“Eight cold dishes: crystal pig’s knuckle, warm salad of snail meat, steamed meat with egg skin, soy sauce pig’s tail, cold peach kernels…”

As she listened to the young eunuch reciting the menu, Rong Rong sat while a palace maid named Su Xin was dyeing her nails.

Su Xin had been assigned to Rong Rong by Fu Quan ten days ago, supposedly to help with various tasks.

Initially, Rong Rong believed Su Xin was there to assist with the banquet preparations, but after a few days, she realized Su Xin was not skilled in any useful tasks.

Instead, Su Xin was an expert in hairstyling and makeup.

Every morning, after Rong Rong got Yuan Bao ready, Su Xin would drag her aside to tidy her up.

After repeatedly asking, Su Xin finally admitted that she had originally worked in the Department of Garments and had been recommended to the East Palace by Wei Shanggong because of her skill and dexterity.

Su Xin explained clearly that Fu Quan only assigned her to serve Rong Rong.

Since Su Xin was already here, Rong Rong couldn’t very well send her away.

Moreover, Su Xin was good with words and often persuaded Rong Rong to do things she wouldn’t have otherwise considered.

For instance, Su Xin had convinced Rong Rong to let her dye her nails.

Rong Rong had no desire for it, but Su Xin took the opportunity to sneak in while Rong Rong was checking the menu and persuaded her to try dyeing just one finger, claiming it would not take up much of her time.

“Su Xin, I’m someone who needs to do actual work. Dyeing my nails is pointless.”

Su Xin, not even looking up, argued persuasively, “Today is the little prince’s big day. Since His Highness values you so much, it would be nice for you to look pretty for him.

Your fingers look so beautiful; even the many noble ladies I’ve served in the palace don’t have fingers as delicate as yours. Look, with a bit of color, doesn’t your hand look even whiter?”

The color Su Xin had chosen was a light rouge. Rong Rong noticed that her fingers did indeed appear whiter.

“Alright, Su Xin, just wash it off. It’s not appropriate for others to see me with dyed nails.”

If others saw her nails, they might think she wasn’t doing any serious work in the East Palace.

Su Xin was unwilling to wash it off, continuing to persuade, “Don’t worry, Miss. The color is light and won’t be noticeable unless someone looks closely. With so many people at the banquet, no one will be inspecting your nails.”

…..

“…Four types of soup: bird’s nest, abalone, shark’s fin, and stomach soup; tofu and clam soup; colorful jade pork rib soup; and invigorating beef soup.” The young eunuch closed the menu. “Miss, you’ve checked this menu seven times.”

Rong Rong felt a bit embarrassed.

The banquet was today, and for some reason, her eyelids kept twitching, making her feel something might go wrong.

With only a few hours left before the banquet, she had asked the menu to be read again.

“Everything seems fine. You can go now, and I’ll call for you if I remember anything later.”

“Yes.”

Rongrong let out a long sigh of relief.

Ever since she took on the task of organizing the banquet from the Empress half a month ago, she had been incredibly busy.

Fortunately, the Empress had sent people from the palace to assist, preventing things from falling into chaos.

Mr. Huang from the Si Li Jian (Court of Rites) was in charge of inviting guests and scheduling the events, while Madam Ye from the Shang Shi Ju (Imperial Kitchen) handled the venue and seating arrangements.

With their help, the banquet preparations were going smoothly.

They didn’t put on airs and reported back to Rongrong about the confirmed arrangements.

Rongrong had never undergone such training before.

She would approve what seemed correct and consult Fu Quan privately if she had doubts.

This way, there were almost no mistakes.

Rongrong had reviewed the guest list earlier.

Since this was a family banquet, the number of guests was limited.

It included the two sovereigns and their offspring, the Crown Prince’s five younger brothers and three younger sisters, and also the An Guo Gong (An Guo Duke) residence, the Jing Ning Hou (Jing Ning Marquis) residence, and the Wei Yuan Hou (Wei Yuan Marquis) residence.

The An Guo Duke’s residence, being the Crown Prince’s maternal family, was a must-invite.

The Jing Ning Marquis’s residence had always been close to the Crown Prince, so they were invited as well.

As for the Wei Yuan Marquis’s residence, they were in-laws, so they naturally had to be invited.

“Miss, have you decided what to wear?”

Rongrong was actually troubled by this.

She originally planned to wear a plain palace maid’s outfit, but Fu Quan had warned her this morning that since she wasn’t a maid, dressing like one could be considered a serious offense.

Today was Yuanbao’s special day, and she wanted to look beautiful for him.

However, with her current status, she couldn’t dress too flamboyantly.

Seeing Su Xin’s question, Rongrong sighed, “I’m not sure. Could you help me think of something?”

Su Xin, who had been rejected by Rongrong many times lately, was thrilled to be asked for help.

She eagerly replied, “Of course! Tell me what you’re looking for. Having more ideas is always good.”

