The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Liu Zhixue smiled slightly and lowered her voice:

"Grandma, you want to see the eldest young lady? The eldest young lady is the future principal wife of the Fifth Prince. She can go and speak to the Fifth Prince, and then the Fifth Prince can mention it to Consort Shu. Consort Shu is also a mistress of the palace. If she asks the Empress for a favor and adds you to the palace banquet, it's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks. I don't think the Empress would refuse Consort Shu's face for such a small matter."

The old lady's eyes widened instantly, and she excitedly grabbed Liu Zhixue's hand: "Is it possible? Can the Consort Shu send me an invitation, even though I'm just an old woman from the countryside?"

Liu Zhixue gently patted the back of her hand and smiled, "Why not? You are the matriarch of the Yun family, the eldest young lady's maternal grandmother, and in the future, the Fifth Prince will also call you grandmother. It's perfectly normal for Consort Shu to send an invitation to her mother-in-law; who can say a word against it?"

The old lady found it increasingly reasonable, but then sighed, "But there are many rules in the palace. What if I make a mistake? Wouldn't that embarrass Xiu'er?"

She paused, then looked at Liu Zhixue, "Zhixue, it would be great if you could come with me. With you by my side, I would feel more at ease."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhixue looked troubled and remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "Grandma is too kind, and Zhixue is naturally willing to accompany you. However, given Zhixue's status... I'm afraid I can only accompany you by disguising myself as your maid."

The old lady frowned, patted the back of her hand, and said, "Wouldn't that be too unfair to you? If only you could marry He Ting openly and honestly, it's all because of that Chu Wanqing..."

As she spoke, she suddenly slapped her thigh, "If He Ting can take Zhi Lan in, why can't he have you too? Otherwise, I'll talk to him and have him marry you as his secondary wife, how about that?"

Liu Zhixue's heart sank slightly. Even a concubine is a wife. If she was willing to be a concubine, why did she have to wait until today?

But she didn't show it on her face, only smiling gently and saying, "Grandma, what does this little grievance matter as long as you're happy?"

The old lady held her hand, her eyes filled with emotion: "Zhixue, good child, you are the most considerate. I can't count on Heting, and I can't count on Chu Wanqing either. In the end, only you truly care about me."

After saying that, she turned her head and called out to the door, "Wang Mama, go and invite the eldest young lady here. Tell her I have something important to tell her."

After saying that, she turned her head and called out to the door, "Wang Mama, go and invite the young lady here. Tell her I have something important to tell her."

Granny Wang responded and left.

Before long, Yunxiu arrived with Meixiang.

Upon entering, she bowed to the old lady and said softly, "Grandmother, did you summon Xiu'er for something?"

The old lady waved her hand, telling Wang Mama to take Meixiang to the side room. After everyone left, she took Yunxiu's hand and told her about Liu Zhixue's idea.

Yunxiu paused slightly after hearing this, and subconsciously glanced at Liu Zhixue, her tone hesitant: "Grandmother is going to attend the palace banquet? Grandmother, the banquet guest list was personally drawn up by the Empress, so I'm afraid Consort Shu can't interfere..."

The old lady frowned and looked at Liu Zhixue.

Liu Zhixue quickly explained gently, "Miss, if Consort Shu were to personally ask the Empress for a favor, it would only be a matter of adding an elder. The Empress would not want to offend Consort Shu over such a small matter."

You only need to speak to the Fifth Prince. If he truly values ​​you, he will naturally take care of things for you. This is also a good opportunity to see how the Fifth Prince feels about you. If he agrees without hesitation, it means he genuinely cares for you; if he hesitates or makes excuses…”

She didn't say what came next, but the meaning was crystal clear: she wanted to test whether the Fifth Prince valued Yunxiu.

Yunxiu was indeed intrigued after hearing this. After a moment's thought, she nodded and said, "What you say is true. I'll give it a try."

She then turned to the old lady, "Grandmother, I will go to see the Fifth Prince tomorrow. Please wait for Xiu'er's good news."

