Wei Shuyao pursed her lips tightly. She already felt wronged, and Wei Shuwan's words made her feel even more wronged, to the point that she almost said "I'm not going".

Meng squeezed her hand in time to encourage her, and Wei Shuyao quickly calmed down. "I've made up my mind."

Wei Shuwan continued with a smile, "I heard that Princess Yun'an will also be going."

These words made Wei Shuyao even more inclined to back down than the previous ones! Last time, Princess Yun'an had no intention of letting her off the hook, but she was bitten by a snake and couldn't take care of her. If they met again in the palace this time, would she hold a grudge about what happened last time, or even escalate the situation?

Wei Shuyao felt a sudden panic and hesitated for a moment before Wei Wenshi spoke up: "Third girl, your grandmother knows that you have a grudge against that Princess Yun'an, but even if she is a princess, she still needs to abide by the etiquette and rules of the palace. She would not openly undermine the Noble Consort and embarrass you and Yao'er."

Grandmother's words were like a stabilizing force, and Wei Shuyao immediately became resolute: "Grandmother is right. As long as my third sister and I don't run around that day and stay in a crowded place, Princess Yun'an can't do anything to us!"

She was so frightened that she almost forgot that the one who truly offended Princess Yun'an was Wei Shuwan! With Wei Shuwan around, how could Princess Yun'an possibly hold a grudge against her?

If Wei Shuwan dared to enter the palace, what wouldn't I dare to do!

Having figured this out, Wei Shuyao stood up straighter, as if she had regained her former decisive and confident demeanor.

Having said all that, Wei Shuwan saw no need to go against her grandmother and aunt's wishes, so she readily agreed.

The next few days were the busiest time for jewelry and clothing shops throughout Shengjing. They rushed to various prefectures to take measurements, determine designs, and request that everything be made urgently.

Many people from the Wei family also came, but this time there was only enough for Wei Shuwan, while Wei Shuyao could only choose one dress from Zi Qiao's collection.

When finalizing the design with the owner of the clothing store, Wei Shuwan intentionally asked her to keep it simple, as she didn't want to stand out this time.

However, Wei Shuyao's thoughts were completely different. Even though she couldn't make new clothes, she still invited a tailor to the mansion to make some alterations to Zi Qiao's old clothes.

In terms of figure alone, Wei Shuyao and Zi Qiao were about the same size, but Wei Shuyao asked the proprietress to make the waist of the dress thinner to highlight her exquisite curves.

Besides putting thought into her clothing, Wei Shuyao also put a lot of effort into her jewelry. Since she could only use plain silver hairpins, she had a skilled craftsman adorn them with a string of exquisite silver bells. Whether she was walking or the wind was blowing, the clear "tinkling" sound would be heard, naturally attracting attention.

Watching Wei Shuyao's thoughts, Caizhu felt slightly uneasy. Remembering that Meng had once told her that as the Fourth Miss's most trusted maid, she also had the responsibility to advise her, she mustered her courage and said, "Miss, isn't doing this a bit too risky? I'm afraid there are many rules in the palace, and I might cause trouble that I shouldn't. It would be better to be more cautious."

Wei Shuyao was full of hope and wouldn't listen to any advice. She dismissed Caizhu as a simple-minded maid and arrogantly lectured her:

Do you know of Consort Wan, who was once the most favored concubine in the palace?

Consort Wan's favor with the emperor was comparable to that of Consort Yang in the previous dynasty, a fact known to everyone in the Great Ye Dynasty. Caizhu nodded, "This servant understands."

"Initially, Consort Wan was just a lowly palace maid. It is said that she was able to stand out among thousands of palace women, win the Emperor's heart, and become the mistress of a palace by using these little tricks."

At this point, Wei Shuyao's lips curled into a contemptuous smile: "It's clear that even the men of imperial families aren't all that proper. Perhaps the Crown Prince looked down on those young ladies from noble families before because they were too rigid and lacked these little tricks."

Caizhu didn't know if Wei Shuyao's words were true or false, but she could tell that Wei Shuyao was determined to enter the palace this time. Since that was the case, saying anything more would only invite her mistress's dislike.

Therefore, he honestly kept his mouth shut.

Before she knew it, the day of her entry into the palace arrived. Wei Shuwan boarded the carriage on time, only to find that her "maid" Wei Shuyao had not yet arrived. She then asked Ziqiao to urge her to come, lest she be late for her entry into the palace.

When Zi Qiao entered the courtyard, she ran into Wei Shuyao, who was calmly leaving the house. Seeing Wei Shuyao's bright red makeup, Zi Qiao frowned.

Which maidservant would dare to dress like that?

However, this was not something a maid could control. She only relayed Wei Shuwan's message: "Fourth Miss, my young lady is already in the carriage. Please hurry and don't be late."

"I understand," Wei Shuyao replied coldly, then lifted her skirt and quickened her pace.

Actually, she got up very early today, but she was never satisfied with her makeup, so she had to wash it off and redo it again and again, which delayed her a bit. But she couldn't be blamed for that; she couldn't wear magnificent dresses and dazzling jewelry like Wei Shuwan! Since there wasn't much room for maneuver in terms of clothing, the main focus today had to be on her face.

After Wei Shuyao boarded the carriage, the first thing she did was to check Wei Shuwan's attire, which surprised her slightly.

I had assumed that Wei Shuwan would be aiming to outshine everyone on this occasion, but her plain white dress was quite ordinary. Although there were a few scattered lotus-colored floral embroideries at the waist, they were only a few and not particularly eye-catching.

Dressed like that, one could easily believe they were entering the palace to mourn.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Wei Shuyao's eyes as she sat down opposite Wei Shuwan, adjusting the hem of her skirt. The coachman dared not delay and immediately set off upon seeing them arrive. With a long neigh from the horse, the carriage steadily drove out of the Wei family mansion.

"On such a fine day, why is Third Sister dressed so plainly? It seems a bit disrespectful to the Imperial Concubine," Wei Shuyao said sarcastically.

Since it's a done deal that she'll be entering the palace with Wei Shuwan, there's no need for her to be so mindful of her feelings like she was a few days ago.

Wei Shuwan lowered her eyes and smiled faintly: "Fourth sister may not know this, but actually, there are people from the Imperial Concubine's maternal family vying for the position of Crown Princess. Therefore, the Imperial Concubine will not only not blame those who dress casually, but will also think they are sensible."

Wei Shuyao smiled along, but inwardly she despised Wei Shuwan's cowardice. "If you can win the position of Crown Princess, what does it matter if you offend Consort Wen?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Shuwan suddenly became serious and looked up at Wei Shuyao: "Fourth sister, I know you have always been ambitious. Your entry into the palace this time is definitely not just to broaden your horizons, as Grandmother said. But you should also know that His Highness the Crown Prince is not someone you can covet. There are too many power struggles behind the Crown Prince's selection of a consort."

Wei Shuyao was indignant upon hearing this. "What, is Third Sister scared?" She smiled and said, "Too bad it's too late to be scared."

“If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have agreed to bring you here in the first place.” Wei Shuwan said calmly and shrewdly, “There are some truths that you won’t heed even if others say them a hundred times. You have to hit a wall a few times before you will realize your mistake. Today, I’m bringing you here to hit that wall.”