Princess Luoyao's words were just a casual remark, but they made everyone present look at each other, not knowing how to respond.
Those noble ladies didn't think much when gossiping about Shen Li. But now that the princess had asked a question.
It wouldn't be appropriate for them to say that they were discussing others' family affairs. That would make them seem like vulgar market women who loved to gossip.
For a moment, no one said a word, and the atmosphere became awkward.
The smile on Princess Luoyao's face almost faltered.
It was Princess Yajing who, seeing this situation, had a brighter smile on her face.
"We were just chatting about how beautiful the flowers are today!"
Suddenly, a soft voice came from the crowd below.
"It's rare that we all like these flowers today. We should enjoy them well later!"
"Who was that just now? Come forward and let this princess have a look!"
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing who had spoken just now.
Suddenly, a woman in purple clothes stepped out of the crowd. It was Shen Li, the very person they had been gossiping about just now.
Shen Li stopped three steps in front of Princess Luoyao and bowed gracefully. "Your humble subject, Shen Li, pays respects to Your Highness the Princess!"
"Shen Li? Was it you who just spoke?"
Princess Luoyao stood there gracefully and asked.
Shen Li wasn't sure what Princess Luoyao was up to. She had just spoken up to relieve the awkward situation.
But now that things had come to this, she could only reply calmly, "It was this subject!"
"You're really a smart and clever person!"
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Shen Li's words were just for the occasion.
But among all the people present, only Shen Li had spoken up to ease her embarrassment.
So, Princess Luoyao didn't hesitate to praise Shen Li.
As soon as Princess Luoyao said this, the faces of those who had been gossiping about Shen Li froze.
Although Shen Miao looked calm, her hands under her sleeves had already clenched into fists.
Shen Li bowed to express her gratitude without being over - deferential or over - arrogant. Then, the banquet continued as usual.
In the imperial garden, the maids and eunuchs had already set up tables and chairs with delicate pastries made by the imperial kitchen on them.
Princess Luoyao invited everyone to taste them.
Shen Li picked up a piece of lotus and golden milk cake and put it into her mouth. The familiar taste brought back memories. In her previous life, she had loved this pastry from the imperial kitchen the most and would eat a small plate of it every day.
"Tsk! Such a country bumpkin!"
Shen Li's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sneer from the crowd. She saw the woman opposite her looking at her disdainfully.
She didn't quite understand why the woman had said that.
It was Jiaoyue who noticed Shen Li's confusion and whispered, "Miss, you've already eaten three pieces of pastry!"
"No matter how delicious it is, there's no need to eat so much. Humph! She really is uncultured!"
Only then did Shen Li understand. She silently wiped her fingers and ignored the woman.
Shen Miao was sitting just below Shen Li. Hearing the woman insult Shen Li, she pretended not to hear and didn't come to her rescue.
Shen Li shifted her gaze and looked at Princess Luoning sitting beside Princess Luoyao. She instinctively thought the little girl was cute.
She was just a little over ten years old, but now she was sitting there seriously, imitating Princess Luoyao and trying to look as dignified as possible.
She still had chubby baby cheeks, but she was trying to act like an adult, with a straight face, talking to people much older than her.
She looked incredibly cute.
Maybe Shen Li's gaze was too intense. Princess Luoning seemed to sense it and suddenly turned to look at her.
She originally wanted to glare at Shen Li majestically, but with her pouting lips and wide - open eyes, in Shen Li's eyes, she looked even cuter. Her face looked so soft that Shen Li really wanted to pinch it.
Princess Luoning found that Shen Li wasn't afraid of her and felt bored. She turned away and didn't look at Shen Li anymore.
Looking at the innocent and cute Princess Luoning, Shen Li felt a twinge of pity in her heart.
The current emperor, although not as woman - crazy as the previous emperor, still had quite a few concubines in the palace.
He had also fathered many children.
He had given birth to thirteen princes and princesses in total, and now there were still ten who were healthy. Among them were the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Seventh Prince, the Tenth Prince, the Twelfth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince, a total of six princes.
Among them, only the Second Prince was married. The Fourth Prince, the Seventh Prince, and the Tenth Prince were already adults but were not yet engaged.
The Twelfth Prince was only seven or eight years old, and the Thirteenth Prince was only five or six.
There were also four princesses: the Eldest Princess Manzhen, the Fifth Princess Luoyao, the Sixth Princess Yajing, and the Ninth Princess Luoning.
The Eldest Princess had gotten married last year and had moved to the princess mansion.
The Second Prince, the Fifth Princess, and the Ninth Princess were all born to the queen.
The Fourth Prince and the Sixth Princess were both born to Concubine Chen.
The Tenth Prince was born to a palace maid and had been raised under Concubine Chen's name since childhood.
The rest of the princes and princesses were all born to concubines.
In her previous life, when she was married to Xiao Hanzhi, she naturally knew the people and affairs in the palace very well.
The queen was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Xuanping. She had married the current emperor at the age of seventeen and had become the mother of the country at the age of twenty. She was dignified, kind, and popular among the ministers and the people.
Concubine Chen's father had been the crown prince's tutor when the emperor was still the crown prince, teaching the emperor for more than ten years.
Concubine Chen had learned a great deal from her father. She was proficient in all kinds of arts, was charming in appearance, and was truly a peerless beauty.
She often accompanied the emperor in his studies. Although she was nearly forty years old, she was still deeply favored.
The queen and Concubine Chen regarded each other as thorns in their eyes.
When they were young, they vied for the emperor's favor. Later, they vied for the throne for their sons.
In the end, it was Xiao Hanzhi who became the emperor.
The queen's side suffered a miserable defeat.
After Xiao Hanzhi ascended the throne, he took off his mask of hypocrisy and was still cruel to his siblings.
Needless to say, the Second Prince had rebelled. After his defeat, he had been shot to death by a shower of arrows.
The emperor had hanged himself in the palace with the unmarried Ninth Princess.
The already - married Princess Luoning had also been imprisoned in the princess mansion by Xiao Hanzhi and was never allowed to leave.
Although the Twelfth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince were young and hadn't participated in the fight for the throne, Xiao Hanzhi had still found an excuse to send them to guard the imperial mausoleum.
Even the Seventh Prince and the Tenth Prince, who had supported him back then, only had the empty title of prince.
When Shen Li died, they were still alive. But based on her understanding of Xiao Hanzhi, she knew that sooner or later, Xiao Hanzhi would turn against them.
A hypocrite as insidious and cunning as Xiao Hanzhi was simply unworthy of being the master of the world.
Whether it was for revenge or for the people of the world, in this new life, she would never let Xiao Hanzhi ascend the throne.
"I heard that Princess Luoyao has specially brought back several peony plants from the south of Fujian. I wonder if we'll have the honor to see them today?"
As soon as the voice of Princess Heyuan rang out, everyone stopped talking.
"You! This princess just got these treasures the other day, and you've already found out! This princess is warning you. You can look at them, but if you think about taking them back to your princess mansion, don't even dream about it!"
Princess Luoyao said to Princess Heyuan with a smile.