Liu Zhen was not indifferent to women; he simply had high standards.

In the end, the Emperor felt a sense of pride.

The woman he had chosen for Liu Zhen, Liang Muchen, was indeed a rare beauty.

Even if Liu Zhen was dissatisfied now, he would surely appreciate the Emperor’s wisdom and foresight in the future.

Like Duke Su’s wife and Duke Heng’s wife, the favored consorts—Consort Gui, Consort Shu, and Consort De—immediately noticed Rong Rong’s attire.

Unlike the two dukes’ wives, these three had seen the two pieces of fabric from the Suzhou silk workshop.

Their prime years had passed, and with their sons and ranks secured, they had no hope of climbing higher.

Their daily concerns revolved around enjoying good food and wearing fine clothing.

Lin’s silks were as delicate as the finest milk and would be perfect for undergarments.

Despite their pleas for just a single piece for each of them, the Empress had not yielded.

Seeing the woman in the Eastern Palace, wearing an entire outfit made from Lin’s precious silk, Consorts Gui, De, and Shu felt a pang of envy.

It was clear that the Empress’s favoritism was evident.

Although they understood that the Eastern Palace, under the Crown Prince, naturally had better treatment, they resented that an unknown woman from the Eastern Palace seemed to be benefiting more than they, who had given birth and earned their status.

The three consorts cast sorrowful glances at the Emperor.

The Emperor, unbothered by such trivial matters as Lin’s remaining two pieces of silk, pretended not to notice the consorts’ looks.

Consort Gui, feeling a bit resentful, smiled and asked, “This girl looks unfamiliar. When did she start working in the East Palace?”

Rong Rong was called out and had to step forward to make a curtsy.

Just as she was about to speak, Yuanbao looked up at the Emperor and said, “Grandfather, Rong Rong isn’t working in the Eastern Palace. She’s my guest.”

“Oh?” The Emperor chuckled and reached out to gently poke Yuanbao’s nose.

He then turned a more scrutinizing gaze toward Rong Rong. “I hear you handle matters well and are skilled in cooking. You should be rewarded.”

It was impressive that Rong Rong had managed to handle the lively Yuanbao so well.

As soon as the Emperor mentioned a reward, the chief eunuch by his side immediately presented the items.

Rong Rong hurried to the center to receive the reward and express her gratitude.

However, as Rong Rong knelt and raised her hand to receive the reward, the Emperor’s eyes suddenly fell on the bracelet that Su Xin had put on Rong Rong’s wrist that morning.

After a brief pause, he said nonchalantly, “Empress, do you think that bracelet is quite lovely?”

The Empress, sitting close by, glanced up at the Emperor’s prompt.

When she saw the bracelet on Rong Rong’s hand, her expression showed a hint of surprise.

Almost simultaneously, her gaze shifted to the Crown Prince.

Rong Rong noticed the Emperor and Empress’s reaction but was unsure of the reason.

The bracelet on her wrist was merely a silver one, somewhat worn with a simple design.

Even in a common official’s household, it would not be considered valuable.

This was precisely why Rong Rong had not taken it off, keeping it on her wrist.

Was there something wrong with this bracelet?

Rong Rong felt uneasy and instinctively glanced at the Crown Prince for help.

Seeing Rong Rong’s pleading look, the Crown Prince gave an unprecedented smile.

His smile only made Rong Rong more anxious, and she quickly looked down, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

“It is indeed a beautiful bracelet and suits your hand very well,” the Emperor commented.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, and Your Highness,” Rong Rong replied.

She could sense the Empress’s displeasure, but since the Empress had chosen to overlook it, she breathed a sigh of relief and retreated to the side with the embroidered bag given by the Emperor.

In the meantime, Duke Jing, Duke Qing, and the representatives from the Jing Ning and Wei Yuan marquisates arrived.

From the Jing Ning marquisate came Marquis Xie Minde, his heir Xie Yuanchu, and the third daughter Xie Yuanrui.

From the Wei Yuan marquisate came the marquis’s wife, Liang Muchen, and Liang Muchen’s fourteen-year-old sister, Liang Muxin.

As Liang Muchen entered, all eyes in the hall briefly paused.

She was dressed exquisitely in a lake green gown with gold embroidery, adorned with a prominent pearl hairpin.

The hairpin, featuring four large pearls, was both luxurious and tasteful.

However, rather than admiring her pearl hairpin, everyone’s attention was drawn to her lake green gown.

Liang Muchen initially thought the attention was due to her beauty.

Yet, when she glanced at the Crown Prince and saw Rong Rong behind him, she realized that everyone’s gaze was focused on the similarity between her gown and Rong Rong’s.

Her face flushed with embarrassment and anger, wishing she could disappear.

In the grand hall, the women, including those who usually cared little for fabrics, as well as the Emperor, the Xie family, and several dukes, all immediately noticed that Liang Muchen’s dress and Rong Rong’s were made from the same type of fabric.

It was impossible not to notice, given that two top beauties were wearing the same color.

Men might be sensitive, but women, with their meticulous and delicate nature, were even more astute.

The wives of Duke Su and Duke Heng exchanged glances quickly.

Duke Su’s wife discreetly cleared her throat with a handkerchief, while Duke Heng’s wife pretended to sip tea, using the cup to partially hide her face.

