"Ah... this..." Yuan Ru hesitated for a moment.

Then she explained, "There's really no dislike, it's just that the princess and the prince aren't very familiar with each other, so it's inevitable that they'll be a little awkward. Besides, my prince is a slow-paced person. If the princess wants to become friends with my prince, she must communicate more."

As Yuan Ruo said this, what she was really thinking was: If you get to know each other better, perhaps the misunderstanding will be cleared up.

Xiao Lian beckoned Yuan Ruo to come out, but Su Lixia was in a daze and didn't notice that they had gone out.

"Is there something you need that you called me out?"

"The princess has been thinking about many things lately. Because everyone says she is arrogant, no one wants to play with her. She used to not care, but she has been like this ever since the marriage was arranged."

After hearing Xiaolian's words, Yuanruo wanted to tell her the truth directly, but she was also a little scared.

So he lowered his head and muttered softly, "But your princess has always been like this, and I've never seen her before."

With a frown, Xiaolian said, "Do you think I can't hear you? I wasn't daydreaming." As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to hit him.

"Stop right there!"

"Oh my goodness, please spare me!" Yuan Ruo squatted down, covering her head.

Xiao Lian, panting heavily, sat down on the ground and pointed at him, saying, "Let me tell you, my princess is really not that kind of person."

"But before, your princess was hated by everyone. Everyone said that your princess had finally calmed down, mainly because there was no one here to protect her. Everyone knew that the people who came with your princess were all two-faced. If your princess hadn't been so stupid as to hand over the power of housekeeping to Aunt Chun, that place would have been theirs sooner or later."

Xiao Lian got up and walked behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said through gritted teeth, "How do you know these things? Did someone on your team secretly follow us?"

Yuan Ruo's fair face flushed red instantly, and she pouted as she said forcefully, "Nonsense, Aunt Chun is one of our own."

Xiaolian then let go of his hand.

In fact, Yuan Ruo could have easily taken down Xiao Lian, but she did say too much.

"She had already promised the princess, so why did she only tell your prince now?"

Yuan Ruo rolled her eyes at her: "Isn't your princess going to marry into the royal family? Isn't Aunt Chun going back? Aren't we family?"

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you about this. Anyway, I've been with the princess since I was a child, and I know her better than anyone. That kind of personality is just a hard shell that protects the princess. You and your prince have probably seen a lot of backstabbing and intrigue."

Yuan Ru raised an eyebrow and hummed, "Yes, there are, but not like you guys. Would you like to tell me in detail?"

"You're willing to listen? You believe me?" Xiaolian was somewhat surprised. She had thought of speaking up for the princess before, but no one listened, and no one was willing to believe her.

"Why wouldn't I believe it? Since you keep saying that, I'll listen and see if it's true."

So the two of them found a quiet place to talk.

Su Lixia fell asleep on the table while thinking about it.

Yi Zexuan was already getting ready for bed when he asked as he was undressing, "Yuan Ruo hasn't returned yet?"

"Yes, they went there but haven't come back yet."

"Summon some men to come with me to find it." Yi Zexuan put the robe he had just taken off back on.

"Yes." The man replied and withdrew.

Lin Ziwen rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Why haven't they come back yet? So many things have happened lately, I'm afraid..."

Yi Zexuan rolled his eyes at him: "Don't say any more. I'll go look over there. You look around here. You two go check the back mountain."

Everyone clasped their hands in greeting and replied in unison, "Yes."

"Then be careful," Lin Ziwen called out.

Before he finished speaking, Yi Zexuan had already disappeared into the night.

"So the princess is loved by the poor, but disliked by the rich?"

"What, after all I've said, don't you understand?"

Yuan Ruo clicked her tongue: "But if the princess has spent so much money, how come she is still so rich?"

Xiao Lian frowned, somewhat puzzled: "The princess can only buy two sets of clothes for each solar term, and only two pieces of jewelry for each solar term. She can only have a maximum of twelve dishes, four desserts, and two kinds of soup for lunch and dinner every day! Where is the money coming from?"

Yuan Ruo's lips twitched; she was truly speechless.

"The dishes your princess eats in one solar term are enough to feed a servant in the palace for a year."

"Oh? The servants in that prince's mansion are so pitiful. Your prince is really stingy."

Yuan Ru snorted: "It's because you guys are too rich and powerful."

Yuan Ruo thought for a moment and then said, "But when I went to your restaurant last time, your princess only ate four or five dishes, and she ate them all together."

"Yes, what I just told you is what we can do now, but actually the princess hasn't had new clothes made for almost a year. The princess said it's a waste to not be able to finish so many dishes, so it's like this. As for jewelry and such, the princess doesn't let the people in the Imperial Household Department make them at all. Now, most of the clothes we use are gifts from His Majesty and the Empress."

Yuan Ruo suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "Your princess does have many admirable qualities, but she doesn't do many things anymore."

Xiao Lian sighed: "When we were little, all the princes and princesses disliked her because His Majesty doted on her too much. They always told her that she was born to be a pawn and should be used to her fullest potential."

After saying this, Xiaolian looked up at the sky and said, "When I was little, the princess took me to the roof and then she would say to herself, 'What they said is true, isn't it?'"

“We should have thought of something too, and we shouldn’t have been blinded by appearances. It’s just that your princess was really being very pretentious before.” Yuan Ruo’s expression changed from self-blame to disgust.

Xiao Lian sighed softly and said, "Ever since the princess came of age, she has been very casual and unserious about matters between men and women, which is something I still can't understand."

Yuan Ruo slowly lay down on the ground, her hands behind her head, and sighed, "You shouldn't think about these things anymore. After your princess marries into the royal palace, everything will probably be normal."

"I hope so." After saying that, Xiaolian got up, brushed the dust off her clothes, rubbed her arms back and forth, and said, "It's getting late, and it's really chilly."

Yuan Ruo got up and took off her cloak, just as she was about to drape it over the other girl...

Footsteps slowly approached, and Yuan Ruo and the other person slowly turned their heads, only to find that it was Yi Zexuan who had come looking for them.