Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The days flew by in the blink of an eye.

Before I knew it, the day of Rouyi’s Coming-of-age banquet had arrived.

I had rarely seen her over the past few years.

Word had it that the Crown Prince was dragging her all over the place.

Sometimes they went south of the Yangtze to experience the lives of the common folk; other times, she followed him to disaster zones to provide relief to victims, and occasionally, she was even hauled along to investigate criminal cases.

Rumor had it that her life was difficult and that she had cried many times.

The once-prominent Capital Noble Ladies’ Group had also disbanded due to Rouyi’s disappearance from the social scene.

For this Coming-of-age banquet, I presented a gift on behalf of the Duke’s Mansion.

At the banquet, Rouyi was dressed in magnificent splendor, looking like a brilliant phoenix surrounded by a cluster of women as vibrant as flowers.

I met her gaze from a distance, gave a slight nod, and left after leaving the gift.

Before I could depart, a palace maid chased after me, panting as she held a box in her hands.

“Princess Guangyi, this is a gift for you from Princess Rouyi.”

I had my attendants take it and turned to leave.

In the carriage on the way back, I moved to open it.

Song Yichen pressed his hand down on the lid.

“Sister, let me.”

His expression was grave, as if there might be a hidden weapon inside.

Considering the history between Rouyi and me, I also became wary.

Once opened, we saw a beautiful set of clothes inside, styled in the most popular fashion currently in the capital.

There was also a book titled *Luxurious Attire*.

Flipping through it, I found it was a guide on how to dress and coordinate outfits.

It was written in Rouyi’s handwriting.

I held the book, dazed for a moment.

The Crown Prince really had reformed her well.

I smiled knowingly and put the items away.

I appreciated her sentiment and planned to learn from it when I had the chance.

However, now was not the time.

Currently, I preferred my armor over fine silks.

In this world, there must be room for those who choose a different path.

Not long after, my own Coming-of-age banquet arrived.

A few days before the banquet, although Xie Changhui tried his best to appear calm, his heart was already in a state of total chaos.

[She’s already fifteen! Time flies!]

[What if the female lead shows up later? Should I have people block her from entering?]

[Ugh, this is so frustrating.]

In the original book, my Coming-of-age banquet was a major turning point.

The Empress presided over the banquet for me, which triggered Rouyi’s jealousy.

Noticing my affection for the Crown Prince, Rouyi introduced him to the female lead.

The Crown Prince fell in love with her at first sight.

I, in turn, tried to plot against the female lead but was thwarted by her counterattack, causing my reputation to begin its downward spiral.

Afterward, although the Empress smoothed things over for me, she was deeply disappointed.

From that day on, many people and things around me changed; they all began to side with the female lead and distance themselves from me.

In my panic, I made mistake after mistake.

Ultimately, I walked step by step toward a dead end.

But now, I wasn’t panicked at all.

I hadn’t fallen in love with the Crown Prince, nor did I want to treat any other woman as an enemy.

Most importantly, my once-empty heart was now filled with genuine emotion.

I was no longer afraid of losing; instead, I had enough to give to others.

As the Coming-of-age banquet began, Xie Changhui breathed a sigh of relief.

This was because the Empress did not preside over my ceremony. Instead, she had invited a highly respected elderly noblewoman to perform the honors.

Rouyi didn’t appear at my ceremony either; she had been sent to attend to the Empress Dowager during her illness.

However, the female lead appeared nonetheless.