Xie Fengran tilted her head slightly and looked at the Elder Lady Xie with a hint of helplessness.
The Elder Lady Xie, however, remained calm. She nodded and said, "Since it's a reward from the Empress Dowager, you should accept it."
Xie Fengran found it inappropriate to decline at this moment. So she expressed her gratitude and accepted the gift. Under the burning gazes of the noble ladies in the pavilion, she braced herself and stood still.
Seeing that Xie Fengran had accepted the gift, the Empress said cheerfully, "Alright. It's no fun keeping you all here. Go and have fun with the others." Then she instructed the attendant behind her, "Call Princess Zhaoyue here."
Before the attendant could leave the pavilion, a little girl in palace attire came bouncing over. "Mother, you called me?"
The Empress frowned and scolded, "You're a young lady now. How can you behave like this?"
The little girl stuck out her tongue and stood obediently, but her eyes were still darting around.
The ladies in the pavilion began to chatter.
"Your Majesty, Princess Zhaoyue is so innocent and lovely. Don't be too strict with her."
"Princess Zhaoyue is so smart and cute. Your Majesty is truly blessed."
The Fourth Princess was clearly used to such flattery. She seemed to ignore these words and was sizing up Xie Fengran.
When their eyes met, she wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled generously and said, "Pretty sister, which family do you belong to? Why have I never seen you before?"
"Hahaha, the Fourth Princess has found someone she likes."
The Empress couldn't help but laugh. She tapped the Fourth Princess on the forehead and said, "This is Sister Xie from the Xie family. Today, you should entertain Sister Xie on behalf of your mother."
"Okay, I promise to complete the task."
The Fourth Princess's eyes lit up. She grabbed Xie Fengran's hand and pulled her outside.
Xie Fengran quickly bowed and followed.
Xie Yunxi, who had been completely ignored all this time, was now in the spotlight. She gritted her teeth, didn't even bother to bow, and turned to follow.
The Elder Lady Xie's face darkened. She barely managed to keep her composure.
But the Empress was in a good mood and didn't care.
It was the Imperial Concubine who spoke up, "Your Majesty has good taste. You've chosen a fine one. I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince will appreciate it."
"Don't worry about this, Imperial Concubine. By the way, I remember that the girl the Second Prince fancied last time. Has he taken her in?"
The Imperial Concubine was speechless. She turned away angrily and started chatting with her sister - in - law.
The Empress hid her smile and turned to greet the others.
It was a joke for the Imperial Concubine to compete with her over their sons.
In the capital, every prominent family knew that the Second Prince's biggest flaw was his womanizing. Before he even established his own residence and took a principal wife, he already had many women in his backyard. Unlike her Crown Prince, who was self - disciplined.
On the other side, Xie Fengran was dragged out of the pavilion by the Fourth Princess. After they got out of sight of the others, the Fourth Princess stopped and looked back. "Sister Xie, I'll take you to meet Crown Prince Brother! And my cousin is back too. Let me tell you secretly, my cousin is very fierce. You should stay away from him."
The Fourth Princess was the Empress's own daughter and the Crown Prince's full - blooded sister. She vaguely knew her mother's intentions.
When she saw Xie Fengran today, she immediately thought that this girl was to her liking.
Xie Fengran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She grabbed the Fourth Princess's hand and said, "Your Highness, it's inappropriate for me to go like this."
The Fourth Princess rolled her eyes and suddenly pointed to the side. "What's inappropriate? Look, aren't they chatting too?"
Xie Fengran looked in the direction the Fourth Princess was pointing and saw Princess San standing shyly in front of Sun Jiming.
"..." Xie Fengran choked. She thought to herself that this girl had such good eyesight!
"Sisters, you're here!"
The Fourth Princess and Xie Fengran turned around at the same time and saw Xie Yunxi running after them, holding up her skirt. When she saw them looking at her, she smiled obsequiously at the Fourth Princess.
"Your Highness the Fourth Princess, I'm Xie Yunxi. You can also call me Sister Xie."
"..." Xie Fengran privately thought that her younger sister would surely be stupid enough to kill herself one day.
Xie Yunxi thought that the Fourth Princess was innocent and easy to approach. But she didn't realize that few children raised in the royal family were stupid. Immediately, the Fourth Princess looked at Xie Fengran and asked, "Sister Xie, is she your younger sister?"
Xie Fengran curtsied to the Fourth Princess. "Your Highness, please forgive me. My half - sister is impolite and has offended you. I'm here to apologize to you on her behalf."
But the Fourth Princess pulled Xie Fengran up. "Sister Xie, you don't need to be so polite with me. You're the one my mother likes, and I like you too. But!"
Then her tone changed. She slightly raised her chin and looked at Xie Yunxi. "A mere half - daughter dares to ask this princess to call you sister. Who gave you the courage?"
"I..." Xie Yunxi opened her mouth. She looked at Xie Fengran and then at the Fourth Princess.
Xie Fengran shook her head and grabbed the Fourth Princess's hand. "Your Highness the Fourth Princess, I apologize to you on her behalf."
"Call me Zhaoyue, Sister Xie. Since you've said so, I'll give you face."
Xie Yunxi felt the Fourth Princess's disdainful look. She hated deeply in her heart and clenched her fists so tightly that she didn't even notice her nails digging into her flesh.
When the Fourth Princess pulled Xie Fengran out of the pavilion, it attracted people's attention.
Among them was the Crown Prince and his entourage.
"Brother, isn't that our Fourth Sister?"
The Crown Prince looked over and just saw the Fourth Princess scolding Xie Yunxi. He squinted his eyes.
That girl looked familiar. She seemed to be from the Xie family.
He knew that his mother intended to betroth a girl from the Xie family to him as his principal wife. The Xie family's status was sufficient, but the last time he saw the Miss Xie at the Sun Mansion, he thought this Miss Xie was somewhat overrated.
He was a bit reluctant in his heart. His mother didn't force him and just said that they would talk after seeing the Miss Xie. But now, seeing the Fourth Princess's attitude, could it be that she didn't take a fancy to this girl?
After thinking for a while, he decided to go over.
Seeing that he walked over without saying a word, the Second Prince quickly followed. "Brother, even if you're going to be a hero to save the beauty, you should take your brother with you!" Then he didn't forget to call the one who was lagging behind. "Cousin, are you coming?"
The Second Prince didn't really expect this nobleman to follow. But when he turned around, he saw this nobleman following behind him. He almost stumbled in shock.
The County King frowned. "Didn't you tell me to come?"
"..."
"Fourth Sister, why are you here? I've been looking for you everywhere."
When the Fourth Princess heard this, she quickly let go of Xie Yunxi and turned around to shout crisply, "Crown Prince Brother." Then she shouted to the Second Prince and the County King, "Second Brother, Cousin."
The Second Prince tapped the Fourth Princess on the head. "Little girl, have you been bullying someone again?"
"I haven't!" The Fourth Princess pouted and pushed Xie Fengran forward. "This is Sister Xie from the Xie family." Then she winked at the Crown Prince. "Pretty, right?"
Xie Fengran was pushed forward. She quickly curtsied and said, "Your humble subject has seen His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Second Prince, and His Highness the County King."
The Crown Prince looked at Xie Yunxi and then at Xie Fengran. His eyes fell on the bracelet on Xie Fengran's wrist, and a dark glint flashed in his eyes.
It seemed that his cousin was right. He really had mistaken a fish - eye for a pearl.