Shen Yunjiao sat in front of the mirror, gently combing her hair with a jade comb. Fu Xia, standing beside her, held the novel powder compact in her hand, turning it over and over with a look of curiosity.

"This cake is amazing! It has a very delicate texture and a faint, pleasant fragrance. How would you like to use it, young lady?"

As Fu Xia was speaking, she saw Shen Yunjiao take out a powder puff she had made yesterday from the drawer.

This powder puff is very easy to make. Just stuff it with high-quality cotton and silk, and then sew it up with soft gauze.

"This powder compact, when applied with this powder puff, will look really good."

Shen Yunjiao first applied rose petal dew to her face to make it moist and radiant, and then gently pressed powder onto her face with a powder puff to apply makeup.

She hadn't been able to sleep well these past few days because of a cold and a foot injury. Luckily, this powder could also conceal her dark circles, and she immediately looked much better.

Fu Xia exclaimed in amazement, "This adheres to the skin much better and looks more natural than pearl powder. You're really amazing, young lady."

"Not only that, this stuff is very healthy, so you can use it with peace of mind."

With a smile, Shen Yun took out two sachets, filled them with several face powders, and handed them to Fu Xia. "One sachet is for you, and one is for Granny Lin. Pack the rest into two brocade boxes, and we'll take them to An Le and Rong'er later."

"Thank you, young lady!" Fu Xia nodded happily.

After lightly applying rouge to her eyebrows, Shen Yunjiao's makeup was fair with a rosy glow. Her temples were thin and fluffy, giving her a languid and weary appearance.

Dayong is located in the south, and the weather is gradually becoming hot and humid at the end of April.

Shen Yunjiao chose a lotus-root-colored strapless top, then put on a light blue narrow-sleeved blouse, and finally a tortoise-shell patterned jacquard pleated skirt.

Both pretty and refreshing, it's the perfect outfit for early summer.

Before leaving, Shen Yunjiao specially sprayed rose water, which is quite special.

According to Shen Qinghuai, this is a special perfume supplied to Dayong from the neighboring Arab country, which can be considered an ancient version of perfume.

After getting into the carriage, the master and servant chatted for a while, and then Fuxia took out several steaming hot hibiscus flower cakes from the food box.

"Miss, these are fresh flower cakes that Granny Lin just bought from Haoweizhai, just in case you get a craving on the way."

Shen Yunjiao smiled gently and reached out to take the flower cake that Fu Xia handed her.

Just then, Fu Xia suddenly noticed the colorful rope tied on Shen Yun Jiao's wrist and asked in confusion, "Miss, why have I never seen the colorful rope on your wrist before?"

Shen Yunjiao's heart skipped a beat; she had completely forgotten that she had that thing in her hand.

"This was a gift from Jiang Rong. I just carry it around with me when I have nothing to do." Shen Yunjiao could only lie casually.

"Did the princess send this?" Fu Xia became even more curious. She grabbed Shen Yun Jiao's fair wrist and examined it carefully. "Does the princess have a problem with you, Miss? Why would she send you such an ugly braided rope?"

Shen Yunjiao chuckled and withdrew her hand. "Ugly? I think it's quite cute."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the carriage slowly arrived at the gate of the imperial city.

Shen Yunjiao joined the ranks of the noble ladies and followed them into the palace.

The two noble ladies walking ahead of her were both dressed in waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with their hair styled in morning makeup and their postures graceful.

"I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to be chosen by the Crown Prince this time we enter the palace?" one of the noble ladies whispered to another.

"Sister is so beautiful, she will surely get what she wants."

"But I've heard that the Crown Prince doesn't seem to be interested in women; he hasn't summoned any woman to his bedchamber yet."

Shen Yunjiao had no intention of overhearing their whispers, but she was walking right behind them, so she couldn't cover her ears.

But when they said that Xiao Huaijin was "not interested in women," Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but twitch her lips.

She felt that every time she met Xiao Huaijin, he was like a big bad wolf who couldn't get any meat.

The noble ladies entered the Imperial Garden through the side gate. Shen Yunjiao saw Jiang Rong, who had been waiting there for a long time. Just as she was about to wave and greet her, she heard a eunuch announce from not far away: "The Empress Dowager has arrived, and Consort Shu has arrived."

Everyone knelt down to pay their respects.

The Empress Dowager slowly took her seat, surrounded by palace attendants. She wore a red satin palace robe with beads adorning the hem, which draped softly to the ground. Although she was over fifty, the Empress Dowager was very well-maintained, with fair skin and an air of elegance and nobility.

Compared to her, even Consort Shu next to her paled in comparison.

Shen Yunjiao knelt in the corner and secretly looked up, discovering that the Empress Dowager's features were somewhat similar to Xiao Huaijin's.

No wonder everyone says the Crown Prince is exceptionally handsome; it turns out his good looks are inherited from the Empress Dowager.

"Rise, all of you, there's no need to be so formal." The Empress Dowager raised her hand and casually glanced at the noble ladies.

Suddenly her gaze fell on a woman dressed in a delicate emerald green in the distance.

The girl's skin was as white as snow, shining like a pearl in the sunlight. Coupled with her beautiful face, she was truly eye-catching.

The Empress Dowager tapped her slender, nail-covered fingers on the table, and asked the Consort Shu beside her with a faint smile, "Who is that young lady standing by the pavilion steps?"

"That one," Consort Shu said with a smile, fanning herself, "is the renowned daughter of Prime Minister Shen, Shen Yunjiao."

Shen Yunjiao?

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager lost interest in asking further questions. Although she practiced Buddhism in a temple while still keeping her hair, she had heard many stories about this girl's exploits.

Putting aside the fact that she was already married, her reputation alone was enough to make the Empress Dowager keep her at arm's length.

Even if Jin'er were to marry a concubine, she would not want a woman with such a bad reputation as Shen Yunjiao.

After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Jiang Rong quietly came to Shen Yunjiao's side and said, "Sister-in-law, look how many beauties there are today. His Highness the Crown Prince is truly blessed."

Shen Yunjiao pinched the soft flesh on Jiang Rong's arm. "Why are you dressed so plainly today?"

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "I originally had no interest in the royal family. I just came to keep my cousin-in-law company and help her relax."

Shen Yunjiao smiled and replied, "Thank you, Rong'er."

While they were talking, Xiao Anle also arrived. She brought Shen Yunjiao and Jiang Rong to the Empress Dowager.

“Grandmother, these are my good friends, Princess Pingning Jiang Rong, daughter of General Liang, and Shen Yunjiao, daughter of Prime Minister Shen.”

Shen Yunjiao and Jiang Rong bowed to each other. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager took a great liking to Jiang Rong and kept her by her side to talk.

Xiao Anle then led Shen Yunjiao around for a stroll.

Under the azure sky, the golden glazed tile roof of the Yong Dynasty palace looked exceptionally magnificent.

"Everything here is so grand," Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but exclaim.

Xiao Anle smiled and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to see something even more beautiful."

She brought Shen Yunjiao to Huaqing Palace, where magnificent pavilions were surrounded by ponds and lotus flowers covered the ground, their crimson petals dazzling and beautiful.

"These lotus flowers were planted on the orders of the late Empress. This is Huaqing Palace, which used to be where the late Empress lived, but now no one lives here. However, my brother will have people take care of this lotus pond regularly, so this patch of red lotus is even more beautiful than the one we just saw in the Lishui Pond in the Imperial Garden."