Nanny Gong smiled and said, "My cousin's demeanor shows that she is the eldest princess's legitimate granddaughter."

The eldest princess laughed and said, "She deserves a slap on the face. Yin is my legitimate granddaughter. Go and bring me my string of red coral beads for Yin to wear."

Nanny Gong pretended to slap her lips twice to amuse everyone, then went to get the coral beads.

The beads are bright and eye-catching, and quite long. They wrap around the wrist three times and slide down a little, making the wrist and the back of the hand look even whiter and more delicate.

When Madam Chai arrived, several people went out and took sedan chairs to the outer courtyard to take carriages. Chai Jun rode a horse, and the group went to Pu Mansion in a grand manner.

Princess Nanyang's canopied carriage was not parked at the corner gate like the carriages of other female members of the family, but at the main gate.

Mr. Pu Deyi, who was standing at the door to welcome the guests, came over and bowed, then invited Princess Nanyang and Xu Lanyin, who was supporting the princess, into the main gate. They then took a sedan chair to Yingtaoxuan next to the peach garden.

Xu Lanyin knew that Pu Deyi was Pu Yuanjie's eldest son and the eldest grandson of the Pu family.

The sedan chair stopped at the Yingtaoxuan hanging flower gate. A beautiful young woman in her twenties came forward and personally helped the eldest princess out of the sedan chair. She smiled and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. My grandmother is waiting for you."

Xu Lanyin got out of the last sedan chair, and Grandma Pu San looked at her in surprise.

Princess Nanyang introduced, "This is my granddaughter, Lan Yin." Then she said to Xu Lan Yin, "This is Pu Sanlang's wife, Liu."

Xu Lanyin knelt down and said with a smile, "Mrs. Pu San." Seeing that the other party was a little confused, she added, "My husband's surname is Zhao."

It is a slander that women had no human rights in ancient times and had to take their husband's surname after getting married.

Grandma Pu San quickly returned the greeting and smiled, "It's Grandma Zhao, what a beauty. Oh, only Her Royal Highness the Princess could make someone so beautiful."

The eldest princess was very pleased with her flattery and said with a smile, "Monkey, you are so sweet-mouthed."

Xu Lanyin helped the princess into the hall, where several people were already seated. Among those she knew were the Princess of Beiyang, the Princess of Xiyang, and the Princess of Yong. There were also a few elderly ladies, a few young ladies, and young wives. In the main seat sat an elderly woman in her sixties. She had kind eyes and white hair, a far cry from the image of a vicious woman.

Except for a few noble ladies of high status and old age and their younger generations who served them, who had seats in the main hall of Yingtaoxuan, the other female relatives would go to the side rooms, Feihua Pavilion, or Taohua Garden after paying their respects to Madam Pu and the other noble ladies.

When Mrs. Pu saw Princess Nanyang coming, she stood up and took a few steps to greet her.

The two old ladies exchanged a few diplomatic words and introduced Xu Lanyin to her. Xu Lanyin greeted her and the other old ladies. Except for Princess Beiyang who had a cold face, everyone else praised her.

Xu Lanyin helped the eldest princess sit on the Luohan bed and sat down on the chair behind her. In the hall, the three front rows were filled with Luohan beds, which were specially for the elderly ladies to sit on. In the back was a circle of chairs for the younger generations who served them.

Princess Nanyang and Princess Beiyang sat on the same Luohan bed, in the first seat on the left, and Xu Lanyin's chair was also the furthest to the left.

Xu Lanyin smiled at the young wives and daughters. Aside from Wang Hemu, the second daughter of the Beiyang Princess's residence, who remained silent, everyone else smiled politely. Xu Lanyin could tell they were mostly being perfunctory. She was just a pseudo-relative, the wife of an eighth-rank official, so it was natural that these noble ladies would look down on her.

Xu Lanyin pretended not to notice and sat down. The lattice windows here were wide open, allowing one to see the tender pink peach blossoms outside even from where they sat. In the distance, a three-story hexagonal building stood, and figures could be vaguely seen in front of the window. It was said that this was the Feihua Pavilion, where talented men and beautiful women would showcase their talents today, ultimately selecting the talent awards and the new Four Beauties of Beijing.

Several old ladies chatted and speculated about which girl would be chosen as one of the "Four Beauties." The one they talked about most was Pu Xiurong, the sixth girl from the Pu family. They said she was beautiful, talented, and a great chess player.

As he was speaking, he saw a maid come in and whisper something to Madam Pu. Madam Pu's face darkened slightly, but she nodded.

Soon, the maid at the door announced loudly, "Mrs. Pu, the wife of Duke Qing, and Miss Pu Er have arrived."

Xu Lanyin suddenly perked up and looked towards the door.

An old lady in her early sixties walked in with a pretty girl of about fourteen or fifteen. The old lady was thin and wore a maroon brocade jacket, while the girl wore a jacket and skirt embroidered with small flowers, which seemed too plain for the guests at the banquet.

None of the old ladies present expressed much interest. Madam Pu bowed slightly as she sat down, then smiled at Madam Wen who came forward to greet her, saying, "My dear sister is here too. I thought your Zhuo Lin had only been gone for a few months, and yet... well, it's good for you to come and have some fun. Be open-minded about everything; there's nothing you can't overcome."

This may seem like comforting words, but it's definitely not pleasant to hear. Both Old Lady Wen and Wen Jiao's faces turned red with anger, but they still maintained a smiling expression.

Old Madam Wen smiled and said, "Thank you for your comfort, elder sister. I thought the same thing, so I dragged Jiaojiao over here and asked her to talk to the young ladies more. It would also comfort her..."

As he was speaking, the maid at the door announced, "Mrs. Zhang and Miss Zhang Er from the Minister of War's residence have arrived."

Wen Jiao was about to help Old Madam Wen out when she saw Old Madam Pu's face, which was full of smiles, freeze and her pupils constrict. Wen Jiao looked back at Madam Zhang, who was also startled, and then turned back to look at Old Madam Pu.

Mrs. Zhang was about forty years old, tall and plump, with a larger stride than the average person. It was obvious that she came from a military family. Minister Zhang had previously served as the general in Quancheng in the west, and was transferred to the position of Minister of War a few years ago.

She brought Miss Zhang Er to bow to Madam Pu and said with a smile, "Junior Ma, greets Madam Pu."

Old Madam Pu shifted her gaze from the swallow-shaped hairpin on her head, leaned forward and said with a smile, "It's Madam Zhang. I often hear my old master talk about Mr. Zhang. He said he was brave and good at fighting, and had considerable strategy, which was why he kept the area safe." She then waved to Miss Zhang and said with a smile, "What a lovely girl! Come here and let me take a closer look."

Miss Zhang Er came forward and Mrs. Pu took out a jade hairpin and gave it to her as a gift.

Mrs. Zhang smiled broadly, greeted the old ladies present, and then led her daughter out. Mrs. Pu watched them disappear through the door.

Xu Lanyin stood up, picked up the teapot, and refilled Princess Nanyang's tea. She also placed a small apple on a toothpick for the princess. Her legs were right next to the Luohan bed where Old Lady Pu sat, and she overheard her thoughts, "...I need to find a way to get that hairpin and see if it's Liu Ying's..."