“There’s only one problem left,” Liu Yueti said. “Can we even get into that flower appreciation banquet?”
“They should at least show some respect to you as the Chancellor’s daughter, right?”
“Wait here.”
Bai Zhen’er opened the door. Outside, a smiling maid turned around and bowed.
“Miss, what can I do for you?”
Bai Zhen’er said, “Go find out everything you can about the Flower Appreciation Banquet hosted by Princess Pingyang.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The maid obediently bowed and left.
Not long afterward, she returned with an invitation in hand.
“I found out, Miss.”
“Her Highness Princess Pingyang met a wealthy merchant from Yuzhou through Young Master Xie Anshi. He presented her with many rare and valuable flowers, which was why she decided to hold this Flower Appreciation Banquet.”
“Invitations were sent to the influential families throughout the capital. It seems the intention is for the young men and women of these families to meet and perhaps find suitable marriage prospects.”
“You normally don’t like attending these sorts of banquets, so an invitation wasn’t originally given to you.”
She paused briefly before continuing in the same calm tone.
“There’s also a rumor that the Empress Dowager intends to choose a husband for Princess Pingyang. The princess apparently wants to choose one herself, which is why she arranged this banquet.”
Bai Zhen’er suddenly understood.
“Ohhh.”
Then she asked, “If I want to attend, is there anything I need to know?”
The maid replied, “Yes.”
“First, His Majesty is still young, so the Empress Dowager currently governs from behind the curtain. Princess Pingyang intends to follow the Empress Dowager’s example and take part in politics.”
“If you want to win the princess’s favor, Miss, you should memorize some political treatises. If she asks you about them, you’ll need to be able to answer.”
Bai Zhen’er’s face immediately fell.
“I can’t do that. Reading gives me a headache…”
“Yue’er, you handle this.”
“Don’t worry!”
Liu Yueti patted her chest.
“I’m really good at memorizing things.”
“Second,” the maid continued, “the princess only invited you, Miss. However, bringing your cousin along won’t be a problem. It would simply be best if the two of you stay together, so that no one gives the young lady a hard time.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Bai Zhen’er nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Third…”
The maid secretly glanced at Bai Zhen’er before continuing.
“The Regent will also attend the Spring Banquet. Your father said that if you really wish to see him, you may go to the northwest corner of the princess’s residence, where you can listen to the qin.”
Bai Zhen’er smiled shyly.
“Hehe. Thank you, Father.”
The maid handed her a small box.
“Also, your father said that if you’re going to the banquet, you may take your cousin and purchase some new clothes and jewelry.”
“Thank you, Father!”
Bai Zhen’er hugged the box and closed the door again.
“Wow…”
Liu Yueti picked up the gold inside the box and sighed.
“If this maid lived in modern times, she’d be a top-tier executive assistant.”
“Hehe.”
Bai Zhen’er waved her finger proudly.
“She’s my father’s personal information gatherer. I call her the ‘Capital’s All-Knowing Informant.’”
“Whenever I ask her about something, she’ll tell me she’s going to ‘look into it,’ and before long, she knows everything.”
“She was also the reason I could find Shen Hanzhi so often before. Her information was incredibly useful.”
Liu Yueti rested her chin on her hand and smiled warmly.
“Looks like the Chancellor really does dote on you.”
“Of course!”
Bai Zhen’er cupped her face.
“Actually, I haven’t been in the capital for very long either.”
“The system said that my mother apparently had some kind of misunderstanding with my father back then. She left the capital and gave birth to me on her own.”
“He never remarried, either, and there’s no mistress of the Chancellor’s residence.”
“Later, by some twist of fate, he found a clue about my mother. That was when he discovered that she had already passed away and had left behind…”
She pointed at herself.
“Me.”
“He has a portrait of my mother, and I look so much like her!”
“Wow.”
Liu Yueti sighed.
“So it’s basically, ‘The Chancellor’s wife runs away while pregnant, and the domineering Chancellor desperately chases after her’…”
“Unfortunately, the wife is already dead, so it’s a tragic ending.”
