Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chen Xianlin entered the palace gate and, seeing that the banquet had not yet begun, decided to wander around.

As I walked, I found a pavilion and sat down. No sooner had I sat down than I heard another sound.

"Hey, sis, what are you doing here!"

It was Chen Ruoyao, followed by many noble ladies. They all walked towards the pavilion and casually found a place to sit down.

At this moment, Lin Wanwan, who was familiar with Chen Ruoyao, suddenly spoke up: "Ruoyao, is this your newly returned sister? Why is she dressed so simply?"

After saying that, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled.

When the other noble ladies heard Lin Wanwan speak, they all covered their mouths and chuckled softly.

"May I ask who you are, young lady?" Chen Xianlin asked with a smile.

Someone nearby replied, "This is Lin Zongzheng's daughter, Lin Wanwan."

Chen Xianlin said coldly with a stern face, "Is this the kind of upbringing Miss Lin has? Is this the kind of behavior a daughter of the Imperial Clan Head is like? To speak sarcastically to a complete stranger on first meeting is not the demeanor of a great family."

Chen Xianlin was not someone to be trifled with, nor was she without a temper, especially since the person opposite her was the daughter of the Imperial Clan Court Official, whose father was the Imperial Censor.

"You, how dare you say I have no manners?" Lin Wanwan was furious after hearing Chen Xianlin's words. She raised her hand angrily and pointed her finger at Chen Xianlin.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Chen Ruoyao pretended to be kind and said, "Wanwan, I'm sorry, my sister just got back and doesn't know many rules yet. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize on my sister's behalf. Please calm down."

As he spoke, he gently patted Lin Wanwan's back, signaling her to calm down.

"Ruoyao, you don't need to apologize for her. She should be apologizing to me. It's not your fault," Lin Wanwan said, turning to Chen Ruoyao.

Looking at the scene, Chen Xianlin snorted coldly: "If you're here to cause trouble, I'm afraid I can't keep you company. Farewell."

After Chen Xianlin finished speaking, she tried to leave.

"Stop!" Lin Wanwan shouted at Chen Xianlin, who was trying to leave.

"You can leave if you want, but apologize, apologize to me first," Lin Wanwan said angrily to Chen Xianlin.

Chen Xianlin sneered and questioned, "Apologize? On what grounds? You were the one who spoke rudely first, why aren't you the one apologizing first?"

Lin Wanwan remembered that she had originally intended to stand up for Ruoyao and teach her newly returned elder sister a lesson, to show her that she shouldn't think she could take Ruoyao's things just because she was back. Although she had indeed spoken rudely first, how could Ruoyao, as the daughter of the clan's leader, admit her mistake first? Thinking of this, Lin Wanwan became even more resolute and then said...

"Why should I apologize to you first?" Lin Wanwan suddenly remembered something and changed her tone, "I'll apologize to you if you can beat me!"

"Win? What do you want to compete in?" Chen Xianlin asked, puzzled.

"Choose one of the four arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If you can convince me, I will apologize," Lin Wanwan said. Lin Wanwan believed that she was good at all four arts and ranked among the top noble ladies in the capital. How could someone who had lived outside for more than ten years compare to her?

Clap clap clap! Applause suddenly came from afar. A dashing and handsome man walked over, clapping his hands. The ladies all looked over and whispered among themselves.

"Who is it? What a handsome young man!"

"This is Wen Yichuan, the young master of the Wen family."

Wen Yichuan had only intended to take a walk when he witnessed this interesting scene. He walked over and said, "Gentlemen, may I, Wen Yichuan, be a witness?"

Some of the noble ladies had never seen a handsome man before, and their faces turned red instantly. Lin Wanwan had always secretly loved Wen Yichuan. She had fallen in love with him at first sight at a banquet a few years ago, so she naturally wouldn't refuse his request. She nodded shyly.

Suddenly, another male voice came from afar.

"So my cousin was here! I've been looking for him for ages. Could I be added as a witness?"

The person who arrived was Xue Huaiyu, the current emperor. Since Xue Huaiyu was not wearing imperial robes, no one recognized him. Xue Huaiyu found a seat and sat down on his own.

When two equally handsome men are together, it's hard not to feel admiration from the ladies.

Shortly after they sat down, Xue Huaiyu noticed Ye Churan, who was also strolling around nearby, and called out loudly, "Young Master Ye, as this year's top scholar, it would be more impartial for you to be the judge."

At this moment, the noble ladies all looked up when they heard the voice. They found that the top scholar was also a handsome young man with a refined and elegant demeanor and a handsome yet delicate face that made it hard to look away.

Hearing the voice, Ye Churan looked over and saw that it was the emperor calling him. He was about to go over and pay his respects when he was stopped. With just a glance, Ye Churan understood the emperor's meaning. He did not want to reveal his identity. Ye Churan nodded and found a seat.

Two handsome men were already admirable, but now there are three, each a dashing gentleman. The ladies present were curious yet shy, and kept looking at them.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my, everyone's here! So many beauties, how could we do without me!"

At that moment, an extremely irritating voice rang out, and a man in a magnificent blue robe with gold cloud patterns embroidered on the lapel walked in with elegant steps.

"Isn't this Zheng Yuzhong?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

The visitor was Zheng Luoqi, whose current official position was Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official. However, he was more famous than his official position because he was the son of Prime Minister Zheng Yuxiang.

Zheng Luoqi always exudes the air of a spoiled brat who deserves a beating, showing no signs of being an official. Everyone thinks that Zheng Luoqi's official position is only due to his powerful father.

No one expected Zheng Luoqi to come, after all, Zheng Luoqi has a notorious reputation.

Chen Xianlin had only recently returned to the capital and had heard of the famous son of the prime minister, whose reputation for womanizing was practically synonymous with him.

"Hey, what wind blew Young Master Zheng over here?" Wen Yichuan said provocatively.

"There wasn't much wind, so it definitely wasn't just whispered in my ear," Zheng Luoqi said, putting away her fan and patting it on her hand, feigning regret.

"Heh, as expected of Young Master Zheng," Wen Yichuan said disdainfully.

"What? You want to whisper in my ear?" Zheng Luoqi asked, feigning confusion.

Startled, Wen Yichuan jumped up and said coldly, "Zheng Luoqi, that's enough. Don't think I won't dare to make a move!"

"Alright, everyone, say less. There are still so many people here," Xue Huaiyu said at this moment.

Seeing that Xue Huaiyu was speaking, Zheng Luoqi didn't say anything more to Wen Yichuan. She still had to give the emperor some face; a dog will bite when cornered.

Zheng Luoqi never bowed to Xue Huaiyu from the moment she appeared. Xue Huaiyu noticed this, but didn't say anything.