She appeared to be doing it unintentionally, but Shen Mingzhuang scrutinized her from head to toe.

Shen Ming'e was startled by Shen Mingxi's sudden appearance and quickly called out, "Seventh Sister!"

"Ninth Sister wasn't feeling well, so I came with her."

Shen Mingxi said "Oh" and looked at Shen Mingzhuang. Shen Mingzhuang knew she would come along, so he wasn't surprised. It was good that she came.

"Seventh Sister, I'm afraid my mother will scold me if I get this dress dirty. I'm thinking of someone to exchange it with. Even if it gets dirty, I'm not afraid of making her angry."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingxi's eyes darted around, and she began to have an idea.

“In that case…” She looked somewhat troubled, glanced at her own bright green dress, and smiled somewhat reluctantly, but her eyes betrayed a calculating glint in them. “Then you can wear Seventh Sister’s!”

He appeared selfless and altruistic.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ming'e exclaimed, "How can that be! This is what the Third Madam told Ninth Sister to wear, saying it's her first time going out, and she was thinking..."

Shen Ming'e, who was always inseparable from Shen Mingxi, surprisingly objected, leaving both of them stunned.

Shen Mingxi's expression darkened slightly, and she looked at Shen Ming'e with a sharp gaze, coldly saying, "What do you mean by that, Eighth Sister? Do you have any other ideas?"

The ball was tossed to Shen Ming'e, and Shen Mingzhuang, standing to the side, frowned with a look of utter despair, clutched her stomach and groaned, saying, "Sisters, if you keep arguing, I won't be able to hold back anymore."

Seeing this, Shen Ming'e stopped there.

Wearing Shen Mingzhuang's clothes, Shen Mingxi felt extremely happy. She had taken a liking to the dress at first sight, but she knew that she was of lowly status and that she was not fortunate enough to wear such a magnificent purple dress. However, by chance, she ended up wearing it.

This wasn't something she wanted to wear; Shen Mingzhuang begged her to wear it. Even if Lin Shi blamed her, it wouldn't be her fault.

Seeing Shen Mingxi's smug expression, Shen Ming'e thought of what the nanny had said to her last night.

This Shen Mingxi is truly shameless; it seems that what Auntie said in her letter does have some merit.

When the three returned to the table, Madam Lin's solemn expression softened slightly. Her gaze slowly swept over the three of them, and when she saw Shen Mingxi's dress, she couldn't help but curse inwardly. But everyone was looking over, and she couldn't hide it anymore.

She could only force a smile and call out to the three of them, "I sent you to fetch the things, and you've been gone for so long. Hurry up and kowtow to Princess Jiayuan!"

The three of them responded in unison and stepped forward to pay their respects to Princess Jiayuan, who was seated in a high position alongside Madam Pei. The surrounding voices grew softer and softer until everyone fell silent. Shen Mingzhuang knew that it seemed Princess Jiayuan had also noticed Shen Mingxi's clothes.

"I think the seventh daughter of the Shen family is wearing a very beautiful dress. I wonder which embroiderer made it?"

The seventeen-year-old Princess Jiayuan spoke softly, yet it was not hard to detect her nonchalant arrogance.

Just as Shen Mingxi was about to say a few words of modesty, she glanced up and noticed that Princess Jiayuan was also wearing a purple gown. The gown was naturally much more magnificent than the one she was wearing, but the color was almost identical. This immediately made her heart skip a beat, and the scene of Lin Shi letting Shen Mingzhuang choose clothes on that day involuntarily appeared in her mind.

Shen Mingxi felt as if her heart had suddenly plunged into an icy pool, and she stood there stunned for a moment.

"How dare you! The princess is asking a question; how could I not answer!"

Before she could react, the maidservant in front of Princess Jiayuan had already reprimanded her in a stern voice.

Seeing that things were going badly, Lin was also very anxious. She was like an ant on a hot pan, her mind filled with thoughts of how to salvage the situation.

It wasn't that Shen Mingxi was that important to her, but rather that she didn't want Shen Mingxi to die before Shen Mingzhuang, so that she wouldn't be able to deal with Shen Mingzhuang so easily in the future.

"It's alright, come here."

Princess Jiayuan waved her hand, and with every frown and smile, the pearls and jade on her head jingled crisply, like a sudden rain hitting people's hearts, making them uneasy.

Shen Mingxi mustered her courage and stood up, cursing Shen Mingzhuang in her heart. Was she deliberately plotting against her?

But then she thought it was unlikely. Shen Mingzhuang had always lived in Jiangzhou and this was her first time attending the hairpin banquet. How could she know that her clothes would clash with those of the Princess of Jiayuan?

Moreover, Princess Jiayuan had more than one outfit. However, she would have the palace's weaving bureau prepare for any important banquet in advance. To find out Princess Jiayuan's arrangements for the day, one would need connections, which was extremely difficult. Shen Mingzhuang didn't have that ability either!

Things were gradually becoming clearer, and Shen Mingxi had a rough idea of ​​what was going on. But what was the use of saying all this now? She had inadvertently become Shen Mingzhuang's scapegoat, and she had to think of a way out.

Shen Mingxi wasn't entirely stupid. Perhaps it was a sudden flash of inspiration, but she blurted out, "Your Highness is renowned for your virtue, and I have long admired you. I never imagined that I would have the honor of wearing the same color as Your Highness today. From now on, I won't even want to wash this dress!"

His words were so eloquent that they softened Princess Jiayuan's angry expression.

"She is very beautiful and articulate."

Princess Jiayuan finished speaking with a smile, then changed the subject, "I am currently serving my mother in the palace. My mother often says that the palace is lonely. I was thinking of finding a few clever people to come into the palace to serve the Empress Dowager with me. I think you are quite good. You are well-mannered and eloquent. You can come into the palace tomorrow."

This sudden turn of events left everyone sweating profusely. Shen Mingxi still felt a sense of unreality, as if she were walking on clouds, and for a moment she forgot to express her gratitude to Princess Jiayuan.

Lin was greatly relieved and hurriedly stepped forward to bow to Princess Jiayuan, saying, "My daughter is inexperienced, and it is my good fortune to have gained the princess's favor. Please thank the princess!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingxi suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly prostrated herself to express her gratitude.

Everyone thought that Shen Mingxi would anger Princess Jiayuan this time, but unexpectedly she turned misfortune into blessing and got the good thing of entering the palace to serve the Empress Dowager. They couldn't help but sigh that they didn't have such good luck.

Madam Lin was also very happy, feeling fortunate that it wasn't Shen Mingzhuang; otherwise, if she had gotten such a good thing, she would probably have been furious!

After thanking the emperor and returning to her seat in the Shen family, Madam Lin's expression changed.

Sensing the sharp glare from Madam Lin, Shen Mingzhuang held his tea, pretending not to notice.

Lin felt as if she had punched cotton, her chest heaving with anger.

At this moment, Shen Mingxi was like a proud rooster, puffing out her chest triumphantly, feeling incredibly pleased with herself. She would occasionally glance at Shen Mingzhuang, as if trying to find a hint of regret on his face.

Unfortunately, Shen Mingzhuang remained seated in his chair, his expression calm and his demeanor elegant, sipping his tea slowly and gracefully, looking as beautiful as a painting.