She sighed again.
“No wonder. If I were him, I’d spoil you rotten too!”
“Hehe. He’s good to me, so he’ll be good to you too.”
Bai Zhen’er patted her chest.
“My father is your father too!”
“You’re too generous, girl.”
Liu Yueti gave her a thumbs-up.
“That’s what I call being a true friend!”
Speaking of which, neither she nor Bai Zhen’er had ever really experienced much parental love.
Liu Yueti had been an orphan with no parents, growing up with her grandmother. Later, when her grandmother became ill and was hospitalized, Liu Yueti met Bai Zhen’er at the hospital, who was suffering from an illness of her own.
Bai Zhen’er came from a well-off family, but the only person Liu Yueti ever saw caring for her was the caregiver hired by the Bai family. She had never seen her parents appear.
While taking care of her grandmother, Liu Yueti often chatted with Bai Zhen’er. Over time, the two became best friends.
Later, even after her grandmother passed away, Liu Yueti continued visiting Bai Zhen’er at the hospital.
Until the day she had to see her off too.
At least this journey into the world of the novel had given Bai Zhen’er a good father.
“Yuebao.”
Bai Zhen’er held the gold and silver, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Liu Yueti.
“Do you remember how we promised that once I recovered from my illness, we’d go shopping together and have the time of our lives?”
“Our chance has finally come!”
“Let’s go!”
……
Bai Zhen’er took Liu Yueti by the hand and entered the princess’s residence.
Rare and exotic flowers were blooming throughout the gardens, making the entire place look like a scene from a heavenly realm.
“Wow…”
Bai Zhen’er held Liu Yueti’s hand and leaned closer to admire the flowers.
“Yuebao, look at this peony! It’s so huge!”
Before Liu Yueti could respond, a mocking laugh came from behind them.
The two turned around together.
Standing behind them was a young girl dressed in a pink gown. She looked at them with undisguised contempt.
“What an illiterate fool. When praising a peony, you’re supposed to quote, ‘Among all flowers, only the peony possesses true national beauty.’”
She walked over to them, raised the corner of her lips, and glanced at Bai Zhen’er with a sneer.
“And yet you actually said, ‘What a huge peony.’ How laughable.”
Liu Yueti narrowed her eyes and quietly asked Bai Zhen’er,
“Who is that? She looks exactly like the kind of cannon-fodder character who won’t survive past the first episode.”
“She’s really going all-in on the cliché villain act!”
Bai Zhen’er quietly replied,
“She’s He Jiaoyun, the daughter of Imperial Censor He.”
“Her father is basically my father’s political enemy, so she dislikes me too.”
“Hey!”
He Jiaoyun put her hands on her hips.
“Didn’t either of you hear me? What, have you both gone mute?”
“Chancellor Bai is a respected scholar throughout the realm. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at him for raising such an embarrassing daughter?”
“She’s really aggressive.”
Liu Yueti tugged on Bai Zhen’er.
“Bao’er, should I fight back? Because I’m about to say something.”
“No need. I’ll do it.”
Bai Zhen’er patted her.
“I told you. I can do whatever I want in the capital. I’ll protect you.”
“Watch this!”
She suddenly stepped forward and grabbed He Jiaoyun.
He Jiaoyun was startled.
“What are you doing?!”
“Ha!”
Bai Zhen’er drew a deep breath, summoned all her strength, and hurled He Jiaoyun straight into the pond beside them.
With a loud splash, He Jiaoyun fell into the water and screamed,
“Help!”
Bai Zhen’er stood on the bank and raised her chin.
“Who dares save her?”
Having a healthy body really did make a difference.
She was no longer the sickly girl who could barely lift her arms or carry anything!
No one around them dared to move.
Bai Zhen’er walked to the edge of the pond and looked down at He Jiaoyun with a lofty smile.
“I don’t know whether there’s any ink in Miss He’s stomach, but I do know that there should be plenty of pond water in there now.”