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

The carriage headed towards Peach Garden. Inside, Fang Menghe would occasionally pull back the curtain to look outside, and then sometimes she would put her hand down and tightly clutch her silk handkerchief, looking restless.

Fang Xiaoran knew that she was nervous.

Despite Fang Meng's domineering demeanor in the mansion, this was actually her first time attending such an occasion, and without Madam Wang's company, she was naturally quite nervous.

"Third sister, there's no need to be nervous. The Ninth Princess's tea party is for young people. Just go there, have some tea, and chat."

"Easy for you to say, as if you've been there yourself." Fang Menghe rolled her eyes and turned to look out of the car, ignoring her.

Fang Xiaoran smiled, but said nothing more.

Soon the carriage arrived outside Peach Garden. As expected of a tea party hosted by Ninth Master, all kinds of exquisite and gorgeous carriages were parked outside Peach Garden. From royal children to daughters of officials, everyone was dressed in their finest attire and had an elegant demeanor.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Fang Xiaoran and the others didn't even have time to get off and board the carriage behind them. Fang Xiaoqi had already gotten off and headed straight for the gate of Peach Garden.

Her peach blossom makeup and rouge-colored dress did attract a lot of attention. Fang Xiaoqi enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. She walked to the gate of the Peach Garden with a smile, but was stopped by the steward, "Please show your invitation, young lady."

Fang Xiaoqi looked embarrassed as she was so focused on getting into the Peach Garden that she forgot about this. "My sister is right behind me; the post is on her."

"Then please wait here for a moment, young lady." The father-in-law gestured for her to wait to the side. Fang Xiaoqi was too embarrassed to block the doorway, so she quietly moved to the side. She watched these young ladies from prestigious families arrive gracefully and felt very envious of the father-in-law's humble and obedient manner towards them.

A magnificent carriage, exuding an air of nobility, slowly approached. The five-clawed golden dragon carved on its body looked majestic, solemn, and lifelike. Just by looking at the carriage's appearance, one could tell that its owner was no ordinary person.

As the carriage arrived, everyone's eyes turned to it, and the atmosphere became unusually quiet.

The carriage stopped, the door opened, and the Third Prince Zhao Jin stepped out. He was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, wearing a golden crown and a pair of exquisite white jade and emerald rings around his waist. He exuded an elegant, composed, and noble air, especially his deep, cold eyes, which could send chills down one's spine with a single glance.

Many noble ladies were captivated by those eyes, feeling both fear and secret affection. The more dangerous and mysterious the feeling, the more attractive it became.

Among them was Fang Xiaoqi. This wasn't the first time she had seen Zhao Jin. When Zhao Jin escorted Fang Xiaoran back to the Fang family, she hid behind the screen and secretly peeked at him. She immediately fell in love with this noble and aloof third prince at first sight.

Of course, she was tempted, but more importantly, she had no one to back her up. If she could marry into the royal family, she could rise rapidly in her career. Ideally, the third prince would inherit the throne, and she would have a chance to become empress.

However, she never expected that the arrival of the Third Prince would take away the rightful place of the Fang family's legitimate daughter from her, leaving her an isolated and helpless adopted daughter. Fortunately, her grandmother took pity on her and her father still loved her, otherwise she would have been unable to move an inch in the Fang family.

How could she bear to give up something she had finally managed to get her hands on?

As she watched the man approaching, she felt hatred, but more than anything, she wanted to get his attention. So she paused for a moment, and as Zhao Jin stepped onto the steps, she pretended to slip and fall forward. The maid beside her didn't even have time to react.

"Miss..." The maid was startled and tried to help her up, but someone beat her to it. A pair of strong hands gently supported Fang Xiaoqi's arm so that she wouldn't fall. After she was steadied, she was sent back to the maid's side. "Hold your young lady steady, and be careful not to offend the Third Prince."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoqi looked up in surprise, just in time to meet Zhao Jin's deep eyes. He seemed to be scrutinizing her, then suddenly frowned slightly, his voice turning somewhat cold, "A young lady from the Fang family?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I am the fifth daughter of the Fang family, named Xiaoqi, and also Fang Xiaoran's older sister." She excitedly tried to introduce herself, even mentioning Fang Xiaoran, hoping to leave an impression on Zhao Jin. However, Zhao Jin didn't care about her at all and simply asked, "Where is Fang Xiaoran? Why isn't she here?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jin cared so much about Fang Xiaoran, which made Fang Xiaoqi unhappy, but she didn't want to show it, so she smiled and replied, "She is ill and unable to leave the manor. I hope Your Highness will forgive her."

"Is that so?" Zhao Jin narrowed his eyes and said to his guard, "Go to the Fang family."

After saying that, he swept his long sleeves and entered the peach garden, leaving Fang Xiaoqi clutching her sleeves tightly.

Fang Xiaoran, Fang Xiaoran, a wild girl who just returned from the mountains, is she really worth the Third Prince's concern?

While she was still consumed by jealousy, Fang Menghe walked up briskly, deliberately glanced at Fang Xiaoqi, presented the invitation, and pulled Fang Xiaoran towards the Peach Garden. Seeing this, the maid quickly reminded them, and Fang Xiaoqi immediately came over to stop them, "Third sister, what do you mean by this?"

Fang Menghe pretended not to know, "What do you mean? Fifth sister is also here to attend the Ninth Princess's tea party? I wonder if you have an invitation? Oh dear, I heard that the princess only has two spots on the invitation. I'm sorry, Fifth sister, Third sister can't take you in today."

Seeing them about to go in, Fang Xiaoqi shouted, "Wait, Third Sister, you seem to have forgotten that Father told me to come with you, but it has nothing to do with her."

This "she" is naturally Fang Xiaoran. In Fang Xiaoqi's view, if Fang Xiaoran hadn't suddenly returned, she wouldn't have been unable to hold onto her position as the eldest daughter of the Fang family. Of course, she resented someone who tried to take everything away from her.

But she seemed to have forgotten that all of this should have belonged to Fang Xiaoran.

Fang Xiaoran chuckled and said, "Fifth sister, don't get involved with things that don't belong to you, or you might not live to enjoy them."

"What did you say?!" Fang Xiaoqi was furious, but Fang Xiaoran didn't care about her at all. She pulled Fang Menghe into the Peach Garden, not even giving Fang Xiaoqi a chance to vent her anger. She chased after them in anger, but was stopped by the eunuch at the gate. "Miss, you haven't received the invitation yet?"

These words, spoken in front of everyone, made Fang Xiaoqi blush with embarrassment. Everyone else had invitations to enter, but she didn't. Standing there, she was stopped twice by her father-in-law. Wasn't it obvious that she had come uninvited? Who knew how many people were watching her make a fool of herself?

Although she wasn't exactly spoiled growing up, she was still firmly in the position of the eldest daughter of the Fang family, and she couldn't bear such humiliation. She immediately covered her face and ran away.

"Please slow down, young lady," the maid whispered a reminder, but Fang Xiaoqi didn't care. She just wanted to get away from this eyesore as soon as possible. As a result, she was moving too fast and didn't notice that someone was walking towards her. She bumped into someone instantly.

Fang Xiaoqi was bumped and stumbled backward. As she fell, a hand grabbed her firmly. With a slight pull, she regained her balance. Just as she was about to speak, she met a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes. "Be careful."

"I'm so sorry..." She panicked and opened her mouth, hurriedly apologized, and left without looking back. Watching her departing figure, Xiao Shitou, who was pushing the wheelchair, tilted his head and said, "Young master, is that also a girl from the Fang family?"

Gu Yuqing ignored him and said only, "Let's go, there are still people waiting for me to play chess."