Qin Su raised an eyebrow. Was it related to her?

“That’s not right.” She seemed to realize something and said apologetically, “It’s related to Xue Huai’an.”

Before Qin Su could speak again, Tao Rong continued to explain, "I received news a couple of days ago that Xue Huai'an brought a woman out of the prison."

She did not specify who the woman was, but given Tao Rong's methods, she should have known about them.

Qin Su's past was no secret in Kyoto; Tao Rong knew about it.

The reason she didn't explain was probably because she didn't want to pry into Qin Su's private life, which was also a sign of respect for Qin Su.

Qin Su was quite satisfied with Tao Rong's understanding and tact; she nodded to indicate that she knew but did not mention the person's identity.

"The Duchess of Cheng is also among the guests at today's banquet. I hope my sister won't mind?"

Qin Su shook her head.

Why would she mind? Letting Lady Li into the palace would not end well. There are plenty of people in the entire capital who look down on her.

No, that's not right. Xue Huai'an really added a lot of luster to her.

But what if Qin Su targets her?

If the Princess Consort of Prince Chen doesn't like someone, would the people below dare to like them?

Qin Su was looking forward to it.

She sat in the Shangchun Palace for a long time. The climate was pleasant and she was served by others, so she felt comfortable. However, seeing that the banquet was about to begin, she was afraid it would be inappropriate to continue sitting there.

Qin Su came out first and greeted the noble ladies and ladies of the capital. Even though she was already the Princess Consort of Chen, there were still many who disliked her, but they would still greet her with smiles out of politeness.

Qin Su was too lazy to deal with these people and went straight to Princess Cheng'an, who was sitting in the first seat. It had been a while since she had seen Cheng'an. She had heard two months ago that Cheng'an had gone on a trip and her return date was uncertain.

It's quite surprising that she's here now.

Those who had originally wanted to curry favor with Qin Su immediately dared not disturb her when they saw her sit down next to Princess Cheng'an, and all of them retreated.

"When did you return to the capital?" As Qin Su sat down, Lian Tao immediately stuffed the cushion she had "borrowed" from the Shangchun Palace into Qin Su's lower back.

Cheng An was eating sunflower seeds when he saw Qin Su coming over. He immediately helped her up, and they were very affectionate.

"I was planning to come visit you in a couple of days, but I've been busy since I got back, so it's been delayed."

She handed me a small food box, smiling as she said, "Open it and see, you might just like it."

Qin Su wasn't particularly fond of food, but she still opened the food box under Cheng An's bright, sparkling gaze. The food box wasn't very big and couldn't hold much food; inside were four small, green, dumpling-like things.

Each of them has a very smooth surface, and the color alone is pleasing to the eye.

However, compared to imperial pastries, they are much less appealing in appearance.

"Here, use some oil paper as a base." Cheng An handed over two pieces of oil paper stuck together at the bottom. Qin Su took them, took a bite, and her first impression was that they were a bit sticky.

But inside is soft and sticky red bean paste, and the outer layer seems to be glutinous rice. As for the color, it may be made from some kind of vegetable juice.

Qin Su couldn't quite accept this sticky food; it felt a bit strange, but the texture and taste were quite good.

"How was it?" Cheng An asked Qin Su expectantly.

Qin Su smiled and nodded gently, "Delicious."

"This doesn't seem to be Kyoto cuisine." She had never seen it before.

Cheng An nodded his little head. "It's from Sichuan. The locals call it Ye'erba. It was made by a Taoist priest. He's an expert at making good things."

"It's a pity he's unwilling to come to the capital, otherwise I would definitely have lured him there."

Qin Su put down the food box and said, "I'll take it back and eat it later."

Cheng An didn't insist; she just wanted to find common ground with Qin Su.

"Judging from your tone, you seem to have a high opinion of this Taoist priest." Qin Su recalled that this passage did not exist in her previous life.

Indeed, Kang Lin's true colors were never revealed until her death, and Princess Cheng'an had not been away from the capital for such a long time.

"Hmm." Cheng An didn't think anything of it. She said, "Actually, he's just a young Taoist priest, but he's quite good-looking, and he suits my taste."

Upon hearing this, Qin Su couldn't help but think of some romantic matters. Daoist Da'an was allowed to marry, so it wouldn't be surprising if the other party had something going on with Cheng'an.

"Once my niece is born, I will abduct her to the capital."

Qin Su couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, quite indulgent.

"I was quite surprised that you could attend this banquet."

Cheng An nodded. "If I hadn't heard you were coming, I wouldn't have come." She wasn't prejudiced against any particular concubine; she disliked almost all of them.

I always felt that these concubines were not presentable enough, and I did not want to associate with them.

She possesses the pride of a princess, which may be seen as a major drawback by others.

Qin Su didn't force her to befriend Tao Rong; she left these things to fate.

"Is that Xue Huai'an's mother?" Cheng An suddenly tugged at Qin Su's sleeve and pointed to Li Shi not far away.

Qin Su looked over and saw that Li Shi was dressed up for the occasion today, but she didn't seem very happy.

Cheng An rolled his eyes and said to the maid beside him, "Go and call Lady Cheng Guoguo over."

She said "call" instead of "please," which made her sound much more casual and less respectful.

Qin Su simply sipped her osmanthus tea, watching the show as an observer.

When the Duchess of Cheng heard that it was Princess Cheng'an who had invited her, a smile immediately appeared on her face. The expressions of the noblewomen around her, however, were not so pleasant.

Originally, everyone thought that since Li Shi had fallen on hard times and offended the Princess Consort of Chen, what good could come of it? Now that she has actually caught the attention of Princess Cheng'an, this... Princess Cheng'an will probably hold a grudge against them for their earlier mockery. What if Li Shi complains?

Princess Cheng'an is the most favored princess. If she really wanted to cause trouble for someone, no one could withstand it.

When Li came over, she saw Qin Su sitting next to Princess Cheng'an, and her heart immediately skipped a beat.

What's she doing here?

"What? Don't you know how to greet Princess Consort Chen and this princess?" Princess Cheng'an raised her chin slightly and said to Li Shi with extreme disapproval.

Li gritted her teeth and actually bowed in respect.

She was fine bowing to Princess Cheng'an, but she just couldn't bring herself to bow to Qin Su.

Qin Su almost became her daughter-in-law, so she should serve her.

"Is this the etiquette of the Duchess of Cheng? It's really not very good."

Qin Su was still holding her teacup when she suddenly wanted to eat some leaf-wrapped rice cakes, so she took one out and ate it.

I've been really into sweets lately.

Li immediately looked up and stared directly at Princess Cheng'an.

Cheng An immediately slammed his hand on the table and roared, "How dare you! What kind of look is that? Who gave you permission to stare directly at this princess?!"

Lady Li knelt down with a thud and immediately kowtowed, saying, "This humble woman dares not, this humble woman, this humble woman did not intend to offend Your Highness. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

The ladies, who were initially uneasy, were now watching the show with glee.

Lady Li understood that Princess Cheng'an was deliberately making things difficult for her. But she really hadn't done anything to offend the princess.