After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

Xiao Ran gave Nangong Ming a light tap on the forehead, the force not heavy, but with a hint of reproach.

"Are you stupid?! Have you forgotten what day it is today?!"

Nangong Ming touched his forehead and looked at Xiao Ran with a blank expression.

Xiao Ran looked exceptionally beautiful today, the hairpin in her hair shimmering with tiny sparkles that made him a little dizzy.

She was usually simple, but today she was exceptionally refined, even the embroidered handkerchief seemed to have been carefully made.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized—it was a palace banquet today, no wonder she was dressed like that.

"Oh! Ranmei is here."

Suddenly, Shen You walked in through the door with Chen Zijin, her voice clear and crisp, with a hint of teasing.

Xiao Ran rolled her eyes, understanding immediately.

She immediately put on a sweet smile and bowed to Shen You, saying, "Greetings, Sister Shen You."

Shen You helped Xiao Ran up, but her gaze fell on Nangong Ming, her tone carrying a hint of hostility:

"Nangong Ming, what are you doing here? Are you perhaps having a secret rendezvous with our Ranran?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ming blushed and hurriedly explained, "Who had a secret rendezvous! I was just..."

"But what?" Shen You raised an eyebrow, her tone somewhat aggressive.

Nangong Ming was speechless for a moment, his face turning bright red. Finally, he simply flung his sleeve and said angrily, "I'm not talking to you anymore!"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and strode away, not forgetting to glare fiercely at Pei Yun standing to the side before leaving, as if venting all his dissatisfaction on him.

Pei Yun was bewildered by his glare, her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't say anything, only coldly watching Nangong Ming's departing figure.

"Zijin thanks Minister Pei."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yun's gaze fell upon her, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He remembered this girl; she always followed quietly behind Chen Ruonan, like a silent shadow. At this moment, she still kept her head down, as if she was used to hiding herself in a corner.

If he hadn't discovered that he'd seen this embroidered handkerchief on Chen Zijin before, he wouldn't have bothered with this mess...

"Have you been around here the whole time?" he asked.

"Yes," Chen Zijing replied softly, her body trembling slightly, yet she maintained her bowing posture, remaining motionless.

"After Zijing discovered that her embroidered handkerchief was missing, she returned to look for it and found Pei Shaoqing and the Crown Prince there..."

She paused, her voice lowering even further: "I must thank Miss Xiao and Miss Shen, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get the embroidered handkerchief so easily..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Shen You laughed heartily, reached out to help Chen Zijin up, and said with a touch of generosity, "You are Ranmei's friend, so you are also my friend! If you need anything in the future, just come to me."

Chen Zijing raised her head, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes: "Thank you, Sister Shen."

Pei Yun watched this scene, as if recalling something. He spoke coldly, his tone stern:

"Be a better watchful eye on your belongings in the future, and don't be so reckless. Losing something in the palace is not as simple as just finding it."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Xiao Ran almost imperceptibly, then turned and left.

"What's wrong with this person?"

Shen You muttered under her breath, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "He always puts on such a lecturing tone... He's only a few years older than us, does he really think he's an elder?"

"Alright, alright." Xiao Ran gently patted Shen You's hand, comforting her in a gentle tone:

"Pei Shaoqing is a bit serious, but he's doing it for our own good. Let's go back quickly so we don't cause any more trouble."

"Okay." Shen You pouted, still feeling dissatisfied, but nodded nonetheless.

The three had only taken a few steps when Chen Zijin, who had been silent all along, suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground without warning.

With a muffled thud, Chen Zijing fell heavily to the ground, startling Xiao Ran and Shen You into turning around at the same time.

"Zijin!"