After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The guards surrounded them, ready to attack.

Shen Jingque subconsciously closed her eyes, her breathing becoming rapid.

Damn it, this old man is serious.

Green Calyx's eyes reddened with anxiety, and she reached out to stop them, crying, "Don't touch my young lady!"

The next moment, the steward's voice rolled in from under the corridor.

"Her Highness the Princess Who Protects the Nation has arrived!"

Shen Jingque turned around abruptly, and by the time she saw who it was, everyone in the room was already kneeling down.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess."

Xiao Mingyue walked in.

Today she wore a black long dress embroidered with gold, with a crimson cloak over it, and only a red gold phoenix hairpin in her hair.

Although he wasn't carrying a sword or armor, he exuded a murderous aura.

Shen Jingque's eyes lit up. She lifted her skirt and ran over.

"Mother!"

Then she grabbed Xiao Mingyue's arm, pointed at her, and said, "They bullied me."

Xiao Mingyue's gaze fell on the servants who were reaching out to grab someone.

"I had no idea that the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion was so powerful that it dared to even take people from my own household."

The servants trembled and kowtowed desperately.

"Your Highness, spare my life!"

Xiao Mingyue looked down at her, her gaze sweeping over the mud stains on her sleeve. "How did I bully you?"

Shen Jingque's face fell, and she burst into complaints.

"I came to the banquet today, first I was chased by a snake in the garden, and now I have been pushed down. They are also accusing me of deliberately damaging the gifts bestowed by the Empress Dowager."

She buried her face in Xiao Mingyue's arms and pretended to cry, "The Marquis also said he would take me to see the Emperor, Mother, I'm so scared."

"Your Highness, please understand. I did not mean to make things difficult for you."

Zhao Heng stepped forward with a stiff upper lip. "Miss Shen publicly destroyed the nine-petaled blood jade peony bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Afterwards, she not only denied it but also falsely accused her own sister of pushing her."

The old lady held the Buddhist prayer beads, her face displaying the composure of an elder.

"Your Highness, I know you cherish this child, but gifts bestowed by the Emperor are of utmost importance."

"If we let this go lightly today, what will the Marquis's mansion say when the Empress Dowager asks in the future?"

Xiao Mingyue sneered but remained silent, and the atmosphere in the hall became tense.

Xiao Jingchen took a half step forward at this moment, which was just right to ease the atmosphere.

"Aunt, there are many guests today. If we continue to argue in the flower hall, it may damage the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion."

"Why don't you ask Aunt to move to the inner courtyard so that the Marquis and the Old Madam can explain things to each other in person, so as not to disturb the guests?"

Zhao Heng immediately chimed in, "What the Third Prince says makes sense."

Shen Jingque frowned.

These two are putting on a show, one with a stern face and the other with a gracious one.

They probably secretly want to control the eldest princess.

She tugged at Xiao Mingyue's sleeve, about to speak, when she heard her ask unhurriedly:

"Is this the nine-petaled blood jade peony that the Empress Dowager bestowed upon the Yong'an Marquis's residence last month?"

The question came suddenly, and the old lady answered without thinking, "Exactly."

Xiao Mingyue took two steps closer, a meaningful smile appearing on her lips.

"The peony blooming period is usually only five to seven days. Even the famous varieties, if properly cared for, rarely bloom for a month without fading."

She reached out and brushed aside a leaf beside her.

"This pot from the Marquis of Yong'an's residence is truly rare."

Zhao Heng was suddenly startled, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Your Highness may not know this, but when the Empress Dowager bestowed the gift, she instructed the gardener to take good care of it."

Shen Jingque blinked, discerning something from Xiao Mingyue's words.

Yes, what peony can bloom for a whole month and still be so vibrant?

She looked down at the flower in her hand.

When she was thrown out, she gripped the object so tightly that her fingertips were stained with a dark red mark.

She rubbed it, and the red color spread.

Shen Jingque: "Huh?"

Xiao Changqi leaned closer.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Jingque held out her finger for him to see.

"Second brother, look!"

Xiao Changqi glanced at it, his expression turning strange.

"fade?"

Shen Jingque brought the flower closer to her nose and smelled it again.

The floral fragrance carries a hint of dye, along with the subtle bitterness of peony bark itself.

She touched the broken end of the flower stem.

