The Fifth Prince stood up and clapped his hands lightly. As the crisp applause rang out, a woman dressed in white, carrying a zither, slowly walked forward. Her figure was as light as a fairy, as if she had floated down from the clouds.

The woman's face was veiled by a light gauze, but her partially obscured features revealed an ethereal quality. Her eyes, in particular, were clear and bright like autumn water, radiating a cool chill, like the purest white lotus flower atop a snow-capped mountain.

The music began, its sound ethereal and beautiful, like celestial music from heaven.

Unconsciously, everyone sat up straight and listened attentively. Even the emperor was completely captivated. As the music grew more melodious and clear, and more familiar, the emperor's eyes gradually became mesmerized, as if he were in a dream.

A hint of coldness crept onto the Empress's face, especially when she met those cold, clear eyes. Her fingers instinctively tightened their grip on the armrest.

Consort Xi looked at the woman with curious eyes.

Psychological assessment: To play the zither to this level is truly impressive. Graceful posture and excellent temperament are bonus points. The act of half-concealing one's face while holding the zither adds another point.

For some reason, Chen Jin'er felt that the woman in front of her looked familiar, especially her pair of aloof... phoenix eyes.

oh!

Chen Jin'er sat up straight, gently touched her eyes, and then looked at the Seventh Prince below the stage.

The Seventh Prince was also looking at the woman. His gaze was cold and sharp, as if it could see through all disguises. His beautiful face was covered with a layer of frost, like a deep lake, gleaming with a cold light, as dazzling as the stars.

When his deep, phoenix-shaped eyes fell on the woman, the chill in his gaze intensified, as if he wanted to freeze her into ice.

Exactly the same phoenix eyes!

Chen Jin'er's gaze swept over the familiar smile on the Fifth Prince's face and landed on Jiang Jiaojiao. Jiang Jiaojiao also raised her head, met Chen Jin'er's gaze, and nodded slightly.

The Fifth Prince really put a lot of thought into this gift!

The music ended, but the lingering melody remained.

The woman slowly rose, took graceful steps, and curtsied, saying, "May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life."

"Raise your head and let me see your face."

The emperor was impatient, with a hint of anxiety.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the woman gently removed the veil from her face, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty, as cool and mysterious as moonlight, as if a fairy from the moon palace had descended to earth.

"In the south there is a beautiful woman, aloof from the world, whose beauty could topple a city with a single glance, and a nation with a second."

The Fifth Prince rose and respectfully congratulated the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have met this woman. I learned that she has admired Your Majesty since childhood, so I presented her to you, thus creating a beautiful story!"

A chorus of exclamations erupted within the main hall.

"Such beauty is absolutely stunning! No one can rival her!"

"No, no, no, only the Seventh Prince can compare to such beauty."

"Hmm—upon closer inspection, this beauty does resemble the Seventh Prince somewhat, especially her eyes..."

"You know what, it really does look like it!"

"This...this...this beauty looks exactly like Consort Yun from back then!"

The moment the words "Consort Yun" were uttered, the hall fell into a deathly silence. All eyes turned to the Emperor and the Seventh Prince. The Emperor lost control upon seeing that face, while the Seventh Prince had already regained his composure.

The emperor stared blankly, muttering, "Yun'er?"

suddenly--

His sleeve was tugged at by one corner, and he met Chen Jin'er's pair of bright, star-like, phoenix-shaped eyes, like those of an elf.

Yes!

These are the eyes I first saw when I first met Yun'er; they are as pure and flawless as those of an elf.

A cool fragrance wafted from Chen Jin'er's wrist and into the emperor's nostrils, instantly sobering him up from the sudden surge of agitation and infatuation.

The emperor looked at the woman below the steps again, intuitively feeling that although she looked about 70% like Consort Yun, her cold and aloof aura was completely different from Yun'er's.

Yun'er... only became taciturn and aloof after entering the palace. This woman was clearly deliberately playing the role of Yun'er after entering the palace.

The emperor's heart sank. "Fifth Prince is thoughtful. Guards—Feng Ling, bestow residence upon her in Lingju Palace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Consort Ling, holding a zither, bowed. Her cool gaze fell from the emperor to Consort Xi behind him, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She remained expressionless and followed the palace maids away.

Passing by the Seventh Prince's wine table, she stopped and suddenly spoke up, "I heard that the Seventh Prince will be getting married soon. I wish to present this zither to the future Seventh Prince's consort. May I ask... who will it be?"

"No need."

The Seventh Prince refused outright, meeting the same phoenix eyes without a trace of emotion, and said calmly, "I will not forget the wedding wine for Lady Ling."

Ling Meiren was surprised that the Seventh Prince refused her in public.

Her expression changed instantly, and even her usually aloof demeanor turned gloomy. "It was my rudeness."

Having said that, she picked up her zither and quickly left.

As the emperor watched the scene unfold before him, his eyes gradually cleared, his previous excitement and infatuation vanished, and a hint of coldness crept into his gaze as he swept over the fifth prince.

The Fifth Prince felt extremely uneasy.

Jiang Jiaojiao seemed to be deep in thought. In her previous life, she had shamelessly attended the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, but the Seventh Prince was absent due to illness, and neither was this beautiful Ling Meiren.

Clearly... this beautiful spirit was after him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jiaojiao looked at the Fifth Prince and Jiang Xue behind him.

Just then, she met Jiang Xue's gaze. Their eyes met, and Jiang Xue quickly lowered her head, her eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. She had expected to see Jiang Jiaojiao's furious expression.

But to everyone's surprise, Jiang Jiaojiao did not lose her composure as she had imagined. She sat there calmly, without crying, making a fuss, or acting out. In addition, her luxurious and gorgeous palace dress made her exude a noble aura, as if she were really a noble princess.

Jiang Xue was so angry she almost snapped her nails off.

She had finally found this woman by relying on information from the storybook. When she heard that the Seventh Prince had recovered from his illness and that his marriage was arranged, she immediately got up and came to him. She even went so far as to change her appearance to enter the palace just to get to him.

With such a crazy woman clinging to the Seventh Prince, she doesn't believe Jiang Jiaojiao can have a peaceful life as the Seventh Prince's consort.

She originally thought that with that face, she could easily get a concubine rank, or even a royal consort rank. Not only could she share the favor of Consort Xi, but she could also use her methods to sow discord between Jiang Jiaojiao and the Seventh Prince.

Unexpectedly, she was only given the title of a minor beauty, and she even lost her composure in public and flirted with the Seventh Prince. Wasn't she courting death?

The description of this woman in the storybook is definitely an overestimation.

What kind of Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang is she? She's just a fool who's been bewitched by the Seventh Prince's good looks!

Jiang Xue became increasingly angry as she thought about it.

She had finally managed to regain the Fifth Prince's trust through the storyline in the novel, but this woman was about to ruin it!