Princess Zhaoyang's sudden shout startled everyone around her.
Everyone looked over in confusion, wanting to know the answer.
"Why not?" Cen Ying asked as well.
Princess Zhaoyang hesitated for a moment. From Xing Xiaoya's words, she could sense that Xing Xiaoya had feelings for Jiang Chengli, so she couldn't let them recognize each other as siblings.
But now, in front of everyone, I simply can't bring myself to say it.
"In short, she cannot be recognized as a goddaughter," Princess Zhaoyang said somewhat stiffly.
She was used to cheating; given her status, she could achieve her goals even without giving any reason.
However, it is clear that Cen Ying is not so easily fooled.
She looked at Xing Xiaoya and asked softly, "Miss Xing, are you unwilling?"
"I'm not unwilling. I'm just a poor girl. It's my good fortune to be appreciated by the Lady of the Marquis and even be recognized as her goddaughter," Xing Xiaoya said softly, forcing a smile.
“Then it’s settled.” Cen Ying immediately took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on her hand.
“Now that you’re wearing this bracelet, you’re my daughter.”
Xing Xiaoya tucked her arms in, seemingly wanting to avoid it, but not daring to make any big movements, appearing to be half-heartedly resisting.
"Madam Hou, I already said it's not necessary." Princess Zhaoyang rushed forward, pulled Xing Xiaoya aside, and stood in front of her, seemingly protecting her.
Cen Ying almost fell over because of her, but fortunately Jiang Jinyu caught her, and the mother and daughter were able to stand up.
Everyone in the hall looked over, surprised by Princess Zhaoyang's behavior.
“Princess, what do you mean by this?” Cen Ying’s voice also turned cold.
The men of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion all hold important positions and are currently wielding immense power. Even though the Emperor dotes on Princess Zhaoyang, if she goes too far, the Jiang family will have to be held accountable.
Cen Ying is the mistress of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion, and she is not someone to be bullied.
"Madam Hou, I acted rashly just now. Are you alright?"
Princess Zhaoyang clearly knew the gravity of the situation and coughed lightly, looking slightly guilty.
"It's nothing, it's just that the princess has repeatedly prevented me from recognizing Xiaoya as her relative. Is there some hidden reason behind this? Please tell me, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to eat or sleep peacefully." Cen Ying waved her hand, indicating that she didn't mind.
Although her tone was calm, her attitude was clear: she wanted an explanation from Princess Zhaoyang.
"It's like this, my mother and Xiaoya hit it off immediately and had been considering adopting her as their goddaughter. We can't let the Lady of the Marquis snatch her away." Princess Zhaoyang coughed lightly. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, she could only bite the bullet and say it.
What she said made no sense. Everyone knows that the eldest princess is of noble birth and has a high opinion of herself.
The eldest princess doesn't completely look down on commoners; she looks up to anyone with ability.
However, it is clear that Xing Xiaoya is not included.
Princess Zhaoyang felt a strong affinity for Xing Xiaoya, disregarding her background, and even brought her into the princess's residence.
But the eldest princess is different. Although she was unhappy that the princess brought a commoner girl back to live with her, there was no need to upset Zhaoyang over such a trivial matter. So the eldest princess just turned a blind eye.
But to ask her to recognize Xing Xiaoya as her goddaughter is utter nonsense and completely impossible.
Recognizing a godparent isn't something that can be done with just a few words; a banquet must be held for relatives and friends to attend. The fact that the Princess's residence made such a big fuss was practically announcing it to the world.
"Oh? Your Highness really has this idea?" Cen Ying's eyelids twitched, but she didn't show it. Instead, she looked at Princess Zhaoyang and asked again.
Her eyes were serious; she was clearly trying to find out if she was lying.
Faced with Cen Ying's gaze, Princess Zhaoyang felt a little guilty, but since she had already spoken, she naturally couldn't take it back.
Let's just gloss over it for now. Anyway, we can't let Xing Xiaoya become our goddaughter, and I doubt anyone will dare to ask the Princess.
"Of course, this princess wouldn't lie about something like this." Princess Zhaoyang raised her head and puffed out her chest, putting on an arrogant look, hoping to make Cen Ying back down.
Little did they know that the more she acted this way, the more she appeared outwardly strong but inwardly weak, revealing the true nature of her pretense.
“Alright, Xiaoya is such a lovely girl. Even the Princess wants to adopt her as her goddaughter. Logically, I should back down. It would be a real shame to miss out on such a pleasing daughter. Is Your Highness in the manor today? Perhaps I should visit her and ask if I could be added to the list. One godmother is not enough—” Cen Ying raised her hand again to touch Xing Xiaoya’s forehead, looking incredibly affectionate.
Her expression was as if she were looking at her own child, treating them with utmost care and affection.
"No! No!" Princess Zhaoyang became agitated again, standing in front of her once more, looking at Cen Ying as if she were guarding against a thief, afraid that she would snatch Xing Xiaoya away.
"How can that be! Although one can have several godmothers, I've never seen anyone recognize so many godmothers. Madam Hou, everything should be done according to the order of arrival." Zhao Yang became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her tone became serious, leaving no room for negotiation.
Cen Ying immediately raised her hands in surrender: "Okay, the princess is right."
Seeing that she had finally retreated, Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
That was close! This Lady Hou is really something; she almost failed to stop it.
[Ugh, I'm so nervous!]
The system, which had been silent for a long time, finally dared to pop up now.
You're actually nervous?
"Of course, the female lead and the second male lead almost became siblings, how could that be possible?" The system snorted.
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