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

Hearing the sound, Chunxia looked over and saw Fang Xiaoran leisurely appear behind Fang Menghe. Startled, her voice trembled, "Sixth, Sixth Miss..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Menghe turned around and met Fang Xiaoran's smiling face. Her expression immediately changed, and she stood up abruptly. However, she accidentally bumped her knee on the stone table, causing her to gasp in pain.

Seeing this, Chunxia quickly stepped forward to help her up. The two, mistress and servant, hurriedly distanced themselves from Fang Xiaoran. Fang Menghe rubbed her knees while looking Fang Xiaoran up and down, "You, you didn't have the plague, what are you doing here?"

Fang Xiaoran walked over casually, sat down at the table and chair, and smiled faintly, "I was sick, but I'm better now. Thank you for your concern, Third Sister."

"Who cares about you!" Fang Menghe was furious, but then she thought about it and felt something was wrong. She looked Fang Xiaoran up and down with doubt in her eyes. "That shouldn't be the case. You had a rash all over your face and were spitting blood. How could you have gotten better so easily?"

Fang Menghe still vividly remembers that look and is still afraid of catching some disease from her. Fortunately, it hasn't flared up for so long.

Fang Xiaoran smiled and said, "Perhaps I am just lucky and have a long life ahead of me. Heaven wants me to live a few more days."

"She looks like she'll die young, but she's incredibly lucky," Fang Meng said kindly. The pain in her knee had also eased somewhat. She carefully glanced at Fang Xiaoran and saw that Fang Xiaoran's complexion was rosy and her spirits were high, showing no signs of illness at all. It seemed that she was really well.

This disappointed her somewhat, but since she had recovered, she might as well make use of it.

Fang Meng and Weiwei steadied themselves, straightened their backs, and asked rather condescendingly, "Did you come to see me to attend the Ninth Princess's tea party? I can let you go, but you have to listen to me in everything and put me first. Don't be like your sister of unknown origin who always tries to show off. Look at her."

Compared to the other young ladies in the manor, Fang Menghe was straightforward and decisive. She always acted on impulse, rushing forward without considering the consequences. This was probably because she had been pampered since childhood, which fostered her arrogant and spoiled nature.

Compared to someone like Fang Yunyao who is all bark and no bite, it's easier to guard against someone who directly confronts you with a knife. Of course, people like Fang Meng always like to bully the weak. If you were to ask who in the mansion bullies Fang Xiaoran the most, besides Fang Xiaoqi, it would be her.

Fang Xiaoran naturally didn't like her, but people with such a straightforward temper are the easiest to manipulate.

In her previous life, Fang Xiaoran was trapped in the North Residence and was unable to attend the tea party. Fang Xiaoqi took her place, but it was only thanks to Zhao Jin that she was able to barely catch the tail end of the tea party. Unfortunately, she was ridiculed by many people when she finally arrived. At that time, she did not know etiquette and was not well-versed in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, which caused her to embarrass herself in public. Later, it was Zhao Jin who helped her out of the predicament.

It was because of that rescue that she developed feelings for Zhao Jin, which led her to give him everything later on.

Looking back now, was attending that tea party really necessary? Why did Zhao Jin go to such lengths to get her to go? He just wanted to see her lose face and have no one else to rely on.

Therefore, she could attend the tea party, but she would have to go through other channels, such as Fang Menghe.

Fang Xiaoran tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Father has already decided that you and Fifth Sister will attend, so how does Third Sister plan to take me?"

Fang Menghe snorted coldly, "The invitation is in my hands. I can bring whoever I want."

……

While searching through the cabinet, Ziju asked worriedly, "Miss, will the Third Miss really take you? What if she suddenly changes her mind?"

"No, her goal isn't to take me, but to get rid of Fang Xiaoqi," Fang Xiaoran said nonchalantly.

"I see." Ziju nodded slightly, then piled all the clothes she had taken out of the closet onto the bed. Looking at the plain-colored dresses, she was quite worried. "Wouldn't it be a bit too bland to attend a tea party dressed entirely in plain clothes?"

Qinglan walked in carrying two neatly packed clothes, and sighed helplessly, "These are all things that the concubine prepared for the young lady, there aren't many in total."

