Early the next morning, the entire Duke Xing’s Mansion cheered up. What a glory it was that all the five misses in the mansion could go to the Royal Palace together.

Even the third branch, who never got along with the second branch, got up early. Every servant was carefully styling up her miss.

Carriages had long been parked outside the mansion. Two spacious carriages had been prepared.

Shao Wanru came just in time. Shao Yanru and Shao Jie’er had arrived; Shao Yanru got into the front carriage and Shao Jie’er wanted to follow. However, an old maid stopped her and made her go to the carriage in the back. When Shao Wanru arrived, she was led to the front one.

Yujie helped her into the carriage. Shao Yanru was already sitting inside. She looked both graceful and fancy, her eight-piece silk skirt pretty and her face gorgeous. Nevertheless, when she saw that Shao Wanru was dressed almost in a single color, her eyes flashed with a trace of jealousy.

She thought herself the prettiest, able to tumble the world. During the last three years, all the people in the capital had been saying that she was the most beautiful lady, and she was really pleased with such an honor.

However, Shao Wanru, who was in front of her eyes, simply dressed herself in a plain dress and wore a few average and inexpensive accessories. Even like that, Shao Wanru didn’t look less pretty than her. “Will she replace me as the prettiest lady in the capital!”

When she thought of what her mother had told her again and again before, she felt jealous.

She waved at Shao Wanru with a smile and said, “Fifth Sister, sit, please. When Third Sister and Fourth Sister get here, we’ll set off.” Though she felt like that inside, she didn’t show it on her face.

Shao Wanru nodded and seated herself in the carriage; Yujie followed to hop into the carriage as well.

They didn’t wait long before Shao Caihuan and Shao Cailing walked out from their rooms. They got into the carriage in the back together. Since all five misses had arrived, the carriages slowly turned around to drive out of the mansion gate. They drove toward the main street. After another turn, it would be the widest main road in the capital. If they headed west along the road, they could finally reach the Royal Place gate.

Inside the carriage, Shuqi skillfully took out a tea set from a hidden drawer and poured a cup of tea for the two respectively. Then, she pushed the teacups to the front of the two misses with courtesy. “Miss, Fifth Miss, please have some tea!”

Because they needed to go to the palace, they all had a light breakfast. Though there were desserts on the tables, they had to refrain from enjoying them lest they stain their lips; they could only drink a little tea.

Shao Wanru didn’t put any rouge on her lips, but they were always red even without it. Her lips were red, and the color was also different from that of average rouge; they looked more charming than rouge. With the charming red being the only bright color she wore from head to toe, they looked especially like surprising plum blossoms in the snow.

Her red lips were red, her skin was fair as snow, and her long eyelashes like butterfly wings were even a little curly; they were all manifesting Shao Wanru’s outstanding beauty. She was both pure and a lure. How could Shao Yanru not envy her when she saw that?

Teeth gritted, she swallowed her envy. When she looked up again, she was all smiles. Her pretentious and graceful face looked as friendly as that of Madam of Duke Xing.

“Fifth Sister, have some. We might not be able to drink after we go in the palace!” Shao Yanru smiled and reached out to pick up the teacup in front of her. She slightly hid her face behind her long sleeve. She took a few sips and then put it down; she picked up her handkerchief to carefully press it to her lips, absorbing the water but retaining the color on her lips.

“Fifth Sister, go ahead!” After she put down her handkerchief, Shao Yanru pushed Shao Wanru’s teacup a little closer to her and spoke with a smile.

She was gentle and kind of friendly but not too overbearing so people couldn’t bear refusing her.

Shao Wanru picked up the teacup and was about to take a sip. However, she seemed to think of something because she put it down again. “Sister, is Grandmother not feeling well today? Why didn’t she ask us to greet her in the morning?”

When she left the room in the morning, she wanted to greet Old Madam first, but someone from Old Madam’s room came to tell her that she didn’t have to.

Shao Yanru came up with something plausible. “Grandma is still healthy. Maybe she can’t get up in the morning so that’s why she did it.”

The truth was Old Madam didn’t see anyone else but her and also reminded her of something special like how to act in the carriage and the palace.

Old Madam was worried that other misses might disturb her teaching Shao Yanru, so she sent people to tell them not to come.

Shao Wanru fell silent, long eyelashes falling down, looking aggrieved. It seemed that she felt hurt and fell speechless because Old Madam didn’t allow her to greet her in the morning.

“Fifth Sister, don’t be sad. Grandma is old; she can’t go through such formalities. It’s normal that she doesn’t receive anyone in the early morning. Come, drink the tea!”

