Chapter 64 Entering the Palace
Chunwen gets angry whenever this is mentioned:
"Don't even mention it. You know I'm not sick at all. Fifth Miss is just too concerned about me. She insisted that the maid watch me and make sure I drank that extra dose of Mengshi powder. I haven't had a bowel movement for days—"
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business."
Caihe glanced at her with disdain, then covered her nose with her handkerchief as if she were smelling something.
“Bihui is still lying down. Fifth Miss is definitely going to take you to the palace banquet. Find an opportunity to secretly use this for Fifth Miss, whether it’s in the wine or the food…”
Chunwen fidgeted with her handkerchief and said shyly:
"This is no easy task. Tell me what this is first. What if I get myself into trouble and the Fourth Miss doesn't care about me?!"
Caihe glared at him, annoyed.
"What does this have to do with Fourth Miss? I just don't like Fifth Miss, so I asked you to do these things. Don't make baseless accusations!"
Chunwen secretly thought this was still a loyal and good dog, and outwardly snorted:
"I don't care. Harming Fifth Sister is extremely risky. You have to give me at least this much!"
She held up five fingers, and Caihe gritted her teeth, shoving the purse into her hand, whispering through gritted teeth:
"Okay, okay, here you go!"
Chunwen weighed the contents of the container with satisfaction, then asked in a low voice, "You really can't tell me what this is? I need to figure out how to proceed!"
Caihe looked up and, seeing that no one was around, whispered a few words into Chunwen's ear.
Chunwen's eyes widened, too frightened to move.
"It's good that you know the pros and cons!"
Seeing her like this, Caihe walked away smugly.
Not far away, on the artificial hill, behind the jagged rocks, Cheng Yan silently watched this scene, the smile that usually graced her face completely gone.
On the day of the palace banquet, Qin Yuan had already informed Madam Xiao that Xiao Yuxuan would be entering the palace with the Princess's carriage, so Xiao Yuxuan arrived at the Princess's residence early.
The eldest princess was dressed in a very elegant and luxurious manner today, with her headdress shining with gold, which highlighted her noble status.
However, she frowned the moment she saw Xiao Yuxuan.
"Why are you dressed so plainly? Didn't I give you that shimmering brocade? Why didn't you use that material to make a dress?"
Today, Xiao Yuxuan wore a pale yellow floral jacket, a light green and lotus root-colored gauze skirt with butterfly design, and a single gold and jade dragonfly hairpin with a few pearl flowers on her hair. She also wore a pair of glass earrings.
The weather is gradually getting warmer now, and this outfit is both age-appropriate and looks refreshing.
But which young lady wouldn't want to wear her most precious clothes and jewelry when she entered the palace? Why would she be willing to be so low-key?
"I can't bear to wear the things the Princess gave me. When I come of age, I'll have a seamstress make me a proper one, and then I'll wear it for the Princess."
Hearing Xiao Yuxuan say this, the princess's heart softened.
What could be more comforting than having something you gave away cherished and wanted?
She only regretted that she was a daughter of the Xiao family. If she were a member of the royal family and related to him, he would have spoiled her from childhood and wouldn't have let her even wear clothes made of flowing brocade.
"You should wear this. Your hair is beautiful, so wearing just a little bit of stuff isn't enough."
The eldest princess plucked a heavy, intricately carved gold hairpin from her hair and placed it on Xiao Yuxuan's head.
Without a bronze mirror, Xiao Yuxuan couldn't see what the hairpin looked like on her head, but feeling its heavy weight, she didn't refuse and gave a happy smile:
"Thank you, Princess!"
Today is the day of entering the palace. The carriage that the eldest princess is riding in is of the standard for a prince of the highest rank, and the ceremonial procession can extend for nearly a mile.
Through the crowded carriages and horses of officials and their families, Xiao Yuyao easily spotted the grand and impressive procession of the eldest princess.
She harbored resentment in her heart, but spoke softly with envy:
"That's great. Fifth Sister is going to the palace with the Eldest Princess today, so she doesn't need to wait here with us."
As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Xiao's expression changed.
She had noticed recently that the closer Xiao Yuxuan got to the Princess, the more displeased her mother became with Xiao Yuxuan. Perhaps it was because her daughter, whom she had previously considered worthless, had managed to gain the favor of a noble person, and she was resentful.
Xiao Yuxuan thought she had climbed the social ladder, but she didn't realize that she was still a daughter of the Xiao family. Without the Xiao family's love and support, what was she? Did she really think she could arrange her own marriage?
Xiao Yuyao had recovered from her previous jealousy and now had a gentle and dignified expression, looking every bit like a noble lady from a prestigious family.
Just as Madam Xiao was about to scold Xiao Yuxuan, her anger dissipated considerably upon seeing her other daughter's appearance.
That's enough, that's enough.
In the past, the Xiao family only had one daughter, Yuyao. She spent more effort raising her than she had raised her three sons, and finally she became a daughter who was famous throughout the capital.
Now that her found daughter looks down on the Xiao family and wants to curry favor with the powerful, she will just consider Yu Yao as the one who came from her womb, and Xiao Yu Xuan... well, let's not mention her.
Xiao Jin was riding in the same carriage with his mother and sister today. He had originally planned to take this time to review his books, but when he suddenly heard Xiao Yuyao speak, he lifted the curtain and looked over there.
He had just looked away when he noticed something was off about his mother's expression. After a moment's thought, he explained:
"The eldest princess is kind-hearted and loves children. She often brings food to the academy. I think Fifth Sister won't be mistreated if she stays with the eldest princess. Mother, you can rest assured."
He thought Madam Xiao was worried that Xiao Yuxuan was not having a good time with the Eldest Princess, but to his surprise, Madam Xiao's expression became even more displeased as soon as she finished speaking.
Xiao Jin scratched his head, not understanding what his mother was worried about.
Xiao Yuyao chuckled inwardly, but her face remained worried:
"That's true, but Fifth Sister doesn't have much contact with people in the capital anyway. I'm worried that if she keeps going to the Princess's residence, it might displease the nobles..."
"Oh dear, I shouldn't have said that. It would be bad if I said it."
Xiao Yuyao carefully observed Madam Xiao's expression, and only stopped speaking when she saw that the time was right and she had achieved her goal.
Xiao Jin glanced at Xiao Yuyao strangely. He felt that something was wrong with what she said, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Hmph, let her be. Whether she is rewarded or punished is up to her."
Madam Xiao closed her eyes, not wanting to bring up Xiao Yuxuan's matter again, and turned to look at Xiao Yuyao, smiling with satisfaction:
"Yuyao, this new dress suits you perfectly. You'll definitely be the most outstanding one at the palace banquet later."
Xiao Jin had never cared what her sister wore before, but now, upon closer inspection, she realized it was shimmering brocade.
His eyes widened, and he gripped Madam Xiao's hand tightly.
"Such fine fabric, and Mother won't even make me a set! I'm a frequent visitor to the palace, how can I be dressed poorly!"
He used to bicker and fight with Xiao Yuyao like this when he was a child, and now that he was shouting, Xiao Jue outside the carriage was attracted to come over.
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