Shock! The maid in the Marquis's mansion gave birth to the eldest son of the prince

"Welcome to Her Majesty the Queen and Her Royal Highness the Princess." Chan Yi squatted and saluted. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water and very beautiful.

"Qianqian, there's no need to be so polite. You've become even more beautiful since we last met." Empress Xiao was truly delighted to see her niece.

"Aunt, you are too kind. Her Royal Highness the Princess is truly radiant." Chan Yi said softly, with gentle eyes and graceful manners.

Empress Xiao nodded with satisfaction, feeling somewhat surprised. Didn't they say that Qianqian had been a slave in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion since she was nine years old? How could she behave in the same way as a young lady from a rich family? It seemed that her sister-in-law was good at training her daughter. It only took a few days to train her daughter properly.

"Cousin Qianqian, I happened to be out of the palace for something when you and my aunt entered the palace that day, so I missed it." Princess Qingyuan smiled and looked at this cousin who was said to have been living with her mother's family. Seeing that she was beautiful and well-mannered, she thought more highly of her.

Chan Yi was originally worried that she would be recognized by Princess Qing Yuan, but now seeing her like this, the anxiety in her heart instantly disappeared.

Well, who would associate the current her with that timid, illiterate little concubine who only knew how to be submissive and dependent on her master?

Instantly, a confident smile appeared on her face. She was now the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. She had the support of her father, mother and two brothers, so she was not afraid of anything.

"Empress, the noble ladies are all in the Evian Pavilion in the garden admiring the osmanthus trees. Let's go there together. Chuyue, Luoxia, Qingying, the rest of you follow and serve them." Madam Lin's eyes were full of relief. She had thought that Qianqian would need some time to adapt to the mansion, but she didn't expect that she would change her role so quickly. She really was worthy of being the heir of the Xiao family.

In Evian Pavilion, several young ladies were chatting heart to heart. Lu Jingqiu, the eldest daughter of Wuyang Marquis's Mansion, leaned on the railing, picking osmanthus stamens and feeding the koi in the pond. This was her first appearance at a banquet for noble ladies since she broke off her engagement with Pei Jin.

"Sister Lu, please come and play with us. What's so good about feeding the koi?" Li Wanqing, the daughter of Li Taifu, called out in a delicate voice. Ever since Lu Jingqiu and Pei Jin broke off their engagement, she liked Lu Jingqiu a lot more.

Someone called out, "The Queen and Princess Qingyuan have arrived."

The noble ladies, standing or sitting, immediately hurriedly tidied their appearance and went out to greet him, bowing respectfully.

"You don't have to be so formal." The Queen smiled gently, holding Chan Yi's hand and saying, "This is my daughter Qian Qian. She has been weak since she was young, and has been recuperating at her mother's home in Jiangyin. Now she has finally recovered and is back. You ladies should get to know each other, so that you can make an appointment to go out and enjoy the flowers together in the future."

"My daughter Qianqian has not returned home for many years and has no familiar friends in the capital. There are no other young ladies in our home. This time I specially invite all the ladies to come to the banquet so that everyone can get to know each other." Mrs. Lin looked lovingly at the gorgeously dressed young ladies in front of her and said in a gentle voice.

Chan Yi bowed slightly towards them, her wide-sleeved fairy skirt made her figure more charming, her every frown and smile was dignified and proper, her stunning appearance was pure and beautiful with an unconscious charm, making the noble ladies feel dwarfed by her, worthy of being the niece of the queen, she was indeed the most beautiful in the audience. With a face that was 50% similar to the queen, she completely broke all the rumors.

"Empress, Madam Duke, Wanqing is very happy to meet Sister Xiao. Sister Xiao is so beautiful." Li Wanqing was always bullying the weak. She immediately walked past everyone with a sweet smile, took Chanyi's hand and looked at her carefully, saying, "No wonder, it turns out that Sister Xiao looks a bit like you, Empress. Also, her figure is like Madam Duke's, tall and slim. Wanqing is really envious."

This was a beautiful statement, praising three people in one sentence. Li Wanqing pursed her lips, and winked at Chan Yi playfully, feeling very good about herself. If Chan Yi hadn't seen her arrogant and domineering face in the Treasure Pavilion before, she would have been almost fooled by her innocent eyes.

