Early in the morning, the carriage of the Changxing Marquis's Mansion set out. Even if they were going to the palace for a banquet, there was no reason to bother Old Madam Chu, so only Zhao and Yan went out this time, and they each brought their own daughters.

As the wife of a concubine's son, the third wife could only be left behind in this situation, in the name of staying at home to serve Old Madam Chu. The third wife only had one daughter, so it would be unreasonable to abandon the sixth girl in this situation, so Zhao took over the responsibility of the third wife and took the sixth girl out to take care of her during the banquet.

They set out early in the morning and arrived at the Huailing Palace when the sun was shining brightly. A maid had been waiting at the Chuihua Gate. When she saw their carriage, a maid in a cyan gown came down to greet them: "Madam Hou, Madam Chu, you are finally here!"

As the younger sister-in-law, Chu Zhu naturally had to come out to greet her sister-in-law. She was wearing a red gown, a royal blue horse-faced skirt, and a golden hair bun on her head, looking very high-spirited. Chu Jinyao got off the carriage with her sisters and stood quietly aside, listening to the greetings between Zhao and the people in the palace. After a while, a small sedan chair was brought to take them to the inner house to talk.

The maid who looked very prestigious said, "The old ancestor and the princess have been talking about the wives of the Chu family for a long time. They are waiting in the lobby now. Ladies, don't rush to reminisce. Let's go inside first."

Zhao naturally agreed. The maid pointed to the sedan chair and said, "The Chuihua Gate is still a little far from the flower hall. It's too hot now. It's not good to expose the ladies to the sun. Let's take the sedan chair."

After the Chuihua Gate, it was the territory of the inner house. I didn't expect that I would need to take a sedan chair from here to where the princess and the old lady were. Chu Jinyao was a little surprised. She could see that the other girls of the Chu family had the same idea, but they didn't want to show their timidity when going out, which would bring shame to the Changxing Marquis's Mansion. So they didn't show anything and got on the sedan chair one by one.

Zhao and Yan each had a sedan chair, but the girls obviously couldn't, so they had to sit in pairs. Chu Jinxian was already married, and the second girl was Yan's concubine. Yan refused to let her attend the banquet at the palace, saying that the second girl needed to stay at home to embroider her dowry. So the young people who came today were only the third girl, Chu Jinmiao, and Chu Jinyao from the first room, the seventh girl, Yan's biological daughter from the second room, and the sixth girl from the third room. The eighth girl was only six years old, too young, so she was naturally excluded.

The two of them sat in a sedan chair, and according to the order of seniority, Chu Jinyao and the sixth girl should go together. Chu Jinyao sat upright in the swaying sedan chair, not trying to lift the curtain to look out. She had been back home for half a year, and had gotten used to these scenes of wealth.

The space in the sedan chair was not large, and the sedan chair would inevitably sway when the person carrying it walked, so Chu Jinyao would bump into the Sixth Miss's knees from time to time. The Sixth Miss also sat upright, lowering her eyes and saying nothing. The Third Lady did not come today, but when everyone was greeting each other, they naturally skipped her mother, as if there were only two ladies, Zhao and Yan, in the Changxing Marquis's Mansion. Sixth Miss sat for a while, then suddenly reached out and gently covered the back of Chu Jinyao's hand: "Fifth sister, you haven't forgotten what we said last time?"

Chu Jinyao was not used to being touched by others, and she almost opened Sixth Miss's hand. Chu Jinyao resisted the urge to pull her hand out, and said calmly: "Sixth sister, don't let your imagination run wild. We are in the sedan chair, and we don't know when we will stop. Let's not talk for the time being."

These words were ambiguous, neither agreeing nor refusing. Sixth Miss tilted her head and smiled at Chu Jinyao, then slowly withdrew her hand. Although she was still smiling, she snorted in her heart. She knew that interests could move people's hearts, and no one could resist.

Chu Jinyao and the Sixth Miss did not speak on the rest of the way. They sat facing each other in silence. Fortunately, they soon reached their destination. The sturdy woman carrying the sedan chair put them down and shouted inside, "Girls, we are at the flower hall."

Chu Jinyao and the Sixth Miss stood up and walked out of the sedan door with their backs bent. After everyone stood up, Zhao quickly scanned the room to make sure that there was nothing wrong with the girls. Then she said, "Let's go, follow me to see the old ancestor."

