Qin Yining helped Sun Shi to her feet, and after bidding farewell to the Old Madam, they left first. Behind them walked Cao Yuqing and Qin Huining.

Qin Huining smiled as she gently supported one of Cao Yuqing’s arms: “Adoptive Mother, this garden tour is truly a wonderful opportunity. Could Adoptive Mother take your daughter along? Please let your daughter broaden her horizons.”

Just hearing Qin Huining’s voice made Qin Yining feel nauseated, and seeing Sun Shi’s expression already darkening, she quickened their pace slightly.

But the conversation behind them still clearly reached their ears without obstruction.

“I’m merely a concubine—what qualification do I have to bring anyone? The Old Madam taking me along is already an exception. I’m just an appendage—how could I bring another appendage?” Cao Yuqing smiled: “Miss Huining should ask Madam instead.”

Sun Shi’s heart blazed with fury upon hearing this, silently cursing the shameless woman for her affectations!

Since Cao Shi entered the household, Qin Huining had long stopped coming to Xingning Garden to pay respects, and when they met, she wouldn’t even call her mother. Now when there was something she needed, she was actually instigating Qin Huining to come find her for a solution—clearly just trying to block her heart!

Sun Shi slowed her steps, wanting to lash out, but was restrained by Qin Yining.

“Mother, shall we walk back or take the carriage?” After asking, Qin Yining smiled again: “Mother’s health has improved somewhat. Why don’t I accompany you on a walk back? Taking a stroll would also be good for your health.”

If Qin Huining wanted to open her mouth to beg, let her do so in full public view. In any case, she shouldn’t even think about entering the gates of Xingning Garden.

Sun Shi didn’t quite understand Qin Yining’s meaning, but having been pulled by Qin Yining to walk daily recently, if she didn’t walk, her body would feel stiff and tired. So she suppressed her anger and nodded: “Let’s walk back then.”

Cao Yuqing behind them glanced at Qin Yining, smiled broadly as she removed the small pouch of snacks from her waist, popped a candied date into her mouth, and instead of taking the carriage, followed behind Sun Shi and Qin Yining on foot.

Qin Huining’s expression became somewhat embarrassed.

Cao Shi had been in the household for some time now, and Qin Huining understood her habits well—she always carried snacks with her and had the habit of eating something whenever she encountered an opportunity to watch a good show.

So she felt this was the time for a good performance and wanted to see how she would go beg Sun Shi?

Qin Huining was torn in every way, silently cursing Cao Yuqing for being truly cunning in her thoughts—not willing to take her to Changchun Garden, and even deliberately making her go beg Sun Shi, wanting to see her make a fool of herself.

But if she didn’t fight for this opportunity, there would never be a better chance in the future. Even though the men from each family weren’t invited to this garden tour and spring outing, with her dignified character, she would surely leave a good impression on the noble ladies, which would provide more good opportunities when discussing marriage proposals in the future.

Having made up her mind, Qin Huining smiled and quickly took two steps: “Madam, you…”

“Don’t open your mouth to call me that.” Sun Shi coldly rebuked before Qin Huining could finish: “You’ve long been eager to become someone else’s daughter. When others made things difficult for me, I never saw you say a word in my defense. I cherished and treasured you for fourteen years, yet you could turn your back on me so easily. How do you have the nerve to open your mouth and beg me now?”

“You misunderstand, your daughter is…”

“I’m not your mother now. Although nominally you’re your father’s adopted daughter, count for yourself—how long has it been since you came to pay respects to me, how long since you called me mother? Hmm? Even when I was gravely ill, I didn’t see you come to attend my sickness, and when I was about to be beheaded, you hid in the residence seeking peace and quiet. Qin Huining, how do you have the face to open your precious mouth?”

Sun Shi spoke these words quite loudly. Even Second Madam and Third Madam following behind Cao Yuqing, along with the other young ladies, heard every word clearly.

