Since they are all worn by the Qing Dynasty, you might as well be bold and choose Kangxi!

Yuqing Palace is extremely lively today, with high-ranking officials and royal family members coming and going all the time, and servants behind them all holding gifts.

"Isn't this Lord Xitala? You are here today too!"

"It's Master Chen, you're here too!"

"How can I not attend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's birthday banquet..."

"Hey, isn't this Lord Shi? Lord Shi hasn't returned to Fuzhou yet?"

Someone here saw Shi Wenbing stop and say hello.

Father Shi raised his hand and bowed towards the Qianqing Palace:

"Thanks to His Majesty for allowing me to stay in Beijing for a few more days with my family. Now, I am here to join in the fun at the Crown Prince's birthday banquet."

"Master Shi is too modest."

The man stroked his beard, his eyes sparkling, and asked tentatively:

"I heard that Lord Shi's two beloved daughters will also attend the Crown Prince's birthday banquet this time. It was a special order from the Emperor. I wonder if it's true or not?"

Father Shi heard this and said calmly:

"I have heard about it, but it is a matter of the palace. I have not seen the two daughters yet, so I don't know whether it is true or not."

"It must be true. The emperor has ordered that no one dare to spread rumors. I congratulate you, sir. Your two daughters are so hardworking and have bright futures. I hope you can give them more advice!"

"Haha, Lord Wang, you are too kind."

Although Father Shi said this, he was very happy in his heart, and at the same time he put aside his vague uneasiness.

Before the selection, the eldest daughter refused to marry the crown prince and wanted to marry the fourth prince. He was worried that something might go wrong during the re-selection in the palace. Now it seems that Rongyue has lived up to his expectations.

On the opposite side of the female family, although Shi Mu tried her best to maintain her status, she was also flattered and her face was flushed.

At this time, the Shi Nanxi sisters arrived outside the hall. Shi Rongyue watched Zixia hand the gift to the steward at the door with her own eyes, and then she walked briskly towards the women in the hall.

Shi Nanxi paused, turned sideways to glance at Hongying beside her, and Hongying nodded imperceptibly. Only then did she feel relieved and followed her into the hall.

After the two left, the etiquette manager Sun looked around and put the small box representing Shi Nanxi's gift aside. After a while, when the gifts filled the table, he had someone carry it into the house and followed in.

Then he changed the gift in the box when no one was paying attention, and finally pretended as if nothing had happened and continued to record the gifts.

As soon as Shi Rongyue entered, she saw Shi Mu. Shi Mu also saw her eldest daughter. She didn't care about other people's flattery and quickly grabbed her hand.

"Ever since I heard that the Emperor had issued a special order for you to attend the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, I came here early to wait, and sure enough, I saw you."

As he looked her up and down, he said with a look of heartache:

"She's lost weight. She must be very tired from learning the palace rules and etiquette. Her face looks pointy."

Shi Rongyue had been surrounded by love and care since she was a child, so she took it for granted that she was cared for at this time. She looked around and saw that the princes had not arrived yet, so she sat down next to Shi Mu.

A lady beside him quickly offered her seat, and Shi Rongyue sat down and said:

"It was a little strange at first, but I got used to it later."

Then she touched her face. Nowadays, everyone pursues being thin, not being blessed. Thinking of Shi Mu saying that she has lost weight, she was quite happy and asked:

"Mother, have I really lost weight?"

In fact, I didn't lose weight. On the contrary, I gained a little weight due to my large appetite due to the large amount of exercise. But since I'm only sixteen and I'm in the period of growing up, it's not noticeable.

Shi Mu said in a decisive tone:

"He's lost weight, definitely lost weight. It hurts my mother so much to see him like that."

When they saw Shi Rongyue coming, everyone here, as they were the family members of important officials, naturally heard the news and came over to say hello.

Upon seeing this, Shi's mother puffed out her chest with pride, and pulled Shi Rongyue along in various ways, seemingly modest but actually showing off proudly, and everyone followed suit to show off.

In the corner, Shi Nanxi watched this scene silently. She had arrived a long time ago, but Shi's mother didn't even look at her, probably because she didn't even notice her.

She didn't care, but this was a public place with many people and eyes, and her last trip to Changchun Palace made her certain that someone from Kangxi was following her.

A trace of thought flashed through her mind, and she quickly looked up at Shi Mu, who was proudly praising Shi Rongyue. Seeing that she still didn't notice her, she slowly lowered her head in loneliness.

Hongying, who was standing by, finally understood why the Second Princess said that she was not familiar with the First Princess at all. Being ignored by her own mother, and the eldest sister not saying a word, how could she really work hard for the Second Princess?

She looked at the second princess with her head down with pity.

After a while, another lady nearby saw Shi Nanxi.

"Hey, Madam Shi, this must be the twin sister of the eldest princess. She looked so quiet that I almost didn't notice her."

When Shi Mu heard this, she looked over subconsciously and discovered Shi Nanxi. She frowned after the first glance.

"Why didn't you say anything when you came? You look so pale, are you sick again? Your elder sister is very tired from learning palace rules and etiquette every day, please don't bother her!"

After saying this, without waiting for Shi Nanxi to reply, he continued:

"Also, you can attend the Crown Prince's birthday banquet this time thanks to your elder sister. Be good and don't cause any trouble later."

After hearing this, Shi Nanxi's face turned pale, but out of habit she didn't try to explain anything. Instead, she bit her lip lightly and said timidly:

"Yes, mother. I will never trouble my elder sister, nor will I cause any trouble."

"That's good." After saying that, Shi's mother stopped looking at Shi Nanxi and turned sideways, pulling Shi Rongyue's hand with a caring look on her face.

"You have to learn palace rules and etiquette, and take care of your second sister who knows nothing. No wonder you've lost weight..."

The others looked at Shi Mu's favoritism and said nothing. If they were in her shoes, they would also prefer the daughter who was about to become the Crown Princess.

Soon, Shi Nanxi's place became quiet again. Hongying was so distressed that she almost shed tears. When Shi Nanxi noticed this, she shook her head gently and whispered to comfort her:

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

"I'm used to it?"

This sentence reached the ears of Kangxi. He was about to set off, but just as he walked outside the palace, he heard the young eunuch reporting to Liang Jiugong about Shi Nanxi's situation.

He couldn't help but stop in his tracks, his expression unchanged, his thumbs behind his back clasped around the jade ring. How many times did he have to go through this before he could say this calmly?

"emperor?"

Liang Jiugong turned around and saw the emperor coming out, but he didn't move for a long time. He couldn't help but ask cautiously.

Kangxi's expression showed no sign of joy or anger. Upon hearing this, he stepped onto the dragon chariot and placed his hands on the armrests. After lowering the curtain, he took out the paper star bracelet from his sleeve.

The paper star bracelet had been restored to its original state. He looked at it for a while, raised his hand and gently stroked it. His phoenix eyes were dim and unclear, and he suddenly said:

"Arrange the study in the back hall!"

Liang Jiugong, who was following the dragon chariot, was stunned for a moment before he realized that this was referring to the emperor's appointment with the second princess of the Shi family to return the bracelet, but wasn't it said to be arranged in the pavilion in the back garden?

However, he did not dare to guess what the emperor was thinking, and immediately said:

"Yes, I will make arrangements right now."

Kangxi then said nothing more.