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

Unlike the outside world, a warm breeze greets you as soon as you enter the peach orchard, carrying a faint fragrance in the air. It is surrounded by high walls, inside which peach trees are planted. When the wind blows, peach blossoms flutter down, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Within the Peach Garden stands an exquisite pavilion called "Peach Fragrance Pavilion," where the Ninth Princess resides and rests. The pavilion is surrounded by a variety of exotic flowers and rare herbs, offering different fragrances in each season.

The tea party was being held here, and many of the guests invited by the Ninth Princess had already arrived and were sitting in the courtyard chatting, drinking, and eating tea.

Upon entering the Peach Garden, Fang Menghe immediately spotted an acquaintance, Shen Ran, the daughter of Earl Su Yi. Like Fang Menghe, Shen Ran was born out of wedlock, and since they were both the third child in their families, the two hit it off immediately.

Fang Meng suddenly pulled her hand away from Fang Xiaoran's, saying with a hint of disdain, "Don't cling to me after you come in, or people will think I'm like you."

After saying that, Fang Menghe immediately went to find Shen Ran with a smile. Fang Xiaoran didn't want to pay attention to her and turned to walk towards Taoxiang Pavilion. However, she heard Shen Ran's slightly surprised voice behind her.

"Is this the sister you mentioned who was just found?"

"What do you mean 'found'? She ran back on her own, and as soon as she came back, she upset her mother. She really has a big ego."

"Really? But she looks so gentle and frail, she doesn't seem like the type to upset people. By the way, didn't your Fang family already have a daughter? Since that one was a fake heiress, what did you do with her?"

"What could be done? My father couldn't bear to part with her, so he adopted her. My grandmother doted on her like her own granddaughter, and sometimes she even dared to stand up to me..."

Realizing she had talked too much, Fang Menghe quickly changed the subject, "Never mind, let's not talk about this." She craned her neck to look out and muttered softly, "I wonder if the young master has arrived yet. I haven't seen him."

Fang Xiaoran arrived at the front courtyard of Peach Fragrance Pavilion and glanced around. There were quite a few familiar faces, but most of them were people she had no connection with. In her previous life, some of them even became her enemies. Zhao Jin did not ascend to the throne through legitimate means, so killing was inevitable.

As the first sharp sword in his hands, how could her hands not be stained with blood?

"Miss, there are many people over there. Should we go and say hello to them?" Ziju was also in this kind of situation for the first time and was a little at a loss.

Fang Xiaoran shook her head slightly, "No need, just go and pay your respects to the Ninth Princess."

The Ninth Princess was at Peach Fragrance Pavilion, so Fang Xiaoran came straight there. Upon entering, she saw the Ninth Princess chatting with Princess Changping. The two seemed quite happy, and she didn't know what they were talking about until a maid reminded the Ninth Princess that someone had arrived. She then slightly raised her eyes and glanced at Fang Xiaoran.

"This humble woman greets the Ninth Princess." Fang Xiaoran gave a slight bow, her demeanor dignified and graceful, which was unexpected.

“I know you. Third Brother often mentions you. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have invited you to this banquet.” As she spoke, the Ninth Princess put down the grapes and slowly walked towards Fang Xiaoran, circling around her and examining her carefully.

"You are indeed a rare beauty. Even in simple clothes, your charm is still undeniable. But beauty alone is not enough to catch Third Brother's eye. What is it about you that makes you so special and worthy of his favor?"

The Ninth Princess spoke slowly and deliberately, her eyes growing increasingly cold, her hostility towards Fang Xiaoran palpable.

In her previous life, Fang Xiaoran did not have a deep connection with the Ninth Princess. However, after marrying Zhao Jincheng, she was often made things difficult by the Ninth Princess. Although the Ninth Princess seemed to be very favored, she actually spent her whole life seeking but never finding a true love. In the end, she died in melancholy.