The Duke of Jing’s wife, the Duke of Qing’s wife, and Xie Yuanrui, who had arrived later and had not closely examined Rong Rong’s attire, initially thought it was just a color clash, which they considered a minor issue given the festive nature of the banquet.

The three princesses, being princesses, maintained their composure, merely smiling faintly and pretending not to notice anything unusual.

In contrast, the three concubines did not hide their glee, taking pleasure in the fact that the Empress had been caught in an awkward situation due to her favoritism.

At this moment, the Empress was also feeling quite troubled.

When the Crown Prince and Yuanbao had come to the palace a few days ago, they had requested to select some items from her collection to enhance the simplicity of the Eastern Palace.

The Empress, always eager to accommodate the Crown Prince and Yuanbao, had promptly had An Ru open the treasury.

When An Ru later reported what had been taken, the Empress realized something was amiss.

Among the items the Crown Prince had taken were not only ornaments and calligraphy but also several bolts of fabric, including three rolls of cloud brocade, one roll of heavenly silkworm ice silk, and one roll of lake green Hangzhou silk.

It was clear that these materials were unlikely to be used by the Crown Prince and Yuanbao themselves but were intended for someone else.

The Empress thought about it and concluded that the materials, being only a small part of her collection, were not a significant loss.

If the Crown Prince was pleased, it was fine.

However, she felt that Liang Muchen might be unfairly overshadowed by Xue Rongrong once she entered the household.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, she decided to send the remaining roll of lake green Hangzhou silk to the Wei Yuan Marquisate.

It seemed like fate at work!

The Crown Prince probably did not know about the fabric sent to Liang Muchen, and Liang Muchen was unaware of the identical fabric that had ended up in the Eastern Palace.

Both incidents were unintentional, yet by sheer coincidence, they both wore the same material today.

However, amidst all this, there was one person who did not pay attention to Liang Muchen’s attire.

Since the Wei Yuan Marquis’s wife and her daughters entered, the Crown Prince’s gaze had been firmly fixed on the pearl hairpin in Liang Muchen’s hair.

The four East pearls, skillfully arranged with gold threads, were uniform in color and size, resembling four petals of a flower.

From a distance, it looked as if she had adorned herself with a pear blossom.

The Crown Prince noticed it and leisurely turned his head to glance at Rongrong.

Rongrong had originally not paid much attention, but under the Crown Prince’s gaze, she felt an inexplicable nervousness, not understanding why he was looking at her.

Fortunately, everyone in the grand hall was as sly as a thousand-year-old fox.

Although they rolled their eyes inwardly, they still managed to maintain their composure on the surface.

This was how the Lady of Weiyuan Marquis’s residence behaved.

As if nothing had happened, she knelt down with her two daughters and performed the greetings: “This humble servant (or daughter) pays respects to Your Majesty and to Her Majesty. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years; long live the Empress, a thousand years.”

“Please rise. Grant them seats,” said the Emperor.

The Lady of Weiyuan Marquis’s residence remained on her knees: “The coachman in our household is not familiar with the capital’s streets and took a wrong turn, causing us to be late. We ask for Your Majesty and Her Majesty’s forgiveness.”

“It’s not late. It was His Majesty and I who wanted to take a little more time on our outing, so we arrived early. Please, rise quickly.”

The Emperor and Empress treated the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence so warmly that the discomfort caused by their attire was somewhat alleviated.

The three women from the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence took their seats together.

Princess Zhaoyang remembered the Empress’s previous instructions to take care of Liang Muchen and noticed Liang Muchen’s distress over her attire.

Wanting to make up for it, she said, “Sister Muchen, this hairpin is really beautiful. Was it the bead given by the Empress last time?”

“It is indeed the Empress’s gift!” Liang Muchen looked at Princess Zhaoyang with gratitude.

The Empress also nodded approvingly at Zhaoyang, appreciating that she could help share her burdens.

However, she still had some doubts in her mind.

The four beads had been tribute from the previous year.

The Empress had given two to the Crown Prince to use for his crown, and the remaining two were originally intended to be made into a necklace for herself.

However, since Liang Muchen came along, the Empress gave these beads to her, hoping they would match the Crown Prince’s.

The Crown Prince was not interested in Liang Muchen.

How did the other two beads end up with her?

Could it be that the Crown Prince secretly gave Liang Muchen some gifts?

Just then, the Lady of Weiyuan Marquis’s residence spoke up: “Last time, the Empress gave two beads to Muchen. By chance, when I visited Ruyi Pavilion, the owner there had two similar beads, so I had them combined into this hairpin.”

“I see.”

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, “Sister Muchen is truly fortunate. All the good things come to her in pairs.” With her support, others also joined in with praise.

If Rongrong had not known why the Crown Prince looked at her earlier, she immediately understood after hearing the words “Ruyi Pavilion” from the Lady of Weiyuan Marquis’s residence.

The two East beads given by the Crown Prince had been pawned at the auspicious pawnshop next to Ruyi Pavilion, hadn’t they?

The pawnshop owner had even told her that they were affiliated with Ruyi Pavilion and would buy anything of such good quality in the future at a high price.

She had pawned those two East beads, and now they had somehow ended up as part of Liang Muchen’s hairpin…

This was truly…