Chen Siyuan was curious about what Princess Qiya had done to win the Emperor's heart and make him a princess, receiving so much attention and affection. Now that Princess Honglian was officially dead, Princess Qiya was still alive and well. Could Princess Qiya be the Emperor's illegitimate daughter who had been living away from home?
Chen Siyuan suddenly realized that dealing with the current Princess Qiya was somewhat difficult. The only shortcut was to expose her identity, but now was not the time.
Princess Qiya smiled but said nothing.
At this moment, Granny Xu arrived and whispered something in Princess Qiya's ear. Princess Qiya laughed after hearing it.
Looking at Chen Siyuan, she said, "The Empress Dowager has arrived."
Chen Siyuan believed this, and hearing the commotion from afar, she realized that the Empress Dowager had indeed arrived.
The event was about to end when the Empress Dowager arrived. What does this mean?
With a thousand questions in her mind, Chen Siyuan had to come to Da Wan and kneel down with everyone after Princess Qi Ya left, as was customary.
The Empress Dowager said, "No need for formalities," and Chen Siyuan stood up. As she stood up, she saw Princess Qiya standing next to the Empress Dowager.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager is Princess Qiya's backer?
She glanced down at the bracelet on her wrist.
The Empress Dowager quickly took her seat at the Emperor's table, and the lively atmosphere around her gradually quieted down. The Third Prince and Qiao Zhen went to the Empress Dowager to offer her a toast.
Chen Siyuan saw the scene on the main table clearly.
She could clearly sense that the emperor was in a bad mood.
When the Third Prince and Qiao Zhen toasted the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager was very pleased with the Third Prince. This warm greeting seemed to treat Qiao Zhen, who was standing next to her, as if she were just an ornament.
Qiao Zhen bowed respectfully without any impropriety. After a long while, under the pressure of everyone's gaze, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to say a few perfunctory words to Qiao Zhen.
With this beginning, the princes sitting at the same table began to toast the Empress Dowager, followed by the princess consort. The Empress Dowager smiled from ear to ear, very pleased with the lively scene of her many children and grandchildren.
Later, the Empress Dowager's gaze fell on Chen Siyuan at the next table.
"Isn't this the First-Rank Imperial Lady personally bestowed by the Emperor?" The Empress Dowager said, turning her head to look at the Emperor.
The Emperor's gaze upon the Empress Dowager once again evoked a scene of maternal love and filial piety.
"Yes, Mother."
The Empress Dowager smiled and squinted her eyes, "Girl, come here so I can have a good look at you."
Chen Siyuan approached respectfully and bowed deeply to the Empress Dowager once again.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. Long live Your Majesty!"
"Good, good, good! What a clever girl! I like her very much!" As she spoke, her gaze turned to Qiao Yuchen, who was walking over from a distance. "Young General!"
Qiao Yuchen was quite surprised to see the Empress Dowager arrive. Why was this old woman here? Wasn't she trapped in the palace and unable to leave?
Thinking to himself, Qiao Yuchen had already arrived in front of her and bowed to the Empress Dowager.
"Your humble servant greets the Empress Dowager."
"Look, look, these are the fine young men of the General's Mansion. They truly deserve to be General Qiao's good sons."
Upon hearing this, General Qiao immediately stood up and bowed to the Empress Dowager, saying, "My child is ignorant of etiquette; please enlighten him, Your Majesty."
"General Qiao is too modest. Looking at Yu Chen, he truly has the demeanor of General Qiao back in the day!"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yuchen immediately bowed to the Empress Dowager again.
Qiao Yuchen's manners were not very formal, and he had a carefree attitude.
The Empress Dowager then pulled Qiao Yuchen to his feet and placed Chen Siyuan's hand beside hers, saying, "You two are both good children, I have high hopes for you."
The Third Prince and Qiao Zhen were left standing to the side, as if Qiao Yu Chen and Chen Si Yuan were the main characters today.
Everyone present was shrewd and astute. Seeing the scene before them, they all remained silent, none daring to speak up at this moment.
Those in the know understand that the Emperor and Empress Dowager's relationship is not as harmonious as it appears on the surface. Those who don't know, looking around, all sense that the atmosphere is tense, and no one dares to say anything.
Princess Qiya then began to act coquettishly in front of the Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, please try some of the pastries here," Princess Qiya said, placing a plate of pastries in front of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager took a piece, ate it, and nodded repeatedly after finishing it.
The emperor, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
Let's begin!
He suddenly said it out of the blue, and the people around him didn't understand what was going on.
The Third Prince reacted quickly, clapping his hands lightly. A bell rang, and a group of dancers gracefully walked in, performing enchanting dances.
The tense atmosphere vanished instantly.
After bowing to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, Qiao Yuchen pulled Chen Siyuan back to their seats.
Chen Siyuan's heart was still pounding, relieved that it was a false alarm.
She knew that the Empress Dowager didn't really care about her; she was only concerned about the bracelet she was wearing.
If my guess is correct, my bracelet will soon come into contact with water, and I will soon be poisoned.
Thinking about what would happen next, Chen Siyuan felt very nervous.
How can she handle this without being discovered?
Then, she met Princess Qiya's gaze, who was standing next to the Empress Dowager.
Damn it!
She did all of this.
The fact that the Empress Dowager and Princess Qiya have joined forces indicates that things are about to become even more complicated.
I was just attending a wedding banquet, and this happened.
As expected, there are no small matters in the royal family.
I went to Ping'an Temple by chance, without intending to cause trouble, but what a terrible end I ended up in.
Thinking about it, I suddenly remembered that Qiao Zhen didn't go to Ping'an Temple back then.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager is not satisfied with Qiao Zhen?
Damn it, these old hags, they can disregard other people's lives just because they have power. Sooner or later, she will make them pay for everything she has suffered.
Chen Siyuan had been worried for a long time, but nothing unexpected happened.
After the banquet ended, Chen Siyuan and Qiaoyu left together.
Just as they stepped out the door and were about to get into the carriage, the sky suddenly darkened, followed by a heavy rain.
Chen Siyuan looked up at the sky. What was going on?
Thinking that the Empress Dowager would never control even the heavens, she quickly ran towards the carriage under Qiao Yuchen's protection.
Even though the other young ladies from prominent families were soaked by the heavy rain, they maintained their composure and walked gracefully toward the carriage.
Chen Siyuan sat down and looked at the scene outside, finding it amusing.
Despite caring so much about her image, she made herself look so pathetic just for the sake of being proud.
Just as I was in a good mood, I saw Granny Yu standing at the Third Prince's door.
She's the Empress Dowager's woman, how could she...?
"What's wrong?" Qiao Yuchen noticed the unease that had arisen when he saw the Empress Dowager and assumed it was still about the bracelet.
"When did Princess Qiya become so close to the Empress Dowager?"
Chen Siyuan asked.
Qiao Yuchen looked at the woman, "What did you discover?"
“When I called Princess Qiya ‘Princess,’ she didn’t object at all; it seemed like it was the natural thing to do.”
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