You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

The result of the contest was that Xu Jing was defeated.

"Junior Uncle, you flatter me."

Dongzhu felt a little embarrassed, since if she had gone easy on them, Xujing and Master Xufeng would have noticed. But since she had won, she had to exchange a few polite words.

"Why does Sister Dongzhu still call me Junior Uncle? I feel so embarrassed, hehe."

Xu Jing straightened his robes slightly, not feeling that being defeated was a shameful thing.

"Dongzhu, I had no idea you were so amazing. Shall we have a match?"

Xie Wanru rushed towards Dongzhu. She genuinely wanted to compete with Dongzhu, without necessarily determining who was better.

So, the group of people had a great time making a ruckus.

The news of Xie Wanru and Shen Nian'an's divorce caused a great uproar in Xuancheng, making the Shen family lose face among many prominent families. Of course, there were also people who criticized Xie Wanru, but since Xie Wanru was not in Xuancheng, she didn't hear anything.

Most people criticized Fu Rou, but Fu Rou didn't care.

She never felt that she and Shen Nian'an had done anything wrong.

Sure enough, the winter that year didn't start to warm up until early March.

After a cold winter, many people had exhausted their stockpiled grain. Thanks to Xie Wanru's reminder, Shen Cong'an had also paid attention to this issue with His Highness the Crown Prince in advance.

At the beginning of spring, the imperial court sent people to supervise grain shops in various places to prevent them from raising grain prices. The imperial court also distributed grain to some extremely poor areas.

Xie Wanru had asked Steward Xie to purchase a lot of grain before the New Year, and they made a lot of money. So even though they were distributing porridge outside the Xie residence every day, the Xie residence was still able to cover its expenses.

She stayed in the Void Mountain until spring arrived before returning to Xuancheng after being repeatedly urged and invited by the Empress.

From Xuwu Mountain to Xuancheng, you can set off early in the morning and arrive in about half a day at a fast pace.

The Empress held a flower-viewing party, bringing together the noblewomen to chat. This was an opportunity for the mother of the nation to display her grace and favor. Of course, what she really wanted to do this time was to quell the criticism from the outside world for Xie Wanru.

"Sister Lou Yao, I heard that Her Majesty the Empress invited Xie Wanru this time. You may not know Xie Wanru. I heard that she married into the Shen family because she couldn't marry the Third Prince, so she threw a tantrum and married into the Shen family."

Shen Mengyan walked up to Lou Yao, and whether she did it on purpose or not, she didn't seem to have any good intentions.

Lou Yao, who had been all smiles, immediately turned cold. She had only been married to the Third Prince for less than two months, and she had heard these kinds of sweet talk countless times.

Moreover, every time someone mentions it, it's as if they're reminding her that Xie Wanru is the one the Third Prince truly loves, and that she is merely a substitute.

Lou Yao gently stroked the handkerchief in her sleeve with her fingertips, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, but she still maintained a polite smile on her face.

"Sister Mengyan, you can just listen to these baseless rumors and let them go, but why spread them and pollute everyone's ears? Her Majesty the Empress is holding a flower viewing party, which is an elegant affair. We should be discussing the blooming and fading of flowers and the scenery of spring." Lou Yao's words, spoken with undeniable authority, left Shen Mengyan speechless for a moment.

Shen Mengyan was secretly alarmed, but she had to force a smile and say, "It was my mistake, I hope Sister Lou Yao won't take offense."

Lou Yao smiled lightly, ignored Shen Mengyan, and began to talk to the other noblewomen.

She was a newcomer who had just married into the royal family, so naturally many people fawned over her, and there was never a dull moment.

But only she knew that apart from the perfunctory touch on her on their wedding night, the Third Prince had never had the honor of touching her again.

Was she loved? No, she wasn't.

When Xie Wanru arrived, she was dressed in an elegant spring outfit, with a few newly blooming peach blossoms simply tucked into her hair, adding to her fresh and refined appearance.

She gracefully and with a gentle smile bowed to everyone, displaying the demeanor of a great lady.

"Wanru, you've finally arrived! I was worried you might have been delayed on your journey."

The Empress personally stepped forward to greet Xie Wanru, holding her hand and speaking intimately to her, as if to tell everyone that Xie Wanru was still someone valued by the royal family.

"You wild girl, you don't miss me anymore now that you're back at your sect? You've been gone for three months. You're not allowed to stay this long next time."

The Empress's scolding words carried a hint of doting affection, making it clear to those around that this former young mistress of the Shen family, even after the divorce, still enjoyed the Empress's deep favor.

Xie Wanru smiled gently, her eyes sparkling with mischievousness. "Your Majesty, I was just thinking of spending more time with my master because he is getting old. But in my heart, you are still the most important. That's why I rushed back as soon as I got the news."

His words were both friendly and witty, eliciting a soft laugh from the ladies present.

The Empress was all smiles, patting Xie Wanru's hand affectionately. "I knew you had a sweet tongue. You'd better keep me company at this flower viewing party today."

Lou Yao gritted her teeth in hatred. Her mother ignored her, her daughter-in-law, and kept talking to Xie Wanru, an outsider.

"Sister Lou Yao, it seems that Her Majesty the Empress truly treats Xie Wanru as her own daughter."

Seeing that Lou Yao's expression was unfriendly, Shen Mengyan quietly leaned close to her ear and whispered something.

"A woman like Xie Wanru is only shameless because she has the surname Xie. If it were anyone else, they would be too ashamed to show their face right now."

Lou Yao forced a smile, but her eyes were full of coldness. "Sister Mengyan said that Her Majesty the Empress cares for all of us equally. Moreover, the Xie family is a model of military generals in our Great Zhou, and no criticism is allowed."

Shen Mengyan realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly stopped talking. In her heart, she secretly looked down on Lou Yao's cunning. Lou Yao clearly looked down on Xie Wanru just like her, but she still flattered Xie Wanru.

Ha ha.

Shen Mengyan sneered. She didn't believe that Lou Yao would really view Xie Wanru the way she said she would.

The flower viewing party continued, with all kinds of flowers vying for beauty and fragrance. The ladies either admired the flowers and sipped tea or chatted and laughed, seemingly in harmony and congeniality.

Xie Wanru was pulled by the Empress as she weaved through the crowd. Wherever she went, she was met with admiration. Her composure and elegance, as well as her intelligence and wit, amazed the ladies present.

As the matriarch of the Shen family in her previous life, she had a perfect grasp of human relationships and social customs. Moreover, at such a young age, she was able to display the composure of a woman in her thirties, which naturally made her stand out.

"Wanru, look at this peony, how beautifully it blooms!" The Empress said to Xie Wanru, pointing to a blooming peony.

Xie Wanru smiled and nodded, "Indeed beautiful, but I think that although the peony is gorgeous, it cannot compare to Your Majesty's majestic and dignified beauty."