There were already many people sitting in the flower hall of the palace. Chu Jinyao followed Zhao. As soon as she entered the door, she smelled a strong warm fragrance, mixed with the different scents of the women's makeup, which became the most recognizable symbol of a powerful and noble family, just short of writing the three words "rich and noble hometown" clearly. Both sides were filled with female relatives, sitting or standing. In addition to the master of the Huailing Palace, there were also maids serving the old lady, and maids brought by the ladies. It was truly a room full of women.

Chu Jinyao didn't care to see who these bright colors on both sides were, and took the lead to follow Zhao to pay respects to the old princess. After the two parties greeted each other, the old princess smiled and said, "I have been looking forward to you coming to see me for a long time, but unfortunately, I have been delayed by things, and it is not until now that I can do so."

Zhao smiled, "We are also looking forward to seeing the old ancestor, and now we are here."

A woman sitting next to the old lady suddenly asked, "Are these the ladies of the Marquis' Mansion?"

The woman was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with a white, round face, wearing a bright red skirt with gold trimmings. At first glance, she was a noble lady who was pampered and well-fed. She had a hairpin full of precious stones and a bright red dress. No one in the room could match her elegance.

Apart from other things, there was only one person who dared to speak and dress like this in front of the old princess - the mistress of Huailing Palace, the princess of the county.

Chu Jinyao slowly understood at this time. No wonder Chu Zhu, who was always outspoken, did not dare to wear red in such a limelight occasion. Although she wore a bright red long jacket, she paired it with a royal blue dress. It turned out that she was trying to avoid the princess. Chu Jinyao

was short-sighted. She had never seen what the royal family, such as princesses and princesses, looked like. After meeting the Princess of the County today, Chu Jinyao secretly felt that she was a little different from what he had imagined, but he also thought that she should be so noble and imposing.

When the Princess spoke, no one dared to neglect her. Zhao quickly responded, "It's them." Then she called out their names one by one, asking them to come up to greet the Princess of the County and let the Princess of the County recognize their faces.

As for why she had to recognize their faces, everyone knew the reason. The Princess of the County looked at them one by one and smiled, "They are all good girls. This is my gift for meeting you, to make you happy."

The maid came forward and handed the purses to Chu Jinyao and others one by one. Chu Jinyao took it and squeezed it casually, then passed it to the maid behind him without any fluctuation.

It can only be said that life encounters are so wonderful. With Chu Jinyao's current wealth, she doesn't even care about this small meeting gift.

The old princess smiled and watched the princess recognize people. After the girls met each other, the old princess' eyes passed through everyone and suddenly stopped on Chu Jinyao: "This, is the fifth girl of the mansion?" The

old princess's question made everyone's heart tremble. Chu Jinyao also tightened her back and stepped forward to bow to the old princess: "It's me. I pay my respects to the old ancestor."

The old princess looked at Chu Jinyao, nodded and smiled: "Good child, not only good-looking, but also decent personality."

Everyone knew the purpose of this visit, but the old princess called Chu Jinyao out alone to ask questions, and she was not stingy with praise. At one time, many eyes were on Chu Jinyao, but Chu Jinyao remained calm and unhurried in the face of many inquiring eyes.

Even the Princess of the County was a little surprised when she saw her. Didn't Aunt Deng say that the fifth girl of the Changxing Marquis's Mansion was not raised by the elders, but had been living among the people since she was a child, and was only found this year? In fact, the Princess of the County noticed Chu Jinyao as soon as she entered the house. The appearance of this girl was really eye-catching. The Princess of the County almost confirmed Chu Jinyao's identity at the first sight of her.

However, this daughter of a marquisate who was not worthy of her title did not shrink back when she entered the reception hall of the palace, which was piled with gold and jade. She did not play with the gift when she was given. Even when she was called out alone, she did not show any expression of being pampered or proud, as if she was used to wealth. If the princess had not known the truth in advance, she might have really thought that this was a daughter of a marquisate who was raised in pampering.

The princess was surprised and her impression of Chu Jinyao changed a lot. The Princess of the County said with a smile: "The wife of the Marquis of Changxing is so lucky. The eldest daughter of the Chu family is famous for her virtue, and I didn't expect that the second daughter is also outstanding. It's really enviable. Unlike me, I have only two enemies."

The county owner Lin Baozhu was sitting there bored. People often visited the palace in such a grand manner, and she had long been accustomed to it. However, when she heard the words of the Princess of the County, she immediately pouted unconvincedly: "Mother, I don't accept it when you say this. How can I be an enemy?"

The Princess of the County pointed at the county owner and said: "Look, you dare to talk back to me, and you still say we are not enemies!" However, although she said this, there was not much anger in the tone of the Princess of the County.

