Chapter 315 Touched, yet it was as if nothing had been touched.

In the end, only Tang Qianran was left walking behind. Her maid whispered in her ear, "It was Consort Zhu who stepped on Consort Song's skirt. I don't know if she did it on purpose or not, so I dare not say."

Upon hearing this, Tang Qianran's anger suddenly subsided, and she retorted, "So it turns out that Zhu Zhenzhen wanted Song Qing to be punished by the Crown Prince, so that Song Qing wouldn't be able to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Among us, the Crown Prince does indeed prefer Song Qing a bit more."

Song Qing even hooked her arm around Zhu Zhenzhen's and walked away. Tsk tsk, what an idiot. She was harmed by Ye Susu before, and now she's being harmed by Zhu Zhenzhen. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. That's the truth.

"The Crown Princess didn't speak up for Song Qing just now. Is the Crown Prince going to punish her? It's a pity we didn't see him punish her."

Tang Qianran's confidante was speechless upon hearing her complaints. Why did her young lady still think Song Fengyi was stupid? Just now, Song Fengyi clearly felt someone step on her skirt, but she admitted that she had stepped on it accidentally. She clearly wanted to settle things peacefully. This is the way a truly smart person would do.

It would be truly foolish for Consort Song to criticize Consort Zhu while she was in the spotlight. Consort Zhu could have easily gotten away with it, while Consort Song would have incurred the Crown Prince's dislike for such a trivial matter, which would have been a huge loss for her.

Miss should have married Young Master Lu; she missed out on a man who truly loved her.

well!

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held outdoors again, so everyone could look up and admire the moon together in the evening. The surrounding area was full of beautiful flowers, and the golden chrysanthemums were especially vibrant this year. Lanterns were also hung all around. Although the lanterns would not be lit until nightfall, the various styles of lanterns were cute and charming, attracting many noble ladies and young masters. The entire palace was a scene of prosperity and wealth.

Unlike previous years, the seating arrangement at the banquet was not separated by gender; instead, men and women could sit together, but in family units.

At this time, the officials had already taken their seats with their families. When everyone saw the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Consort arriving, they all stood up and bowed.

Xie Shang gestured for everyone to make themselves at home, and the crowd relaxed.

Before the banquet began, everyone was free to wander around and admire the beautiful scenery and blooming chrysanthemums in the garden, with palace maids attending to them. The young ladies were even allowed to have small gatherings with their parents.

Song Fengyi's only relative in Shengjing was her uncle Peng Fei, and her maternal clan was not in Shengjing either, so she had nowhere to go. She met Lu Xuefei on the day she entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection; otherwise, she would not have known that Lu Xuefei was hiding in the Crown Prince's palace.

Song Qing sat alone in her seat, looking bored. Suddenly, she saw Tang Liangdi leading a woman toward the lake, so she followed with Dong'er.

Tang Qianran was naturally overjoyed to see her parents. Thinking of her experiences in the palace, she pulled her mother to a secluded place, where she naturally wanted to have a good cry in front of her mother.

Seeing that her eyes were red, Tang's mother was naturally very anxious. "Have you been wronged? Did the Crown Princess make things difficult for you, or did the other ladies of the Eastern Palace bully you?"

Tang Qianran made no attempt to hide anything from her mother, saying, "Everyone says that I am favored by the Empress and the Crown Prince. Who would have thought that after being in the palace for so long, the Crown Prince would completely treat me like I'm invisible? During those days, I would go to him every day, and the Crown Prince didn't say anything on the surface, but I know he doesn't like me." She knew what it looked like when a man liked a woman, just like the way Lu Ting looked at her, his eyes were full of her. That's how the Crown Prince looked at his Crown Princess.

"His Highness didn't touch you," Tang's mother asked her directly.

"I touched it." But it felt the same as if I hadn't touched it at all; I don't know what that feeling was like.

Mother Tang glanced around and whispered, "Since that's the case, why are you still feeling aggrieved? There are several young ladies in the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince is busy with state affairs every day. Do you really think you're still the Lu... that boy from before, chasing after you and fawning over you? Ranran, you're a young lady who has married into the palace now, and you'll be an empress in the future. Be more magnanimous, and once you have an imperial heir, your position will be secure, and our Tang family will have hope."

Tang's mother wiped away her tears, "Don't cry. It's not good for people to see you crying in front of your mother on a day like this. They'll think you've been bullied in the palace."

Tang Qianran nodded, "I understand." There are gains and losses, and her choice was right.

On the opposite bank of the river stood a richly dressed man in black robes. His eyes were fixed on Tang Qianran, his expression a complex mix of emotions: restraint, resentment, confusion, and a desire to ask her if she was happy after entering the palace.

He saw her tears, and he didn't want to ask her any more questions; he just felt a pang of heartache.

Song Qing hid behind a tree and watched Tang Qianran wipe away her tears. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could tell from Tang Qianran's aggrieved look what she was crying to her mother about.

Song Qing pouted, wanting to say "tsk," when she saw a man in black robes gazing affectionately at Tang Qianran on the opposite shore of the lake.

Song Qing thought to herself: Even a woman like Tang Qianran has men who like her...

Suddenly, she realized something. Could that person be the man Tang Qianran was engaged to outside the palace?

If people find out that Tang Qianran dared to openly meet her lover, she'll be in big trouble.

But then someone thwarted Song Qing's plans.

Over here, Lu Xuefei, dressed as a palace maid, ran up behind Lu Ting, grabbed him and pulled him away, saying with exasperation, "Second brother, are you blind? They don't want you anymore, what are you still looking at?"

Lu Xuefei glanced around, then pulled him to a secluded spot and whispered, "This is the palace. There are eyes watching everywhere. If you keep staring at His Highness the Crown Prince's woman like that, you're trying to ruin our Lu family!"

Lu Ting regained his composure and denied it, saying, "I didn't look at anyone, and no one is worth my attention." He was still stubbornly denying it.

Lu Xuefei said, "In that case, you either leave the palace, or behave yourself and stay away from her."

Lu Ting reacted, "You're lecturing me now? Your parents have been looking for you everywhere. What's with this outfit? Weren't you going to the palace to marry the Crown Prince? Why haven't you come home since you entered the palace? We haven't heard from you for months. Do you know how worried your family is?"

"Let go first." Lu Xuefei was trying to avoid her parents. She added, "It wouldn't look good if they beat me up in the palace. I'm a maidservant by the Crown Princess's side now. I'll protect myself. Don't worry."

Lu Ting had finally managed to grab her, and he wasn't about to let go. He was determined to drag her to his parents' side today. He pulled her by the hand and said, "Come with me."

"I'm not going, let me go." Lu Xuefei came to see her brother and didn't want him to make a mistake. If people found out that he was involved with the Crown Prince's woman, the Lu family would be finished.

Lu Ting immediately grabbed her and said, "You have to go, whether you like it or not. Come with me."

Just as the two were struggling, the Eighth Prince Xie Qi suddenly appeared in front of them and snatched Lu Xuefei from Lu Ting's arms, saying sternly, "How dare you! This is the palace! You dare to flirt with a palace maid? You don't want to live!"