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Qiao Ran was dazzled by the ladies and young women surrounding her. She rubbed her eyes and went to the pavilion to help serve tea and arrange fruit and snacks for the ladies and young women who would be resting after admiring the flowers. Because she was wearing the clothes of a palace maid from the Empress's palace, she was not conspicuous at all while she was busy.

After preparing for almost an hour, they finally heard voices outside the pavilion, "Miss, please sit here for a while."

Qiao Ran didn't know which noble family's daughter she was from in the capital, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She couldn't say she envied them, but sometimes she felt that their pampered lives must be quite boring day after day.

Since someone had arrived, Qiao Ran carefully retreated to the back. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a green figure, and as her gaze fell, someone softly called out, "Sister Qiao?"

Qiao Ran looked up, and by sheer coincidence, the green-clad figure was Chen Jinning. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and delight. Today, she was dressed up for the occasion, which amplified her already beautiful appearance countless times.

Qiao Ran was also surprised, "A-Ning?"

Chen Jinning was more familiar with palace etiquette. She dismissed the maids around her, leaving them to stand guard outside, before quickly walking to Qiao Ran's side and taking her hand. "Sister Qiao, what are you doing here?"

Qiao Ran felt as if she had met a relative when she was stranded and starving. She almost burst into tears. She said, "It's a long story, Aning. I'm so happy to see you."

“Me too,” Chen Jinning said. “I thought that after our last parting, it would be hard to see Sister Qiao again. I didn’t expect to meet her at Kunning Palace.”

The two exchanged a few pleasantries when a maidservant came in and said, "Miss, Her Majesty the Empress is coming this way with her entourage."

Chen Jinning's anxiety was evident on his face. "Sister Qiao."

Qiao Ran gently comforted her, "We'll talk about it later."

"I was wondering why Aning disappeared in the blink of an eye; turns out she was hiding here to cool off."

"Your Majesty the Empress." Chen Jinning withdrew her gaze from Qiao Ran and bowed to the Empress.

The Empress was as kind and dignified as her voice suggested. She had a gentle and approachable demeanor, and a faint smile always played on her lips. Her round face was adorned with exquisite makeup, and her hair was styled with a phoenix hairpin. Her vermilion dress was complemented by the colorful dresses of the ladies and young women, which further accentuated her regal bearing.

Qiao Ran only knew that the current emperor was in his prime, so the empress was only in her early thirties. Everyone who saw her would sigh that she was a beauty of unparalleled grace.

As soon as the Empress entered, a large group of ladies and young women who were tired from admiring the flowers followed her in. Leading the group was the Prime Minister's wife, Madam Chen. Madam Chen stepped forward and took Chen Jinning's arm. The two stood together and stood out in the crowd.

Chen was very fair-skinned, and even after giving birth to Chen Jiu and Chen Jinning, there was no noticeable change in her face. Her eyes were more reserved than Chen Jiu's, and she resembled Chen Jiu by about seven or eight points.

Next was a young lady from the Duke's mansion. Even though her elders didn't come, she often moved around the palace and seemed extremely familiar with the place. Compared to Chen Jinning, she was one quiet and the other lively.

Finally, there were the wives and daughters of the various ministers. Everyone respected the Empress and nodded in agreement with her words.

Everyone sat down in the pavilion one by one, and the Empress said, "Please try my new tea. If you like it, you may take some back with you."

Everyone responded in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."

The Empress laughed and said, "This isn't the first time I've hosted this flower-viewing banquet. I've gotten to know many of the guests, so why are they still so reserved?"

Everyone thought to themselves, "Who in the palace isn't careful?"

Even without deliberately showing off, Gao Siruo of the Duke's Mansion was the most noble. After hearing this, she smiled broadly and said, "It's really good tea. I must take some with me when I leave so that my father and brother can have a taste."

The Empress also doted on her. Gao Siruo was the only girl among the younger generation of her maternal family. She grew up in a world of pampering and love, which fostered her fearless and reckless nature.

The Empress had reminded her several times to tone down her temper, but Gao Siruo didn't listen much and continued to do as she pleased. The Empress let it go, since her maternal family was there, and no matter how much Gao Siruo caused trouble, nothing would happen.

Chen Jinning whispered something in Chen's ear. Qiao Ran, who was in the corner, looked up and met Chen's gaze. Chen seemed to smile meaningfully, leaving Qiao Ran confused.

“Ah Ning,” the Empress suddenly called to her, “Why do you seem so distracted? I’ve noticed you haven’t said much today.”

Chen Jinning blinked slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Jinning will just listen to what Your Majesty has to say. I am foolish and afraid that I will say the wrong thing."

The Empress ordered someone to push the pastries towards Chen Jinning, her eyes filled with immense affection. "Where are you being clumsy? I think you're just right. It doesn't matter if you say something wrong here, don't be shy."

"Yes, Your Majesty." After Chen Jinning finished speaking, she subconsciously glanced in the direction of Qiao Ran, which was caught by the Empress. She followed Chen Jinning's gaze and saw a strange face, even though the person was wearing her own palace clothes.

The Empress expressed her doubts, "I have never seen that palace maid before."

Her words drew everyone's attention, and Qiao Ran instantly became the monkey being watched, making her feel uneasy.

"Yingzi," the Empress said, not wanting anything to go wrong at her own banquet, and summoned Yingzi, asking, "Who is she? Why have I never seen her before?"

