but as soon as the coachman lifted the curtain, they saw a young eunuch waiting beside the carriage.

"Madam General, His Majesty has granted permission for the women of the General's household to enter the palace by carriage today," the young eunuch said respectfully.

"Thank you for your help, young eunuch." Jiang Zhirou nodded and called out to Xu Mama beside the carriage, "Xu Mama."

Xu Mama stepped forward and placed an exquisite money pouch in the young eunuch's hand.

"Thank you for the generous gift, General's wife," the young eunuch said with a beaming smile.

"Let's go, into the palace," Jiang Zhirou instructed her coachman.

So the general's carriage slowly drove into the palace gate.

After the general's carriage entered the palace, the prime minister's carriage also arrived at the palace gate. However, they were stopped by the palace guards.

"Xiao Tao, go and ask why the General's Mansion carriage is allowed to enter the palace?" A gentle and pleasant female voice rang out from the carriage.

"Yes, Miss."

Before long, Xiao Tao returned to report to her mistress: "Miss, the guard said that the Emperor has granted permission for the women of the General's Mansion to ride in carriages into the palace today."

"Okay, I understand." The voice remained gentle, and then she said to the other person in the car, "Sister, let's get out of the car."

Two young women stepped down from the carriage. The taller one was dressed very elegantly, with bright clothes and a headdress that jingled with her movements. Her eyes were bright and her demeanor was composed. She was so captivating that one could not look away.

The shorter woman was dressed in a light-colored outfit, which turned out to be last year's style. She also had few accessories, only a jade hairpin in her hair and a jade bracelet on her right hand. Although they were of excellent quality, her lifeless eyes and timid demeanor diminished her beauty.

Nan Wusi, of course, had no idea what happened next. She was currently sitting in the carriage, her eyes darting around nervously behind the curtain. She was mainly stunned by the sights of the palace. The magnificent scenery on both sides was too much for her eyes to take in.

Jiang Zhirou looked at her daughter's unambitious appearance with amusement and teased, "It's not like this is your first time in the palace. Why do you still look like you've never seen the world before?"

"I've never seen much of the world," Nan Wusi could only mutter to herself. On the surface, however, she acted coquettishly, "No matter how many times I see this scenery, it's still breathtaking."

"Even the most beautiful scenery is ultimately just a cage," Jiang Zhirou suddenly sighed. Seeing Nan Wusi looking at her with a puzzled expression, Jiang Zhirou realized she had spoken out of turn, immediately adjusted her demeanor, and changed the subject.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the palace where the banquet was being held. Many officials and their families were already waiting there, and groups of two or three familiar officials and their wives were chatting.

At this moment, everyone was quite surprised to see a carriage arrive at the palace banquet entrance, but they returned to normal after realizing it was the General's Mansion carriage. They all understood that this was a special permission granted to the General's Mansion by the Emperor.

After Nan Wusi and Jiang Zhirou got out of the car, they found a corner to sit down, but soon they were surrounded by a group of wealthy ladies. Nan Wusi felt that the scene was too terrifying, exactly the same as the terrifying scene when she returned to her hometown during the Chinese New Year and was surrounded by a group of aunts and uncles.

Soon, Nan Wusi couldn't take it anymore and seized an opportunity to escape.

Nan Wusi arrived outside the hall. The garden was filled with noble ladies from the capital, but none of them seemed interested in associating with her. Some looked down on her, some feared her, and some ignored her. Nan Wusi knew that the original owner of this body was never popular and didn't want to provoke her, so she strolled around the garden with Ye Zi, enjoying the scenery of the palace.