Shao Wanru was silent for a few seconds and then picked up the teacup to bring it to her lips. However, she did not drink, looking lost in thought. Her delicate features were slightly twisted.

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Shao Yanru asked, “Fifth Sister, is there something on your mind?”

“No!” Shao Wanru shook her head and swung her sleeve. Like Shao Yanru had, she also hid her face with her sleeve to take a few sips. Then she put down the sleeve and the teacup.

Seeing the teacup less full than before, Shao Yanru smiled more widely.

“Fifth Sister, you haven’t stayed at the mansion, and I’m afraid you don’t know much about the things at the palace. I want to tell you about Honored Consort Shu. In the palace, you have to be careful not to offend her.”

“Please instruct me,” Shao Wanru slowly said as she slightly leaned toward the carriage wall behind her, the handkerchief used to absorb water falling out of her sleeve.

Yujie deftly picked it up and wrapped it with her own handkerchief.

As if she were really a good sister, she said in detail and even told some speculation not allowed to be talked about out there. “Honored Consort Shu enjoys reverence in the palace, but she doesn’t have any children. Actually, she had been pregnant and gave birth to a child, but something happened and the young prince died a few days after birth. It’s said that his death affected many people in the palace. You can’t bring up things about other princes lest you upset her.”

…

Shao Wanru took another handkerchief that Yujie had changed for her and gently wiped her lips, a trace of coldness flashing across her eyes. “The tea was clearly spiked. If I were not good at medicine, I might probably fall into Shao Yanru’s trap.”

The medicine alone did not have a strong effect. When it was mixed with tea, it only gave a light flavor, like the bitterness of too many tea leaves, hard to notice. Today there were really too many tea leaves; her teacup contained many leaves. They were used to cover up the medicine’s flavor.

She clenched her fists slowly in her sleeves, and when she released them, she was all smiles again.

In normal situations, the medicine wouldn’t have an effect, but when it was added with alcohol, it would damage the mind. It would even make people feel drowsy and lose their sense of direction.

“It looks like someone will serve me alcohol in the palace today!”

She was listening carefully to Shao Yanru, and when Shao Yanru finished, she calmly said, “Thank you for your instructions, Big Sister.” Then, she turned around to casually look out of the window, seemingly appreciating the view. She believed not all but only part of Shao Yanru’s words.

According to Shao Yanru’s personality, some of her words had to be true. Even if some of them were fake, she couldn’t be blamed because the rumors were fake in the first place. After all, she only heard of them from some other people; everyone could have their own opinions on rumors.

“I can only blame myself if something goes wrong. I can’t push the blame onto some else, can I?

“If Honored Consort Shu really gets angry with me and makes things difficult for me, Shao Yanru won’t be blamed. Isn’t this the most elaborate scheme in the world?

“In my last life, Shao Yanru made things difficult for me and punished me, but people thought I deserved it because they thought I was wrong in the first place; they thought she had to steel herself to punish me.”

Looking outside the window for a while, Shao Wanru suddenly pointed somewhere and said, “Big Sister, what’s that place?”

Shao Yanru couldn’t see clearly from where she sat. Hearing that, she leaned over. “What place?”

Shuqi was worried that Shao Yanru might knock over the teacup at the edge of the table so she especially pulled the table a little further away from the two. The cups clinked and wobbled.

Yujie came to help her move the table a little further away. Though the carriage was driving steadily almost without any bumps, they were in a carriage so it was hard to move things around.

After the two servant girls moved the table together, they were also drawn to the building outside the window. It was a pagoda, standing tall outside. It was neither too far nor too near, but it was extremely eye-catching.

“It’s a pagoda in the palace. I heard that it was built in the last dynasty. It’s now basically empty, I think. I heard it’s near the Cold Palace. I don’t know where it is exactly either.” Shao Yanru finally saw the thing that puzzled Shao Wanru and casually smiled while taunting Shao Wanru inside. “She doesn’t even know this pagoda. She really knows nothing.”

The pagoda was relatively famous in the palace. Many people could see it if they looked in the direction of the place. Almost everyone in the capital had heard that the pagoda had been empty for a long time.

“Shao Wanru has almost been in the capital for three years, and yet she doesn’t even know such things. She’s really away from the capital city’s aristocratic family circle.”

Shao Yanru hid her lips behind her handkerchief and smiled. “Fifth Sister, I also heard that the pagoda is haunted. I don’t know if it’s true or just a rumor from idle people in the palace.”

Shao Wanru looked surprised and then hid the shock and fluster in her eyes. “Could somewhere in the palace be haunted too?”

“Why not? But I just heard of it from someone else. I don’t know if it’s true!” said Shao Yanru casually.