The county lord was angry and turned to the old princess to reason with her. The old lady laughed and said, "Your mother is deliberately embarrassing you! You are the apple of our royal family's eye. We love you so much. Who dares to mess with you?"

The county lord was satisfied. However, Lin Baohuan, the daughter of Chu Zhu, who was very powerful in the Chu family, could only sit beside her as a foil. Even Chu Zhu could only stand aside and smile.

Chu Jinyao saw the treatment of the county lord and thought to herself that this was the emperor's darling. Is it really a good thing for her to be a study companion for such a young lady? However, Chu Jinyao remembered the instructions of the old lady Chu before leaving and sighed secretly in her heart.

If the family has made a decision, then it doesn't matter whether it is a good thing or not, and whether Chu Jinyao is willing or not. Moreover, Chu Jinyao knows more. If Old Madam Chu really wants to push Chu Jinyao out to be the Crown Prince's Consort, then she must not only stay in Huailing County Prince's Mansion safely, but also leave a good impression on the people in the Prince's Mansion. The attitude of the county lord is particularly important.

If you ask Chu Jinyao whether she likes the Crown Prince, Chu Jinyao's answer is no. If you ask her whether she wants to give up the old lady's plan, Chu Jinyao's answer is still no. In a woman's life, she is not born by others, and she is not married by others. Her life's honor and disgrace are all tied to others. Before marriage, she is a father, and after marriage, she is a husband. Competing for the favor of her husband and suppressing the favored concubine, this is the main theme of most women's second half of life. Chu Jinyao has no ability to change her fate. All she can do is to make herself try to go higher in the second reincarnation.

As for love...it's not important. Although she has no romantic feelings for the prince, this does not prevent her from obeying her family's wishes and becoming the prince's legal wife. Otherwise, what else can she do?

Qi Ze's face quickly appeared in front of Chu Jinyao, but she quickly suppressed it. Qi Ze has already left, and even if he didn't leave, they would not have anything. From now on, they are far apart, each going their own way and never seeing each other again, which is actually also good. Qi Ze was a brief and happy glimpse of surprise in her girlhood. From now on, this secret will be buried deep in her heart forever, and no one will know it except herself.

Chu Jinyao fell into depression again unconsciously. Fortunately, her etiquette efforts were not in vain. Even if she was distracted, she still maintained a standard gentle smile on her face. The old lady sitting at the top was very satisfied.

It must be said that the old man just likes Chu Jinyao, a lady who looks sweet at first glance. What is weak and helpless, what is pitiful, the old princess really can't appreciate it.

There are obviously five girls traveling together, but now the limelight is monopolized by Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinmiao secretly clenched her fists and cast a look for help to Chu Zhu on the side.

Chu Zhu took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and shook her head to signal Chu Jinmiao to calm down.

The old princess pulled Chu Jinyao and asked all the questions she wanted to ask, and then she noticed the girls behind. It is very rude to ignore guests

. The old lady kept smiling, and remembered the rumor about the exchange of daughters, so she asked: "Which one is the fourth girl?" Chu Jinmiao was delighted, but she never expected that the turning point would come so quickly. She stepped forward and said shyly: "It's me."

The princess of the county also became interested. She asked: "I heard from Madam Deng that there is a girl with great talent in the Changxing Marquis' Mansion. Is it you?"

Chu Jinmiao bowed her head humbly: "Madam, you are too kind." But she did not deny it in her words, and obviously admitted that she was the most talented girl in the Marquis' Mansion.

The princess asked a few questions with a smile, and found that Chu Jinmiao was indeed fluent in answering, so she said to the old princess with a smile: "Mother, you see, the girls of the Chu family are indeed well-educated and well-mannered. If Zhu'er can be half as worry-free as them, I will be satisfied."

This naturally made the county lord unhappy for a while, and Chu Jinyao kept smiling and listened to the people in the upper position. After a while, the elders seemed to want to say something, so they sent the younger ones away and said: "The meal will be served soon. You girls go out and warm up for a while, and I will call you when the meal is served."

Who dared not to obey the old princess. Even the county lord stood up, bowed to everyone impatiently, and then went out first. After the county lord left, the others dared to move.

As soon as they left the old princess's room, the girls naturally led by the county lady. The county lady led them to a small flower corridor, where they could see the flowers blooming outside the house through the window. The county lady was impatient to say something to show the situation. Before everyone was seated, she ran to Chu Jinyao with a clattering clatter. With arrogant innocence in her eyes, she raised her head slightly and asked, "Are you the young lady from the Marquis's Mansion who was taken away by mistake?"