Xiao Yao secretly glanced at her sister who was about to lose her temper, and held her hand tightly. Don't be impulsive! Otherwise, you've been kneeling for so long in vain.
Xiao Yao cursed "old witch" in her heart before she replied respectfully, "Miss He's words just now have made this servant very frightened. I don't know where these rumors came from. I know I am a weakling and I am really afraid of scaring the Queen Mother. I beg the Queen Mother to forgive my sins before I dare to raise my head."
She is so scheming at such a young age! The Queen Mother felt a little regretful. Why doesn’t a girl like this have the surname Han? What a pity!
"Excuse me, you're innocent. It's time to raise your head!" Queen Mother Han was a little impatient. It wasn't easy for her to find fault with a little girl, and there must be another chance today. She would let her go for now. If she convicted her right away, her sons would suspect that she was taking this opportunity to retaliate against the Xiao family for helping her youngest son bring down the Han family. This round should be over! The purpose of showing her power should have been achieved.
"You sisters, please stand up and answer!" Queen Mother Han waved her hand kindly. Xiaohui and Qianyu quickly walked over to help the two young ladies up. Yun Ruonan held Xiao Yao's other arm, she was really worried that Xiao Yao would lose her balance and fall.
"Beauty is indeed delicate. You probably used this method to attract the attention of the Prince of Northern Jin and the young men in the capital! I even forgot about the Young Master Yun from Prince Qi's family. Tsk tsk, Xiao Yao, you are really a beauty who brings disaster!" You little vixen, I'm going to humiliate you in front of so many people today. Let's see if you still have the nerve to seduce your cousin, the prince, Han Yueting thought hatefully.
"Who is the prince of Northern Jin? And I don't remember where I have seen the young master of the Prince's family. It's amazing that Miss Han has such a good memory." It's not like I wanted to provoke them, so why do they put all the blame on me.
"You...are sharp-tongued and confuse right and wrong. Great aunt, even if such a person marries into the Han family, she must not be allowed to be the principal wife! Otherwise, if she uses her seductive look to charm the mynah bird, how will we survive?" Han Yueting sobbed softly. She had been making a fuss for so long just to let Xiao Yao enter the Han family as a concubine to prevent future troubles.
Xiao Yao calmed down after hearing Han Yueting's words. She had expected to be embarrassed today, but she hadn't expected the Han family to intervene. If it was a marriage, she wouldn't be afraid. The emperor would definitely not let the queen mother and the Han family mess around.
"Xiao Yao, why didn't you bow when you saw the County Master?" Yun Ruoxing and Han Yueting were best friends, and her desire was similar to Yun Ruonan's, both hoping to have their friend become their sister-in-law. Xiao Yao, who was constantly in and out of the palace, was her friend's worst enemy. Today was a perfect opportunity. They should all work together to crush her and make her never dare to be so proud and arrogant again.
"I don't know which family this young lady is from. I don't know you!" It seems that I have offended the Han family badly! In the end, it's all Yun Yichen's fault. Han Yueting and He Jinzhi are enemies because of him! So who is this person in front of me?
Xiao Yao didn't really know the sisters from Jinxiuyuan. They had been under house arrest, and today, Empress Dowager Han pleaded for them. The Emperor, out of respect for his mother, had made an exception and released them. Her elder sister, Princess Baozhu, was already married and had been forcibly assigned to a prince's mansion by Empress Dowager Han. It was said that, like her mother, she had caused chaos in the mansion.
"This is Princess Ruzhu of Prince Jing's Mansion. Come over and pay your respects!" Han Yueting and Yun Ruoxing cooperated with each other tacitly. Their target of interaction was very clear: Xiao Yao.
"Oh! It's Princess Ruzhu. My apologies, my apologies. Xiao Yao pays her respects to the Princess." With that, Xiao Yao calmly and gracefully bowed to Yun Ruoxing, her movements graceful and her smile pure and beautiful. Even Empress Dowager Han, who had spent most of her life in the harem, had to admit that Xiao Yao was truly a rare beauty. While she wouldn't claim to be the most beautiful woman in the world, finding someone more outstanding than her would be a difficult task.
Did these ladies make an appointment today? Humph, the more you target me, the more I'll show off my strength. The less anger I'll get, the less I'll die. And what about Princess Zhu? You're as dumb as a pig, yet you dare not take the Princess seriously? I wonder if Prince Jing will let you off so easily!
"You've learned from the maids in the palace for many years, and you've become like this. It's shameful." Yun Ruoxing was nitpicking. Xiao Yao's movements were obviously perfect, but she pretended not to see it.
"I know that I am not talented and knowledgeable enough, and of course I cannot compare with the county lady. I think the county lady must be outstanding in etiquette and manners, and must understand the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the distinction between superiors and inferiors. Just now, Miss Han asked which mansion you are from?" Xiao Yao tilted her head and pretended to recall.
"Is your hearing bad? The county lady is the beloved daughter of King Jing." Han Yueting sneered at Xiao Yao. What's the use of having a pretty face? If she can't even remember such a small thing, there's no need to consider her as an opponent in the future.
