The gilded, intricately carved invitation felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in Madam Feng’s hands, despite its delicate appearance.

After examining it repeatedly, she confirmed that the invitation was indeed for the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Dongping’s household. Only then did she drain her teacup in one go and, barely concealing her excitement, instruct Afu: “Go and invite Fourth Miss over!”

Afu ran to Begonia Courtyard to fetch Jiang Si. On the way back to the Hall of Compassion, he kept bowing and looking at Jiang Si with a mix of confusion and awe.

How did Fourth Miss receive an invitation from the palace without any fuss? It was truly incredible!

“Old Madam, Fourth Miss has arrived.”

Madam Feng pressed the invitation under her hand. “Please ask Fourth Miss to come in.”

The maid at the door lifted the cotton curtain, and a young lady in a bright red cloak walked in with light steps.

Seeing that vibrant red, Madam Feng immediately felt pleased.

Fourth Girl liked to wear bright colors, unlike those young ladies who insisted on wearing plain colors thinking it made them look pure and beautiful. Little did they know that purity and beauty had nothing to do with the color of one’s clothes – it was all about the face.

With Fourth Girl’s face, it was no wonder she was destined for great things.

Jiang Si entered the room, removed her cloak, and handed it to a waiting-maid, then curtsied gracefully to Madam Feng. “Grandmother.”

Madam Feng extended her hand, her attitude unusually gentle. “Come sit by Grandmother’s side.”

Jiang Si approached calmly.

Madam Feng carefully examined her granddaughter, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Today, the palace sent you an invitation. Take a look.”

Jiang Si looked at the exquisite invitation Madam Feng pushed toward her and picked it up.

As she lowered her eyes to read it, Jiang Si unconsciously traced the openwork pattern on the invitation. In her mind, she saw Yu Jin’s smiling face.

He had found a way for her to receive an invitation.

Now that she had received an invitation to the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet, she would be entering the palace to attend the banquet in two days. How would he ensure that she became the undisputed choice for Yan Wang’s consort?

As Jiang Si silently pondered these things, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

No matter what, she believed he could do it.

This trust probably stemmed from her previous life.

Back then, as the Holy Maiden of the Wumiao, her union with a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty concerned the relationship between the two countries. It wasn’t something that could be achieved by an individual, yet Yu Qi had managed to issue an imperial edict of marriage.

Madam Feng stared at that faint smile on Jiang Si’s lips, her eyes flickering slightly. She probed, “Fourth Girl, do you know why you received this invitation?”

Jiang Si smiled. “Grandmother jest. How would this granddaughter know that the palace nobles would arrange a Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet, let alone whether I would receive an invitation? I’m also wondering why I received an invitation to such a flower banquet.”

Madam Feng didn’t believe her. Her gaze kept roaming over Jiang Si’s face, but all she saw was that calm and composed expression.

“If you truly know nothing, how come you don’t seem surprised?”

Jiang Si looked at Madam Feng in astonishment. “Didn’t Grandmother once teach us that maintaining composure even if Mount Tai were to collapse before us is the demeanor a noble lady should have?”

This retort left Madam Feng quite embarrassed. She wanted to get angry but found she had no reason to.

Indeed, this invitation alone was enough to quell any anger she might have felt.

This was an invitation to select a consort for a prince!

Regardless of whether she would be chosen or not, the fact that Fourth Girl had inexplicably received such an invitation was enough to make Madam Feng proud. From now on, she could hold her head high when discussing marriage prospects for Fourth Girl.

What? Your family’s Fourth Miss broke off an engagement? And gained a reputation for being audacious?

So what? Since she could be a candidate for a princess consort, having passed the strict selection of the palace nobles, it proved that the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Dongping’s household was of impeccable character. In the future, no one would dare to publicly find fault with this.

Thinking this way, Madam Feng felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.

The two married young ladies of the Earl’s household had encountered successive troubles, which had been truly vexing.

Of course, even with the palace invitation, Madam Feng didn’t believe Jiang Si could be the final choice.

A prince’s consort was something she didn’t even dare to dream about.

“After you return, prepare well. If you need anything, just tell the housekeeper. Grandmother still has two sets of jewelry from her youth, I’ll have them cleaned and sent to you by Afu later…” Madam Feng said quite a bit in one breath, smiling as she took Jiang Si’s hand and gently stroked it. “Don’t let our Earl’s household lose face.”

“Granddaughter understands.”

Seeing Jiang Si’s calm demeanor, Madam Feng wanted to give a few more reminders, but in the end, she swallowed those words and indicated that Jiang Si could withdraw.

The news that Fourth Miss had received an invitation to the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet spread like wildfire throughout the Earl’s household.

Second Madam Xiao had changed her previously sickly appearance since Aunt Dou’s arrival. She became increasingly attentive to household management, ensuring that every task, big or small, was done impeccably.

She heard this news almost immediately and sat holding her scalding teacup without a word for a long while.

Old Woman Xiao seemed to have also emerged from the pain of losing her daughter, regaining her sharp and efficient manner. These days, she had been serving Madam Xiao wholeheartedly and had regained her trust and reliance.

Seeing Madam Xiao like this, she gently persuaded her several times.

Madam Xiao finally softened and instructed, “Spring is coming, we need to prepare the spring clothes for the entire household in advance. Also, the bed curtains and such, I remember we used up our stock last year, we need to buy new ones. Oh, and go to Qian’er’s place personally, lest those servants look down on her and neglect her.”

“Don’t worry, Madam. This old servant will go check on her right away.”

Leaving Madam Xiao’s quarters, Old Woman Xiao gently smoothed the plain silk flower at her temple and headed towards Jiang Qian’s residence.

Since returning to the Earl’s household, Jiang Qian had rarely left her courtyard.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.

With Madam Feng’s words hanging over her, as a divorced woman who had returned to her maiden home, she naturally had to behave herself, at least until this period passed.

Jiang Qian had thought that once her brother passed the imperial examinations, she could hold her head high again. She never imagined that her brother’s almost certain success would encounter problems. This year had truly been unlucky to the extreme.

Hearing that Old Woman Xiao had come, Jiang Qian mustered her spirits to meet her, forcing herself to listen patiently to the old woman’s trivial matters.

When had she fallen to such a state that she had to endure listening to a servant from her mother’s side?

Jiang Qian felt a wave of bitterness in her heart.

Old Woman Xiao secretly hooked the corner of her mouth and mentioned as if in passing, “Fourth Miss is truly blessed. She received an invitation to the palace’s flower appreciation banquet.”

“The palace’s flower appreciation banquet?”

“Yes, I heard it’s to select consorts for the unmarried princes.”

Jiang Qian’s eyes suddenly narrowed, her hand clenching her handkerchief tightly. “Why did Fourth Sister receive one? What about the other sisters?”

Old Woman Xiao smiled and said, “Only Fourth Miss received one. Everyone in the household is saying that Fourth Miss might become a princess consort—”

“Impossible!”

Old Woman Xiao stopped.

Jiang Qian pressed her lips together and slowly composed herself, forcing a smile. “In the future, Old Woman Xiao, please come by more often and tell me about the happenings outside.”

“Don’t worry, Second Miss. Madam has instructed this old servant to visit frequently.”

As soon as Old Woman Xiao left, Jiang Qian’s face suddenly darkened. She muttered to herself, trying to comfort herself, “Who does Jiang Si think she is? The daughter of an Earl whose title can’t even be passed down becoming a princess consort? Dream on!”