After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

Fang Mansion, located in the north.

Qinglan was carrying a basin of water and pacing anxiously outside Fang Xiaoran's room. Ziju happened to pass by and, noticing her pale face, asked, "What's wrong? Hasn't the young lady woken up yet?"

"No, it's been almost two hours. Could something have happened to you, Miss?" Qinglan said anxiously.

Ziju's expression changed drastically. "Two hours? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"What do we do now? The young lady said that we are not allowed to enter her room without her permission. But Ziju, what if something happens to the young lady and we don't find out in time? That would be our dereliction of duty."

"This is a problem. Let's knock on the door and see what happens."

With Fang Xiaoran's orders, Ziju dared not barge in, and could only try knocking on the door, "Miss, are you awake? This servant will help you wash up."

However, there was no response. The two maids' faces grew increasingly grim, and they unconsciously increased the intensity of their knocking, but still, no one answered.

Now, not only Qinglan, but Ziju was also thrown into chaos.

Qinglan said urgently, "Why don't we break down the door and go in to see what's going on?"

Ziju was somewhat troubled. "But the young lady said that we are not allowed to enter without her permission."

“The situation is different now. What if something happens to the girl? Ziju, step aside. I'll take responsibility if anything happens.”

As Qinglan was about to ram the door, Fang Xiaoran's voice came from behind, "What are you doing?"

Upon hearing the voice, the two of them immediately jumped and turned around abruptly, only to see Fang Xiaoran standing in the courtyard, looking at them strangely, and seemingly a little angry.

Seeing this, Ziju pulled Qinglan down to kneel down immediately and explained, "Miss, you've been napping for too long. We were worried something might have happened to you, so..."

This time it did take a bit longer than usual. If Gu Yuqing hadn't taken her to see Zheng Mama, she wouldn't have been noticed by Ziju and the others if she had returned at the usual time.

Fang Xiaoran looked at the two maids kneeling on the ground, their faces filled with fear, especially Qinglan. After the last incident, Qinglan was very afraid of her and even dared not look her in the eye.

In her past life, she had been too kind to her maid, which led to the maid stabbing her in the back. Therefore, Fang Xiaoran decided to use both kindness and strictness in the future, not giving them any chance to overstep their bounds.

"Get up. I woke up early today, so I went out for a walk for a while. By the way, are they still keeping an eye on things?"

The "they" here refers to the Wang family, who haven't appeared since she thought Fang Xiaoran had contracted the plague.

Ziju shook her head and said, "I haven't been here much lately, young lady. Spring is just around the corner, and I reckon the master will lift your confinement soon."

“Yes, spring is just around the corner, and the Fang residence should be bustling with activity.” Fang Xiaoran narrowed her eyes, a hint of coldness in them.

"She's still alive? How long has it been? Are you sure it's the plague?"

Upon hearing the servants' report on Fang Xiaoran's situation, Madam Wang gripped her teacup tightly. More than two months had passed, and Fang Xiaoran was still full of energy, completely contrary to her plans. If this continued, it would be impossible for her to get the key before her son's wedding.

If she can't get the key, her grand wedding will be ruined, and the whole of Kyoto will laugh at her and look down on her.

The servant looked embarrassed and said, "This... I don't know either."

"Could she be faking illness?" Madam Wang gritted her teeth, her face turning pale with anger.

Fang Menghe said in surprise, "No way, she's vomiting blood, how could it be fake... Maybe it's not the plague at all, but she is indeed seriously ill, and someone is secretly treating her. By the way, her mother knows medicine, right? What if she knows it too?"

"She can't even leave the courtyard, so where would she get the medicine?"

"Maybe someone bought it for her secretly. Those two girls with her eyes are shifty and probably do this kind of petty theft."

"Alright, none of that matters. The important thing is to get the key as soon as possible." Mrs. Wang pinched the bridge of her nose in anger. Time was of the essence; she didn't have much time left and had to act quickly.

At this moment, Fang Menghe suddenly said, "Why don't we just burn down the North Residence, then have someone sneak in and take out the key? As for the person, if she survives by chance, that's lucky; if she dies by accident, it'll be good to get rid of this thorn in our side."

Madam Wang shook her head. "No, if your father knew that we had the key, he would definitely be suspicious."

“Just say it was entrusted to you before she died. Anyway, you and she seem to be quite close on the surface. Father loves you so much, how could he suspect anything?”

"That's true," Wang muttered to herself, but she still couldn't make up her mind.

With early spring approaching, the peach blossoms in Taoyuan, south of the city, have already bloomed. It is said that Taoyuan has hot springs and warm fragrant jade, making the place warmer than other places, and one can come here to escape the cold in the dead of winter.

This peach garden was bestowed upon the Ninth Princess by His Majesty when she was young. Consort Yu died in childbirth due to postpartum hemorrhage. Emperor Zhao was deeply grieved and doted on the Ninth Princess even more. Because the Ninth Princess was weak, he granted her special permission to leave the palace and come here to escape the cold during the harsh winter, an honor that many princes and nobles did not have.

Seeing the peach blossoms in full bloom, the princess specially held a tea party, inviting noblemen, aristocratic young men, and daughters of prominent families to come and have tea. Many noble ladies hoped to take this opportunity to find a good husband for their daughters.

Originally, the Fang family was not qualified to be invited to such a tea party, but they suddenly received an invitation. The person who sent the invitation was none other than the attendant of the Third Prince Zhao Jin, who specifically instructed that the eldest daughter of the Fang family should attend the tea party.

Needless to say, the legitimate daughter is still the only legal wife of the Fang family, even though Bai Qiqi has left the mansion.

Upon receiving the invitation, Madam Wang nearly fainted from anger. It took her a long time to recover. "He specifically instructed that the eldest daughter should go. I think it was the Third Prince's idea. I heard that he and the Ninth Princess have always been close, so the Ninth Princess naturally listens to him."

Madam Qian poured a glass of water for Madam Wang and turned to comfort her, saying, "The Third Prince and that girl have a close relationship. If it weren't for the Third Prince, she wouldn't be able to return to the Fang family. But you don't need to worry about it. She's a wild girl who's been out and about for many years. She doesn't even know basic etiquette. If she goes, she'll only embarrass herself. Besides, she's sick right now. You can just find an excuse to decline. The important thing is that our young lady goes. This is a great opportunity. What if the sons of those noble families take a liking to our young lady? Once she marries into the Earl's mansion, who will dare to say a word against you?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang smiled with relief, "That's true, I just hope Meng'er can live up to expectations."

Madam Wang originally intended to suppress this matter, since apart from Fang Xiaoran, the legitimate eldest daughter, no one else was truly qualified to attend the tea party. However, the princess's invitation had two seats, meaning that besides Fang Xiaoran, there was another person who could attend, and she naturally had to reserve that seat for her own daughter.

But the truth eventually came out, and the news spread throughout the mansion the very next day.