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

Yunxiu was completely unaware of these events at the moment. She was extremely pleased with herself today.

Meixiang's disappearance did not cause her much worry; on the contrary, it made her secretly relieved.

When Meixiang first came to her side, she felt that the Fifth Prince valued her very much, and with Meixiang around, it would be convenient to communicate with the Fifth Prince.

But as time went on, she gradually realized that Meixiang was like a pair of eyes watching over her, and that her every word and action was being monitored, making her feel constrained and hesitant in her actions.

Now that the person is gone, she feels that even breathing is a bit easier.

Although Chu Wanqing later provided her with two more maids, she dared not keep them close and only had them do odd jobs in the courtyard.

Today, Yunxiu was going to the palace, so she asked Granny Su to accompany her.

Granny Su was an old servant of Consort Shu, and having her by her side would save her some trouble. This was also an idea that Liu Zhixue had given her.

Yunxiu had already told the old lady and Chu Wanqing yesterday that she would be going to the palace today, so after having a simple breakfast, she went out with Su Mama.

According to the Yun family's rank, Yunxiu could only bring one person with her when she entered the palace. Today, she only brought Su Mama and no one else.

When the two arrived at the palace gate, thanks to Yunxiu's prior invitation and the presence of Granny Su, they proceeded smoothly to Consort Shu's palace.

Consort Shu seemed to be in a good mood today. When she saw Yunxiu enter, she smiled and waved to her, "Xiu'er is here. It's so cold outside, come and sit down, keep me company for a chat."

Yunxiu quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and sat down on the embroidered stool, saying, "Xiu'er has been thinking of coming to pay her respects to Your Highness. It's been several days since I last saw you, and Your Highness looks even better."

Consort Shu had a palace maid serve tea to Yunxiu and first inquired about her recent progress in learning palace rules.

Standing to the side, Granny Su respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, Miss Yun is very diligent. She gets up before dawn every day to practice her manners and memorize palace rules. Now, her walking, sitting, and lying down are all well-ordered, and she already has the demeanor of a lady of high birth."

Consort Shu nodded in satisfaction and said to Yunxiu, "That's good. You are Fan'er's future principal wife, and your every word and action represents the dignity of the royal family. You must not make any mistakes in these rules and etiquette. With Granny Su by your side, I feel more at ease."

Yunxiu quickly stood up and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered by me and I will never dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Consort Shu waved for her to sit down, then casually asked, "How are the wedding dress preparations going?"

Upon hearing this, Yunxiu immediately replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, I originally wanted to have my wedding dress made at Huajin Pavilion, but their schedule is just too full. My mother was worried that Huajin Pavilion wouldn't have enough time, so she asked the embroiderers in our household to help prepare it."

After hearing this, Consort Shu chuckled lightly, her tone somewhat dismissive: "There's no need to trouble the embroiderers in your household. I'll have the embroiderers from the Imperial Wardrobe make it for you. No matter how famous the shops outside are, they can't compare to the craftsmanship of those in the palace."

Yunxiu was flattered and quickly got up to express her gratitude.

Consort Shu stopped her with a smile, making her sit down again, and said softly, "What are you thanking me for? You are Fan'er's person. If I don't make arrangements for you, who else can I make arrangements for? Just wait patiently, and I will send someone to summon the ladies-in-waiting from the Imperial Wardrobe."

As she spoke, she winked at Liu Yun, the head palace maid beside her.

Liu Yun understood and turned to deliver the message. In a short while, two embroiderers from the Imperial Clothing Bureau arrived with bundles. After bowing to Yun Xiu, they took her measurements.

Yunxiu stood in the center of the warm pavilion, letting the embroiderer measure her shoulder width, waist, and sleeve length. She was so proud of herself that she almost floated away.

After taking the measurements, Consort Shu chatted with Yunxiu for a while, asking about the old lady's health, how lively the New Year celebrations were at the mansion, and reminding her not to overwork herself by studying etiquette in the cold weather.

Yunxiu answered obediently.

Just then, the Fifth Prince, Xiao Yifan, arrived. He first bowed to Consort Shu and said with a smile, "Mother, your son has come to ask for a meal."

Consort Shu gave him a reproachful look and laughed, "You certainly know how to pick your time. Xiu'er is here, so you've come just in time. Since you're here, why don't you stay and have a meal with us?"

Yunxiu quickly stood up and bowed to the Fifth Prince, her face flushed with embarrassment: "Xiu'er greets Your Highness."

The Fifth Prince smiled and offered a helping hand. Consort Shu then instructed the palace servants to prepare the meal and invited the Fifth Prince to dine with her.

During the meal, the Fifth Prince frequently helped Yun embroider the dishes, showing great consideration.

Consort Shu watched from the side, nodding in satisfaction. Her daughter deserved to be pampered like this.

After lunch, Consort Shu said, "Fan'er, take Xiu'er home. It's cold and the roads are slippery; don't let her walk alone."

He then instructed Liuyun to retrieve several bolts of brocade, a set of gold jewelry, and a box of South Sea pearls from the imperial treasury as gifts for Yunxiu, saying they were to be used to make her new clothes and add to her dowry.

Yunxiu was both surprised and delighted, and knelt down again to express her gratitude.

The Fifth Prince personally helped her up, teasingly saying, "My mother loves you more than she loves me. If you keep kneeling, you'll knock a hole in the floor tiles of my mother's palace."

Yunxiu's ears turned even redder from his words, and she muttered in a low voice, "Your Highness is teasing me again."

Consort Shu smiled at them and urged the Fifth Prince, "Go quickly and send Xiu'er back to her residence as soon as possible, lest you be late."

The Fifth Prince then accompanied Yunxiu out of the warm pavilion and walked towards the outside of the palace.

Yunxiu felt as if she were walking on clouds, her feet were floating on air.

Behind her, palace servants carried the rewards, and beside her walked the Fifth Prince. Even the wind on the palace road seemed a few degrees warmer than outside.

After the two left the palace, the Fifth Prince did not escort her back to her residence. Instead, he found a teahouse and asked for a private room.

After Yunxiu sat down, Xiao Yifan personally poured her a cup of hot tea before saying gently, "It's still early, have a seat. It's rare for you to come out, and I happen to have something I want to ask you."

Yunxiu nodded obediently and said, "Please speak, Your Highness."

The Fifth Prince stared at her face for a moment before slowly asking, "What exactly happened with Meixiang?"

Yunxiu's heart tightened, but she put on a look of annoyance and sighed, "Your Highness, it was Xiu'er's fault that day. Meixiang said someone entered my courtyard and she wanted to chase after them. I thought that she was given to me by Your Highness and had some skills, so I didn't stop her."

To my surprise, Meixiang did not return all night. When dawn broke, I sent the maids in the courtyard to look for her, only to find out that she had not come back.

The maidservant came to tell me that Meixiang's clothes and jewelry were missing, implying she had smuggled them away. But, Your Highness, Xiu'er doesn't believe it. How could Your Highness's people do such a thing?

As she spoke, she glanced at the Fifth Prince's expression, worried that he might take his anger out on her because of Mei Xiang's disappearance.

After listening, Xiao Yifan seemed lost in thought, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a long while, he finally asked, "That day, did someone really enter your courtyard?"