The Grand Princess personally sent out invitations.

Wu Cuirou dressed in her finest attire and brought her two illegitimate daughters along.

She had inquired beforehand and found that while the Grand Princess had invited her, she had not invited Madam Chen.

Thinking of this filled Wu Cuirou with a sense of pride.

She recalled how, after Madam Chen left, the residence was left in ruins.

She had spent a great deal of silver to restore it.

But so what?

Without the Duke’s Mansion, Madam Chen was nothing.

Adjusting the jeweled hairpin on her head, Wu Cuirou stepped into the Grand Princess’ estate.

Han Qianhua wore a light blue dress today.

Though in her thirties, her elegance remained undiminished.

Madam Chen, once the most talented woman in Shengjing, naturally needed no introduction.

As soon as the two appeared, all eyes were drawn to them.

Soft whispers spread through the crowd.

“That is the daughter of Duke Han. Why is she here?”

“Wasn’t it said that Madam Han took her servants to a brothel district and caught Minister Yan Song keeping a mistress?”

“I heard the child is already thirteen years old.”

“Then hasn’t Madam Han been deceived by her husband for over a decade?”

A collective gasp followed.

Their gazes toward Han Qianhua now carried a trace of sympathy.

What did status matter if even a woman like her could be deceived by a man?

“Madam Han divorced Yan Song, and I heard he left the house with nothing.”

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh? She couldn’t bear children for over a decade, and now she drives him out?”

“If it were me, I’d simply adopt the mistress’ child. That way, the child stays, and the mother leaves.”

For a woman who has divorced, remarrying is difficult.

Especially at Madam Han’s age.

“You think a child raised outside could ever truly be loyal to the main wife?”

“But whose child is Madam Han holding?”

Curious, everyone looked in her direction.

“I heard that a few days ago, Duke Han acknowledged a granddaughter. That must be her.”

“What kind of fortune must that child have?”

“And what about Madam Jiang? Didn’t she cut ties with the Duke of Anguo’s family? Why is she here?”

They were too far away to see what was happening or to get a good look at the child.

To host this flower-viewing banquet, the Grand Princess had specially gathered rare flowers from all over the world.

“The Grand Princess went through great effort. It’s rare to see osmanthus blooming so beautifully in early spring.”

Osmanthus?

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes lit up.

Quick as lightning, she grabbed a handful, stuffed them into her mouth, and chewed.

It happened so fast that Han Qianhua had no time to stop her.

[Pfft, not good. No honey.]

Jiang Yuanxi spat them all onto the ground.

Han Qianhua and Madam Chen exchanged a glance and hurriedly carried Jiang Yuanxi away.

Madam Chen whispered, “Little ancestor, you can’t eat these flowers.”

Each one was worth a fortune.

If the Grand Princess found out, money alone wouldn’t be enough to settle the matter.

Jiang Yuanxi nodded reluctantly.

The noble ladies and their daughters took their seats, and the Grand Princess arrived fashionably late.

She wore a white and gold gown, elegant yet understated. Her hair was free of excessive ornaments, yet she exuded grace and nobility.

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Grand Princess.” The crowd bowed in unison.

“Be seated, make yourselves comfortable.”

The theme of the banquet was flower appreciation, but there was no shortage of fine food and tea.

Taking advantage of her mothers’ presence, Jiang Yuanxi feasted joyfully.

A chicken in her left hand, a duck in her right, she gnawed away happily.

Madam Chen usually controlled Jiang Yuanxi’s meat intake strictly.

A chicken leg every two days, a large pork knuckle every five.

Seeing such a feast for the first time, Jiang Yuanxi nearly buried her head in the food.

She couldn’t eat fast enough.

Han Qianhua watched her with amusement, gently wiping her mouth as she ate.

Madam Chen simply pretended not to notice.

Jiang Yuanxi, mid-bite, suddenly caught sight of Wu Cuirou and Jiang Yan sitting below.

She paid them no mind.

