The figure was not familiar to Li Chenjiao; it was not anyone she had seen in the backyard before.

Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Is that the other newly arrived Princess Niohuru?"

Qiu Hu followed her master's gaze and saw it too. Her expression remained unchanged, but she lowered the height of the umbrella's eaves.

Qiu Hu had gone on the southern tour with Li Chenjiao. It took Lin Mama a few seconds to see her clearly through the rain. She nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, it is Princess Niohuru."

Li Chenjiao responded with an "Oh" after hearing this, but did not linger on the matter.

Clearly, she did not want to have much contact with this Niohuru princess. Before Niohuru could turn around in the wind and rain, Li Chenjiao had already taken Qiu Hu's hand and walked away from the garden.

Walking from the front yard to the Qingyuan courtyard, the garden in the back yard is the only way to pass through.

Li Chenjiao knew perfectly well what was going on, but she didn't say it out loud.

Niohuru, who was picking flowers, stared blankly at Li Chenjiao's departing figure for a long time.

However, she couldn't see Li Chenjiao's back at all; she could only vaguely make out a graceful figure surrounded by a crowd.

She was lost in thought for a while, not even noticing that the fallen flower she had just picked up had fallen back into the mud. When the maid called her, she lowered her eyes, and her clean, unadorned hands picked up the fallen flower again and put it into the flower basket.

The maid Suyun couldn't help but urge, "The time is almost here. Let me wipe your hands. Let's go to the Qing Courtyard first."

Niohuru nodded slightly, then sighed again as she looked at the fallen flowers scattered on the ground.

"The flowing water is heartless." Her voice was beautiful, like pearls gliding across porcelain offered as tribute, clear and transparent, with a touch of etherealness, like water silently seeping through, yet without any affectation.

Clearly, this is a good voice.

When Li Chenjiao arrived at the Qingyuan, almost everyone had already arrived. If you count carefully, apart from Niohuru, whom she had just met, everyone was present.

The Song family, the Wu family, the Baijia family, the Liu family, and the Xu family.

The empty seat on the far left was clearly reserved for Li Chenjiao, while Song Shi sat on the right.

Wu sat to her left.

These two have been vying for the position that Song is currently in for quite some time. Wu may appear virtuous on the surface, but she may not be entirely oblivious to it.

The seat below the empty one is occupied by Bai Jia, and below that is Liu. However, the seat opposite Liu is empty, presumably for Niu Hulu.

Mrs. Xu was still standing.

When everyone heard the announcement from outside that Consort Li had arrived, they all quickly stood up and bowed, saying in unison, "Greetings to Consort Li, may Consort Li be blessed."

Li Chenjiao called out with a smile.

Song stood up first, but was startled as soon as she stood up, her gaze falling directly on Li Chenjiao's abdomen.

Lady Wu, sitting to her left, stood up a beat later. She had been unhappy that her eldest son hadn't been doing well in writing these past few days, but she had insisted on staying up with him for several nights in a row to help him practice.

After paying her respects to Madam Li, she had no desire to speak. She excused herself from the formalities and sat down, her eyelids drooping slightly.

However, she had always been paying attention to Song's movements, and naturally noticed that Song let out a soft "Eh" as she sat down.

Wu looked up impatiently, but the next second she was stunned, just like Song.

Both Lady Bai and Lady Liu knew about Li Chenjiao's pregnancy, so they weren't surprised to see her like this. However, Lady Bai made way for Li Chenjiao as she sat down, saying, "Consort, please watch your step."

Madam Xu stood at the very bottom, which gave her a clearer view.

She saw it clearly and couldn't help but frown slightly, but fearing that others would see it, she quickly lowered her head again.

Song opened her mouth, her heart pounding, but she was unwilling to be the one to stick her neck out.

Looking at Li's belly, what is there not to know? Why ask questions you already know the answer to?

Wu wanted to ask, but seeing that Song didn't bring it up, she paused, thought for a moment, and then didn't speak.

The flower hall fell silent. Li Chenjiao was happy to be left alone as no one spoke. She reached out and peeled the tangerines on the porcelain plate with a bluish-white stone on the table.

Song didn't want to be the first to ask about Li Chenjiao's pregnancy, but she could talk about something else. She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, only Niu Hulu sister hasn't arrived yet, right? Is she probably lamenting her fate again?"

Wu Shi rarely chimed in, saying, "Sister Niohuru does indeed lack the demeanor of a Manchu lady."

Upon hearing this, Madam Song scoffed: "Their family is just a collateral branch, occupying the position of a prominent clan among the Upper Three Banners. Hasn't it declined in recent years?"

Wu Shi didn't respond to this. She smiled and said, "However, Sister Niohuru is indeed exceptionally talented and beautiful. Since the Consort has just returned, she probably hasn't seen her yet, has she?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Song's expression changed, and her gaze towards Li Chenjiao became more complex.

Lady Liu, sitting below, also sensed the cryptic meaning behind Lady Wu's words. She mustered her courage and stole a glance at Consort Li, her heart suddenly pounding with fear.

After a long while, she hurriedly looked away and couldn't help biting her lip.

Bai Jia was puzzled by this, and took a sip of tea to moisten her throat: "Really? Hearing what Consort Wu said, I'm also curious about what kind of woman she is, both talented and beautiful."

In her eyes, Liu Gege was already quite beautiful, but after two or three months, she still hadn't won the favor of the Fourth Prince at all.

Could it be that Niohuru is more beautiful than the concubine?

Upon hearing this, Madam Song merely twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "You'll know when you see it."

While everyone was chatting, Li Chenjiao had already peeled the orange segments, but her hands were covered in juice, making them feel a bit greasy.

Qiu Hu, who was serving her, quickly offered her a handkerchief dampened with warm water to wipe her hands.

Li Chenjiao's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

As for the Niohuru clan woman that everyone just mentioned, well, judging from the glimpse of her back that I just saw, that Niohuru princess couldn't be too ugly.

It depends on whether the Fourth Prince likes it or not.

If the Fourth Prince likes her and catches his eye, she can't very well kill Niohuru, can she?

There are countless women in the world, and there are bound to be some who catch the Fourth Prince's eye. Does she intend to kill them all?

In Li Chenjiao's opinion, she couldn't control the Fourth Prince's wishes, but she couldn't go against her own.

She couldn't do anything to harm others, so she could only try to make sure the Fourth Master didn't forget her.

To put it bluntly, it's all about vying for favor.

They still have to find different ways to win favor.

Li Chenjiao ate a segment of orange, and the sourness brought tears to her eyes.

It's so sour.