Forgotten Legend of the Bloodied Flower

Shangguan Die nearly cursed out loudly when she sensed Nan Hua's gaze on her. Even though Nan Hua said nothing, she felt some kind of immense pressure that couldn't be ignored. It was as if she was nothing more than a small ant in front of a giant that could crush her at any moment.

That was the feeling she got even though Nan Hua's physique was considerably smaller than her.

"Young…."

"I understand."

That's all?

Shangguan Die was stumped, but she noticed that Nan Hua had averted her gaze to the tea in front of her once more. She felt that her back had unknowingly drenched in sweat just from the short interaction she had with Nan Hua. It was scary.

She didn't want to repeat this ever again.

Taking a deep breath, Shangguan Die then stood up and walked away. Since she was determined to mess with Shangguan Mi, she had to make sure that she would do it splendidly.

Nan Hua was looking from the side and silently thought to herself that there would be another good show. Shangguan Mi would have to be more careful in who she dealt with because those who had nothing to lose was the scariest. They would not mind doing anything as long as they could achieve their goal.

Without any restriction whatsoever, there was nothing they would not do.

After a while, the eunuch announced the arrival of the Emperor and Empress Dowagers along with the princess. Since Prince Yang Lu was under house arrest, it was only natural that he would not appear this time.

'Princess?'

Aside from Princess Yue, there was another princess in the palace, Princess Hu. Different from Princess Yue who was very active, Princess Hu was the complete opposite because she was known to be a weak and sickly princess. There were only few rare occasions in which she appeared to the masses.

After a round of greeting, the Emperor proceeded to give a short speech before allowing them to enjoy the banquet. The people continued as they were before, but the way they conducted themselves was much more refined.

"Your Highness, it's such a rare occasion for us to be able to meet you."

"Your Highness, you have grown to be more beautiful."

"Your Highness…"

Because Princess Hu rarely attended any banquet, she immediately became the center of attention. She would turn 15 soon, which meant that she would be married away to someone sooner or later.

Donned in beautiful flowy red dress, the color contrasted her skin, making her stood out even more. She had fair skin and her eyebrows were drawn like willow leaves. Her hair ornaments were all red in color, which gave stark contrast to her black hair.

Being a princess, it was clear that she must have lived a luxurious life, one that couldn't be compared by many of them.

Nan Hua looked over, noticing many unfamiliar young ladies. Since it had been three years since the last time she participated in any kind of banquet, the influential ones had long changed. Those who used to dominate had been married and naturally had to act more reserved because of their new position in their families.

Those who tried to get close to the princess were the maidens.

"Ladies, how about if we spend some time walking in the garden? It feels a bit stuffy inside," Princess Hu asked sweetly. Her tone sounded soft and weak, giving off people the impression that they would want to protect her.

The girls around her nodded vehemently.

"Yes, Princess, if you would like, we will accompany you."

"Your Highness, would you like me to bring you a plate of fruits too?"

So many women were trying to flatter Princess Hu.

The condition was completely different for Emperor Yang Zhou. Even though he was sitting on the dragon throne, he looked so lonely as he sat there alone with only drinking tea and watching everyone. Rather than being a leader, he looked more like a spectator.

Empress Dowager Mei and Empress Dowager Yan were popular in their own way as they also chatted with several other married women.

This way, the ladies were divided into three groups.

The males were more divided as they formed many small groups and engaged in some conversation.

"Young Miss Nan," a girl called out.

Nan Hua raised her head and saw an unfamiliar face. She had to rack her brains for a moment before recognizing the girl in front of her.

"Young Miss Su."

The girl, Su Ai Yuan, smiled sweetly when she heard Nan Hua remembered her name. She had grown quite a bit since the last time they met each other during the incident in Long Family Residence. Even though they hadn't met each other for a long time, it seemed that she still remembered her too.

Nan Hua's eyes were watching Su Ai Yuan while silently wondering what did this little girl want.

"Young Miss Nan, Her Highness wants to invite everyone to enjoy the garden. Would you like to join us?" Su Ai Yuan asked with a sweet smile on her face.

Nan Hua looked at this young girl, who was a year younger than her while nodding silently. She knew that if she refused, Princess Hu might not let the matter off and then talked bad about her for a long time.

It would be better for her to just follow whatever that woman wanted.

"That's great. Her Highness will be happy to have more people." Su Ai Yuan clapped her hand as if she was truly happy from the bottom of her heart. Her action made her look cute yet at the same time, it was a bit improper.

Nan Hua's gaze deepened. For some reason, she felt that the Su Family had quite a lot of awful descendants who were very gullible. They were happy to be used by other people and might even have to bear the brunt because they were the one who stepped forward.