"Oh! So it's the County Lord of Prince Jing's Mansion." Xiao Yao looked at Yun Ruonan and then glanced at Yun Ruoxing as if she had suddenly realized something, and muttered to herself, "The County Lord must be more noble than the Princess Lord, otherwise the County Lord wouldn't be sitting and the Princess Lord standing. The County Lord doesn't even need to bow to the Princess Lord, and our teacher actually told me that the Princess Lord is more noble than the County Lord. Isn't that a lie?"
"You..." Yun Ruoxing picked up the teacup beside her and was about to throw it at Xiao Yao. What was so good about Yun Ruonan? Besides being a legitimate daughter, how else was she better than herself? This Xiao Yao was clearly intentionally mentioning her status as a concubine in front of everyone. This was a great humiliation! Today, I'm going to scratch her face with the teacup and see what she can use to seduce men in the future.
"County Lady, please think carefully before you act. I am the daughter of the Marquis's family, not your maid. It would not be good to hear that the eldest granddaughter of the Marquis's family was beaten in Fengxiang Palace!" Did she really think she would just stand there and let her beat her? An unappreciated concubine's daughter of the County Lady beat up the favored granddaughter of the Marquis's family. Empress Dowager Han would have a hard time explaining to the Emperor.
Queen Mother Han also realized this at this moment. She was about to teach Xiao Yao a lesson and then ask her granddaughter to put down the teacup, when she heard the eunuch outside the door shouting, "Grand Princess Deqing has arrived."
"Why is she here?" Queen Mother Han muttered softly. The eldest princess was the elder sister of the late emperor. When she was still in the palace, she had often opposed Queen Mother Han. Queen Mother Han, who had more defeats than victories, had an inexplicable fear of her elder sister-in-law.
"The Empress Dowager's palace is so bustling. I wonder if it's because I'm getting older, but I'm increasingly drawn to young girls like these budding flowers. So I came uninvited. I hope the Empress Dowager doesn't mind!" The eldest princess, without stopping, walked straight towards her younger siblings. As she passed Yun Ruonan and the other two, she smiled amiably, as if she were an elder meeting her own juniors.
"As long as the Grand Princess doesn't mind the simplicity of Fengxiang Palace, I would be more than happy to have her." Queen Mother Han said it very smoothly, but no one knew whether she was thinking so in her heart.
"Why aren't these three little girls sitting down? Come here and let me take a look." The eldest princess waved to Yun Ruonan and the other three.
Yun Ruonan knew Princess Deqing, who had the highest status among the royal family members and was also very fair. This time, she was not afraid that Ping An would be bullied.
"Yian pays respects to the Grand Princess. These two are the daughters of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery." Yun Ruonan dragged the Xiao sisters away from the Han family's circle. Those daughters were terrifying, as if they wanted to eat Ping An alive. To get close to her brother and marry into the palace, they were determined to overthrow Ping An, the roadblock. I wonder what Ping An will think after what happened today. Will she never want to have anything to do with her brother again?
"Your servant Xiao Yao (Xiao Yuan) pays her respects to the eldest princess." The Xiao sisters' movements were consistent, standard and graceful, and there was no flaw to be found.
"I never thought that a man as rough as Xiao Hu would have two such lovely granddaughters, and they are so outstanding. Come here, all of you." Princess Deqing took off three mutton-fat jade bracelets from her wrist and put them on Yun Ruonan, Xiao Yao, and Xiao Yuan respectively. While helping Xiao Yao put on the bracelets, she also patted Xiao Yao's hand, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Oh! Look at my bad memory. I forgot to bring gifts for other ladies. I'm so sorry. Today, these are the bracelets. I will make up for what I owe you another day when I remember it." Princess Deqing said it seriously, making Queen Mother Han and those girls so angry that they couldn't even say a word in reply.
"I like these three little girls. Remember, if someone bullies you in the future, just report my name, Deqing. In Tianyu, everyone should give me some face, don't you think, Queen Mother?" Princess Deqing said slowly while admiring the Queen Mother Han's unpredictable expression. Her eyes swept across the girls' faces and finally stopped on Xiao Yao.
That brat Ah Chen wanted her to protect, right? She was calm in the face of danger, neither humble nor overbearing, and possessed the qualifications to be the mistress of a royal palace. The brat had good vision, and he chose to be the matchmaker himself.
"It's a blessing for the three of them to have the favor of the eldest princess. Why don't you thank the princess quickly?" Queen Mother Han squeezed out a word through her teeth. It seemed that it was impossible to embarrass Miss Xiao today. Could this be considered a blessing in disguise? Did Deqing really just happen to pass by Fengxiang Palace and come in to sit down? Queen Mother Han didn't believe what she said at all.
"Prince Yun has arrived."
Without waiting for the young ladies to move aside, Yun Yichen had already strode in. He looked around and locked his eyes on Xiao Yao. Fortunately, they were injured and the eldest princess arrived in time.
When Yun Yichen heard the informant in Fengxiang Palace report that Xiao Yao was besieged by a large group of young ladies, and Princess Deqing met a concubine on the way who invited her to stroll around the garden for a while, he became extremely anxious and wanted to rush to the harem immediately.
But he was busy at the time and couldn't leave. Fortunately, his cousin arrived in time. He pushed all the things in his hands to his cousin Yun Yifan and hurried to Fengxiang Palace just to see how Xiao Yao was doing now!
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