Qin Huining never expected Sun Shi to be so merciless, and tears immediately welled up as she stopped in her tracks, looking to Cao Yuqing for help: “Adoptive Mother, you…”

Cao Yuqing pursed her lips, spat out a date pit, stuffed another candied date into her cherry-small mouth, and only then said: “Miss needn’t be anxious. The Empress’s banquet invites some of the prominent ladies with imperial honors in the capital and their family’s female relatives. It’s said that only eight families in total are qualified to attend. Those with legitimate daughters naturally bring their legitimate daughters, and those without legitimate daughters select an excellent concubine’s daughter. Miss is an adopted daughter of the main branch, so naturally it wouldn’t be your turn. However, now that the weather is warm, there will be many opportunities to go out and play. It will be the same when Miss goes out next time.”

Cao Yuqing spoke unhurriedly, but Qin Huining felt as if someone had slapped her face.

She was clearly saying that she was neither a legitimate daughter nor a concubine’s daughter—she wasn’t a daughter of the Qin family at all, so it was perfectly normal that no one would take her!

Qin Huining lowered her eyes and shed tears of grievance.

Cao Yuqing then put away her snack pouch.

She hadn’t expected Sun Shi to have made progress—instead of shouting and quarreling with Qin Huining, she had learned to use reason to suppress others. With no show to watch, eating snacks had also lost its appeal.

Everyone went back to prepare, and the people for the trip were decided.

Aside from servant women, the Old Madam would bring Cao Yuqing, and Sun Shi would naturally bring Qin Yining. Second Madam had no legitimate daughter, but Seventh Miss was raised under her name, so she would bring Seventh Miss. Third Madam had no imperial honors, so naturally she had no opportunity. However, her legitimate daughter Third Miss Qin Jianing was already betrothed and would marry this June, while her concubine’s daughter Eighth Miss Qin Baoning was still young and there was no rush. Therefore, Third Madam was quite peaceful about it.

Meanwhile, Qin Huining and Sixth Miss, who couldn’t go, huddled together in resentful tears for quite a while.

The next morning, when daylight was bright, a carriage convoy was already prepared in front of the Anping Marquis Residence. The first carriage was a sapphire blue brocade canopy with tassels, the second was a blue-curtained, red-wheeled flat-topped carriage, and the third was a black lacquered large carriage for servant women.

The Old Madam pulled Cao Yuqing’s hand as they boarded the first carriage, looked back at Sun Shi once, then smilingly called to Second Madam: “You and Seventh Girl come sit with me too, so we can chat.”

This made her intention to isolate Sun Shi and Qin Yining quite obvious.

Qin Yining brought a footstool to help Sun Shi board the second blue-curtained, red-wheeled carriage, then jumped up herself, pulling Nanny Jin and Bingtang up as well. She held Sun Shi’s hand and softly consoled: “It’s more comfortable for us to sit together.”

Sun Shi smiled bitterly: “You can see this clearly. People always have their eyes on the tops of their heads—supporting the high and stepping on the low can be seen everywhere.”

Having survived in the marketplace since childhood, Qin Yining had understood this principle early on, so she had always forced herself to be strong and to become powerful. Now seeing Sun Shi so dejected, she held her hand and gently comforted her with a few soft words.

The carriage convoy slowly headed toward the south gate. Upon reaching outside the city, they saw that the Empress’s imperial procession and the invited female relatives from the other seven noble families had already arrived, each family basically having three or four carriages.

With the Empress’s imperial procession in the lead, the combined convoy of eight families’ female relatives plus accompanying servant women and guards stretched endlessly, with tremendous momentum and extraordinary grandeur. The Empress was most particular about luxury and grandeur. When she ordered departure, ceremonial music began playing. Imperial guards from the palace then ran all the way back along the convoy, standing outside the carriage train, with one stationed every zhang apart.

Qin Yining lifted the window curtain to look outside—the fields were a fresh green, the potholes on the official road had long been filled in, and with this mighty procession.