Fang Xiaoran replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "This humble woman has only met His Highness the Third Prince once. It was His Highness's kindness that led me home; otherwise, this humble woman would still be homeless."

"Oh? Then it seems that Third Brother is being overly concerned about you?"

"This is something I am unaware of."

"What do you mean, 'I don't know'?" The Ninth Princess was inexplicably furious. Just as she was about to explode, she inadvertently glanced at the jade hairpin in Fang Xiaoran's hair and her expression changed drastically. "Where did you get this hairpin?"

As she spoke, the Ninth Princess disregarded her image and tried to remove the jade hairpin directly from Fang Xiaoran's hair. However, Fang Xiaoran easily dodged her and coldly asked, "Does the princess know about this jade hairpin?"

Could it be related to the Ninth Princess? Fang Xiaoran felt a chill in her heart, and her eyes flashed with icy coldness.

Having missed her target and further annoyed by Fang Xiaoran's gaze, the Ninth Princess could no longer contain her anger and shouted sharply, "Guards! Seize her for me!"

Seeing this, Princess Changping immediately stood up and stopped the Ninth Princess, saying, "Princess, the tea party is about to begin, why bother arguing with her?"

As she spoke, Princess Changping winked at the woman in yellow beside her. The woman in yellow nodded slightly, walked over, and pulled Fang Xiaoran outside. "The peach blossoms in Peach Garden are also exceptional. This young lady hasn't seen them yet, has she? I'll take you to admire the flowers."

Knowing that Princess Changping was intentionally trying to extricate her from the predicament, Fang Xiaoran had her doubts, but it was not appropriate to confront the Ninth Princess here, so she simply used the princess as a way to leave Taoxiang Pavilion.

Seeing Fang Xiaoran leave, the Ninth Princess excitedly grabbed the hand of the Princess of Changping County, "I have seen that jade hairpin. It was his work. He is the only one in the world who could do it. Junning, I need to see him. Please help me."

After leaving Peach Blossom Garden, Fang Xiaoran was somewhat absent-minded. The Ninth Princess's reaction just now was enough to show that she knew about the jade hairpin, but she couldn't determine whether it was related to the hairpin or whether she cared about the person who made it.

Fang Xiaoran thought to herself, "It seems I need to find an opportunity to get information out of the Ninth Princess."

Just then, a soft "pfft" sound came from beside her. Fang Xiaoran turned her head in surprise and met a smiling face. The smile was unrestrained, bright and charming, full of vitality, and attracted people involuntarily.

Although they had no connection, Fang Xiaoran recognized her at a glance.

Wei Mingyue, the apple of the eye of the Duke of Rongguo, learned excellent skills from her master since childhood. She has a free and unrestrained personality and is very active. Like a red horse, she likes to gallop across the grassland without any restraint. She is completely out of place with the noble ladies of the capital city of Yancheng.

“The Ninth Princess’s willful and capricious nature can indeed be baffling, but you don’t need to worry about it.”

"Thank you for helping me out, Sister Wei." Fang Xiaoran bowed slightly.

Wei Mingbai waved his hand dismissively and said, "No need to thank me. If you really want to thank someone, you should thank the county princess. Alright, now that you're out, feel free to wander around. By the way, don't wear that jade hairpin anymore. Be careful that the Ninth Princess doesn't see it again and punish you."

Fang Xiaoran asked, "Does this jade hairpin have any history?"

"It's just related to the person Princess Jiu is looking for, but you're just a defective product. Just avoid her from now on, no need to worry."

A defective product? Fang Xiaoran subconsciously reached out to touch the jade hairpin, and when she looked up again, Wei Mingyue had already turned into a scorching wind and disappeared into the depths of the peach forest.

It seems that the person she is looking for and the person the Ninth Princess is looking for may be the same person.

"what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her. Fang Xiaoran turned around sharply, her eyes turning cold, and a chill ran through her heart.

It's Zhao Jin.