Within the water curtain, a man with hair loosely tied back with a ribbon, eyes like bright stars, and an air of scholarly refinement sat upright in the main seat.

At the lower end stood two or three scholars wearing square headscarves and a black-clad bodyguard.

If Xu Nian were to see such a person in normal circumstances, she would never imagine him being a power-hungry individual. Besides, she had no grudge against him.

"Anqing, is this really your second brother?" Su Wanting asked uncertainly. "Isn't the Second Prince supposed to be frail and unwilling to show himself to others?"

Apart from being a little pale, the man in the picture showed no signs of being weak or sickly. He looked better than most men in ordinary households.

Anqing looked for a while before confirming, "That's my second brother, how could I not recognize him?" She hadn't expected that her usually gentle and sickly second brother would also have contributed to this struggle for imperial power.

Xu Nian is now a target, except for the Crown Prince, with whom she already had a fairly good relationship and who didn't make a move because of Su Wanting.

Under the emperor, there were quite a few princes whose names were known who stepped in and fueled the chaos.

If it weren't for the fact that she had saved Jiang Mingyun's life, and the fear that taking too much action would backfire, Xu Nian would probably have been verbally abused by those people by now.

"This kite won't be able to fly today," Xu Nian thought, feeling quite unwell.

[The intrigue and scheming of ancient imperial power—surprisingly, TV dramas didn't lie to me!]

[It's all for that position. I bet if it weren't for Su Wanting, the Crown Prince would have interfered too.]

[Are you alright, streamer? Cheer up! None of us could have predicted this.]

Xu Nian was somewhat incredulous and locked herself in the room for a long time until Gu Zhan came and finally let her out.

"What's wrong? Did something happen when you went to Princess Anqing's place today?" At the dinner table, Gu Zhan looked at the absent-minded person with concern.

Da Bao and Er Bao tugged at their older sister's sleeve, "Don't be sad, sister. Eating a big chicken leg will make you feel better."

"Do you think I'm like you?" She tapped the two children on the forehead in an annoyed tone. "Go to sleep after you finish eating. You have to go to school tomorrow."

She only sighed softly after Da Bao and Er Bao had run out of the front hall and disappeared from sight.

Gu Zhan asked anxiously again, "What exactly happened?"

"I know who's spreading these rumors?"

The general paused for a moment, his expression relaxing slightly. He then patted Xu Nian's shoulder helplessly, "Sometimes I really don't know if letting you enter the capital was the right thing to do. Xu Nian, these things have nothing to do with you, you don't need to worry about them."

"How can I not care?" the girl said immediately. Da Bao and Er Bao were there, and Gu Zhan was there too. How could she not care? "Gu Zhan, you know better than I do. Once you go in here, you'll never come out again. For your sake, I have to take care of these things."

She has really grown a lot these days.

The lively and playful girl I first met during the famine gradually became more composed during this long journey.

Gu Zhan watched, his heart aching inexplicably. He wished time could stand still during the time of the famine. At least back then, Xu Nian was free and happy.

The next morning, Su Wanting had just finished breakfast when her personal maid, Cuiyu, rushed in from outside. "Miss, the eldest daughter of the Liu family has arrived and says she wants to see you."

"See me?" Su Wanting frowned slightly. "Let her wait in the side hall. I'll be right there."

Because of Gu Zhan, she didn't have many friends in the capital. Liu Qingmei was the most important among those who disliked her.

She didn't want to lose face, or people would think that her daughter, Su, was ill-mannered.

"Miss Liu has come to visit suddenly. May I ask what brings you here?" I have to go to the county princess's mansion today and don't have time to be polite with this person.

Liu Qingmei hadn't expected Su Wanting to be so direct. Her smile froze for a moment before she said, "What are you saying, Sister Su? I've long wanted to befriend you, but I haven't had the chance. Today, I've finally found the opportunity. We sisters must have a heart-to-heart talk."

This means that she doesn't want anyone else around.

Su Wanting's eyes flickered, and Cuiyu immediately understood. She waved her hand to signal the servants guarding the side hall to leave, then got up and closed the door.

"Miss Liu, please speak frankly. I'm in a hurry to visit a friend."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingmei feigned surprise, "Sister, are you referring to the Princess of Fu'an? You two seem to have a very good relationship. I wonder what the Princess thinks about this."

Her slender, pale hand covered her chest, her teeth biting her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Su Wanting remained unmoved, brushing the tea leaves over her cup and taking a sip of tea: "Miss Liu, please speak frankly. My relationship with the county princess is none of your business to speculate about."

Hmph, let's see if you can still be so calm in a moment!

She gritted her teeth inwardly; Liu Qingmei had always despised Su Wanting's hypocritical arrogance. Su Wanting thought she was superior to them in everything just because her father was the Prime Minister.

Not only does she already have Gu Zhan in her hands, but she also insists on hooking up with the Crown Prince! What a vixen! No wonder she can be friends with Xu Nian!

A hint of malice seemed to flash in her eyes, but it was not very clear. "Sister, please don't be angry. I swear I didn't mean to sow discord between you and the County Princess. It's just that I really can't stand it. The County Princess of Fu'an claims to be your sister, but she is also very close to General Gu. The two of them eat together every day. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think that Xu Nian is General Gu's fiancée."

clatter!

The cup was placed on the table with a rather heavy force, startling Liu Qingmei, who at the same time felt secretly pleased with herself.

"The county princess is of commoner origin, so she probably doesn't know these etiquette rules. Sister Su, you don't need to blame her. I'm just reminding you. After all, she has a special status and abilities that ordinary people don't have. I'm afraid that if General Gu doesn't investigate, the county princess might make a mistake."

Su Wanting stood up, her phoenix eyes sharp. "Miss Liu, someone as particular about etiquette as you never strayed far from Gu Zhan when we dined at the county princess's place a month ago. Anyone who didn't know better would think I had a seventy or eighty-year-old nanny here, spouting endless rules of etiquette and lacking any youthful vigor!"

Liu Qingmei was stunned, and even the maid Xiao Hong behind her was stunned.

They came over excitedly, thinking they could sow discord between Su Wanting and Xu Nian, but they never expected that Miss Su would shut her down with every word she uttered!

After realizing what had happened, her eyes were already misty, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

Having witnessed countless battles among wives and concubines in the household, Su Wanting was not about to let it go. She sneered, "There's no one here, Miss Liu, there's no need for you to put on such a show. I can judge what kind of person Xu Nian is. She's just having a meal with me, and Miss Liu has already taken my arm. Does that mean she's already reserved for Gu Zhan?"

After a pause, seeing Liu Qingmei's increasingly dark expression, she said, "I have a question. How did Miss Liu know that the county princess and General Gu ate together every day? Could it be that you have an informant in the manor?"