“I want to look… beautiful but not too conspicuous. It should be something that Yuanbao likes but doesn’t draw too much attention from others.”

Su Xin looked at Rongrong’s face, blinked, and thought it was amusing that Rongrong, who was so stunning, could worry about not attracting attention.

Even in a rough cloak, she’d be hard to overlook.

At this moment, Su Xin didn’t take Rong Rong’s instructions too seriously and said with a smile, “The light yellow gown that the Department of Garments sent a few days ago would look beautiful. It’s perfect for the spring banquet.”

“No, I can’t wear the cloud silk gown.”

There were very few cloud silk garments in the palace, and wearing one so boldly would not be appropriate.

Moreover, she had promised the Empress not to cause any trouble before the Crown Prince’s wedding.

With Liang Mu Chen coming today, if she wore something too eye-catching, wouldn’t it seem like she was trying to compete with Liang Mu Chen in terms of appearance?

“Then I’ll think of something else.”

Su Xin was a clever person.

Although she had only been in the Eastern Palace for a little over ten days, she had quickly realized the importance the Crown Prince and the little prince placed on Rong Rong.

Fu Quan had clearly told her that her task was to make Rong Rong look as beautiful as possible.

Her future prospects depended on Rong Rong’s satisfaction, so she naturally wanted to make Rong Rong happy.

If her mistress wanted to be low-key, then she would be low-key but still beautiful.

“I also brought a few outfits for you when I came over the other day. Do you remember the lake green silk gown?”

“I think there is such a gown.”

“If you want to avoid being too conspicuous, wear that one. The color is muted, and I’ll style your hair simply, with no jewelry. No one will notice you.”

Not wearing jewelry was ideal.

Rong Rong sighed in relief; none of the hairpieces and accessories in her current makeup box were discreet.

With Su Xin’s suggestion, she immediately agreed, “Then I’ll trouble you with this.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s my job,” Su Xin said, unable to hide her smile.

The gown was indeed made of silk, but it had a significant origin and wasn’t an ordinary garment.

Rong Rong, unaware of Su Xin’s intentions, waited for her nails to be finished and, in a hurry, reviewed the menu one more time to ensure there were no oversights before putting it down.

By the time she set the menu aside, Su Xin had already brought the lake green silk gown and helped her change into it.

The gown was very plain, with gold embroidery only at the hem and cuffs.

“See, I didn’t lie to you. This outfit isn’t at all eye-catching,” Su Xin said with a smile.

Actually, the outfit was quite glaring. Rongrong was already a bit frail and delicate, and the lake green dress only made her look even paler.

But she didn’t dare change into another brocade outfit.

She regretted not preparing a few ordinary outfits earlier while focusing on the banquet arrangements.

“Miss, let’s hurry and fix your hair,” Su Xin said, pushing her to sit in front of the mirror and starting to undo and redo her hairstyle.

Su Xin’s hands were very skillful.

Without using any hairpins, she only used a blue ribbon to tie Rongrong’s hair into a neat single bun.

The ribbon hung down from the top of the bun to her shoulder, adding a lively touch.

“No, don’t let the ribbon hang down like that,” Rongrong said urgently.

Su Xin didn’t listen and took a bracelet from a black makeup box to put on Rongrong, cheerfully advising, “No pearls or jade, but a bracelet will make a nice touch.”

Just as Rongrong was about to remove the bracelet, Yuanbao’s voice came from outside, “Auntie, are you ready?”

Rongrong turned her head and saw Yuanbao pushing the door open, with the Crown Prince standing behind him.

“Auntie, you look so beautiful! Can you wear this every day?”

Yuanbao’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw Rongrong and he rushed towards her.

Today, both Yuanbao and the Crown Prince were dressed in the same crimson ceremonial robes with a round collar and narrow sleeves, featuring gold thread embroidery of coiled dragons on the front, back, and shoulders.

Yuanbao was bald and not wearing a crown, while the Crown Prince had a ceremonial crown.

The Crown Prince’s gaze fell on Rongrong without any concealment.

Feeling the intensity of his gaze, Rongrong slightly lowered her head.

She didn’t know why, but since that night they had spent together, the Crown Prince’s look at her seemed different, softer.

The past few nights, Rongrong had been on edge, tightly holding Yuanbao while sleeping to avoid any chance for the Crown Prince, and had managed to get through half a month without incident.

“Auntie, Father said it’s almost time. We need to go and welcome the Emperor,” Yuanbao said, looking up at Rongrong’s new clothes and hairstyle with a smile.

He reached out to pull Rongrong up and, as they reached the door, extended his other hand to grab the Crown Prince. “Let’s hurry. If we’re late, the Emperor Grandpa might get angry.”

Rongrong let Yuanbao pull her along, and they walked out together.

As they stepped out of the Yu Hua Palace, Rongrong suddenly had a strange feeling.

It was as if the three of them were a family.

A legitimate family.