So satisfying! The Great Demon King wiped out everyone equally!

Canglan led her to his boudoir and asked curiously as soon as they entered, "Your name is Yurou and her name is Yaoguang? You've been pampered since childhood, yet she was sent to the estate. I really don't understand which one your parents favored?"

(Note: Yao Guang is the seventh star of the Big Dipper in ancient Chinese astrology. It is associated with auspicious omens and was often linked to the royal family in ancient times.)

"Sigh! I overheard it too." Qin Yurou looked around for a while before slowly leaning close to Cang Lan's ear: "You have no idea how..."

After Qin Yurou finished speaking in her tongue, she thought Cang Lan would be shocked or at a loss, but she didn't expect him to have no reaction at all.

"Why aren't you excited at all!"

"So what? I don't plan to have any interaction with her. I'll just give her a gift and then we'll be nodding acquaintances."

Qin Yurou's excited heart calmed down after Cang Lan said that. At the same time, she was glad that she only told Zhao Hua, otherwise their Qin family would be finished.

"Okay, then I'll try to be acquainted with her from now on."

Cang Lan suddenly reached out and unexpectedly tapped Qin Yurou on the head.

"Do you think you'd hear these words so easily? If it weren't intentional, they probably would have silenced you on the spot." As he spoke, Canglan made a throat-slitting gesture.

Qin Yurou, whose head was still a little sore from being hit by Cang Lan, immediately swallowed nervously. "You mean they did it on purpose? What's the point of me hearing that? I'll only tell you!"

Canglan remained noncommittal. The other party was certain that Qin Yurou would tell her the news accurately, so what was the point of telling her?

With Zhao Hua staring at her like that, Qin Yurou realized that the other party wanted to use her to inform Zhao Hua, so wasn't she being used?

"What is her purpose? What good will it do you even if you know?"

"Not very good?" Cang Lan then reached into the box and took out an exquisite gold hairpin.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating the golden hairpin and making it shimmer with dazzling light.

Holding a golden hairpin, Cang Lan slowly stood up, her eyes casual and composed. "If we don't go back now, Qin Yaoguang will really think I'm afraid of her."

Qin Yurou, standing to the side, was still dazed and seemed not to have recovered from what had just happened. She could only mechanically follow Cang Lan.

The two walked into the hall together, and Canglan handed the gold hairpin to Qin Yaoguang, saying casually, "This gold hairpin is a gift for my sister. May my sister shine as brightly as Yaoguang and have all her wishes fulfilled."

Qin Yaoguang was slightly taken aback, then a look of understanding flashed in her eyes. She reached out and took the gold hairpin. Her eyes met Canglan's, and they both understood each other's deeper meaning.

Qin Yaoguang smiled gently, "No rush, there's plenty of time ahead, and anyone can predict what might happen!"

Qin Yurou stood there dumbfounded, her face full of confusion, completely baffled by the conversation between the two.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai felt his head buzzing. The host had been talking to Qin Yaoguang for a long time, but he hadn't understood a single word, and it seemed that the other party wasn't gaining the upper hand...

Just then, an announcement came from outside the door: "Princess, Zhao, the old woman from the General's Mansion, requests an audience!"

"Let her in."

Before long, Granny Zhao hurried in. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed that there were still guests in the hall, so she decided to leave first and talk later.

Cang Lan slightly raised her eyes and said softly, "Granny, just say what's wrong. Has Xie Xing'er caused any trouble again?"

Granny Zhao was slightly taken aback. Seeing that the princess did not avoid others, she said, "The princess is intelligent. Xie Xing'er actually asked to go to Chongwen Academy to study with the princess. I don't know why, but the general agreed."

That's all!

Cang Lan's lips twitched, and he said domineeringly, "Let her go."

Granny Zhao was immediately extremely anxious. "Princess, you mustn't! What if she seduces a prince at Chongwen Academy..."

Qin Yaoguang seized the opportunity, chuckled, and said, "Granny Zhao, there's no need to worry. Chongwen Academy is a place that always flatters the powerful and bullies the weak. What trouble could a mere adopted daughter possibly cause?"

Cang Lan nodded in agreement. She knew that Xie Xing'er's greatest advantage in becoming Empress in her previous life was her status as the legitimate daughter of a general's family. Now, she was merely an adopted daughter, no different from a palace maid with no status.

Would Li Yu still love her as much as he did in his previous life and make her his empress?

After thinking for a moment, Granny Zhao agreed. Xie Xing'er's current status was at most that of a concubine, and could never be higher.

A month later, everyone at Chongxue Academy knew that General Xie's adopted daughter was in love with the Ninth Prince Li Yu, not to mention Li Yu's mother, the Empress.

Therefore, the Empress specially held a grand flower-viewing banquet, inviting noble ladies from various families to the palace. Xie Xing'er, as the adopted daughter of the General's Mansion, was also among the invitees.

He then ordered his men to quietly approach Xie Xing'er, and taking advantage of her unpreparedness, suddenly pushed her out of the crowd.

Xie Xing'er stumbled and fell to the ground in a disheveled state, her face full of astonishment.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene, but many people knew that this was the Empress's way of putting Xie Xing'er in a tough spot.

The Empress immediately darkened her face and glared at Xie Xing'er, "Xie Xing'er, what are you doing? How can you be so reckless and rude? What kind of behavior is this?"

Although Xie Xing'er had never seen such a scene before, she had watched a lot of palace dramas. At this moment, she had to remain calm and composed. She first needed to find the person who framed her. "Your Majesty, someone must have deliberately framed me. Someone pushed me from behind. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for me."

After saying that, she glared fiercely at Cang Lan, as if afraid others wouldn't know who she was talking about.

Canglan: Do you even have a brain?!

Seeing Xie Xing'er standing there straight, showing no intention of kneeling to beg for forgiveness, the Empress's face grew even darker. She shouted angrily, "Xie Xing'er, how dare you! You still dare to argue? How dare you be so disrespectful in front of me? Are you openly defying me?"

Xie Xing'er was so frightened that she knelt down abruptly and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, I did not mean to do it, but I must have been harmed by someone with ulterior motives. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty."

In his mind, he was calling for the Favorability System, but with Cang Lan present, the system dared not utter a sound... so he could only pretend to crash.

At this moment, the Empress frowned deeply; she was a thoughtful person.

"You are so ignorant of the rules. If you are not punished today, who knows what trouble you will cause in the future. Let me teach you a lesson on behalf of General Xie. Your words and actions just now were not in accordance with etiquette and norms in many ways."

When you walk, your steps are unsteady, lacking grace; when you bow, your posture is not elegant enough, lacking respect. All of this is inappropriate. After the banquet, you will stay behind alone.”

At this moment, Xie Xing'er didn't care what the Empress said and hurriedly agreed. She understood that the Empress was warning her because of the Ninth Prince's matter, and that even Xie Wu couldn't save her.

And so, Xie Xing'er was forced to begin a three-month course in etiquette.

Every morning, she was awakened by the nannies and began to repeat tedious rituals. Any slight mistake would result in severe reprimands and punishments.