Thinking that supporting the King of Chu might become a threat to the Crown Prince and Prince Rui, Madam Guan nodded in agreement: “You’re right.”

They knew the King of Chu had no chance of becoming emperor, and it was unlikely that Tao Sheng’s favor would last long.

They were not the same type of people as the Duke Ling’s Mansion.

As soon as Tao Sheng entered Ning Garden, Princess He’en came to greet her personally.

Tao Sheng followed her and noticed that most guests had already arrived. She found this odd, but still explained to Princess He’en that the time on her invitation had been different.

She arrived fifteen minutes early. Why did everyone come so soon?

Princess He’en smiled and said, “You are my father’s servant, so I can’t let you have the same invitation as them.”

Tao Sheng used to work in the government office and knew that important people usually arrived last.

However, she was surprised that Princess He’en had changed the invitation time, making hers different from the others.

Tao Sheng walked in with the princess holding her arm. Everyone stared at her, and the discussions started to grow louder.

“Is that Miss Luo? I heard the emperor can’t be without her for a moment, so she rarely attends poetry gatherings and flower appreciation events. This is a rare sight.”

“Miss Luo is truly beautiful. With her looks and charm, it’s no wonder she can play such heavenly music.”

“What material is Miss Luo’s dress made of? It looks quite special.”

“I heard from my mother that the Inner Court  just received new fabrics from Jiangnan. They are different from the styles popular in the capital before. Could Miss Luo be wearing one?”

“It seems to be true. I’ve never seen such flowing material before. No wonder there’s no imitation in the capital until now. Only Miss Luo has it.”

One of the True Emperors quietly expressed doubts: “If you ask me, the material seems ordinary and doesn’t look handmade.”

Several people quickly criticized this statement.

“How could Miss Luo’s dress not be made from Inner Court materials? What are you thinking?”

“That’s right. There are thousands of materials for making inner garments. You can’t say Miss Luo’s clothes aren’t nice just because you haven’t seen them before.”

“Hush, that’s Miss Luo. We can’t disrespect her, or something bad might happen. Sister, please stop talking.”

Tao Sheng thought: …

This dress was indeed from the Inner Court, but it was last year’s style. The fabric had been given as a New Year gift by the Princess of Chu and had been left at home for a long time. Su Wan found it after returning home and made two outfits for Tao Sheng.

Tao Sheng wanted to show respect to the host, so she wore this dress for the banquet.

Later, everyone began to agree that this was the most popular style in the capital this year and that only Miss Luo had this special material. Even Princess He’en believed this.

Tao Sheng felt like she was living out the story of the emperor’s new clothes.

Others came with family missions. The King of Chu had been getting attention lately, hinting at wanting to restore his throne. Most of his past supporters had met misfortune. Officials’ families didn’t want to associate directly with the King of Chu, so they looked for other ways to show goodwill, often targeting Tao Sheng.

Friendships between female royal family members were normal. Even if the emperor got mad at the King of Chu later, these connections wouldn’t be blamed.

So, making friends with Tao Sheng became a smart move, leading many to watch her closely, waiting for a chance to talk and befriend her.

Luo Xin hadn’t been seen for a long time. She was said to have returned to her hometown in Jinling to handle some matters. This time, she came to the banquet and was seated in the main hall because she was related to Tao Sheng.

Princess He’en brought Tao Sheng to the flower hall where Luo Xin was. The people there were important figures at the banquet, along with a young lady named Zhang Xinyue, who seemed a bit out of place.

Tao Sheng smiled happily when she saw her friend: “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

With so many unfamiliar faces, conversations felt awkward. But seeing Zhang Xinyue made Tao Sheng feel relieved.

Zhang Xinyue whispered to Tao Sheng: “The princess worried you might feel out of place, so she asked my sister-in-law to invite me. Honestly, this is my first time at such a gathering with nobles, and it’s really nerve-wracking.”

Zhang Xinyue smiled playfully: “I never imagined this before, but it’s all thanks to you. I’ll tell my father when I get back. Maybe he’ll think I’ve brought honor to the family.”

When Princess He’en saw Tao Sheng and Zhang Xinyue chatting happily, she felt she had made the right choice in inviting her. If Princess Hexuan hadn’t mentioned that her son-in-law’s cousin was close to Tao Sheng, she might have forgotten about it.

After chatting with everyone for a while, they hinted to Tao Sheng that they wanted to hear Miss Luo’s music and zither skills.

Tao Sheng had planned to perform, and when Princess He Xuan mentioned it, she agreed and played a song called “Wang Jiangnan” ^[1]refers to a piece of music..

There was laughter and joy in the flower hall, but outside, people were anxious.

Fang wanted to reveal the Shen family’s issues in front of Tao Sheng, but she didn’t expect that Tao Sheng had been seated with several princesses and noblewomen. Even Madam Guan was on the outskirts and couldn’t get close.

Everyone knew that Tao Sheng often mingled with the emperor, making it hard to see her at this flower-viewing banquet.

Would she really pass up this rare opportunity?

Fang’s heart sank.

Luckily, hard work pays off. After hearing Tao Sheng’s music, Princess He’en and her friends took her outside to appreciate the flowers, which happened to be near Fang and her friends.

Shen Ruojin felt comfortable in such settings and had already squeezed in beside the princesses. Fang smiled and followed. She raised her voice and said to Shen Ruojin, “Sister-in-law, are you also familiar with Miss Luo? Why don’t you go over and say hello?”

Today, Tao Sheng was the main focus of the banquet, and Fang had a loud voice, so when she spoke, almost everyone looked at Shen Ruojin, even Princess He’en, who was with Tao Sheng, stopped to listen.

Ruojin didn’t understand why Fang asked this suddenly, but when she heard Tao Sheng’s name, panic set in.

“It’s just that my mother and Lord Luo are from the same clan, so our families are somewhat related. If you want to get specific… we’re not very familiar with each other,” Ruojin said.

“Don’t try to fool me,” Fang replied, taking a step closer with a fake smile. “But the last time I heard you and Wenyuan Marquis talking about Lord Luo, you seemed very familiar with her..”

Shen Ruojin’s face turned pale. “When did I tell my father about Tao Sheng? Sister-in-law, be careful what you say.”

“It was in Yin Lanting at our house,” Fang said, “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time but still can’t understand what you mean by ‘we are all father’s daughters.'”

Shen Ruojin felt cold and could barely stand. A clear voice echoed in her mind— 

Finished.