She coughed lightly, changing the subject, "If you're interested in my makeup, I can teach you how to do it another day."
Shangguan Yanran was naturally interested, and upon hearing this, she immediately forgot about the previous point and said, "Okay."
The carriage stopped at the palace gate.
The two of them got off the carriage together and walked into the palace.
"Luckily the snow stopped, otherwise, in this freezing weather, people would freeze to death," Shangguan Yanran muttered softly.
"Yes." Rong Qingqing held the hand warmer tightly, never letting go.
Upon entering the palace gate, palace servants were already waiting in a sedan chair.
The two of them got into sedan chairs, which were carried by palace servants, and headed towards the plum garden.
When they arrived at the plum garden, the two realized they were late.
The plum garden, now covered in snow, was unusually lively. Beautifully dressed young ladies strolled through the garden in small groups, admiring the plum blossoms and composing poems.
Upon seeing Shangguan Yanran and Rong Qingqing, the young ladies immediately became wary.
The Empress Dowager's sudden summons of them here to admire the plum blossoms today is something that anyone with eyes to see can understand is not so simple.
Therefore, they all dressed up carefully before entering the palace today, hoping to outshine all the other beauties at this plum blossom banquet and catch the eye of His Highness the Crown Prince.
Originally, each of these young ladies was full of confidence, feeling that they were second to none. However, after seeing Shangguan Yanran and Rong Qingqing, alarm bells immediately went off in their hearts.
One is the beloved daughter of the current prime minister, and the other is a princess who has just been adopted as a goddaughter by Prince Su.
Whether it's family background or appearance, these two are outstanding in every way, and it seems that neither of them has any chance of winning.
But soon they noticed that the two women were dressed simply, and compared to the beautiful young ladies present, they were noticeably more plain.
A sharp-witted person would immediately realize what was happening.
Could it be that the two of them are just going through the motions today and aren't interested in the position of Crown Princess? And that the Emperor and Empress Dowager have no intention of forming a marriage alliance with these two families?
If the Emperor and Empress Dowager were interested, given their influence in the court, they could simply issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage, without needing to come to this plum blossom banquet to curry favor with the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince.
With this thought, everyone immediately felt relieved and stopped taking the two men seriously, since they no longer posed a threat.
Rong Qingqing and Shangguan Yanran did not immerse themselves in the group of young ladies; instead, they found a quiet place and began to chat.
"You've thought things through very well," Shangguan Yanran said, feeling a little uncomfortable as she recalled the hostile looks she'd just received. "But these people are really so arrogant. Do they really think that without the two of us, they'll definitely catch the eye of the Empress Dowager or the Crown Prince? What wishful thinking!"
Rong Qingqing smiled but remained silent, glancing at the noble ladies gathered in the plum garden. She thought to herself, "The Empress Dowager has probably summoned all the unmarried noble ladies in the capital."
Not long after, the Empress Dowager arrived, accompanied by Princess Huaiyin, Feng Xin, and a girl wearing a pink dress with a white cloak over it.
The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had a beautiful and dignified appearance and a graceful demeanor. However, she seemed to be in poor health. She kept her handkerchief pressed to her lips and coughed lightly from time to time. When the Empress Dowager saw this, she turned her head and asked her a few words of concern.
As Rong Qingqing was examining the scene, Shangguan Yanran suddenly nudged her arm and whispered, "That person's cloak looks so much like your cape, especially the hat, which is also decorated with a circle of white rabbit fur."
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