However, the moment Rong Rong saw the gold-embroidered dragon patterns on the Crown Prince and Yuanbao, her dream was immediately shattered.

They were dragons, but she was not a phoenix.

Rong Rong silently released Yuanbao’s hand and fell a few steps behind the father and son.

The Crown Prince noticed this and looked at her with deep, inscrutable eyes.

Yuanbao, puzzled, glanced back at Rong Rong a few times.

Seeing his father not saying anything, and knowing that his grandfather would arrive soon, he didn’t mention it further.

When they arrived at the main gate, the Emperor’s carriage had not yet arrived, but the carriage from the Duke of Su’s residence had already reached the entrance.

Duke Su was surprised to see the Crown Prince and Yuanbao waiting at the gate.

Realizing the situation, he hurriedly got his entire family out of the carriage.

“Congratulations to my elder brother and Yuanbao.”

The Crown Prince, who had been raised in a temple and had little emotional connection with his brothers, had a somewhat closer relationship with Duke Su, who was only half a year younger than him.

When they spoke, it was slightly more familiar, and Duke Su, feeling no one was around, directly addressed him as “elder brother” to show closeness.

“Congratulations to His Highness the Crown Prince,” Duke Su’s wife, the Duchess of Su, stepped forward with Liu Lin in tow.

Duke Su was the Emperor’s second son, and his birth mother was Consort De.

Consort De was not favored but was promoted due to her contribution of giving birth to a prince.

As a result, Duke Su was very cautious in his actions. His residence had only one Duchess, and Liu Lin was their only child.

He himself was unremarkable but had no significant flaws.

Today, with the Crown Prince attending the banquet, he aimed to be the first to arrive.

While he hoped this gesture would please the Crown Prince, he mainly wanted to ensure that there were no mistakes.

Liu Lin, mimicking the manners he had seen, approached the Crown Prince to pay his respects.

Turning his head to the side, he brightly exclaimed, “Aunt Rong Rong.” His speech was still a bit unclear, and the name Rong Rong came out slurred but sounded quite cute.

Rong Rong couldn’t help but smile upon hearing this, though she was unsure how to respond in such a situation.

In such circumstances, when the prince and princess were visiting, it was not her place to speak, so she could only wink at Liu Lin.

Duke Su had never seen Rong Rong before.

Seeing the remarkable beauty standing behind the Crown Prince and Yuanbao, dressed in an unadorned gown without any palace maid’s attire, and wearing a lake green silk dress with no creases, with ribbons fluttering in the wind, she appeared like a fairy from the woods—almost ethereal, neither entirely human nor entirely divine.

He was momentarily at a loss for how to address her.

Duchess Su had seen Rong Rong in the Imperial Garden before and had heard about her from Liu Lin a few times.

She knew that Rong Rong served Yuanbao.

However, she hesitated now, not because of Rong Rong’s outstanding beauty, but because the lake green silk dress she wore was quite striking.

The silk was exquisitely woven, with the fine, dense threads giving the gown a smooth, lake-like appearance with no ripples.

Last month, when the Department of Garments sent the silk, Duchess Su had given Madam Qian of the Department a cup of tea and chatted about some recent novelties.

Madam Qian mentioned that the Department had received two pieces of lake green silk, personally made by Lin Niangzi from the Jiangnan Weaving Workshop.

Lin Niangzi was a renowned weaving master, with her loom set up by the West Lake, and she had been weaving for the inner court for years.

Unfortunately, due to her old age and diminished strength, she would retire next year.

Therefore, the silk she wove this year was particularly meticulous, from sericulture to silk reeling and weaving.

The finished fabric was sent to the palace as a gift for the Empress.

Duchess Su remembered the admiration in Madam Qian’s eyes, saying that Lin Niangzi’s silk had a luster and texture like flowing clouds and water, surpassing cloud silk in its own way.

Women are very sensitive to fabrics and jewelry. Even though the Princess Consort of Su Wang hadn’t seen the two bolts of silk from Hangzhou, she could tell immediately from Rongrong’s attire that it was indeed the same fabric mentioned by Granny Qian.

This fabric was originally given to the Empress.

If it ended up with Rongrong, it must have been taken out by the Crown Prince.

Such a lake green color is usually not used for men’s clothing, and since there are no concubines in the Eastern Palace, the Empress must have specifically allowed it for Rongrong.

Given that both the Emperor and Empress would be visiting the Eastern Palace today, Rongrong daring to wear this outfit at the palace entrance might mean it was a special gift from the Empress.

Such circumstances meant she could not be treated as a mere maid.

As thoughts raced, the Princess Consort of Su took Liu Lin’s hand and approached with a smile. “This must be Miss Rongrong. I’ve heard so much about you from Liu Lin and have been wanting to meet you. Since today is busy, we may not have much time to talk, but please come to our estate another day so we can have a proper chat.”

As soon as the Princess Consort spoke, Duke Su Wang’s brow furrowed slightly.

The girl was probably the Crown Prince’s favorite concubine.

No matter how favored she was, she was still a concubine, not a wife. Inviting a concubine to the estate could lead to gossip and criticism.

Even if trying to please the Crown Prince, some basic dignity needed to be maintained.

Duke Su was puzzled by his wife’s lack of discretion today.

Rongrong was also surprised.

The Princess Consort Su had invited her to the Su Wang estate?

Was she hearing things correctly?

How could the Princess Consort extend such an invitation to her, a mere insignificant person who wasn’t even from the Eastern Palace?

