Chen Zhixiu didn't care what they thought and continued, "If any of you ladies hear that Xiao Ruyan has done anything bad because she knows my Tuantuan, you must tell me."

The ladies looked at each other, then quickly nodded in agreement.

Chen Zhixiu smiled even more happily: "That's good. In the end, it's also my problem. Tuantuan has always wanted a younger brother or sister, but unfortunately, I only have her as my daughter, so she's a bit lonely. If the ladies of the house don't mind, would you be willing to be friends with my Tuantuan?"

The ladies' eyes lit up. Making friends with the county princess was certainly a good thing!

“This is our good fortune! Our children are chatting in the pavilion. I will have them come over and bring the county princess with them.”

"Yes, yes, the county princess is gentle and kind. It's truly a blessing from our ancestors that my child can become friends with her!"

"Princess, rest assured, my child will definitely take good care of you."

The ladies chatted amongst themselves, while the servants behind them called their young mistresses over.

Bai Tuantuan walked over, politely greeting each of them. Then, looking at these young ladies, she slowly said, "I have been away from the capital for some time and am not very familiar with it. Could you ladies please introduce me to them?"

The young ladies, who were initially quite apprehensive, were immediately relieved to see Bai Tuantuan's gentle demeanor and led her to the pavilion.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhixiu began chatting with the ladies.

"Princess." The wife of the Minister of Rites, Su Shishi's mother, Madam Su, walked over with a smile, "It's been a long time!"

Chen Zhixiu smiled genuinely and walked over, saying, "Madam Su, Madam Qiu."

Madam Qiu said with a smile, "Originally, after the princess returned to the capital, Sister Su and I wanted to send her an invitation, but Sister Su said that you would definitely be very busy when you came back, so we thought we would wait. It just so happened that Her Majesty the Empress was going to hold a flower appreciation banquet, and we thought we would definitely be able to see her. And it turned out that we were right."

Chen Zhixiu covered her mouth and smiled: "I have indeed been very busy these past few days, but I still have time to see my sisters. If you want to go out with me or do anything in the future, just come to the Bai family. There's no need for formalities between us."

Madam Su and Madam Qiu exchanged a glance, their smiles growing even wider.

The two greeted the other ladies and then pulled Chen Zhixiu to sit down on the other side.

“Sister Xiu’er, you’d better be careful at the Empress’s flower viewing banquet this time.” Madam Su frowned and said slowly, “Over the years, the Empress has been trying to build up the Third Prince’s reputation. She has seen many of her children. I heard that she even wanted Tuantuan to be the Third Prince’s concubine.”

"Yes, I've heard about this too. How could Her Majesty the Empress say such a thing? Does the Third Prince even deserve it?" Madam Qiu said irritably.

Chen Zhixiu looked at Madam Qiu in surprise. In her memory, Madam Qiu was very introverted. Why was she like this today?

"I knew you'd be surprised. It's true that Her Majesty the Empress also wanted to bring Qiao'er into the Third Prince's harem. If it weren't for Lord Qiu and Young Master Qiu's willingness to die in the Golden Palace to prove their loyalty, this matter would probably have been accomplished!"

"Even so, the Third Prince is still the Emperor's son. Lord Qiu's disdain for the Third Prince is a slap in the face to the Emperor, and his career has stagnated in recent years..."

Madam Qiu waved her hand and said, "It's better not to be an official. It's just that my husband wants to do things for the people, so he became an official. He doesn't care about promotions. Besides, with the help of Lord Su and the Bai family over the years, my husband has been living a very comfortable life. Not to mention my Gao'er, with the help of the Chen family, he has made a lot of money."

Mrs. Qiu became more and more excited as she spoke, and kept thanking Chen Zhixiu while holding her hand.

Chen Zhixiu hurriedly said, "That's only right. But Young Master Qiu's gains are all due to his own skill. It is said that the master leads you through the door, but the cultivation depends on the individual."

"Alright, alright, you two, stop being modest. Let's talk about today's flower viewing banquet." Madam Su said helplessly, "My Shishi is of marriageable age, but I'm not worried that the Empress will take a liking to her. After all, my husband said to the Emperor long ago that he would not marry a member of the royal family because my Shishi is gentle and suitable for an ordinary family, a lifelong commitment to one person."

"The Emperor agreed at the time, and Qiao'er caused that scene, so it's naturally impossible. That leaves your Tuantuan. Tuantuan is so favored by the Emperor, and she also has the support of the Bai and Chen families. The Empress is keeping an eye on her!"

Chen Zhixiu, on the other hand, was quite relaxed and said calmly, "She doesn't have that ability."

Madam Su thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true, after all, it's not easy to get past the Emperor."

"By the way, to be honest, Tuantuan is getting on in years, is there anyone she's interested in?"

Chen Zhixiu smiled and said, "I'm not going to get involved in this. This girl still hasn't figured things out! All she knows is eating and drinking; she's never thought about romance."

"What about Shishi and Qiao'er? Have they found someone they like?"

Mrs. Su shook her head: "Alas, although I am her mother, we are not the same age. Her youngest daughter doesn't tell me what's on her mind."

Qiu Qiao'er nodded in agreement: "Yes, I asked too. As long as you have a clean background, it's fine, but this girl said she doesn't. I don't know if it's true or not."

"They're still young!" Chen Zhixiu comforted them with a smile. "Just wait, they'll tell you when the time is right. Don't rush, just wait patiently."

"Being someone's wife is not as easy as being a girl. After getting married, you have to have children, and childbirth is a life-threatening ordeal. We don't need to rush like this."

In fact, according to Chen Zhixiu's thinking, what's wrong with not getting married?

However, she would certainly not say such treasonous things.

On the other side, after Bai Tuantuan greeted the young ladies, she went to the side with Su Shishi and Qiu Qiao'er.

"Guan Baozhu and Huang Zisu have gotten together for some reason, which may be detrimental to you."

Su Shishi frowned: "In the years since you came back, those two have done a lot of things regarding Huanglian and Guanxin."

When Su Shishi mentioned the two of them, there was a hint of disgust in her eyes.

Bai Tuantuan tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Sister Shishi, are they targeting you too?"

Su Shishi pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "But it's okay, my parents and brother protect me, they can't do anything to me."

"Qiao'er, on the other hand, was bullied by them a few times, but Guan Xin taught Guan Baozhu a lesson."

Qiu Qiao'er nodded quickly and waved her hand to indicate that she was alright.

Bai Tuantuan chuckled: "You guys should be tougher. Go ahead and make a scene with them. I'll cover for you if someone gets killed!"

Qiu Qiao'er was taken aback, then smiled: "It won't come to that. Their methods aren't very sophisticated. We can handle it, but you'd better be careful."

Bai Tuantuan glanced at the two whispering figures and nodded: "Okay, I'll be careful."

Qiu Qiao'er was stunned. Why did she feel that the county princess seemed happy that they were causing trouble?

It has to be said, Qiu Qiao'er really hit the nail on the head!