Chapter 53

However, in the previous life, Emperor Xuanwen also did not reactivate the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Xiao Jingyuan was not an Embroidered Uniform Guard commissioner.

Shen Shuangning guessed that the Song mansion had not, as in the previous life, been raided and exterminated overnight; it was probably related to Xiao Jingyuan taking charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Although the matter of Senior Grand Secretary Song colluding with the Heavenly Saint Sect has not yet surfaced, Shen Shuangning knows that Xiao Jingyuan had already received the news from the crown prince earlier.

How coincidental that, just after Xiao Jingyuan learned the crown prince intended to deal with the Song family, Song Xizhi immediately exposed Senior Grand Secretary Song?

Did Xiao Jingyuan perhaps leak something to Song Xizhi beforehand? That's why Song Xizhi immediately took action?

Song Xizhi's move has already severed the Song mansion from Senior Grand Secretary Song; so, when Emperor Xuanwen learns of Senior Grand Secretary Song's collusion with the Heavenly Saint Sect, will the Song mansion still be implicated?

Maybe yes, maybe not.

But if Xiao Jingyuan intercedes, the Song clan should not fall into dire straits as in the previous life, and Song Xizhi will not be exiled.

Shen Shuangning gave a cold smile in her heart.

Xiao Jingyuan spoke righteously and impartially before the crown prince, putting on an air of unbending impartiality, yet in the end he still showed bias?

Anyway, it had nothing to do with the Duke of Rong's mansion, so Shen Shuangning couldn't be bothered to ponder it.

Today, at the Elder Princess's birthday banquet, Prince Yan's mansion naturally received an invitation, but only Princess Yan and Xiao's second son came; Xiao Jingyuan was not present.

Presumably he was still busy investigating the case of Senior Grand Secretary Song and couldn't get away.

Shen Shuangning also didn't pay it any mind; merely, as she lifted her head to look for the Pei family's figures, she happened to see Princess Yan walking over to Song Xizhi.

Princess Yan's attitude toward Song Xizhi changed again.

All that could be seen was Song Xizhi bowing in salute, when Princess Yan proactively reached out to support her.

Song Xizhi's eye sockets slightly reddened, her expression seeming somewhat aggrieved, yet she did not put on a pitiful act; looking both lovely and pitiable, she easily evoked sympathy.

Princess Yan lightly patted the back of her hand and said in a gentle voice, 'That was originally the sin your grandfather committed; it has nothing to do with you. Moreover, that you could set aside familial ties to expose his wrongdoing—this courage to uphold righteousness by sacrificing kin is truly rare in the world.'

'Before, I misunderstood you; don't take it to heart.'

Song Xizhi hurriedly replied, 'Princess, please don't say that; I have long regarded you as family. As long as you do not disdain me and treat me as before, that is my greatest wish.'

Princess Yan felt a pang in her heart from what she said, and thus said pityingly, 'With the Prince Yan's mansion behind us, we will certainly not let you suffer grievance. Only, your marriage to the heir apparent...'

Princess Yan did not continue.

She did like Song Xizhi quite well, but the interests of the Prince Yan's mansion always came first in her heart.

Song Xizhi heard this, but she did not look particularly grieved; she only said understandingly, "I understand, I dare not hope for too much..." After saying that, she lowered her head and pressed her lips together, remaining silent.

Seeing this, the Princess Consort of Yan felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, and her pity for her grew even stronger.

At a glance, seeing that the Princess Consort of Yan and Song Xizhi had renewed their warm relationship, the young ladies from aristocratic families showed varied expressions for a moment, and then one after another stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Song Xizhi.

Song Xizhi, on the other hand, showed no resentment, always wearing a smile, which in turn made everyone feel ashamed.

Thus, it seemed as if the halo that originally belonged to her had returned to her once again.

Shen Ling had caught a chill two days prior, so she did not come along; Shen Shuangning came with her mother.

Su Ran also came.

After Su Ran chatted with her for a while, the Pei family appeared, and then, following the eunuch's announcement, "His/Her Highness the Grand Princess is arriving—"

The host of the banquet also arrived.

Everyone rose to perform their respects.

Naturally, the Grand Princess's birthday banquet was not lacking in important figures; Princess Jingyu and several imperial princes came to offer their congratulations, including the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince appeared together with the Crown Princess, and the birthday gift they brought was especially precious.

The Crown Princess is the young lady of the Gongsun family, namely the legitimate granddaughter of Imperial Tutor Gongsun.

The Crown Princess is an extremely gentle and kind person; her appearance is not particularly striking, yet she possesses a refined elegance that the aristocratic ladies present could not emulate.

She stood beside the Crown Prince, looking well-matched with him.

Shen Shuangning remembered that this Crown Princess had been bestowed in marriage by the emperor, and they had been married less than a year, but from the looks of it, their relationship was still quite good.

At that moment, the Crown Princess turned her head and said something to the attendant beside her; the attendant then glanced around, and finally their gaze fell upon Shen Shuangning in the crowd.

Immediately afterward, the Crown Princess came straight to Shen Shuangning and, with a smile, asked, "Are you the Fourth Young Lady of the Rongguo Duke's residence?"

Shen Shuangning bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, Crown Princess, myriad blessings."

