After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet was held in the Empress's small garden.

Unlike those noble ladies who used chrysanthemum appreciation as a pretext for ulterior motives, Lu Zhiyuan was genuinely enjoying the flowers. Before transmigrating into the book, she had been busy with missions, so this rare moment of leisure was something she had to cherish. Besides, the Empress's chrysanthemums were rare treasures, meant to be admired but not seen.

Jade Phoenix on the Jade Terrace, Purple Dragon Lying in Snow, Vermilion Red Frost, Flying Birds and Beautiful Women, and that rare phoenix spreading its wings.

The Phoenix Wings have a circular flower shape, with outer petals that are brownish-red and a yellow base. When the flower blooms, it spreads outwards, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings. Similar flowers exist in folk culture, but the one in the Empress's palace blooms with such beauty.

Just as I was engrossed in watching, a white cat meowed and jumped out from the chrysanthemum bushes.

Lu Zhiyuan instinctively cupped her hands, and the moment their eyes met, the kitten rubbed against her palm in a pleading manner. Lu Zhiyuan had originally felt some aversion to small animals. Before transmigrating into the book, she was an orphan raised in an orphanage, disliked by everyone because of her withdrawn nature, growing up like a dog or cat. At the age of seven, she was adopted by a foreign couple. They acted very kindly, leading her to mistakenly believe she could have the warmth of a family, until they forced her to kill their cat, revealing their true identities.

The leader of the assassin organization adopted her simply because they needed a yellow-skinned face.

She began carrying out missions at the age of thirteen. During these missions, she received brief moments of warmth from her targets, but she personally killed all those who offered her warmth.

"Are you the Empress's cat? Shall I take you back, or will you go back by yourself?"

The kitten meowed and swished its tail as if in response to Lu Zhiyuan.

"You want me to take you back?"

Lu Zhiyuan pinched its little ears, and when she picked it up, she noticed bloodstains on one of its legs. The blood was dried, and judging from its color, it must have been injured yesterday evening. There were some stains on the cat's belly, mixed with bits of weeds. Those weeds preferred shade and disliked sunlight, and mostly grew in the side hall.

The kitten was injured in the side hall.

I parted the fur and looked inside; beneath the dried bloodstains were two shallow wounds.

"You got bitten by a snake, and a small one at that. You're really pathetic." Lu Zhiyuan poked the kitten's forehead. "Luckily, it wasn't a poisonous snake."

The kitten lowered its head and gently scratched Lu Zhiyuan with its paws.

"Okay, okay, I won't scold you anymore." Lu Zhiyuan took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the kitten's wound: "That way your owner will know you're hurt."

The kitten looked up and meowed at Lu Zhiyuan.

A young girl, about eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, walked out through the outer veranda, followed by several palace maids. As soon as the girl stepped into the garden, the ladies and noblewomen who were admiring the chrysanthemums began to bow.

Lu Zhiyuan did not recognize Princess Ping Le. Seeing the noble ladies around her bowing, she followed suit. Because she was holding a kitten, her movements were a little slow, making her stand out among the noble ladies.

"Who are you? Why are you holding my Xue'er?" Princess Ping Le walked up to Lu Zhiyuan and snatched the kitten away. "Did you steal my Xue'er? I've been looking for her all night."

"Your Highness, the cat jumped into my lap on its own."

"Nonsense! My Xue'er is most afraid of giving birth; even my mother can't touch her." Princess Ping Le pouted, "Take her away; this princess will interrogate her properly."

"Don't be so presumptuous." The Empress spoke up in time: "This is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan, and also the only granddaughter of General Xie. She entered the palace with her mother an hour ago. I know you are willful, but there are appropriate times for being willful. Quickly, apologize to Yuan'er."

"This humble woman dares not!" Upon hearing the word "apology," Lu Zhiyuan immediately curtsied: "If there was a misunderstanding, it's fine to explain it clearly. The princess did not mean to make things difficult for this humble woman."

“Yuan’er is so sensible, unlike Ping Le who is so impulsive.” The Empress held Lu Zhiyuan’s hand: “Ping Le is the Emperor’s youngest child. Not only does the Emperor love her, but I also love her very much. It’s no wonder she’s a bit spoiled.”

“The word ‘arrogant’ is not appropriate.” Lu Zhiyuan looked at the princess and curtsied: “This subject believes that it is the princess’s temperament. My Northern Liang princess is a favored daughter of heaven, how can she not have some temper?”

"Are you serious?" Princess Ping Le looked at Lu Zhiyuan: "You're the first person to say that to me. What's your name?"

Lu Zhiyuan curtsied: "Your Highness, I am Lu Zhiyuan, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan."

Princess Ping Le let out a long "Oh," pointed at her, and said, "You're the sickly, good-for-nothing they were talking about?"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled, not minding at all: "Your Highness, those two words are indeed mentioned in the description of me."

Princess Ping Le asked in confusion, "Aren't you angry? They said you're a sickly person and a good-for-nothing. If they dared to talk about me like that, I would definitely take their heads off."

Lu Zhiyuan still smiled and said calmly, "What they said is true. I was born with an illness and am indeed sickly. As for being called a good-for-nothing, compared with Her Highness the Princess and the noble ladies of various families, I am neither good at literature nor martial arts, and am indeed a good-for-nothing."

"You do have a good sense of self-awareness." Princess Ping Le stroked the cat in her arms. "Since my Xue'er doesn't dislike you, I will let it go."

Lu Zhiyuan thanked the princess and stood obediently beside her mother, reminding Qingzhi that Lu Jinyao was missing. When the chrysanthemum viewing banquet began, she was still standing behind Lu Zhiyuan. The garden wasn't large, and there were many noblewomen, along with the maids and palace servants; no one noticed her.

The assassin's sixth sense told Lu Zhiyuan that Lu Jinyao would definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble.

A banquet in the palace follows a few predictable steps: appreciating flowers, scenery, and beautiful women; tasting wine, reciting poetry, and enjoying song and dance. After a brief interlude, the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet moves into its second phase: composing poems on the theme of chrysanthemums.

Having just admitted to being an incompetent fool, Lu Zhiyuan perfectly concealed herself, and with the other noble ladies intentionally avoiding her brilliance, Princess Ping Le won the first prize.

Lu Jinyao did not appear, and the famous scene in the original plot where she became famous through poetry also disappeared.

The second round was a song and dance performance, in which the daughter of the Minister of Personnel won first place.

The third round was a calligraphy competition, and the daughter of the Minister of Works won, receiving a jade brush as a reward from the Empress.

As the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet was about to come to a perfect end, the kitten in Princess Ping Le's arms became restless. It first bit Princess Ping Le, and then frantically jumped onto the Empress's table.

The palace maids were startled by the sudden turn of events, but Xie Chaoyun managed to get up in time and shield the Empress behind her. The head eunuch Xu Rui arrived and caught the cat. The kitten bared its teeth, with a piece of flesh that it had just torn off its own body stuck between its teeth.

The imperial physician rushed over, first examining Princess Ping Le's injuries, applying medicine and bandaging them, then approaching the kitten, carefully examining it, and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, Princess, this cat seems to have gone mad."

Princess Ping Le rushed out: "Did you look closely? Why did my Xue'er suddenly go crazy!"

The imperial physician didn't know either. He was treating nobles, not cats and dogs, but he dared not admit he didn't know. Not knowing would be a capital offense. In desperation, his gaze fell on the handkerchief wrapped around the kitten's leg, and he whispered, "Does this handkerchief belong to Her Highness the Princess?"