Meng Yuxiu sent guards to keep an eye on Hu Pin, while also sending people to investigate the officials whose residences had been searched. The guards watching Hu Pin didn't report anything unusual, but news did come from the other side.

"I've been investigating these past few days and have stumbled upon something," the guard said respectfully and cautiously.

“Speak your mind directly; there’s no one else here.” Meng Yuxiu’s gaze was sharp.

The guard then said with a determined look, "I haven't found anything, but these officials all have one thing in common: without exception, they all participated in the affairs of the previous dynasty."

Meng Yuxiu raised an eyebrow: "Without exception? It seems things are more complicated than I imagined."

Xiao Shu'er set up the banquet on the lake in the city.

She prepared a large ship and set up a shipyard on it, where the banquet would be held.

The lake shimmered, and the boathouse was decorated in a fresh, elegant, and noble style. In Chang Lili's words, it was the kind of leisure and refinement that only the wealthy could afford.

When Chang Lili arrived at the lakeside and looked at the boat house, she first sighed like a country bumpkin.

The young ladies who were invited to the banquet avoided her when they saw her poor and shabby appearance. They covered their noses and walked around her, looking at her as if she were a plague god.

Xiao Shu'er is the eldest princess, the most noble girl in the entire capital. All the daughters of officials are closely related to her.

When Bai Mei went to deliver the invitations to them, she had already told them about Chang Lili's situation.

Having incurred such a grudge with Xiao Shu'er, Chang Lili is now quite a well-known figure. After Bai Mei's words, these young ladies understood the situation: those who oppose Xiao Shu'er are naturally their enemies as well.

These noble ladies, naturally adorned with gold and silver when they went out, already looked down on Chang Lili for her appearance. After inquiring and learning that she was Chang Lili, they became even more displeased.

Chang Lili seemed completely unaware as she entered the shipyard. The ship was enormous, and while it looked exquisite and beautiful from the outside, once inside, it was an even more enchanting place.

The air was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and a banquet was set out, with all sorts of delicacies laid out, looking exceptionally tempting.

Chang Lili spotted Xiao Shuer in the crowd at a glance. It wasn't that Xiao Shuer was particularly eye-catching or outstanding, but rather that she was surrounded by wealthy young ladies, like a star being surrounded by the moon, making her easily noticeable.

She looked radiant and pleased with herself, clearly enjoying being surrounded by people like this.

When the other young ladies entered the boat house, their servants would call out to them, and Xiao Shu'er would go forward to greet them. However, when Chang Lili showed her invitation to enter the boat house, the servants didn't utter a sound.

Chang Lili wasn't bothered by anyone, but instead looked around at the scenery with great interest. She walked to the banquet table, ate the candied fruit and drank the wine without any ceremony, and even looked at the richly dressed young ladies without any regard for their appearance.

Finally, her gaze settled on Xiao Shuer, and she sighed, feeling genuinely envious.

As the eldest princess, Xiao Shu'er eats delicacies from land and sea and wears fine silks and satins, yet she still has to worry about making a living. I really envy her for being born into such a good family.

However, she then touched the hidden dart in her sleeve and thought to herself that even a princess should not abuse her power to bully others or even disregard human life.

Seemingly sensing Chang Lili's gaze, Xiao Shu'er suddenly turned her head and looked over with displeasure, just in time to see Chang Lili stuffing delicious dried fruit into her mouth while glancing at her.

She curled her lips into a cold smile, making no attempt to hide it, and walked towards Chang Lili.

"Miss Chang, I've been waiting for you for so long. Why didn't you say anything when you arrived?" Xiao Shu'er walked over with a smile, but her eyes were cold.

Instantly, all the girls in the boat shop turned their gazes toward Chang Lili. Her eating manners were on full display, and the girls covered their faces and frowned, seemingly ashamed of her.

Chang Lili remained completely calm. She clapped her hands, wiped her mouth, and before she could even chew and swallow the food in her mouth, she enthusiastically went to greet Xiao Shuer. She grabbed Xiao Shuer's arm with the hand that was holding the candied fruit. The latter was clearly not expected to do so, and her whole body trembled, her face turning pale and then red.

"I just saw you were busy. How could I, a nobody, trouble you to come and greet me?" Chang Lili said indistinctly while chewing on dried fruit.

Bai Mei frowned and said sternly, "How dare you! You don't even kneel down and pay your respects to the Princess!"

Chang Lili opened her eyes wide as if startled, and innocently released Xiao Shuer: "This humble subject is ignorant and does not know the etiquette of the palace. I do not know how to greet the Princess. Please demonstrate for me, Princess."

Xiao Shu'er's face flushed with anger: "Chang Lili, you... shameless woman who doesn't know your place! I kindly invited you to the banquet, and you dare to be so rude!"

With so many young ladies present, Xiao Shu'er didn't directly utter any insults, but in her heart she had already torn Chang Lili to pieces.

The other girls couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Chang Lili was indeed as ungrateful as the rumors suggested.

They pulled the sullen Xiao Shuer aside to have tea and chat, all casting resentful glances at Chang Lili.

Seeing that Chang Lili was being shunned by everyone, Xiao Shuer finally calmed down, and the banquet proceeded in full swing.

A boatload of beautiful girls, a truly delightful sight.

Chang Lili's appearance is quite good, but compared to these beautifully dressed young ladies, she is like a chicken mixed in with a flock of phoenixes.

For example, right now, those girls are gathered together, clinking glasses, enjoying the music and the scenery of the lake, composing poems and exchanging verses. Chang Lili probably could never learn this kind of thing in her entire life.

But those rich girls just had to bring up the very thing they didn't want to talk about. They were reciting poetry in a good mood, but they dragged Chang Lili, who was happily eating, away and made her join them.

Chang Lili knew exactly what they were up to. These young ladies had conspired together to vent Xiao Shu'er's anger and deliberately wanted to embarrass her.

“Miss Chang, you are right. My first line is ‘The lake reflects the wine cup’.” A girl standing next to Xiao Shu’er said with a smile.

Chang Lili was not good at pedantry, and she didn't even quite understand the first line of the couplet. She just felt her scalp tingling and frowned impatiently, saying, "Don't make things difficult for me. I can't learn your tricks."

Many girls cast disdainful glances at her, and Xiao Shu'er snorted coldly.

The girl who presented the first line of the couplet laughed and replied, "My first line is not difficult at all. Miss Chang couldn't come up with a matching line. I have a second line for you: 'The lake reflects the wine cup, and the silver cicada depicts Xi Shi.'"

As the girl spoke, she looked at Xiao Shuer, and the meaning of "Xi Shi" was self-evident.

Everyone praised the couplet for being so fitting for the occasion, and even more so for its matching.

Chang Lili stared at the group of girls in shock, thinking to herself that their flattery skills were truly masterful.

Xiao Shuer finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Chang Lili and asked with amusement, "This couplet isn't difficult, but I didn't expect Miss Chang to be unable to match it. It seems that your family is really poor and you can't even afford a tutor. If you can't match this couplet, you must have read a few poems, right?"