If the Azure Sky Alliance wanted to kill the demon empress, this would be a good opportunity—they might even be able to wipe out the female relatives and titled ladies from the eight major households in the capital in one fell swoop.

However, this journey encountered no assassins, and everything went smoothly.

Because the Empress was traveling, the Emperor had long ordered people to inspect the entire route to Changchun Mountain and had the roads repaired to be smooth. Therefore, by just past noon, the convoy slowly came to a stop.

Several young eunuchs wearing iron-gray palace attendant uniforms came running from the front to tell the ladies from each family to disembark.

Qin Yining helped Sun Shi down from the carriage and looked at the green mountains before them and the orderly arranged peach tree groves on both sides of the road, feeling the very air she breathed become refreshing.

“Have we arrived?” Qin Yining asked the eunuch beside her.

The eunuch smiled: “In response to Miss, Her Majesty the Empress says that the air here is fresh and the scenery pleasant, so she plans to walk up the mountain on foot all the way. First, it’s convenient for viewing the scenery, and second, it adds a rustic charm. Therefore, she asks the madams and misses from each family to accompany her in walking.”

Qin Yining smiled and nodded: “Her Majesty truly has refined tastes.”

As her words fell, someone behind her also chimed in: “The scenery here is so beautiful—only Her Majesty could receive such favor from His Majesty.”

“Indeed, Her Majesty is uniquely blessed with enduring imperial favor—truly enviable.”

Qin Yining didn’t recognize the noble ladies around her, so she didn’t interject.

However, Sun Shi, due to her upbringing environment, was quite adept at such social interactions.

Sun Shi pointed to a woman in her forties wearing a dark red brocade jacket: “This is Madam Li from Duke Anguo’s residence.”

“Madam Li, greetings.” Qin Yining gracefully curtsied.

Duchess Anguo smiled and nodded, pulling over a girl of seventeen or eighteen beside her: “This is my youngest daughter Yanyan.”

Li Yanyan approached with a bright smile and curtsied to Qin Yining, who held her hands in return.

“Sister, greetings.”

“Sister Qin, hello. I’ve long heard that Sister Qin is devastatingly beautiful, and now that I’ve seen you, even I can’t help but want to look a few more times.” Li Yanyan linked arms with Qin Yining with a flower-like smile.

The other noble ladies who had been exchanging pleasantries with the Old Madam nearby, seeing Sun Shi and Qin Yining chatting with the female relatives from Duke Anguo’s residence, seemed to find their direction and came forward to exchange greetings.

Sun Shi then brought Qin Yining to meet many people with neither servility nor arrogance.

Qin Yining had an excellent memory and remembered everyone after just one greeting. She discovered that the lowest rank present today was marquis, and the only one without a title was Imperial Uncle Cao’s wife, the Empress’s sister-in-law.

Qin Yining and Sun Shi naturally remembered Lady Qian. They still remembered that last year, when Qin Yining entered the palace by imperial decree, she encountered Imperial Uncle Cao with his wife and son at the Empress’s quarters. Imperial Uncle Cao’s son, the Empress’s nephew, had actually molested her in person. If not for her quick reaction, crying like a pear blossom in the rain on the spot and making the Emperor feel guilty and wary, she might have been married off to the Cao family.

Now seeing Imperial Uncle Cao’s wife again, Qin Yining felt quite subtle inside, but on the surface she pretended to have forgotten this person existed and went through all the proper courtesies.

The Empress looked at Qin Yining and couldn’t help but think of Pang Xiao’s rudeness before the Emperor and the Emperor’s concessions, and couldn’t help but snort coldly, saying lazily: “Let’s go. We need to hurry to reach the garden in time for the banquet.”

Everyone responded in unison, and the ladies linked arms with each other, laughing and chatting as they surrounded the Empress like stars around the moon, walking up the gentle slope toward the mountain.