Chen Siyuan already knew the other person's identity, but at this moment she pretended not to know and let the other person look her over.
"You flatter me, Third Princess."
As the group was talking, Princess Qiya arrived, once again drawing everyone's attention.
However, because Princess Qiya was the emperor's adopted daughter and not a real princess, and because of the incident involving Princess Honglian, he did not have a good impression of Princess Qiya.
Because she is a princess, she must adhere to the proper etiquette.
Chen Siyuan bowed once again, following the others.
It is unassuming and leaves no room for criticism, so that even if someone wanted to target it, they wouldn't find an opportunity.
With both the Third Princess and the Fifth Princess present, she dared not act openly.
Chen Siyuan stood in the middle of the crowd, looking at Princess Qiya.
That familiar feeling washed over her again.
She was different from Princess Qiya, whom I had seen several times before.
This feeling is...?
Chen Siyuan thought of that bold idea again.
Later, when they saw Princess Qiya talking to the Third Princess, the others stood quietly to the side and didn't notice anything different.
Am I just overthinking things?
At this moment, Chen Siyuan was unaware that she possessed a unique beauty in front of everyone. Even though Chen Siyuan tried her best to keep a low profile, she was originally a pearl covered in dust. Once the dust was wiped away, her brilliance would be exceptionally dazzling.
Many women, while the Third Princess and Princess Qiya exchanged pleasantries, secretly observed Chen Siyuan from the sidelines.
Her arrival stirred up a complete upheaval in the capital.
At first I thought she was a seductive woman, but upon closer inspection, she is dignified, elegant, and well-mannered.
As I looked, I realized that many people present, like myself, were quietly focusing their attention on Chen Siyuan.
In their hearts, women with royal connections are all high and mighty. Perhaps because they know Chen Siyuan's identity, they feel no distance from her and get along better with her.
Some of the older ladies tried hard to suppress their sense of superiority, always feeling that their background was better than Chen Siyuan's, and put on an air of superiority.
With more women around, there's more to talk about.
The banquet began soon after.
People gradually arrived at the hall.
Today's banquet is still divided into different classes.
Chen Siyuan was seated with several princesses.
This made many people's eyes red with envy.
That was the royal seat, and sitting in that position certainly made many people envious.
Even Mrs. Qiao was seated at the lower table.
Seeing this, Chen Siyuan looked at Madam Qiao.
Mrs. Qiao was also very worried. She tried her best to remain calm and nodded to Chen Siyuan, telling her to sit quietly.
Not long after, Qiao Yuchen arrived.
Upon discovering that his woman had been seated at this table, he disregarded his own status and sat directly next to Chen Siyuan.
The seemingly simple seats are actually full of hidden secrets.
Chen Siyuan didn't understand, but since it was all arranged, she could only sit down.
Sitting in this seat, Chen Siyuan's heart was pounding. She felt as if there was some conspiracy behind her seat, and she even lost her appetite.
She seemed to find everything she ate to taste the same—bitter.
At that moment, she felt as if she had been pushed onto the guillotine again, feeling wronged even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
Fortunately, Qiao Yuchen was there, the Fifth Princess treated her very well, and the Third Princess also gave her a kind look, which gradually eased Chen Siyuan's uneasy heart.
After her emotions calmed down a bit, Chen Siyuan was able to look up and glance around during her meal.
Besides the envious and jealous glances from the tables below, she also noticed that the Emperor's seat seemed to be right opposite her.
It's not the same table; this angle gives a perfect view of the emperor's face.
At first, I was peeking, but as I kept watching, I suddenly realized that the emperor was actually quite handsome.
At this age, aside from looking a bit overly serious, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him.
She couldn't help but think of the first time she went to the Imperial Study.
It feels like yesterday.
Halfway through the meal, people gradually started to move around.
Qiao Yuchen was called away, and Chen Siyuan took the opportunity to come to Mrs. Qiao's side.
"Mother."
Mrs. Qiao had been watching over her closely. Seeing that she was alright, she was relieved and quickly pulled her to sit next to her, gently patting her hand.
He whispered a reminder, "Be careful today, and pay close attention to what you eat and drink."
"Um."
"And, similarly, you should find an excuse to leave."
“Okay.” Chen Siyuan understood perfectly well that the table was full of royalty and nobility, and it was only natural for her, an outsider, to suddenly join in.
I don't know which bastard arranged these seats; isn't this just blatantly making things difficult for me?
Chen Siyuan got a brief respite by being near Madam Qiao, but when he saw the Third Prince and Qiao Zhen come out to offer a toast, he had no choice but to return to his seat.
Shortly after she sat down, Qiao Yuchen returned, giving Chen Siyuan the courage to continue.
Seeing everyone looking at the main table, Chen Siyuan turned to Qiao Yuchen and asked, "Which bastard plotted against me?"
She believed that Qiao Yuchen was also surprised, and his departure just now was probably related to this matter.
Qiao Yuchen glanced at the old emperor's seat, then at Eunuch Huang who was serving beside him, and gritted his teeth as he said, "Eunuch Huang."
"..." Chen Siyuan looked over, then met Huang Gonggong's gaze, which was directed at Qiao Yuchen.
Huang Gonggong seemed to notice their attention to him and smiled.
Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat; it was better if that person didn't smile.
This smile made Chen Siyuan feel even worse.
He turned to Qiao Yuchen and said, "I don't think this is a good idea. Shall we leave first?"
Qiao Yuchen glanced around and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not appropriate."
"Ah—" Chen Siyuan understood what was going on. She just felt uneasy and uncertain, as if everything that had happened today was strange.
"It's alright, I'm here." Chen Siyuan had no choice but to compromise.
They were whispering to each other, and quite a few people were watching.
Princess Qiya, who was sitting at the same table, couldn't contain her anger and launched a direct attack on Chen Siyuan.
"The First-Rank Lady is truly remarkable; she has an excellent way of managing her husband!"
Chen Siyuan smiled. This was a difficult question to answer, and besides, it clearly implied that Qiao Yuchen was being belittled. She wouldn't fall for such a foolish thing.
"Princess Qiya seems so different this time."
"Yes, your words are so sour, like you've fallen into a vat of vinegar." The Fifth Princess Consort chimed in from the side, then deliberately fanned her mouth a few times with her hand and took a deep breath, "Why does it still taste so sour?"
The Third Princess covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Isn't that right?" The Fifth Princess Consort seemed unconcerned and continued, "I noticed just now that Princess Qiya has been staring at the young general. Is she planning to become his concubine?"
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