Wu Cuirou, attending such a grand banquet for the first time, gave her daughters a few words of caution.

“Be smart. Don’t run around. Remember why you’re here.”

Wu Cuirou wanted to use her illegitimate daughters to climb higher but knew this was no place for recklessness.

Still, she wanted to try. If one of them succeeded, she could finally pay off her debt.

Both daughters were born of concubines—one ambitious, the other gentle and obedient.

Luckily, they were both good-looking.

Since the main wife left, Jiang Ruowei had sweet-talked her grandmother into granting her many favors.

If not absolutely necessary, Wu Cuirou wouldn’t have brought the main wife’s daughter here.

Her words were really meant for Concubine Hua’s daughter, Jiang Ruowei.

“I understand, Mother,” the two girls said in unison.

Wu Cuirou shot Jiang Ruowei a warning glance.

As she turned away, Jiang Ruowei began scanning the crowd.

Today, only the most influential women in Shengjing were present.

If she could make some connections, it would surely benefit her future.

At that moment, the Grand Princess’ gaze swept over.

“Yuanxi!”

Jiang Yuanxi looked up. Someone was calling her.

“Pretty Auntie!” It was the lady she met at the temple!

Jiang Yuanxi waved her greasy little hand.

A bold lady nearby asked, “Your Highness, do you know the child Madam Han is holding?”

Smiling, the Grand Princess recounted how she had met Jiang Yuanxi at the temple and even predicted Madam Han’s pregnancy with pinpoint accuracy.

Instantly, the noblewomen’s gazes toward Jiang Yuanxi changed.

They all wanted to hold her, and Han Qianhua couldn’t stop them.

Jiang Yuanxi, clutching a pig’s trotter, was passed from lady to lady.

Her little face was covered in lipstick marks, scrunching up in distress.

Her grip on the pig’s trotter tightened, nearly crushing it.

[Mother, godmother, save me!]

Han Qianhua, however, was powerless.

Taking advantage of a distracted noblewoman, Madam Chen quickly snatched Jiang Yuanxi away.

“You’ve suffered, Yuanxi,” Madam Chen and Han Qianhua cooed, wiping the lipstick off her face.

Meanwhile, Han Qianhua raised her hand, revealing the still-eating little dumpling in her arms.

“It’s her?!” Wu Cuirou exclaimed in shock.

Nearby noblewomen instinctively distanced themselves from Wu Cuirou.

Screaming at the Grand Princess’ banquet? She might not care about her own life, but they certainly did.

Realizing her mistake, Wu Cuirou quickly looked away.

“Mother, what’s wrong?” Jiang Ruowei asked cautiously.

Wu Cuirou whispered, “Madam Han actually adopted Jiang Yuanxi as her granddaughter.”

“What?!”

Her voice was even louder.

Wu Cuirou turned and glared at Jiang Ruowei.

“Shut up!” Was she trying to embarrass them further?

Jiang Yan tried hard to suppress her smile. Aunt and little Yuanxi were here too.

Meanwhile—

The two women continued wiping Yuanxi’s face.

But the more they wiped, the worse it got. The lipstick smudged, turning the little girl’s face as dark as Lord Bao’s.

What kind of lipstick were these noblewomen using?

Han Qianhua’s mouth twitched. “Shall I have someone take Yuanxi outside for a bit?”

Jiang Yuanxi immediately perked up.

[Yes! These ladies are terrifying.]

[I still need to stop the heroine from meeting the Second Prince.]

Madam Chen agreed without hesitation.

“Jiping, take her for a walk,” Han Qianhua ordered.

Before the noblewomen could swarm again, Wu Jiping whisked Jiang Yuanxi away.

Jiang Yuanxi shuddered.

Those pretty aunties were terrifying!

Wu Jiping, a hardened warrior, had never cared for a child before.

He simply held Jiang Yuanxi and sat down silently.

Jiang Yuanxi grew bored.

“Uncle, I know your secret,” she said mischievously.