Yingzi: "Your Majesty, this is Qiao Xiaoran, whom we brought from Shufang Palace a few days ago. She is the daughter of the Prefect of Qianzhou."

The Empress said "Oh," and said, "So she is a young lady who is going to the palace to be selected as a female official. I will temporarily place her in my own palace to study."

Madam Chen smiled and said, "It is her good fortune to be able to study in the Empress's palace."

The Empress hadn't taken Qiao Ran seriously to begin with, and this matter was considered closed. However, Zhao, the wife of the Minister of Justice, suddenly said, "Your Majesty just said that she is the daughter of the Prefect of Qianzhou?"

After being instructed, Yingzi answered proactively, "Yes, Madam."

Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled shyly, "It's been so many years, I didn't expect you to have grown so much."

Empress: "Does Lady Zhao know the Prefect of Qianzhou?"

“I know her,” Madam Zhao said. “I once went to Qianzhou with my husband and had a very pleasant conversation with the governor and his wife. At that time, their daughter, Xiao Ran, was not even ten years old. In the blink of an eye, she has already entered the palace to participate in the selection of female officials. Time flies.”

The Empress said to Yingzi, "Go and call Miss Qiao over. Since she is the daughter of an old friend of Madam Zhao, it's no problem for her to say a few words."

Yingzi quickly walked towards Qiao Ran.

Madam Zhao quickly expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yingzi brought Qiao Ran over, and Qiao Ran was both flustered and afraid. What if her false identity was exposed? Would she still be alive to leave this place? But at the Empress's banquet, she dared not act recklessly. She immediately performed the full kneeling ceremony. If Xu Shangjian and Sun Shangyi saw this, they would all praise her, saying that Qiao Ran had finally figured it out and that her ceremony was very standard.

"Your Majesty, I greet you. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Get up quickly."

"Thank you, empress."

Qiao Ran stood up, and only then did everyone get a clear look at her face, and they couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "She really has a beautiful face."

Someone snorted coldly, seemingly disdainful. Qiao Ran didn't bother to pursue the matter; she just hoped things would get peacefully over in a while.

"Xiao Ran, come here," Zhao said with a smile. Qiao Ran's heart sank when she saw her. She had no recollection of her at all, and she had to continue pretending.

Zhao, however, seemed unusually affectionate. "Xiao Ran, do you still remember me? When I was leaving that day, you held my hand and wouldn't let me go, crying your eyes out."

Qiao Ran didn't know her; all she knew was that she wanted to burst into tears right now.

"Greetings, Madam," Qiao Ran replied standing up, wanting to get things over with quickly. "I bumped my head a while ago, and the doctor said it would take several months before I could slowly remember things from before. So, what you're saying, Madam, doesn't really leave a deep impression on me."

Upon hearing that she had bumped her head, Zhao asked anxiously, "How could you be so careless? Where did you bump your head?"

Qiao Ran pointed to her temple and smiled awkwardly, "It'll be alright soon, Madam, there's no need to worry."

Madam Zhao frowned, stared at Qiao Ran's face for a while, and finally sighed, "They say a girl changes a lot as she grows up. Xiao Ran has grown into a graceful young lady, but she is not the same as when she was a child. If I hadn't met you here with the Empress, I wouldn't have recognized you even if we met in person."

Gao Siruo asked curiously, "Is the change really that big?"

Zhao had to admit, "She's completely different from how she was when she was a child."

After saying this, Zhao realized belatedly that something was wrong. Qiao Xiaoran's appearance had changed too much. No matter how much a person grows up, how could she not have any trace of her childhood self? In fact, there was no resemblance to her parents in her eyebrows and eyes.

So Zhao stared at Qiao Ran for a while longer, and was about to speak when Chen Jinning suddenly stopped her and said softly, "I heard my father say that girls are born and grow more and more beautiful. The family is overjoyed that she has grown up to be like Miss Qiao."

Madam Zhao swallowed back the words she was about to say, smiled, and agreed, "Miss Chen is right."

Chen Jinning lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, "I think Miss Qiao looks very approachable. If Miss Qiao doesn't mind, please sit next to me."

It was difficult for Qiao Ran to leave, so staying by Chen Jinning's side was safer than being with others. She bowed her head to thank her and then knelt down beside Chen Jinning to serve her.

"It's rare to find someone so pleasing to A-Ning's eye," the Empress said. "Since you like her, come to the palace more often in the future. Firstly, to keep me company, and secondly, to sit with Qiao Xiaoran."

Chen Jinning: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Others present might not know Qiao Ran's identity, but Chen Jinning knew a little more. At the very least, she shouldn't be the daughter of the governor of Qianzhou. If the empress found out, she would be accused of deceiving the emperor.

Chen Jinning was hoping the banquet would end soon so she could go back and tell her brother about it and they could think of a solution together. They couldn't let Qiao Ran stay in the palace any longer.

Everyone chatted and laughed, talking about everyday things with the Empress, who listened with great interest.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside, "Consort Rong has arrived—", shattering the harmonious atmosphere.

Apart from Qiao Ran, everyone else showed some embarrassment. Even the usually calm Empress froze for a moment, her smile also freezing.

"Your Majesty's palace is so lively. Am I the first one to arrive?"

Before she arrived, her voice preceded her; hearing that affected, sweet voice, one knew she was not to be trifled with.

No wonder the Empress looked so distraught.