She had just seen clearly that it was indeed the same person. After confirming this, she secretly thought to herself that things were not going well, since her attitude at the time had not been very good, and the princess might hold a grudge.
Just as she was thinking this, a palace maid from the Empress's side came over and asked her to come forward and speak. Was she about to be in big trouble?
Zhang Xiantao wanted to ask Madam Zhang for help, but Madam Zhang had no idea what she was thinking. She only told her to answer properly and not to offend the Empress and the Princess, and then turned to continue chatting quietly with the minister's wife next to her, ignoring her completely.
Upon arriving at the palace, Zhang Xiantao first bowed to the Empress, and then to the Princess, saying, "Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress, may Your Majesty live a thousand years; greetings to Your Highness the Princess, may the Princess enjoy boundless blessings."
"No need for formalities," the princess said in her childish voice.
Zhang Xiantao found the voice soft and sweet, and subconsciously looked up, only to meet the princess's gaze. Xingxing was staring at her with her big, dark eyes.
The two stared at each other for a moment. Xingxing's eyes were so clear that Zhang Xiantao lowered her eyes a little guilty after looking at her for a while.
“You don’t remember me? We’ve met before.” Xingxing brought up the past.
Zhang Xiantao wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. Why was she so impulsive back then, wanting to cause trouble for the princess? In the end, she didn't get any trouble from the fake princess, but instead offended the real princess.
She couldn't very well tell the princess in front of her that because she had a bad impression of the fake princess, she thought she had discovered the fake princess sneaking out of the palace to play, so she wanted to cause trouble for her, could she?
"Did Long'er actually meet Miss Zhang before? When did they meet? Was it outside the palace?" The Empress was very interested in Xingxing's past and couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
"Your Majesty, we met outside the palace," Zhang Xiantao said, her head bowed and her speech becoming quite refined, something she wouldn't normally do.
"They say a girl changes a lot as she grows up. I remember a few months ago Miss Zhang was very cheerful. How come she has become so timid in just a few months, and her voice has become so gentle and soft?" Because Zhang Xiantao was bold and uninhibited, which was a stark contrast to the other noble ladies, the Empress had a deep impression of her and couldn't help but tease her a few times.
What could Zhang Xiantao say? She could only awkwardly but politely offer a few dry laughs.
Xingxing just felt that she looked familiar, and she didn't mean to make things difficult for her. But now that she was mentioned, she remembered where she had seen Zhang Xiantao before. So this was the girl in red who caused trouble at the jewelry shop.
With a sparkle in his eyes, he asked the Empress in a soft, sweet voice, "Your Majesty, I find this Miss Zhang very agreeable. May I take a walk with her outside the palace?"
The Queen, of course, couldn't refuse Xingxing's request. "Since you like her, why don't you take a stroll in the garden? But you must return quickly, and don't linger. Take a few extra people with you."
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