The sun shines brightly today, and the chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom.

Looking at the scenery, Jiang Mingyun inexplicably thought of the exquisitely cultivated chrysanthemums in the Imperial Concubine's palace. Unconsciously, she arrived in front of the hall, but suddenly remembered Xu Nian's advice and stopped in her tracks.

"Isn't His Majesty going over?" Eunuch Wang asked, stepping forward.

Jiang Mingyun hesitated for a moment, ultimately wary of the yin energy Xu Nian had mentioned in the palace. "Never mind, that girl Fu'an already said it's not advisable to approach Fanghua Palace these days. Let's talk about it later."

Even if Eunuch Wang hadn't said he could become the emperor's chief eunuch, he could tell at a glance that Jiang Mingyun was just saying that and secretly hoping someone would give him a way out.

He immediately bowed and said, “Of course I cannot disobey the words of the Princess of Fu’an. However, as the Princess also said, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the jade pendant alone can ward off evil spirits, so evil things dare not approach you easily.”

Just then, the personal maid of Consort Fanghua returned from outside with her allowance. Upon seeing Jiang Mingyun, she immediately knelt down and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well."

She deliberately raised her voice and lingered outside for a while longer. When the palace gates opened, the Imperial Concubine was dressed in a light blue chrysanthemum-patterned ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

Her small face was unadorned, with thin, pale pink lips. She possessed a charming yet refined elegance.

The emperor glanced at him once, then couldn't tear himself away. Eunuch Wang was right; he was the true Son of Heaven, and any evil spirits or malevolent energy would surely retreat in his presence!

Xu Nian felt bored, and Su Wanting was pulled aside to talk by other young ladies as soon as she arrived.

These young ladies from prominent families were not familiar with her, and besides, just by looking at their eyes, she could tell that although they didn't necessarily share Liu Qingmei's feelings, they still looked down on her.

She didn't bother trying to curry favor with someone who was cold to her, so she simply sat in her seat and enjoyed the pastries brought to her by the servants.

"Has the county princess not eaten?" Chen Xuan walked over slowly with her head held high and an air of composure. "Today, the county magistrate invited us to admire the flowers, not to some snack shop."

Seeing this, Su Wanting wanted to go over, "Hey, what are you doing over there? This shameless woman deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"What do you know?!" She pushed away the hand that was holding her, and as she lifted her foot, she saw the secret signal that Xu Nian had given her.

She told me not to go over there, saying she could handle it.

Xu Nian looked up and stared at Chen Xuan for a moment. Just when everyone thought she was about to say something, she picked up a handkerchief, wiped the pastry crumbs off her hands, and asked with a blank expression, "Who are you?"

puff.

A soft laugh echoed in the garden.

Most people stood at a distance, their gloating gazes fixed on Chen Xuan.

Su Wanting smiled and stepped forward to pour Xu Nian a cup of tea. "You don't know, this is the third young lady of the Prefectural Governor's family in Jingzhou. She is the younger sister of the concubine that Lingwei's father took. You met her at the palace banquet."

Xu Nian's eyes flickered slightly, and under Chen Xuan's distorted gaze, she suddenly realized, "I remember now. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked again.

Chen Xuan twisted her handkerchief, seething with anger! She felt that the two of them were deliberately trying to embarrass her, so she immediately said without any regard for the consequences, "The two of you are really on good terms. Even after your fiancés changed, you can still be so affectionate. I'm so envious."

"What's there to envy?" Xu Nian tilted her head, looking in Chen Lingwei's direction, puzzled. "You have an older sister yourself, why are you afraid of not being able to enjoy sisterly affection?"

Another round of soft laughter erupted from the crowd.

As Chen Lingwei watched, her brows, which were always furrowed with a faint sorrow, unconsciously relaxed.

This Lady of Fu'an County isn't as bad as the rumors say. Although she didn't know if she said that intentionally or unintentionally, seeing Chen Xuan's face turn blue with anger, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

"you!"

Su Wanting could barely suppress a smile as she helped Xu Nian to her feet, as if explaining something, "Nian Nian, you don't know this, but this third young lady is a concubine's daughter."

"What's wrong with being a concubine's daughter?"

"So what if she's a concubine's daughter?" A sneer came from the crowd, revealing a woman in a bright red dress, her lips naturally red. A gold phoenix hairpin adorned her forehead.

She wore a bloodstone jade bracelet on her wrist, and her entire appearance must have cost a thousand taels of silver.

It was even more luxurious than Anqing. The visitor glanced at Xu Nian indifferently, as if he were looking at a child who knew nothing.

A contemptuous gaze fell upon Chen Xuan, and she sneered, "A concubine's daughter is a symbol of lowliness and inferiority. How can such a person be worthy of being called a sister to a daughter born to a legitimate wife like us? If you ask me, they are not even as good as the lowly maids in my room!"

[This woman is so glamorous!]

[The way she said that...was she hurt by her stepsister? It seems she doesn't harbor as much malice towards the streamer as she does towards others.]

[It seems so, otherwise they wouldn't have said such harsh things.]

Chen Xuan's face turned pale, but the unidentified girl seemed to have just passed by in a hurry. After saying this, she was surrounded by maids and walked towards the main hall.

“This is Princess Fukang, the daughter of the Emperor’s own sister.” Su Wanting leaned close to Xu Nian’s ear and explained in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “The consort is dishonest; he treats them worse than he treats the children of his concubines.”

From afar, the person appeared tall and arrogant, but who would have thought that she had suffered such pain in her childhood?

Xu Nian withdrew her gaze, not even glancing at Chen Xuan, and pulled Su Wanting to go somewhere else.

She didn't notice the increasingly resentful gaze Chen Xuan was giving her from behind.

"What are you doing?!" The clear wine spilled onto Xu Nianxue's light blue dress, instantly creating a dark stain.

Chen Xuan lowered her head timidly, looking like she had done something wrong. But Xu Nian clearly felt that this woman had deliberately bumped into her while she wasn't paying attention, spilling wine all over her!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Tears quickly welled up in her eyes. "Please spare me, Your Highness. I didn't mean to. I... I have spare clothes with me. Why don't you change?"

Xu Nian has really grown a lot in the capital during this time. She can take on ten innocent girls like this!

She chuckled coldly, mimicking the haughty demeanor of the previous Princess Fukang, "Exchange? What can you offer in exchange? This garment was bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress. How can your lowly fabrics compare? Even the best embroiderers in Jiangnan could only weave a piece of cloth the size of a well opening after a month of working without eating or drinking. Now that you've soiled it, it's no longer wearable. Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

"This, this..." Chen Xuan never imagined that this thing would be so precious. She had been spoiled at home for too long, and she did it on impulse. "Princess, spare me. I, I really didn't mean to. Please forgive me this time."