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

Xie Wanru's response made the Empress laugh out loud, and she found Xie even more thoughtful and adorable.

Meanwhile, Lou Yao, watching Xie Wanru and the Empress's intimate interaction, felt increasingly jealous and resentful.

"Why doesn't Sister Wu go and talk to Mother?"

Lou Yao approached Wu Xuanyi.

Wu Xuanyi, the second daughter of the Prime Minister's family and a concubine of the Crown Prince, did not come from a particularly noble background, but she and the Crown Prince were in love from childhood and lived a good life after marrying him.

"My mother is introducing Wanwan to everyone. Why should I join in? I'd rather they just pretend I don't exist."

Wu Xuanyi's outfit today was not particularly outstanding; in fact, it could be said that she maintained proper etiquette but did not dress up deliberately.

She had been married to the Crown Prince for some time, but there was still no news of her pregnancy. The Empress did not urge her, but other people were different; they always liked to use the fact that she was not pregnant as a topic of conversation.

Moreover, she personally admired Xie Wanru's decisive and efficient nature; she would cut ties with men who made mistakes without any leniency.

Lou Yao's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer, seemingly unimpressed by Wu Xuanyi's nonchalance. "Sister Wu is truly magnanimous. Look, everyone is swarming around Xie Wanru; they've almost forgotten about you, the concubine."

Her words carried a hint of provocation, and her eyes were fixed intently on Wu Xuanyi.

She emphasized the words "concubine" with particular emphasis, even stressing them out. Calling her "sister" was an honor, not something Lou Yao was willing to accept.

Wu Xuanyi smiled gently, a hint of bitterness flashing in her eyes, yet she still maintained her gentle demeanor.

"Sister Lou is very talkative today. You should go and chat with Mother. I won't go. I'm not good at romantic things and I don't want to spoil the mood."

Lou Yao's eyes flashed with resentment upon hearing this. She thought Wu Xuanyi was a block of wood and couldn't understand what she meant, but she didn't know what else to say and could only turn her head away dejectedly.

At this moment, the Empress had finished introducing Xie Wanru and was looking in this direction with a smile, as if waiting for something.

Upon seeing this, Lou Yao quickly put on a smiling face and went to greet her, trying to regain the Empress's attention.

Wu Xuanyi stood quietly in place, her gaze gently falling on Xie Wanru, a mixture of relief and complicated emotions quietly spreading in her heart.

If Xie Wan dared to do so, in many people's eyes, she would ultimately be a divorced woman, and such a woman would face many scornful looks and setbacks.

"Xuanyi, what are you doing standing so far away? Come here, there's a white peony that's your favorite."

When the Empress saw that Wu Xuanyi had not come over, she called out to her. She liked this daughter-in-law; she was obedient, but she had her own opinions.

Lou Yao had just whispered to her, and judging from their expressions, she knew it wasn't anything nice. Yet, Wu Xuanyi never seemed to be being led around.

"Then may Your Majesty give it to me? I will take it back and let the Crown Prince take good care of it, and try my best to make more flowers bloom in Your Majesty's courtyard tomorrow."

Wu Xuanyi walked towards the Empress with a smile on her face.

Her words undoubtedly showed her closeness to the Empress.

"I can give it to you, but you must have Long'er grow some other colors for me. I'm getting old and I like colorful flowers."

The Empress smiled kindly, her eyes sparkling with affection and expectation for Wu Xuanyi.

Wu Xuanyi readily agreed, and then had her personal maid carefully take the pot of pure white peony.

Lou Yao watched this scene from the side, her jealousy and hatred spreading like wildfire, impossible to contain.

She originally thought that with her beauty and family background, she would be able to secure a place in the harem. However, she never expected that both Xie Wanru's straightforwardness and decisiveness and Wu Xuanyi's gentleness and intelligence would make her feel threatened like never before.

"Lou Yao, come and take a look at these flowers. Is there any you like?"

The Empress suddenly called out Lou Yao's name, interrupting her thoughts.

Lou Yao forced a smile and walked closer to the flower bushes, but only casually pointed to one flower, her mind not on it at all.

The Empress noticed her absent-mindedness, sighed softly, but said nothing more. She was not Xiao Yan's biological mother, so she was naturally not as close to Lou Yao as Wu Xuanyi was.

However, the ladies standing nearby began to talk about having children as soon as they saw Wu Xuanyi.

Now that the Third Prince is married, if Lou Yao, the Third Princess Consort, were to give birth to the first imperial grandson, it would actually have an impact on the Crown Prince's position.

The ladies' words were tinged with probing and speculation. As Wu Xuanyi listened, her smile froze slightly, but she could only maintain her composure and gentleness.

"Ladies, you are truly worried and confused. The matter of offspring is a matter of fate. Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince and I are still young and have plenty of time," Wu Xuanyi replied softly, her words revealing a subtle but firm resolve.

Xie Wanru silently observed all of this, recalling Wu Xuanyi's situation after the Crown Prince was deposed in her previous life.

The couple were gentle, tolerant, and respectful to each other; they should have been a perfect couple.

"Your Majesty, Wanwan thinks the flowers in the garden are blooming beautifully today. How about we hold a flower-flying game?" Xie Wanru suddenly spoke up, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's eyes flashed with approval: "Good idea, Wanwan is truly quick-witted. Then let it be as you say, I will have someone prepare it right away."

Xie Wanru's suggestion not only diverted everyone's attention from the issue of offspring, but also made the atmosphere lively again.

Xie Wanru appeared beside Wu Xuanyi, who seemed lost in thought, and said, "Sister Wu, don't worry. You and His Highness the Crown Prince will surely get what you want when the peonies bloom."

In her previous life, the Crown Prince was deposed, and Wu Xuanyi became pregnant soon after. She originally thought that the arrival of the child would help the Crown Prince regain his spirits, but it didn't.

In this life, Xie Wanru will not only save her Xie family, but also help His Highness the Crown Prince stabilize his position.

"What did you say?"

Wu Xuanyi was puzzled. Peonies bloom in May, so how could Xie Wanru possibly know about something that would happen two months later? And how did she calculate whether she would get pregnant?

"I said that Sister Wu's wishes will come true, just like the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xie Wanru's gaze lingered on Wu Xuanyi's lower abdomen for a moment. "You don't need to wonder how I know. I am Master Xufeng's disciple. As a hermit, I have my own clever plans."

After saying that, Xie Wanru smiled gently.

Master Xufeng.

Legend has it that he was once a scion of a prominent family. By chance, he came to Mount Xuwu, where he not only possessed superb martial arts skills but was also extremely mysterious.

Wu Xuanyi didn't know if he could predict the future, but she always felt that this kind of person could tell fortunes, but she didn't know if he was accurate.

"Then, I'll take your good wishes."

Wu Xuanyi stopped investigating and simply took it as Xie Wanru's blessing.