What to do if you receive the wrong package?

The girls were shocked by Jian Yuheng's explanation.

What the hell?

Was Xiao Hong actually a man dressed as a woman? How come they didn't notice the slightest flaw?! Although Xiao Hong is quite thin, she really has breasts, and she doesn't have an Adam's apple.

"Your Highness, you...you're not kidding us, are you?" Zhou Yuran swallowed hard, still looking incredulous.

Jian Yuheng nodded in confirmation, "When Miss Xiao Hong found A Xi, His Highness investigated Xiao Hong's background. Apart from the fact that she was a man disguised as a woman, there was nothing else unusual."

"Then why did Xiao Hong dress up as a woman?" Gu Yan still didn't quite understand, since in ancient times, it seemed that being a man was more convenient than being a woman.

"Xiao Hong's original name was He Yao. She was born into a relatively wealthy family in the area. However, He Yao had an older brother who was weak and sickly from a young age and could not get better despite taking countless medicines. Later, she accidentally met a Taoist priest who said that it was because He Yao had stolen her brother's yang energy that he was so weak. So from then on, He Yao was raised by her parents as their daughter."

However, his brother's condition did not improve; instead, it worsened. He Yao felt that his actions were meaningless and began to doubt whether his parents' demands were correct. After another argument with his parents, they decided to take his brother to a temple to offer incense, hoping not only that his brother would receive divine protection but also that He Yao could calm down. However, on their way back, He Yao's parents and brother unexpectedly encountered a group of bandits and lost their lives.

He Yao felt guilty ever since he learned about this, so he has been dressed as a woman ever since.

After hearing the story, Gu Yan and the others felt a little sad. They hadn't expected that Xiao Hong had such a tragic story behind her.

"Why did you stay here today? Don't you usually go out with the Prince of Chu?" Hua Yin asked curiously, looking at Jian Yuheng, who was still sitting motionless in his chair.

"The matter of Mengci Nunnery is almost settled. I'm staying because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh~ So you need to see Hua Bao? Then we won't bother you~" Gu Yan pulled Shen Mujin and Zhou Yuran to run away, but Hua Yin and Jian Yuheng stopped them at the same time.

"Ayan, wait a minute."

"Miss Bai, we won't disturb you."

The two were surprised to find that both of them had left Gu Yan and the others behind, and they exchanged a surprised glance.

"Hmm? What do you want to see me about?" Hua Yin silently looked away, her brows furrowing slightly. Could it be that she's going back to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence?

"The Empress has invited you to the 'Stunning Beauty Banquet' that she will be holding at the Mountain and Water Villa in a couple of days."

"What? I have to go too? Can't I not go?" Hua Yin's entire being screamed "no." Just a few days ago, she had mocked Yueya for going to the "Feast at Hongmen," but she hadn't expected to be proven wrong today.

Jian Yuheng knew that Hua Yin was averse to such things and that she disliked the Empress, so he could only advise her, "The Empress has invited me to a banquet, and I cannot refuse unless there are very special circumstances."

"Can I pretend to be sick? I can't very well send someone who's sick." Hua Yin immediately came up with a good idea.

“If you claim to be ill, the Empress will send a royal physician to diagnose you. If it is discovered that you are lying about your condition, that is a serious crime.” Jian Yuheng directly shattered Hua Yin’s “good plan”.

"Isn't the Flying Swan Banquet all for unmarried girls? Why should I, a married woman, join in the fun?"

Jian Yuheng recounted what he had heard, which somewhat alleviated Hua Yin's concerns. "The Empress has specially invited several princesses and married princesses to this Jinghong Banquet, so you won't be alone. There's no need to worry that the Empress might take this opportunity to do something to you. Besides, Miss Fang has also been invited, so you can stay with her and look after each other."

"Yeah, Hua Bao, let's do it together! Let's all cling to Sister Lin's leg!"

"What's meant to be will be. Go, Hua Bao, and see what kind of trouble the Empress is up to this time."

The sisters also gathered around Hua Yin, quietly trying to persuade her.

"Alright. I'll go see what the Queen's banquet is like."

"Let's take advantage of these two days to prepare properly and try to be the most dazzling star at the banquet!" Zhou Yuran was very happy ever since she learned that Hua Yin was going with her. Finally, she didn't have to worry about being alone anymore.

"No, no, no, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. You should just keep a low profile." Shen Mujin knew that Zhou Yuran was a rather high-profile person in modern times, someone who would shine at parties.

They were afraid that she would be too dazzling this time, stealing the limelight from others and offending them again.

----------------

These past few days, the sisters have either been shopping with Zhou Yuran or on their way to go shopping.

Fortunately, the sisters are relatively poor, so they mostly just look at the pictures.

Thinking about attending the Empress's Feast of Splendor tomorrow, Zhou Yuran was so nervous that she couldn't sleep. She pulled her sisters to sit in the pavilion and chatted excitedly.

"I've always had a question: where is the mountain and water villa where you hold your banquet?" Gu Yan asked.

"I don't know," Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin said in unison.

"I didn't know you two were still so calm! How are you going to get there tomorrow? Don't be late."

"It's okay, Sister Lin will pick us up tomorrow morning. Just know that."

Gu Yan sighed helplessly, not knowing whether to say that these two were carefree or simply lacked common sense.

"It's understandable that Yueya didn't think of it. But Huabao, you're such a thoughtful person, how could you be so careless?"

"No, this isn't just casual, it's resignation. I really don't want to participate in tomorrow's event!" Hua Yin wailed, slumping onto the stone table and burying her head in her arms, as if that would allow her to escape the grand banquet tomorrow.

