The prefect of Jingzhou doted on his concubine, a fact known throughout the capital.

Chen Xuan's mother was that pampered concubine who, relying on Lord Chen's favor, would snatch away anything her sisters liked to play with.

When she's being audacious, she even dares to bully her elder sister. Blinking her innocent eyes, Lord Chen's heart softens so much he can't think of a way to punish her.

Hearing Chen Lingwei say this, he wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction.

Having been raised with her own ideas by her family, she wanted to get involved in everything. She didn't think there was anything good about Xu Nian, this county princess, and was about to speak when she saw the cheerful scene over there.

Then a young lady from an unknown family suddenly raised her voice and said, "I've heard that the Princess of Fu'an is proficient in metaphysics, divination, and can even conjure flames out of thin air and attract lightning. I'm curious, would the Princess be so kind as to demonstrate these skills to everyone?"

Xu Nian was wondering how to end her conversation with Jiang Yuanqing.

This guy looks so gentle and weak, how come he's such a chatterbox? And he seems oblivious to the murderous glare Gu Zhan is giving him.

The smile on her face never changed from any angle; it was both gentle and aloof.

Suddenly hearing someone call her name, she quickly stopped talking and turned around. Upon hearing those words, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

It's better to talk to Jiang Yuanqing; at least he's a handsome guy.

This girl is eager to show off in front of the emperor; she's quite brave.

[Is this considered a provocation? Is this what ancient palace intrigue looks like? I want to see it live! I'm so excited!]

[Don't be a coward, streamer! We'll send you gifts and show her what you're capable of!]

They were all a bunch of people who loved to watch the drama unfold. Xu Nian sighed, the official's daughter's voice was quite loud, and everyone at the banquet turned to look at her when they heard it.

Whether out of curiosity or schadenfreude, those who knew them well were filled with worry.

Various gazes fell upon her, most notably the two rulers of the dynasty and their wives at the head of the table, all looking at her with considerable interest, clearly quite curious.

“Miss, lightning, fire, and Taoist magic are offensive techniques.” Xu Nian’s expression was indifferent, her brocade robes exuding nobility. “Whenever I make a move, I must injure someone before I stop. And all those I do are members of the royal family and nobles, pillars of the dynasty. I wonder if you, Miss, can bear this responsibility?”

She's not a circus performer sent to put on a monkey show. Why would she perform for you just because she's here to celebrate a festival?

The young lady of the official's family was taken aback. Her gaze shifted upwards; she had clearly seen the Emperor and Empress looking on with interest just moments before. Yet now, it seemed they had already withdrawn their gazes.

Jiang Mingyun had witnessed Xu Nian casting spells before; the towering flames and golden lightning intertwined, and he still remembered the tragic fate of those assassins.

They lost interest immediately; everyone present valued their lives, regardless of whether Xu Nian was telling the truth or not.

After these words were spoken, no one was curious anymore, especially the Third Prince, who had already witnessed it. He snorted coldly, "Isn't this some kind of monkey show for a festival? The Princess of Fu'an is a noblewoman personally appointed by the Emperor. Is she here to amuse you like this?"

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and peace and good fortune are the most important things," Jiang Yuanqing continued. "If this young lady can't sit still, she can wander around. There will be fireworks in the palace later. I think you will enjoy them."

"I..." The girl looked young, but her spirited face was now flushed red.

Her father held a low-ranking official position, and after listening to Chen Lingwei's words, he wanted to find a way out for himself and use the title of Princess Fu'an to show off his magnanimity.

As a result, both princes spoke up for Xu Nian, which made the young lady so angry and embarrassed that she stomped her foot and sat down under her father's warning gaze.

But the matter wasn't over yet. Like playing whack-a-mole, as soon as she sat down, someone stood up again, unconvinced. "The two princes are right. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's really not appropriate for any violent scenes to occur. Our dynasty has a long tradition of divining the future when festivals are approaching. Since the county princess has such abilities, why don't you set up an altar now and perform a ritual to predict the fate of the nation in a timely manner?"

[The fate of the nation... she really dares to say that.]

This thing will shorten your lifespan.

This thing really does shorten your lifespan.

Xu Nian narrowed her eyes. Although she could see the fate of the heavens, the fortune of ordinary people was only for those with a heavy destiny, like the emperor or the future emperor.

She poses no threat whatsoever to ordinary people.

But the fate of a nation is equivalent to the fortune of millions of people concentrated in one person. This is like soybeans; even ten thousand kilograms of soybeans would be enough for several strong men to unload.

She glanced over there, then at the emperor and empress at the head of the table.

Just as Gu Zhan was about to get up, he stopped Su Wanting, who was about to speak. With a smile in front of everyone, he gracefully walked to the center of the banquet.

She performed a grand salute with proper decorum, saying, "As a citizen of the Great Xuan Dynasty, I have been honored by His Majesty's favor and bestowed the title of County Princess. I will certainly dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the Xuan Dynasty, working tirelessly until my dying breath."

She looked up, meeting Jiang Mingyun's gaze directly, and continued under his satisfied look: "The foundation of a nation lies in its people and its ruler. When the people are supportive and the ruler is wise, the nation will prosper. Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, cares for the people and is devoted to them. Even without divination, one can see from Your Majesty that the Xuan Dynasty's foundation will last for thousands of generations and be immortal."

That's a great compliment!

The emperor was beaming from ear to ear; it's clear the streamer hit the nail on the head with his praise.

"Well said." Jiang Mingyun's wrinkles around his eyes and brows were squeezed out with laughter. "Fu'an's words resonate with me. What does national fortune matter? Only when the people are happy can my Xuan Dynasty live without worry for ten thousand years."

The Empress also chimed in with a smile; before today, she had only considered Xu Nian as a playmate of Princess Anqing.

Now that I see him, he is not only pleasing to the eye, but also intelligent and quick-witted. He is truly a good child. "Anqing often told me that Fu'an is a good person, and now that I see him, it is indeed true. If he were a boy, His Majesty would have gained another excellent talent."

The official below him quickly echoed his words, and Gu Zhan, seeing the crisis averted, still preoccupied with his earlier rejection, turned his head away without saying a word.

The smile on his lips betrayed his inner pride. He still had to go to the county magistrate's mansion that evening, and Xu Nian felt embarrassed to do so today because there were outsiders present.

Princess Ping'an stamped her foot. Seeing that Xu Nian was about to become a prodigy in everyone's eyes because of these beautiful words, she ignored her father's attempts to pull her back and shouted, "You've said so many nice words, Princess, are you afraid to do the math? Or were you just lying to everyone before?"

At this moment, the emperor's face darkened. She couldn't see it, and continued to say to herself, "I've heard that those things you did among the common people were all fabricated out of thin air and don't match the facts."

With Su Wanting's help, Xu Nian stood up, her gaze not falling on anyone. "The fate of the nation is not unpredictable, but it cannot be determined by me alone. It requires the petition of the people to move Heaven to bestow a divine decree. Princess, if I can get all the people of Xuan Dynasty to agree, what harm is there in me calculating it? But if I try to deduce it by myself, even if I die, there will be no result."