The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

In Lin Jiabao's eyes, that smile was a provocation.

Princess Jialuo dragged her daughter down to her knees again, pinching her arm hard with her hand hidden in her sleeve. "Why don't you apologize like the Empress Dowager! Even if you're angry that Her Highness was thrown into the temple by Princess Jinghe back then, you should pick your time to cause trouble. Bringing that dark-faced girl out to humiliate her is too hasty!"

In just a few words, the stupid things Lin Jiabao did were made clear.

"Your Majesty, it's all my fault. I just can't swallow this insult. Besides, without your support all these years, Princess Mingxia has become incredibly arrogant, constantly making things difficult for my daughter and me."

"Since this abandoned woman's daughter returned, she's been at odds with the Han family! If you were to bestow a marriage upon her and Lord Luo—"

"Shut up!" Princess Jialuo quickly stopped her. "Does the Empress Dowager need your advice on what to do? You should behave yourself today. The envoy from Yun Kingdom will be entering the palace tonight. Don't embarrass the royal family."

Some things are best left unsaid; saying too much will only hinder success.

"Get up!" Empress Dowager Liu's complexion had improved noticeably. "Invite those noblewomen and young ladies in. I will take care of this dark-faced girl's marriage."

When she left the palace to go to the temple, Jinghe, the Xu Prince's Mansion, and others did a lot of work to help her.

These accounts need to be settled step by step.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, those ladies and young ladies have already gone to the Empress's side." A nanny entered and reported with her head bowed, her voice growing softer and softer.

Those people all held official titles, so how could these servants dare to obstruct them?

The Empress Dowager is angry today, and we servants can only endure it.

Having been away from the palace for many years, the palace had long been the domain of the Empress. With the addition of the Noble Consort and other concubines who had gained influence, it was no surprise that these ladies, who always fawned over the powerful and looked down on the weak, did not take the Empress Dowager seriously.

The messenger kept her head down, letting Empress Dowager Liu stare at her.

She was just a servant; how could she possibly stop those ladies? They all held official titles, and their status depended on their husbands.

Lin Jiabao, standing by, started stirring things up again, "Those people really don't respect the Empress Dowager! Before you even gave the word, they went to see the Empress!"

Princess Jialuo: "..."

What's wrong with that brat today? How could a young lady say such things? This isn't the inner quarters of Prince Chen's mansion, and the Empress Dowager isn't the old Princess Consort. A single wrong word might not matter at the time, but it could make things difficult for her afterward.

Empress Dowager Liu gave Lin Jiabao a cold glare. "Later, I will bestow two palace maids upon Miss Lin. She is about to marry the First Prince, so it would be best if she familiarized herself with the palace rules as soon as possible."

Princess Jialuo couldn't stop her daughter from courting disaster, so she sat silently to the side, already plotting how to make amends to Empress Dowager Liu.

Emperor Chuyuan currently has four princes. The second and third princes have already been granted titles and moved out of the palace. The fourth prince is the legitimate son of the Empress and has not yet been granted a title.

The eldest son of the Crown Prince got nothing and is still living in the palace.

Her silly daughter hadn't yet grasped the Empress Dowager's sarcastic and mocking tone, nor the veiled criticism of the Lin family's poor manners.

This child usually seems quite clever, but he seems like a completely different person when he's around this dark-skinned girl. What he did today was really stupid.

After expressing her gratitude, Lin Jiabao instead started joking and amusing herself in front of Empress Dowager Liu.

Empress Dowager Liu glanced at Princess Jialuo indifferently, "Jialuo, you shouldn't always think about being with your husband. You need to put more effort into raising this girl."

Princess Jialuo had already decided to give up, so she listened silently and didn't intend to say anything more.

Empress Dowager Liu's return this time was different from the past.

Having lived in the mountains for so many years, his temperament has become even more unpredictable than before.

"Go and have Min'er come over! In a little while, have Min'er go with Miss Lin. It's her first time entering the palace, and she doesn't know many things. Let her guide her."

Empress Dowager Liu gave the order.

Princess Jialuo had no choice but to agree.

She felt even more resentful towards her daughter.

Now that we've gotten involved with the Liu family, it won't be so easy to shake them off later.

Princess Jialuo put her mind at ease and decided to discuss with her husband how to deal with the Liu family after returning home that evening.

It seems from today's perspective that the Empress Dowager still harbored great ambitions for power.

The banquet is about to begin, and someone has already come to invite Empress Dowager Liu.

A young woman emerged from Empress Dowager Liu's bedchamber; it was Liu Min.

Princess Jialuo subtly observed Empress Dowager Liu's grandniece, a sense of crisis rising within her.

She's so good-looking, and Bao'er is taking care of her. Could it be that she's taken a liking to the eldest prince?

The Lin family and the Chen Prince's Mansion lost a lot because of the title of the First Prince's Consort. They were already trying to send someone into the First Prince's harem before she even got married.

If this girl really becomes the Crown Prince's woman, won't her precious baby be left to live a life of widowhood?

Liu Min is just too beautiful.

Her face was only the size of a palm, her waist was so small it could be encircled with one hand, and her clothes perfectly outlined her figure.

She's a fairy.

The Liu family's ambitions didn't subside; instead, they became even bolder.

Princess Jialuo knew a lot about what happened back then, and the Liu family even wanted to become powerful maternal relatives.

They had the will, but not the fate.

Empress Dowager Liu came from an obscure background; if anything, one could only describe her as of lowly birth.

She used to be a foot-washing maid.

It was only by seizing the opportunity to sit on the late emperor's throne that I have achieved the glory I have today.

It could be said that the Liu family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke. They never imagined that what was once a desperate struggle for survival, leading them to sell their daughter into the palace as a slave, would one day become the maternal family of the Empress Dowager.

The Liu family members were so eager to rise up that they were obsessed with being ennobled and appointed to high positions. Empress Dowager Liu was also influenced and made some mistakes.

Liu Min had a sweet tongue, and in no time she had won Lin Jiabao over to call her her sister.

Princess Jialuo's eyes darkened, and she couldn't help but regret it: she should have run away earlier. The Liu family's ambitions are so great; if things go wrong, they will become the Liu family's stepping stones. With Jinghe and the Grand Princess leading the way, she and her daughter should have escaped. Bao'er shouldn't have stepped forward.

Princess Jing and the others had no idea that all of this had happened.

After they left, they bumped into the Han family again.

Princess Mingxia saw Han Cuiyin's outfit and made a few sarcastic remarks.

However, with Princess Jinghe standing in front of her, Princess Mingxia stopped short of going too far.

Han Cuiyin was somewhat disappointed. The palace was different from what she had imagined. She wanted to stand out, but she had no chance.

Princess Mingxia and her two daughters were well-behaved, unlike Lin Jiabao who suddenly went mad.

"Her Majesty the Empress is in the Imperial Garden. Grand Princess, please go there quickly. The Dowager Lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is also there." Her Majesty the Empress already knew about what happened at Cining Palace and sent Granny Qi to welcome them.

Granny Qi then said to Princess Mingxia, "Princess, you should go too. The ladies from the various households are all there talking."

Upon hearing this, Han Cuiyin was overjoyed, as the Imperial Garden was said to be the place in the palace where the most accidents occurred.

Once she got there, someone would surely cause her trouble. She glanced at Han Yueshi furtively, already having a plan in mind.