In a flash, the Emperor's smile deepened.
Although he hadn't managed to catch the young lady who had darted away like a startled rabbit just now.
He could finally be certain of one thing.
That was, she was indeed someone from this Que Mountain Imperial Palace.
The Emperor, who had not intended to actively seek out the woman from that day, now watched Wei Mang casually order: "Investigate who left the imperial palace yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Wei Mang's heart tightened.
It was truly unprecedented for His Majesty to send him to find a woman.
The Que Mountain Imperial Palace, being where the Emperor resided, was naturally heavily guarded, and all comings and goings were recorded.
A quick check would reveal who this woman was.
Wei Mang was very efficient in his work.
Before long, he presented the register recording who had entered and exited the imperial palace.
Xiao Yi sat at his desk and casually opened the register.
The name at the very top was the Crown Prince's, and a little further down was Pei Jinning's name.
The two of them had left the palace at almost the same time.
There was nothing strange about this; Xiao Yi had already known yesterday, upon returning to the imperial palace, that the Crown Prince had taken the young lady from the Pei Residence to the Golden Wind Terrace.
Xiao Yi's gaze did not linger at all as he continued to read downwards.
There were over ten noble ladies who had left the imperial palace to relax, accompanied by twenty to thirty maidservants.
There were also people who had gone out to purchase goods...
Various miscellaneous entries were recorded on the list.
Some names were not even identifiable as male or female.
Xiao Yi rubbed his temples, tossed the list to Wei Mang, and casually said, "Investigate."
Wei Mang took the list and replied, "Yes."
He couldn't help but be curious about who the woman from that day was.
In the afternoon, Jin Ning was still napping.
Haitang's voice could be heard urging from outside: "Young Lady, you must wake up. Later, His Majesty and the Empress will be hosting a banquet, and everyone accompanying the Emperor at the imperial palace must attend. You need to change your clothes early so as not to be late."
Jin Ning got up and let Haitang and Shiliu help her change.
"Young Lady, how about this crimson dress today?" Haitang asked, looking at the three sets of clothes on the table with a smile.
Upon seeing this, Jin Ning paused in silence. She dared not wear this crimson dress!
She dared even less to wear it to the palace banquet.
It was not yet time for that Emperor to know her true identity.
Isn't the unknown sometimes more attractive? If that Emperor, who had always been self-disciplined, knew she was the chosen Crown Princess, how could he possibly fall for her? He would likely be enraged!
Jin Ning pointed to the plainer moon white cross-collared ruqun with embroidered magnolia patterns next to it and said softly, "This one, please."
This dress was a bit too plain.
Especially in the snow-covered Que Mountain Imperial Palace, such a color would not stand out.
But fortunately, Jin Ning was naturally beautiful, with ink-black hair and red lips, making her exceptionally radiant.
When worn by her, this dress did not make her look ordinary but instead made her appear like a fairy in the snow, pure and beautiful.
In fact, Jin Ning was a person of exceptional beauty.
However, most of the time, she maintained the dignity and virtue of a daughter from a noble family, making her appear somewhat stiff and causing people to overlook her good looks.
After she was dressed.
Jin Ning chose a veil to cover her face.
Haitang was a little confused: "Young Lady, why are you covering your face?"
Before she could finish speaking, Haitang answered her own question: "This servant suddenly remembers that Liu Zhenzhen from the Changping Commandery Princess Manor also seems to be wearing a veil today. Young Lady must want to outshine her!"
Haitang added confidently: "Young Lady need not worry, whether your face is covered or not, you will be more beautiful than her!"
Upon hearing Liu Zhenzhen's name.
A hint of a smile appeared in Jin Ning's eyes.
In her previous life, her relationship with Liu Zhenzhen could be described as sworn enemies who never interacted.
She had always been well-bred and did not easily make enemies. Liu Zhenzhen was the only person who could make her lose all decorum and couldn't help but argue with her.
It was precisely because Liu Zhenzhen particularly liked to bring her bad luck and cause her trouble.
Of course, Liu Zhenzhen did not gain much advantage from her.
She had thought that Liu Zhenzhen would be very happy when she died in an accident, perhaps even unable to resist celebrating with firecrackers.
But she never expected that in the end, the only one who would speak up for her would be Liu Zhenzhen.
At that time, she had just become a ghost.
The Yong'an Marquis Manor was hosting a banquet to celebrate the engagement between Pei Mingyue and the Crown Prince. After attending the banquet, Liu Zhenzhen overheard people whispering that Pei Jinning had committed suicide because she had lost her purity and could not bear to live.
Liu Zhenzhen smashed her wine cup and angrily scolded: "Others may not know who Pei Jinning is, but I, Liu Zhenzhen, know! She would rather break than bend! She was definitely pure!"
"Even if she lost her purity, it wasn't her fault!"
"It's you! It's all of you! You forced her to her death!"
Liu Zhenzhen caused a scene at the banquet while drunk. Although she couldn't understand at the time why Liu Zhenzhen, who had always been at odds with her, was willing to speak up for her, her family members were doing their best to erase her existence.
But she still felt that Liu Zhenzhen's angry questions had voiced the words she had always wanted to ask but could never utter!
It was the first time she felt a sense of release after her accident.
It was just a pity that Liu Zhenzhen's disruption of the banquet was ultimately undignified. In the end, it was Changping County Princess herself who stepped in to quell the situation and punished Liu Zhenzhen by ordering her to leave the capital.
In this life, Jin Ning naturally did not want to compete with Liu Zhenzhen for beauty, but...
Jin Ning reached out and touched the light veil on her face.
She silently apologized to Liu Zhenzhen in her heart. This veil maintained her last shred of dignity. If she didn't want to be recognized by that person, she couldn't take it off for now.
When going out.
Shiliu obsequiously handed her an umbrella to block the snow. Jin Ning glanced at it and saw that Shiliu was already wearing the jade bracelet she had bestowed.
Jin Ning thought for a moment, then chuckled softly. She pulled out a golden magpie hairpin from her own hair and pinned it onto Shiliu's hair.
Shiliu looked at Jin Ning in disbelief: "G-Great Young Lady, this... this is not appropriate."
Jin Ning smiled gently: "There is nothing inappropriate. This item was bestowed upon you, so it is yours."
Saying this, Jin Ning paused slightly: "Haitang, you will accompany me to the banquet."
After Jin Ning led Haitang away, Jin Ning asked Haitang beside her: "Do you blame me for being partial?"
Haitang quickly replied: "Haitang dares not. As Young Lady wishes to bestow gifts upon whomever she pleases."
Jin Ning nodded slightly, offering no explanation for her actions just now.
She could not trust anyone now! She could only trust herself!
The mountaintop was the residence of the Emperor and Empress and their concubines. Today, a banquet was being held, and guards were stationed at the entrance to guide the officials and their families.
When Jin Ning arrived, she immediately saw Wei Mang standing at the entrance, meticulously observing everyone who came and went.
Wei Mang had been assigned the task by Xiao Yi to find that woman and was diligently carrying it out. It was easier to deal with palace maids and servant girls from lower social classes.
However, for these daughters of noble families, Wei Mang could not directly arrange meetings.
Most importantly, this matter could not be handled with great fanfare.
Therefore, he was waiting at the entrance today for the daughters of noble families to "walk into the trap"!
Wei Mang was very confident that he would recognize the woman from that day if she appeared!
When Jin Ning approached, Wei Mang stopped her.
Jin Ning recognized Wei Mang, and being stopped like this, her heart couldn't help but become anxious.
Had she been recognized?
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