Because of her busy schedule, she received some praise and recognition from court officials, which led her to neglect the young masters of the Jingbei Marquis's mansion. With the throne about to be lost, who cares about young masters? She said bitterly, "One day, I will make sure all these servants are punished!"

Lin Guijun knew she was just making empty threats, so she sighed and gave her a way out, asking, "What are you going to the palace for?"

“The third prince has been riding high lately, and I can’t stand it,” the second princess said, frowning.

"You still care about her?" Lin Guijun sighed as she looked at her daughter, who seemed to have no sense of priorities. "She's a good-for-nothing. You should keep an eye on the First Princess." The First Princess was their real enemy.

Consort Lin no longer wielded much influence in the palace, and of course, she was unaware that even a seemingly useless girl could subtly infuriate someone. The Second Princess, unable to voice her grievances, finally snorted and complained, "Father, you don't know, this girl has grown quite formidable. I find her even more troublesome than the eldest."

.

She recounted Shen Wangshu's behavior in the arranged marriage, then said bitterly, "I knew neither of them were good people. If Marquis Jingbei is truly dissatisfied with me, this isn't a marriage alliance, it's an enmity! Father, please help me, speak to Mother..."

She was about to tell Lin Guijun some schemes and ask her to whisper sweet nothings in the Empress's ear when Lin Guijun shook her head and said, "Her Majesty hasn't come to see me for a long time. I can't say what she wants to say."

The second princess remained silent.

She forgot that Consort Lin had fallen out of favor.

“Even if the Marquis of Jingbei is dissatisfied with you, her son is married to you, so they're bound together. Do you think she'd switch sides to the First Princess?” Consort Lin was far more astute than the Second Princess. Seeing the Second Princess's stunned expression, she whispered, “You two are natural allies. No matter your attitude towards the Emperor, if she has ambitions and wants to become the future Empress's mother-in-law, she'll have to join forces with you. What are petty romances? You've really been pushed to the limit.” His decades-long favor in the harem wasn't solely based on beauty. She comforted her daughter about the Marquis of Jingbei's situation, and seeing her faint smile, she continued, “You should really put your efforts to His Majesty.”

“You’re right.” The Second Princess’s eyes lit up immediately.

She had been blinded by her own perspective and had indeed forgotten that since the marriage had been arranged, the Marquis of Jingbei and she were now family.

Marquis Jingbei must be insane to befriend the First Princess.

"Go and pay your respects to your mother, the Empress," Lin Guijun said softly.

His face was still beautiful, but it already had a few wrinkles, which made the Second Princess hesitate for a moment as well.

Her father has fallen out of favor, so in order to gain more influence by the Empress's side, shouldn't she...?

Should I try to please Roujun?

"Then I'll take my leave." She hesitated, but ultimately she wasn't thick-skinned enough to bow down to Roujun, so she lowered her eyes and said nothing more, simply rising and leaving under Lin Guijun's subtle expectation. She walked all the way to the Empress's palace gate, hearing the innocent laughter of a young boy coming from inside, and closed her eyes before requesting an audience with the Empress.

Before long, the Empress called her in. The huge palace was empty, with no sign of the boy, but it was filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.

The second princess knelt down to pay her respects to the Empress.

"Have you gone to see your father?" The Empress's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if she and the boy had just reached a crucial moment, yet she asked casually.

"Yes," the Second Princess replied respectfully.

The Empress's eyes revealed a hint of displeasure.

Upon entering the palace, she went straight to Consort Lin's residence and spoke with her for so long before finally meeting her mother. It was clear at a glance which of the two princesses valued more.

The Empress was naturally unhappy that the Second Princess didn't put her first.

Her face darkened, but since the Second Princess was one of her only three princesses, she was willing to be patient. After a moment of restraint, she said somewhat unhappily, "He is increasingly disregarding me, which shows that he is arrogant because of my favor! You must not follow your father's example and act so immorally and disrespectfully towards the emperor."

These were very harsh words, and cold sweat immediately broke out on the Second Princess's forehead. She dared not utter a word in rebuttal, and hurriedly kowtowed respectfully. Only then did she hear the Empress command her to rise, and she sat respectfully beside the Empress, displaying a submissive demeanor.

.

However, this was too docile, completely lacking the closeness and uninhibitedness a daughter shows her mother, which made the Empress even more unhappy.

She couldn't help but recall Shen Wangshu's unrestrained and carefree manner of laughing and joking in front of her.

"How are the wedding preparations going?" The Empress held a curved sword beside her, its blade gleaming and sharp, stinging the Second Princess's eyes. As she toyed with the sword, the Empress looked at the Second Princess and slowly said, "The Marquis of Jingbei told me that the Ministry of Rites is busy with your wedding to A-Luan. You should pay attention to it. Is drinking with court officials more important than your own husband?"

She remembered that someone had told her that the Second Princess had been drinking frequently with court officials recently, and they seemed to have a good relationship. Then she thought of Shen Wangshu, who had no ambition and was only anxious to get married, and her heart was strongly biased.

What is the Second Princess trying to do?

Thinking of how the eldest princess had been frequently attacked and killed by several court officials recently, forcing her to retreat and no longer concern herself with affairs, the empress looked at the second princess with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Your Majesty, I have sent something to the Marquis of Jingbei's residence," the Second Princess hurriedly said.

She was also afraid that the Empress would think she disliked the arranged marriage.

“Ah Luan is in front of Fang Xuan every day.” A man’s glory lies in his wife’s love and respect. Although many people still criticize Fang Xuan for being ugly yet seizing the position of the Luan King, many men also envy him.

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