It's heartbreaking to say, but Fang Xiaoran, a legitimate daughter, had a lifestyle where she was treated worse than the nanny around Madam Wang. This shows how little she was valued on a daily basis.

Fearing that Fang Xiaoran might feel uncomfortable, Ziju quickly smoothed things over, saying, "After all, our young lady has only been back for a short time."

Qinglan pouted, "It hasn't been long, but we still celebrated the Spring Festival. What family doesn't buy new clothes for the Spring Festival?"

Seeing that Qinglan was being tactless, Ziju glared at her fiercely. Realizing that she had said the wrong thing, Qinglan quickly shut up and silently straightened her clothes.

“Miss, these clothes are probably not presentable. You’ll be laughed at if you go to a tea party like that. How about I go and get you some new clothes?” Ziju looked troubled.

Fang Xiaoran laughed, "It's just a tea party, no need to be nervous. Besides, can I dress more glamorously than the Ninth Princess? And do you even have the money to buy me new clothes?"

Now Ziju shook her head dejectedly, "No..."

Fang Xiaoran actually had that much money. She and He Chunming worked together, and the cost of her consultations alone was quite substantial. Buying new clothes was naturally within her means. However, she felt that this kind of tea party was unnecessary. After all, it was a tea party hosted by Jiu Gong, and overstepping her bounds would inevitably arouse jealousy.

Fang Xiaoran casually pointed and said, "I think that light green pleated skirt is pretty good. Let's take it."

"Isn't it a bit too plain? What kind of headdress should we use to match it?" Qinglan frowned.

Speaking of headdresses, Fang Xiaoran smiled slightly, "Bring me my Jiuxiang Huichun box."

Inside the box lay an exquisite jade hairpin. Its entire body was pure white, radiating a warm luster. The hairpin head was carved into a half-open orchid, with layers upon layers of petals, delicate and lifelike. A moon-white gemstone was inlaid at the stamen, like a star adorning the night sky. The hairpin body was carved with exquisite patterns, with smooth and natural lines, demonstrating its superb craftsmanship.

Upon seeing it, Ziju exclaimed in surprise, "This jade hairpin is quite unique, and it really complements your pleated skirt, Miss."

Both being simple and elegant items, they naturally complement each other. However, Fang Xiaoran took out this jade hairpin not to match her dress, but to take the opportunity to find the famous craftsman who made the hairpin.

She thought that someone with such craftsmanship must be an extraordinary person, and if she could find this person, perhaps she could find the murderer who killed her mother.

There might be someone who appreciates such things at the Ninth Princess's tea party; hopefully, we won't disappoint her.

Three days later, Fang Xiaoran arrived at the Fang residence gate as promised and was hurriedly called to the carriage by Fang Menghe. As soon as she got in the carriage, she heard Chunxia say in a sarcastic tone, "Fifth Miss, you've arrived so early. This outfit must have been specially prepared for you by the Old Madam. It looks really good."

Fang Xiaoqi specially wore a rouge-woven cloud-patterned dress this time. The skirt flowed like smoke and clouds, making her already fair skin appear even whiter. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, adorned with a few peach blossoms. Combined with her gentle, charming, and lively peach blossom makeup, she looked even more beautiful and captivating.

In reality, Fang Xiaoqi wasn't a particularly exquisite beauty; at best, she was just a girl from a modest family, and that was only because of her clothing and makeup.

"Grandmother said that I have no one to rely on in the mansion, so she takes extra care of me. It's definitely not intentional favoritism. Chunxia, ​​don't tell these things to Third Sister and ruin the friendship between us sisters."

These seemingly casual words caused Chunxia's expression to change drastically. She hurriedly tried to explain, but Fang Xiaoqi had already walked towards the carriage parked behind, not giving Chunxia a chance to continue speaking.

Having suffered a loss she couldn't speak of, Chunxia hurriedly walked to the carriage curtain and stammered, "Miss, I didn't mean that..."

"I know what kind of person she is. She throws you into a panic with just a casual remark. She's utterly useless." Fang Menghe angrily lowered the carriage curtain and ordered the carriage to depart. Turning back, she glared at Fang Xiaoran, who was sitting in the carriage with her, and said irritably, "What are you dressed like? So plain and tattered, like you're going to a funeral."

Fang Xiaoran looked up casually, "Third sister, be careful what you say."