Zhou Yuran pulled Hua Yin, the ostrich, off the table. "Hua Bao, don't think about the Empress. Think about the delicious food at tomorrow's banquet, all sorts of beautiful young ladies, and the gossip about Prince Ning's selection of concubines."

"Yeah, I've seen talent shows in TV dramas when they're choosing concubines for princes and nobles. I wonder if there will be another group of girls performing talents tomorrow?" Gu Yan couldn't help but guess, thinking about the plot of the TV dramas he had watched before.

"Hahaha, talent show! Yueya, have you decided what you want to perform?" Shen Mujin teased Zhou Yueran.

Zhou Yuran was initially startled, but then she realized that such an important occasion would usually have some arrangements made in advance, so she felt reassured. "It shouldn't be like that. With so many girls performing, there's no time for them to perform, and even if there were, it wouldn't be a chance for small fry like us."

"You're right," Gu Yan couldn't help but yawn widely, rubbed his eyes, and urged:

"Go to sleep, staying up late will make your skin worse. And we don't have any face masks now, I wonder what you two will do tomorrow."

"Then go looking ugly tomorrow, it will just highlight Sister Lin's beautiful face."

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin's tense mood eased somewhat. Looking up at the sky, they realized it was getting late, so they said goodnight to each other and went back to their rooms to rest.

the next day.

Gu Yan was still half asleep when Shen Mujin urged her to get up, wash, and get ready. She rubbed her half-closed eyes and asked, "Have Yueya and Huabao left?"

"Not yet, they just got up and are getting ready in the house." Shen Mujin saw Gu Yan struggling to put on one piece of clothing and offered to help, then looked at her with some confusion and asked, "Why are you so sleepy? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Yes." Gu Yan nodded in agreement.

"You're not even participating in today's event, so why are you so nervous that you didn't sleep well?" Shen Mujin found it somewhat amusing.

"How should I know? Maybe I talked too much and got too excited before going to bed. I wasn't sleepy at all last night, my eyes were wide open. I finally managed to fall asleep, but you woke me up." Gu Yan became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and finally looked at Shen Mujin pitifully.

"Okay, okay, after Yueya and the others leave, you can come back and continue sleeping. I promise I won't disturb you."

After the two finished tidying up and walked out of the room, they only saw Hua Yin waiting at the door.

"Hey? Where's Yueya? Why are you the only one here?" Shen Mujin looked around and asked directly.

"It's not finished tidying up yet." Hua Yin pointed to Zhou Yuran's room. "I kept saying it would be done soon, but you and Ayan came out, and she still hasn't."

"Coming, coming! Family, you've been waiting for so long!" As soon as Hua Yin finished speaking, Zhou Yuran opened the door and ran out quickly.

"Emm, may I ask what you've been dressing up for all this time?" Gu Yan looked at Zhou Yuran, who seemed no different from usual, and couldn't figure out where she had spent her time.

"Details! Pay attention to the details, do you understand!" Zhou Yuran deliberately walked in front of Gu Yan, standing tall and straight.

"Yueya...you didn't put something in your shoes, did you?!" Hua Yin, who was standing to the side, suddenly noticed the key point: Zhou Yueran and Gu Yan were only a tiny bit different in height.

"Smart!" Zhou Yuran nodded immediately. "After all that time, the height-increasing insoles are pretty good, right? Now I can stand behind and see what's happening in front of me."

"... "

"As long as you're happy." Gu Yan didn't know what to say, so he took Shen Mujin and headed to the small flower hall for breakfast.

After breakfast, Jian Yuheng looked at Hua Yin and Zhou Yuran, who still looked quite ordinary, and couldn't help but remind them, "Miss Fang, Miss Hua, today is the Empress's Flying Dawn Banquet. Wouldn't it be too simple and plain for you two to go like this?"

Zhou Yuran almost burst out laughing at the title "flower girl," but she had to suppress her laughter and explain, "Your Highness, after all, Hua Bao and I have some minor grudges with the Empress. If we are too ostentatious, we might cause trouble."

Hua Yin glared at Zhou Yuran and added, "Besides, we're really just going there to join in the fun. We want to be ordinary and not attract attention."

Jian Yuheng nodded, a hint of worry in his voice: "I understand your thoughts, but your attire is a bit too simple. If the Empress sees this, she might blame you for not taking this banquet she hosted seriously and for not valuing her."

"If the Empress really wants to nitpick, no matter what Yueya and I do, she'll find fault with us." Hua Yin waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way, we'll be careful."

Duan Chenke then handed Zhou Yuran a square token and instructed her, "This is my personal token. If you encounter any troublesome situation, you can take it directly to the steward of Xiangshanshui Villa, and he will help you unconditionally."

"Thank you, Your Highness. But... this token is too valuable, I cannot accept it. Your Highness, rest assured, we are with Sister Lin. Sister Lin has the Lin family behind her, and the Empress would not dare to provoke her lightly, so there should be no problem."

Seeing that Zhou Yuran did not accept it, Duan Chenke took her hand and stuffed the token directly into her hand.

"Remember to return it to me when you're done using it."

“Okay…okay.” Zhou Yuran was startled by Duan Chenke’s actions. She gripped the token tightly in her hand and nodded solemnly.

Just as the group was quietly discussing the events of today's Feast of the Immortals, a messenger came at the door to report that Lin Bihua's carriage had arrived outside the mansion and was waiting.

Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin didn't dare to delay and immediately walked quickly towards the gate. Gu Yan and the others followed behind, first greeting Lin Bihua warmly, then watching Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin get into the carriage, and finally watching the carriage drive away.

May God bless them, and may Yueya, Huabao, and Sister Lin all return safely.