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

Yun Jin and Chen Mengyao turned around at the sound and saw two young women walking gracefully from the direction of the palace gate.

Leading the group was Gao Shan, dressed in a pomegranate-red palace gown, her chin slightly raised, her eyes filled with undisguised provocation.

Xiao Ya, standing beside her, wore a peach-pink jacket and looked at Yun Jin with a half-smile, her eyes full of disdain.

Gao Shan walked closer, her gaze falling on Yun Jin, and said with a light laugh, "Princess, I haven't congratulated you yet on your narrow escape from death last time."

Xiao Ya covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled softly, "That's right. The county princess fell off such a high cliff and came back alive. She's really lucky and has a long life. It's something to be envied."

Yun Jin looked up at Xiao Ya and said meaningfully, "Since Miss Xiao is so envious, why don't you give it a try? If you can also escape death, I, the county princess, will definitely be the first to come and congratulate you, and I'll also envy you."

Xiao Ya's smile froze abruptly, her face turning bright red. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a single word: "You..."

Gao Shan quickly reached out and tugged at her arm, then looked at Yun Jin and smiled, "Your Highness is too kind. Speaking of which, is this your first time attending the New Year's Eve palace banquet? There are many rules in the palace. If Your Highness has any questions, please feel free to ask us sisters. We will answer them to the best of our ability."

Xiao Ya also came to her senses and chimed in sarcastically, "Yes, Princess, please don't be shy about speaking up. After all, you grew up in the countryside, so it's understandable that you don't know these things."

Yun Jin smiled instead of getting angry. She slowly placed her teacup on the table, raised her eyes, and looked at them with a leisurely air. She asked, "So, you two young ladies are very well-mannered?"

Xiao Ya said proudly, "Of course. We grew up in the capital and learned the rules of noble ladies, so naturally we know them."

Gao Shan also slightly raised her chin, her eyes revealing a smug look.

Yun Jin nodded, her expression suddenly turning cold, and said in a flat tone, "Since you two young ladies claim to be the most knowledgeable about etiquette, shouldn't you bow to me, the county princess, according to the rules?"

Gao Shan and Xiao Ya's smiles froze on their faces simultaneously. According to etiquette, these two young ladies without official titles should indeed bow and pay their respects to the county princess.

Gao Shan's face flushed red and then turned pale. She pursed her lips but didn't move for a long time.

Xiao Ya turned her face away, giving her a "what can you do to me?" look.

Chen Mengyao deliberately drew out her words, her tone full of sarcasm: "Ladies, didn't you just confidently say that you knew the rules best? What, now you don't even know the most basic etiquette? This is truly an eye-opener."

Enraged, Xiao Ya blurted out, "Who does she think she is, a county princess! Just a wild girl from the countryside, she really thinks she's something!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

The ladies and young women at the next table stopped talking and all looked over. Some were shocked, some were gloating, and some shook their heads slightly.

These words may be acceptable in private, but to openly disrespect the county princess personally appointed by His Majesty in front of so many people is to disrespect imperial authority.

Gao Shan's expression changed instantly; it was too late to stop Xiao Ya.

Yun Jin stared coldly at Xiao Ya, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Miss Xiao, are you dissatisfied with His Majesty's personal bestowal of the title of County Princess? Do you think His Majesty's decree lacks weight, or that His Majesty's judgment is inferior to yours?"

Xiao Ya's face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, and she shook her head repeatedly, "I...I didn't mean that..."

She tried to explain, but found that she had no way to defend herself. Everyone present had heard her words clearly, and it would be futile to argue.

Gao Shan quickly stepped forward, forcing herself to smooth things over, but her voice lacked conviction: "Your Highness has misunderstood. Miss Xiao certainly didn't mean that. She just... just..."

She stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation, and a fine layer of sweat had already formed on her forehead.

Yun Jin sneered and pressed, "Then what does she mean? Miss Gao, why don't you explain it to her?"

Xiao Ya, feeling both embarrassed and angry, pulled Gao Shan over and glared at Yun Jin, saying angrily, "So what if I don't bow to you? What can you do about it?"

Yun Jin looked at her and suddenly laughed: "This county princess naturally can't do anything to you. However, this county princess will have to ask Grand Commandant Xiao for some advice later. The daughter of the Xiao family openly disregarded His Majesty's edict in front of a hall full of noble ladies. Is this how you, Lord Xiao, usually teach your daughter? Or is this how you treat His Majesty's decrees?"

Upon hearing this, even the ladies watching the commotion gasped in surprise.

These words were too harsh, directly linking the daughter's insolence to the father's official conduct. If the matter were to escalate to the Emperor's presence, even Grand Commandant Xiao's reputation would be implicated.

Just then, an urgent voice rang out from the crowd: "Why must the county princess be so aggressive?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Madam Xiao walking quickly out from the crowd.

She was exchanging pleasantries with several ladies when she caught a glimpse of her daughter being surrounded by people, her face pale. She quickly apologized and rushed over.

She only heard the last few sentences and didn't know exactly what happened, but that didn't stop her from protecting her daughter.

She walked up to Yun Jin, pulled Xiao Ya behind her, and looked at Yun Jin with some anger, saying:

"Your Highness, I don't know what my daughter did to anger you so much that it has even implicated my husband. If my daughter has done anything wrong, I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous and not hold it against her."

Chu Wanqing saw this scene from a distance, frowned, and was about to get up.

Wang pressed down on the back of her hand, shook her head slightly, and said in a low voice, "Don't rush, let's see if Jin'er can handle it on her own. If she can't, then we can go over."

Chu Wanqing bit her lip and had no choice but to sit down again, but her gaze remained fixed on Yun Jin's direction.

Yun Jin looked at Madam Xiao and said unhurriedly, "Since Madam Xiao doesn't know, why don't you ask your daughter what she just said?"

Mrs. Xiao glanced down at her daughter and saw that Xiao Ya's face was deathly pale, so she knew that she might have really said something wrong.

She turned back to look at Yun Jin, a faint smile still playing on her lips, but a warning lurked within it: "Princess, no matter what Ya'er said, killing is just a matter of a head falling to the ground; enough is enough. We are all respectable people; why make things so awkward?"

Yun Jin's eyes flashed, and she suddenly asked, "Madam Xiao, when Grand Commandant Xiao was serving His Majesty in court, did he also judge right and wrong based on his own preferences, or on personal relationships?"