"But they keep calling the name of the Holy Maiden." Xuefei was really in a dilemma. She had offended the Holy Maiden once and didn’t dare to do so again. This time, she was prudent enough to ask the gatekeeper to inquire further, only then realizing that their so-called sister-in-law was actually the Holy Maiden.

"They’re looking for me?" Her mind was whirling, and it suddenly dawned on her. Dugu Chen’s own maternal uncle, Xiao Yiran’s daughter Xiao Jiazhen, and the maternal auntie, the Zhennan Princess’s daughter Commandery Princess Fo Conghui. By this reckoning, if they called Dugu Chen cousin, then it made sense for them to call her sister-in-law as well.

Having realized this, she said to Xuefei, "Please let them into the Peony Garden. I will be right back."

"Cousin, I’ll head back first."

"Go ahead, and no matter what you hear, don’t take it to heart." Jueqing was somewhat worried, thinking that the two were seeking trouble with Feng Xuxu, and fearing that Feng Xuxu might overthink it, offered preemptive consolation.

"Mm." She got up lightly, filled with curiosity, and headed back to the Peony Garden.

The carriage quickly stopped at the second gate. After disembarking, Fo Conghui dragged her cousin Xiao Jiazhen, constantly urging the leading maid to hurry. Seeing this, the maid quickened her pace towards the Peony Garden.

Feng Xuxu had just arrived when Fo Conghui and Xiao Jiazhen also hurried in.

Feng Xuxu watched the two girls, veiled, a pink-robed girl pulling along a young lady in pale green, dash towards her.

Fo Conghui’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she sized up Feng Xuxu from front to back, left to right, turning round and round, and couldn’t help nodding.

Feng Xuxu, bewildered by the sprite-like girl in front of her and seeing no hint of insult in her eyes, permitted the bold examination of herself.

After circling Feng Xuxu once, yet again returning to her, even Feng Xuxu eventually grew uncomfortable with such scrutiny.

"Little sister, are you perhaps captivated by my beauty?" She seized the dizzied pink-robed girl, knitting her brows as she spoke.

Xiao Jiazhen, who had been standing awkwardly to one side glaring at her cousin to not be too brash, was caught off guard by the sudden witty remark from her future sister-in-law and burst out laughing, then quickly stifled her laughter, trying to maintain the demeanor of an official’s daughter, but her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, giving her away.

Feng Xuxu turned to look at the young lady in green, who was clearly struggling not to laugh, and said, "Go ahead and laugh. There’s no one else here. Why suffer so painfully?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Xiao Jiazhen crouched down and laughed heartily.

Fo Conghui’s face turned beet red as she glared at her cousin to one side, then turned to her future sister-in-law with a look of grievance, thinking how she could have stolen her line.

Feng Xuxu frowned, looking at the pink-robed girl, "What is this look? Do you think you can’t compare to me and so you’re saddened?" Shaking her head, she pitied the poor child. She moved forward to comfort her by patting her head, "Being ugly isn’t your fault. What’s crucial is nurturing beauty later on. Don’t be sad." Her long eyelashes hid a fleeting cunning glint.

Just as Xiao Jiazhen had managed to stop laughing and was about to introduce herself to her sister-in-law, she had barely opened her mouth and had not yet made a sound when she heard another ridiculously funny comment, and this time she laughed louder than before, with tears streaming down.

Underneath her veil, Fo Conghui was utterly speechless. Pouting, she yanked down her veil and lifted her chin with a "Hmph, I’m not ugly at all."

"Come, come, let me have a look. Let’s see which little beauty it is. Let me guess... Hmm. You are... Commandery Princess Fo Conghui, right?" She restrained her laughter, teasing the innocent Fo Conghui.

The moment her cousin guessed her name correctly, Fo Conghui excitedly raised her little face, "Sister-in-law, tell me, how did you guess it?"

Having laughed enough, Xiao Jiazhen also removed her veil and joined Feng Xuxu and Fo Conghui, "Sister-in-law, I am Xiao Jiazhen."

"Oh my, Cousin, don’t interrupt! My sister-in-law hasn’t told me yet," Fo Conghui, who eagerly anticipated the answer, had her eyes shining as she looked at Feng Xuxu, cutting her cousin off mid-sentence.

"Secret." She extended her hand to playfully tap Fo Conghui’s upward nose, smiling and shaking her head as she walked over to the cool table in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Zhu Lengqing turned and went inside to brew a pot of floral tea, bringing several cups out to place on the cool table.

"Hmph." Fo Conghui, seeing this but not pressing further, plunked down on the cool chair, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it down in one gulp. The fragrance filled her entire mouth, a light and sweet taste—it was exceptionally delicious. She tipped back her head and finished it in one go.

"Cousin, that’s no way to drink tea; you’re guzzling it down like a cow!" She teased the embarrassed Fo Conghui. That was no way for a Commandery Princess to behave.

"Cousin, the tea is so good; I couldn’t help but drink it all in one go." She poured herself another cup and this time, she began to sip slowly, savoring the taste.

Hearing that the tea was delicious, Xiao Jiazhen also poured herself a cup, carefully sniffing it before taking a slow sip. She found it indeed delectable and, unable to resist, also drained her cup in one gulp.

"And yet you say I..." She rolled her eyes and began to drink again, head lowered.

Xiao Jiazhen gave an awkward laugh, her baby face blushing red.

"This is a type of floral tea made from a little blue flower called ’Forget-Me-Not.’ It’s been processed into the flower tea we are drinking now. If you like it, I’ll send some with you when you leave," she said as she picked up her cup and sipped slowly.

"Really? Then I won’t be polite about it. I must take some back to let my mother, the Princess, taste it." She clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Feng Xuxu.

"Cousin-in-law, I won’t be polite either." Xiao Jiazhen pursed her lips, giggling with her face flushed.

"Cousin-in-law, it seems my cousin truly has an eye for quality. No wonder that yesterday, for your sake, he bathed in blood—uhh,"

Xiao Jiazhen quickly stepped forward to grab her cousin’s arm, but it was a step too late; half the words had already slipped out.

The smile fell from her lips as she fixed a severe gaze on Fo Conghui and demanded, "Finish what you were saying—bathed in blood, what?"

"Um..."

She turned her head to look at Xiao Jiazhen. With no other choice and feeling the pressure, Xiao Jiazhen began to recount the incident, with Fo Conghui occasionally adding to the story. Half an hour passed, and after hearing the whole process, Feng Xuxu sat stunned, closing her eyes. Imagining Dugu Chen’s appearance as he attempted to take his own life, and if it weren’t for Xiaobai’s timely feeling, what then? The more she thought about it, the more unbearable pain clutched at her heart, leaving her complexion deathly pale.

Seeing her like this, the two became anxious and started shaking Feng Xuxu, "Cousin-in-law, what’s wrong with you? Don’t scare us," Fo Conghui said, her voice tinged with the threat of tears.

"Co-, Cousin-in-law, where do you feel unwell?" Xiao Jiazhen, agitated, stammered her concern.

Feng Xuxu’s small face was creased in pain, utterly devoid of color, as she was about to speak, but then her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"Someone, come quickly! Cousin-in-law has fainted," Fo Conghui cried out, sensing trouble, shouting into the courtyard.

Before her cry could even fade, a gust of wind swept through, and a figure had already swept Feng Xuxu into his arms and strode towards the house.