She smiled without saying anything, and nodded slightly to them, indicating that she was the host of the banquet today.

She glanced over and saw that all the young ladies were good-looking, some slim and some plump, each with her own merits.

Her gaze paused briefly on Lu Jingqiu. Although this young lady was not particularly good-looking, she was pretty and charming, with a hint of bookishness and a very unique temperament. However, her expression was a little depressed. Although she was smiling like everyone else, Chan Yi noticed the loneliness in her eyes at a glance.

"This is Lu Jingqiu, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wuyang." Princess Qingyuan held Chanyi's hand and introduced in a low voice.

Lu Jingqiu, the eldest daughter of Wuyang Marquis Mansion?

Chan Yi was slightly stunned. It turned out that she was Pei Jin's fiancée. She was dignified and generous, and as gentle as a chrysanthemum. No wonder Mrs. Wang fell in love with her at first sight. Pei Jin also readily agreed. She was indeed much better than Li Wanqing and the like.

But seeing her attire, it was obvious that Yunying was still unmarried. Chanyi was a little surprised. Didn't they say Pei Yunshan was dead? If Pei Jin and she didn't get married during the mourning period, would they have to wait for three years?

But this was someone else's family affair, so why should she think too much about it? It was just that Pei Jin was still unmarried, which surprised her a little. She pursed her lips, and there was an indescribable feeling in her heart, which made her a little disappointed.

Mrs. Lin's heart skipped a beat when she saw her daughter staring at Lu Jingqiu. Could it be that Qianqian still had feelings for Pei Jin? Was she feeling jealous when she saw Lu Jingqiu?

Her whole family didn't tell her that Pei Jin and Lu Jingqiu's marriage had been called off long ago, just to prevent Qianqian from having any thoughts about Pei Jin anymore.

My daughter is a precious lady. She can have any kind of man she wants. Why should I go back to him?

"Qianqian." Madam Lin smiled and held Chanyi's hand tightly, "Let's go to the second floor and sit with the Queen."

"Okay." Chan Yi tilted her head and smiled. With Mrs. Lin around, she seemed to have suddenly turned into a delicate little girl.

The white jade table in the elegant room on the second floor was already filled with cakes and fragrant tea. Mrs. Lin smiled as she introduced the cakes, some of which Chan Yi had seen before and some of which she had not.

"Your Highness, the buttered abalones and conchs at Shifangzhai are excellent. You and the princess should try some. The osmanthus chestnut cake is made with freshly picked osmanthus flowers from the garden and is especially sweet. The rose-scented cakes, chicken-oil rolls, and lotus cakes made by the chef in our mansion are all good. You should also try them."

"Aunt, this milk-rose dew looks unique and beautiful when served in a glass cup." Princess Qingyuan picked up the glass cup and played with it.

"You ladies all like this rose dew very much. Qianqian, you should try it too." Mrs. Lin said in a gentle voice.

"Thank you, mother." Chan Yi picked up the transparent glass cup and took a sip. Wow, it tasted a bit like ice cream, cool and milky.

Mrs. Lin suddenly remembered that her daughter still needed to be fed, so she quickly grabbed her daughter's hand and whispered, "It's a little cold, drink slowly."

"My aunt doesn't love Qingyuan anymore now that my cousin is born." Princess Qingyuan said with a deliberate pout.

With a chuckle, Empress Xiao was amused. She put her arm around Princess Qingyuan's shoulders and said with a smile, "You are so old, but still so naughty. Let's see who dares to have you."

"Mother." Princess Qingyuan buried her head in Empress Xiao's body and acted coquettishly.

"Alright, alright." Empress Xiao patted her daughter's back lovingly and said, "You should get married soon."

"Mother, please don't say that anymore." Qing Yuan said shyly with a flushed face and twisted neck.

"Hey, child, your mother has to stop talking. You and your cousin should go downstairs and play with the young ladies." Empress Xiao said angrily.

"Your Highness, why don't we go and pick some osmanthus flowers together?" Chan Yi stood up and took Princess Qing Yuan's arm.

"Cousin, you smell so good." Princess Qingyuan said after sniffing.