Emperor Zhou didn't look at her again, but instead asked, "Which family does Chu Xinxin belong to?"

Zhou Huaichuan's heart skipped a beat, and he looked towards the back of the crowd.

The young woman stepped forward slowly and bowed gracefully: "Your subject, Chu Xinxin, greets Your Majesty."

Why are you wearing a veil?

"Your Majesty, my appearance is unusual."

Emperor Zhou mentally reviewed all the families with the surname Chu in the capital, and it seemed that only the Chu Prime Minister's family existed: "Which family are you from?"

"My mother is Qi Xiao, the daughter of General Qi Lei, and my uncle is Qi Yi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Qi Xiao was once a renowned beauty in the capital, and she married...

Emperor Zhou pondered for a moment, then came to his senses: "The Chu Xuan family?"

Chu Xinxin smiled and said, "I dare not presume to be worthy of Prime Minister Chu."

Wow, it looks like there's going to be a big show in Beijing again.

The crowd began to argue their points.

Emperor Zhou was clearly surprised by Chu Xinxin's answer and found it quite interesting: "Your personality is somewhat like your mother's."

Qi Xiao was once the most beautiful woman in the capital, and Emperor Zhou suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia.

"Eyes are like...removing your veil."

Chu Xinxin didn't move, her head lowered, as if she was struggling.

Zhou Huaichuan frowned and said, "Father, this woman's appearance is unusual and may disturb Your Majesty's countenance."

"It's alright."

Zhou Huaichuan wanted to say more, but Chu Xinxin had already revealed her true identity, so he went back to being a background character.

Upon seeing the face beneath the veil, everyone gasped in shock.

The scars were somewhat gruesome.

Emperor Zhou immediately lost interest, and after having the treasures intended for Chu Yun given to Chu Xinxin, he returned to the palace.

Chu Yun's crime of deceiving the emperor was not investigated.

Chu Yun's arrogance rose again. She moved closer to Chu Xinxin and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "So what if you really wrote this poem? You ugly freak, do you really think you can become a peony? How ridiculous."

Chu Xinxin retorted, "Does it matter whether you're a peony or not, if I can ruin the image you've built up over the years?"

Chu Yun was furious: "Don't be so smug, we'll see!"

After the Hundred Flowers Banquet ended, An Yi was brought before the Princess.

The eldest princess took the ruler and started hitting An Yi without saying a word. The more she hit An Yi, the louder she shouted, "Even if you beat me to death, I will still marry my cousin, Prince An."

"I'd rather drown you in a fishpond than let you marry him!"

"Then I'll be his ghost even if I have to be one."

The princess was so angry that she almost broke the ruler.

"Princess, please calm down." Granny Guo stopped the princess and gave An Yi a meaningful look, so An Yi quickly slipped away.

“Your Highness, the Princess is still young. The more you beat her, the more certain she will be of her own mind.” Granny Guo helped the Princess sit down. “You cannot marry Prince An, but why must you personally play the villain?”

"What does the old woman mean?"

“The Prince of An’s mother is from the Western Regions and has that problem of not being able to touch women, so she is destined to have nothing to do with the throne. What difference does it make who he marries?”

The eldest princess fell into deep thought.

Granny Guo: "Today His Majesty wanted to see the woman's appearance. Prince An was afraid that she would be humiliated or punished, so he specially spoke up to persuade His Majesty. This old servant saw that Prince An was also quite special to this woman."

Prince An is a cold-blooded, ruthless, and vicious man. He wouldn't even glance at you if you died right in front of him.

Today is indeed a bit unusual.

The eldest princess understood: "That woman is the daughter of Prime Minister Chu and Qi Xiao, so it's not an insult to Prince An's status. It's just that her appearance..."

It is common knowledge that women who marry into the royal family cannot have unusual appearances or physical defects.

Granny Guo: "Don't we have Physician Wang in our household?"

The eldest princess and Granny Guo exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

An Yi, who was eavesdropping from the corner, silently gave Granny Guo a thumbs up.

The eldest princess was extremely efficient; the next day, Chu Xinxin had just gotten up when she heard that the divine physician Wang had arrived.

Sister, you didn't get up until late in the morning! That miracle doctor is so angry his beard is practically steaming.

Chu Xinxin: "Don't panic."

Upon arriving at the reception hall, Doctor Wang indeed spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Miss Chu is truly a model of womanhood in the capital."

Chu Xinxin said very modestly, "Not at all, it was just a nap to maintain health, nothing to mention."

"Health preservation? What does that mean?" Doctor Wang pondered these two words carefully and felt that there seemed to be a lot to it.

Chu Xinxin pulled out a book from somewhere and talked about everything from acupuncture points in traditional Chinese medicine to the Yin and Yang of the I Ching, from the workings of heaven and earth to the truths of life. She spoke eloquently and systematically, which made Doctor Wang feel as if he had opened the door to a new world.

"People need to sleep a lot to have abundant Yang energy, and when Yang energy is abundant, it's less likely to get sick," Chu Xinxin concluded. "What I'm sleeping for isn't just rest, it's for health!"

"Hearing your words, young friend, is more valuable than reading for ten years. I am ashamed of myself." Doctor Wang slapped his thigh. "Young friend, I will definitely heal your face!"

After Chu Xinxin unveiled her face, Doctor Wang was in a dilemma.

The burn area is quite large; it can fade, but full recovery is possible...

But he just made a promise.

Chu Xinxin seemed to see his predicament: "Dr. Wang, please prepare the medicine as prescribed. The burns on my face will definitely heal."

Doctor Wang was puzzled. Chu Xinxin asked, "Doctor Wang, do you think I know anything about medicine?"

"Young friend, your understanding of medical principles is far beyond my reach..."

At this point, Doctor Wang realized that Chu Xinxin could heal herself, and that she only wanted him to come because she wanted to use his name.

"Consider this medical book my thank-you gift. Please keep it a secret, Dr. Wang."

No sooner had Doctor Wang left than Chu Xinxin instructed Haitang to spread the word that Doctor Wang had treated her face.

People in the capital who heard the news were very curious about whether Chu Xinxin could be cured.

"After all, she is Qi Xiao's daughter. If she can be cured, Chu Yun's title as the most beautiful woman in the capital might have to be handed over to someone else."

"Chu Yun is no longer the same person. She is morally corrupt. She impersonated Chu Xinxin and wrote the poem about appreciating peonies at the Hundred Flowers Banquet."

"This Chu Xinxin is really interesting. She talks about her mother and uncle, but never her father. When the Emperor asked her if she was from the Chu family, guess how she answered?"

"How should we reply?"

“She said she didn’t dare to aspire to the position of Prime Minister Chu. Listen to that! Is this not daring to aspire to the position? Isn’t she just angry that the Chu family abandoned her in the countryside for more than ten years and ignored her?”

"Won't the Prime Minister of Chu be furious?"

Whether Chu Xiang was furious or not is unknown, but Chu Yun, who overheard this, was certainly enraged.

After returning from the teahouse, she went straight to her mother's courtyard and cried uncontrollably.

"Mother, how dare that bitch step on my head? I am the eldest daughter of the Chu family, and she is just a country bumpkin! Besides, even the Emperor hasn't punished me. I'll rip out the tongues of all those gossipy people outside!"

Chu Yun had never suffered such injustice in her life.

"Alright, stop calling her a country bumpkin. I've already discussed it with your father, and we'll go pick her up in a few days. From now on, you'll have to call her your elder sister."

Madam Chu fiddled with the incense burner, seemingly nonchalant, but her voice became slightly louder when she spoke of the words "legitimate daughter".