"My apologies..."
"Is this, perhaps, Miss Fu Ning?" From not far away, Aunt Lan, supporting Consort Ling, was walking slowly.
Fu Ning's expression turned serious, and she stepped forward to bow, saying, "Greetings, Consort."
Although she hadn't met her before, with such attire, clothing, and bearing, she was certainly Consort Ling.
This girl is quite clever.
Consort Ling smiled and said, "Until the Prince issues his decree, you cannot enter for the moment. Perhaps you would like to rest first."
Fu Ning was helpless and was about to nod.
However, there seemed to be footsteps from within the courtyard.
Someone was coming out from inside!
Zang Xu immediately went to meet them.
Consort Ling, Fu Ning, and the Chu Nan Dong and Chu Qian Qian siblings all hurried forward to greet them.
The sunlight shone at the courtyard entrance, and a figure in plain white entered everyone's sight.
Fu Ning immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Miss..."
"It's nothing. I had a couple of drinks with the Prince and we reminisced about old times," Chu Qian Li nodded.
The old times, of course, were not about her and Prince Ling, as the two had never met before.
It seemed Prince Ling greatly missed the former Ninth Prince.
Fu Ning remained silent. As long as her Miss was present, she habitually followed behind her.
Chu Qian Li walked towards Consort Ling.
Beside her, Chu Nan Dong was already staring blankly, dumbfounded.
He had never seen such a beautiful girl!
Her unadorned face, illuminated by the sunlight, shone brilliantly!
Her features were delicate and exquisite, so perfect that not a single flaw could be found, nor could anything be deemed unattractive.
Especially now, with the sunlight falling upon her, she appeared as if she possessed her own radiance.
In just one glance, Chu Nan Dong was utterly enchanted.
Chu Qian Qian was also staring intently at Chu Qian Li.
She too was stunned by Chu Qian Li's appearance, but unlike her brother, she wasn't infatuated. After looking, she only wanted to cry.
So beautiful!
No wonder Father would be so concerned and fond upon seeing her.
Father would surely only favor this girl from now on and would no longer favor her.
Chu Qian Qian covered her mouth, turned around, and ran away crying.
Upon seeing Chu Qian Li, Aunt Lan couldn't help but freeze for a while.
This young girl was indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace.
Such beauty was entirely natural, requiring no polishing or carving; she herself seemed to glow with beauty!
If this girl were to compete for the Prince's favor with Consort Ling, could the Prince truly handle it?
Looking at Consort Ling again, Aunt Lan was startled once more.
The usually calm and gentle Consort Ling was now glaring at Chu Qian Li, her face filled with shock.
"Consort..." Aunt Lan gently tugged at Consort Ling's sleeve.
While the other party was indeed breathtakingly beautiful, Consort Ling's reaction was somewhat undignified.
Unexpectedly, Consort Ling still showed no reaction.
She simply stared at Chu Qian Li, so shocked that her fingertips trembled, "How could... how could... this girl! This girl... it's her, it's her!"
Aunt Lan had no idea what she was trying to convey, so she gently tugged again, "Consort, you... please calm down."
Consort Ling now seemed truly uncalm.
Not only were her fingers trembling, but her palms were also ice-cold.
Her entire body felt as if it were under a spell, so stiff that every meridian seemed frozen.
Chu Qian Li looked at Consort Ling, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Consort Ling's expression towards her was very unusual.
"Greetings, Consort." Chu Qian Li, along with Fu Ning, walked up to Consort Ling. Chu Qian Li frowned, "Consort, have we... met before?"