Only then did the old lady happily let Yunxiu leave.

Yunxiu returned to Xuezhai with Meixiang. As soon as she entered the room, she instructed, "Go and send a message to the Fifth Prince's residence. Tell him that I have an important matter that I would like to discuss with him in person."

Meixiang paused for a moment, then asked, "What urgent matter does Miss have? If it's convenient, I can pass it on to you."

Yunxiu shook her head, her tone somewhat dissatisfied: "This matter is very important, and I must speak to His Highness in person. You just need to pass on the message; whether you see him or not, ask His Highness and then come back to me."

Meixiang dared not ask any more questions and withdrew. After leaving the courtyard, she delivered the message to the Fifth Prince's residence.

Upon receiving the message, the Fifth Prince pondered for a moment and said, "It's rare for her to take the initiative to contact me. Very well, I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I'll have her come to Zuixianlou at noon, and I'll wait for her there."

At the same time, Yun Jin also heard about this from Dong Xue.

Yun Jin snorted coldly: "The old lady still won't calm down. What's so great about going to a palace banquet? But... this Liu Shi encouraged the old lady to go, and she herself wants to go too. Something's not right... What is she planning to do?"

Dongxue asked, "Should we tell the master to stop them?"

Yun Jin shook her head: "No need. Let her go if she wants. How will we know what she's up to if we don't let her move? Just have someone keep an eye on her. There's no need to alert her."

The winter snow retreated immediately.

The next morning, Yun Jin got up early to pay her respects to Chu Wanqing and had breakfast with her.

During the meal, Chu Wanqing whispered to her, "Jin'er, go out of the manor today. Your mother has ordered a set of clothes for you and Lang'er at Huajin Pavilion to wear at the New Year's Eve banquet. Go and try on yours to see if it fits. If it doesn't, have the seamstress alter it on the spot. Also, bring Lang'er's clothes back with you, so he doesn't need to go."

Yun Jin nodded in agreement: "I was just planning to visit my maternal grandmother today, and I also planned to go to the Zheng family. Sister Mengyao sent word that she wanted me to go there."

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanqing handed over two gift lists: "Since you're leaving the manor, why don't you run errands for your mother? The New Year is coming soon, so send some New Year's gifts to your maternal grandmother and the Zheng family."

"Qinghe has already prepared everything; it's all in the carriage outside. You can just take it with you. Mother should have gone herself, especially to the Zheng family; she should have visited them personally. But she's been too busy at home these past two days, so please deliver it on her behalf."

Yun Jin took the gift list and put it away, then left with Dong Xue.

She went to Huajinge first.

As soon as she entered, a female shopkeeper greeted her, bowed, and said respectfully, "Miss Yun has arrived. Please come upstairs. The clothes that Madam Yun ordered for you have already been prepared. Please follow me to the private room to try them on."

Yun Jin was taken aback. She was seeing this shopkeeper for the first time, yet he recognized her.

Without thinking too much about it, he took Dongxue and Chunxi and went upstairs to the second floor.

The private room was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, creating a pleasant and tranquil atmosphere.

The female shopkeeper invited her to sit down and personally served her tea before turning to fetch her clothes.

A short while later, a female shop assistant followed her. The shop assistant placed the tray she was carrying on the table and then turned and left.

The female shopkeeper picked up a light pink dress and said to Yun Jin, "Miss Yun, this is a palace dress that Madam Yun made for you. Please try it on to see if it fits."

Yun Jin glanced at the dress in her hand; the collar and cuffs were trimmed with a circle of fine silver rat fur, simple yet elegant.

Yun Jin took off her outer garment and tried it on with the help of the female shopkeeper; it fit perfectly.

She turned around in front of the full-length mirror and nodded in satisfaction.

The female shopkeeper asked her to take off her clothes and fold them neatly. Then she picked up another garment from the tray and said to Yun Jin, "Miss Yun, please try this one on."

Yun Jin was taken aback: "This one is mine too?"