A notification popped up in my brain.

[Wei Zi Mu Dan: The root bark can be used medicinally to clear heat, cool the blood, and promote blood circulation.]

Shen Jingque's eyes widened.

No wonder the illustration didn't pop up when I touched the petals; it turns out that the root bark of the peony is used in medicine.

This one is clearly a Wei Zi Peony.

She held up the withered flower: "Wait a minute!"

Everyone in the flower hall turned to look.

Shen Jingque showed everyone the red mark on her fingertip: "This flower has been dyed."

The hall erupted in uproar.

She picked up the broken end of the flower stem and presented it to Xiao Mingyue.

"Mother, this is not a Nine-Petaled Blood Jade Peony at all; it's a fake made from Wei Zi Peony dyed."

Xiao Mingyue raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Then I'd like to ask, what is the purpose of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion using fake imperial peonies to extort my daughter?"

Zhao Heng's face turned ashen: "Your Highness, please watch your words. How can this girl be allowed to slander something bestowed by the Empress Dowager?"

Xiao Mingyue's gaze fell on Xiao Jingchen: "Since everyone has their own version of events, let's submit this matter to the Dali Temple."

The old lady's expression changed.

Originally, seeing that Xiao Mingyue was protective of her own, he thought he could find a fault with Shen Jingque and then have the Third Prince give him a way out.

By establishing good relations with both sides in this way, the task assigned by the Third Prince can be considered completed.

But Xiao Mingyue's current demeanor shows that she's not afraid of things escalating at all.

Zhao Heng also looked displeased: "It's just a misunderstanding at the banquet in the inner quarters, why bother the Dali Temple?"

Xiao Mingyue looked at him: "Just now, the Marquis insisted on handing the decision of the startled sparrow over to the Emperor. The destruction of the imperial gift is a serious matter. Now that I have suggested asking the Dali Temple to examine the flower, the Marquis says it is a misunderstanding."

"My lord, you change things so quickly, big or small."

Seeing Xiao Mingyue's firm attitude, the old lady became increasingly anxious.

Once it's discovered that the flowers are fake, the Yong'an Marquis's mansion will go from being the victim to the perpetrators of deceiving the emperor and extorting money.

Even if it was the Third Prince's idea, so what?

If it truly fails, people will only watch from the sidelines and say something like, "The Marquis's mansion has handled things poorly."

You cannot go to Dali Temple.

An idea popped into my head—pretend to faint.

The old lady's chest heaved, and she suddenly raised her hand to her forehead, leaning back.

Zhao Heng immediately turned around and helped the old lady up: "Mother, Mother, how are you?"

The old lady closed her eyes and mumbled, "I feel dizzy and have chest tightness. Let's not make a fuss about today's events and ruin the harmony between our two households."

Shen Jingque curled her lips speechlessly.

That's it? That's it?

Pretend to faint at a crucial moment, how come you don't faint to death?

……

The flower-cherishing party ended unhappily, and Shen Jingque was stopped by Shen Tingyun before she left.

"Sparrow, it was my fault today. I was so frightened that I said the wrong thing."

Shen Jingque silently stepped aside, the corner of her sleeve slipping from her fingertips.

Shen Tingyun: "We are sisters, are we really going to let a few words from outsiders ruin our relationship?"

After listening, Shen Jingque suddenly smiled and said, "Shen Tingyun, do you think that if you cry a couple of times, I'll soften?"

She took a step forward, her small body closing in, her expression cold yet extremely intimidating.

"You know exactly what happened today."

"I didn't blame you for having no choice in the past, but I will never forgive you for personally harming me today."

"What sisterhood? You've ruined it all by yourself today."

"Don't come begging me to save you when Xiao Jingchen plays you to death in the future."

The wind blew through the corridor, and the copper bells under the eaves rang twice.

Shen Tingyun's expression gradually turned cold and numb, and then he turned and left without a word.

The reason for seeking peace at this moment was simply to have more options for retreat.

Since we can't reach an agreement, let's just forget about it.

She will definitely hold on tightly to the Third Prince, hoping to fight for a chance to escape this quagmire.

A young eunuch beside Xiao Jingchen approached her, presenting her with a plain white sachet with both hands, and respectfully said, "Miss Shen, His Highness requests a moment's conversation with you."