"No need for such ceremony." The Crown Princess raised her hand to gesture support, gazed at her for a while, and did not conceal her admiration.

"Later, could you teach me how to prepare pumpkin so that it tastes delicious?"

Shen Shuangning blinked in surprise.

Everyone saw the Crown Princess actually taking the initiative to speak with Shen Shuangning, and for a moment they stared in disbelief.

Everyone knew that the Crown Princess's health was not good; unless it was a major occasion, she hardly ever left the Eastern Palace, making her someone outsiders found difficult to approach even if they wished to curry favor.

Just earlier, when the Crown Princess appeared, many people had already been eager to make a move, secretly preparing their talking points, planning how to strike up a conversation with her.

Who would have expected, the Crown Princess actually walked straight over to Shen Shuangning?!

At this moment, among the assembled guests, most harbored the same thought—while it was understandable that the Grand Princess favored Shen Shuangning, how could the Crown Princess, who had never met her before, also take a liking to her?

Why on earth was this?

It was utterly beyond belief!

Not only they felt puzzled; even Shen Shuangning herself did not quite understand why this was happening.

Seeing her dazed expression, the Crown Princess suddenly realized she had been abrupt, and hastily explained, "Actually, my spleen and stomach have always been weak; I often struggle to keep food down. A few days ago, the palace attendants prepared a pumpkin soup that was sweet and soothing, and after eating it I felt no heaviness—indeed, it was the first time in months that I felt comfortable after a meal."

"But my cooks are clumsy; they can only make a few dishes, and I'm getting tired of them. Only later did I learn that this pumpkin soup was made by you in the ladies' etiquette contest, so I suppose you must be skilled at it, which is why I have come specially to ask you for the recipe."

In an instant, Shen Shuangning felt as if countless gazes were like knives whooshing toward her, wishing they could pierce her like a sieve.

Who would have known that she had merely used pumpkin once by chance, and yet earned the Crown Princess's favor?!

Shen Shuangning came to her senses and replied modestly, "Your Highness, you overpraise me; I merely threw together the dish haphazardly, and it happened to suit your taste by luck. The pumpkin recipe is actually quite ordinary; if you do not disdain it, I will copy it out and send it to the Eastern Palace later."

An ordinary person, faced with such a situation, would wish to rush into the Eastern Palace at once to seize the opportunity to ingratiate themselves with the Crown Princess.

Yet Shen Shuangning only said she would send the copied recipe, never mentioning a visit in person, showing no desire to curry favor.

Seeing this, the Crown Princess's smile deepened; she thought to herself, "As expected, the Grand Princess has an eye for pearls—this young lady is indeed unlike other noble ladies."

She didn't originally mind the inner‑court women seeking to get close, but if they did so, she couldn't help feeling a little contempt for them.

But Shen Shuangning wasn't as improper as she had imagined; it suited her wishes, and she couldn't help feeling a bit more approving. She thought, "Miss Shen the Fourth is a delightful person—why not invite her to the Eastern Palace as a guest next time?"

Under everyone's gaze, the Crown Princess did not speak her mind, merely smiling and saying "good." She didn't continue the conversation, and then went to sit with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince's look at Shen Shuangning also grew a bit more meaningful; as he turned to serve the Crown Princess a dish, he said, intentionally or not:

"You're bored all alone in the Eastern Palace; Miss Shen the Fourth seems exceedingly proper—you could often invite her to keep you company and relieve your boredom."

The Crown Princess's eyes lit up. "How coincidental, isn't it?"

With those words from the master of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess had no further reservations.

Having won the Crown Princess's favor, Shen Shuangning became the center of attention here, second only to the Grand Princess.

No one knew that Shen Shuangning actually dared not approach the Eastern Palace at all.

In her previous life, Emperor Xuanwen lay ill and unable to rise; the Second Prince, Prince Rui, returned to the capital in force, vying with the Crown Prince for the heir position.

Then the Crown Prince's faction was pressed into difficulty, the heir's position hung by a thread, and any family associated with the Eastern Palace was framed and targeted by Prince Rui.

Take Su Ran's father, the censorial official Su: he merely defended the Crown Prince in court and gave Prince Rui two retorts, whereupon he was framed with false charges, demoted and expelled from the capital, and ultimately died on the road.

To say Prince Rui had no hand in this would be believable only to a fool.

Having foreseen what would happen, Shen Shuangning knew the road ahead was fraught with danger—how could she dare to have any involvement with the Eastern Palace?

But in this life, for some unknown reason, the more she tried to stay away from these dangerous people, the more they kept seeking her out...

Shen Shuangning felt utterly helpless.

Next came the segment where everyone thought up ways to celebrate the Grand Princess's birthday.

Shen Shuangning also went down ahead to prepare with Pei Qing and Pei Zhi.

While Pei Qing went to change clothes, Pei Zhi suddenly whispered in her ear: "The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are both eyeing the Duke of Rong's mansion; they are like two tigers fighting over the same prey—even if the Duke's household takes no side, your father, elder brother, and your second uncle will inevitably suffer collateral damage."

Hearing this, Shen Shuangning's pupils contracted sharply, and a sudden chill ran through her.

Simply because she recalled her previous life...