In her astonishment, Rongrong wasn’t sure how to respond.

It was the Crown Prince who broke the silence, speaking slowly, “I heard that Second Brother has built a bamboo garden called Xiaoxiao Zuyuan, with all the buildings and pavilions made of bamboo. It’s quite unique. You should go and see it.”

With this, Duke Su Wang understood and immediately gave his wife an approving look.

Rongrong, though somewhat slow, realized that the Crown Prince was helping her out.

She exchanged a quick, embarrassed glance with him.

Since the Princess Consort had extended the invitation, Rongrong naturally had to respond.

She bowed to the Princess Consort, “Thank you for your kindness, Princess Consort Su. I’ll definitely visit another day.”

In that moment, Duke Su caught on and said with a smile, “My bamboo garden is quite simple but very refreshing. When you come, let me know, and I’ll prepare some tea. My elder brother can bring Yuanbao and Miss Rongrong to visit.”

Liu Lin, listening nearby, immediately chimed in, “Come, Auntie, come!”

“Is it a bamboo-covered house?” Yuanbao was also curious. “The palace has a bamboo-covered corridor. Is it similar to that?”

Duke Su’s wife smiled and replied, “Our estate’s bamboo garden is even larger than the emerald bamboo corridor in the Imperial Garden. You and Liu Lin can play hide and seek there.”

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, two more carriages arrived, this time from the Duke of Heng’s residence.

The first carriage let out the Duke of Heng and his wife, along with their eldest son, Liu Xi.

The second carriage had Concubine Qin, Consort Sun, and Liu Yu disembarking.

Concubine Qin’s child was still under one year old and was not brought out today.

“Congratulations to His Highness the Crown Prince,” everyone from the Duke of Heng’s residence greeted in unison.

The Crown Prince nodded slightly. “The Emperor’s carriage will arrive shortly. Please join me in welcoming him.”

“Yes.”

Duke Su and Duke Heng, with their families, took their places behind the Crown Prince and Yuanbao.

Duke Heng’s wife, noticing the lake green dress Rong Rong was wearing, immediately glanced at Duke Su’s wife.

Duke Su’s wife caught the look and responded with a subtle smile.

As the families from the two dukes stood behind Rong Rong, she felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Just as she was about to move over to stand with Fuxuan, Yuanbao reached out to hold her hand but remained silent.

Rong Rong bent down to pat Yuanbao’s hand and released him.

After exchanging a few words with Fuxuan, she entered the Eastern Palace.

With the Emperor’s arrival imminent, she needed to check that everything inside was properly prepared.

With the Duke of Su and Duke Heng’s families observing her closely, it was evident she was too conspicuous.

It was better to hide inside the Eastern Palace and avoid standing out here.

The Crown Prince, while speaking with Yuanbao, stole glances at Rong Rong’s retreating figure as she entered the Eastern Palace.

Though reluctant, he ultimately refrained from speaking up. She was timid, and if pushed, she would only retreat further.

Soon, a eunuch dressed in red rode a fast horse to the Eastern Palace entrance, announcing that the Emperor’s carriage was about to arrive.

The Crown Prince and the others waited eagerly.

Shortly, the six-horse dragon carriage carrying the Emperor and Empress appeared on the street, followed by three four-horse carriages carrying the favored consorts, Consort De, Consort Shu, and the Emperor’s sixth son, Liu Zhan, along with the three princesses.

Everyone chanted “Long live” and knelt to receive the Imperial carriage.

“Please rise,” the Emperor said as he and the Empress stepped down from the carriage. “Today’s focus is Yuanbao. I can’t overshadow him.”

Hearing this, Yuanbao quickly stood up and squeezed between the Emperor and Empress, holding one hand of his grandfather and the other of his grandmother.

“Why did Father come so early today?” the Crown Prince asked.

The Emperor smiled and patted Yuanbao’s head. “Yuanbao invited us, so how could I not come early?”

Then he looked at Su Wang and Gong Wang. “I should have arrived before both of you, but I smelled the roast duck from Hui Bin Lou on the way and ended up stopping with the Empress to have half a duck. I haven’t had it for seven or eight years, and the taste hasn’t changed at all.”

Gong Wang, known for his playful nature and fondness for jokes, said, “Father’s carriage stopping just to have roast duck will surely become a topic of conversation in the city tomorrow. The first roast duck from Hui Bin Lou will be even harder to get now.”

The Emperor laughed heartily.

Su Wang quickly said, “It was my oversight. If you like it, Father, I will make sure to get some for you in the future.”

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t understand. The roast duck must be enjoyed right next to the old stove at Hui Bin Lou. You need to eat it while it’s hot, fresh from the oven. Any delay changes the taste.”

“Only you would know how to enjoy such things.” The Empress picked up Yuanbao and scolded lightly, “It’s quite hot outside. Stop standing and talking; let’s go inside and chat.”

At the Empress’s command, everyone moved towards the main hall of the East Palace.

The Emperor and Empress took the main seats, with everyone else seated on either side.

Perhaps because they weren’t in the palace today, the Emperor and Empress seemed more relaxed and jovial, chatting easily with the younger generation and laughing frequently.

Rongrong directed the palace servants to serve tea and snacks in an orderly manner.

The Empress glanced at Rongrong and then shot a look at the Emperor before sipping her tea.

The Emperor understood immediately and realized that this young lady was the one Liu Zhen had recently taken a liking to.

He had suspected Liu Zhen of having issues over the years, but after taking a good look at Rongrong, he quickly dismissed his doubts.