Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

The physical discomfort and the inner torment made her nose sore, and tears involuntarily slid down her cheeks, wetting a corner of the pillow.

Ugh.

A long sigh was heard, and Jiang Xue wanted to open her eyes to see who it was, but her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were weighed down by a thousand-pound rock. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even pry her eyelids open a crack.

The sweet water slowly flowed into her mouth, moistening her dry throat. Her throat, which had just felt like it was on fire, suddenly felt much better, and her frown gradually relaxed.

Gradually, she fell asleep. In her dream, she saw the petite figure she had been thinking about day and night, wearing gorgeous clothes, with a sweet and lovely round face, running towards her with a smile.

"Liu Li!"

The moment Xiao Zhan turned around, he suddenly heard her calling out the child's name, and ripples appeared in the cup of water in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed. During these three months, Jiang Xue and Xiao Zhan could no longer get along with each other as close as before. It seemed that there was an insurmountable gap between them.

Xiao Zhan seemed to have returned to his cynical self as he had before his marriage, frequently going in and out of Tingfeng Tower or staying in Concubine Zhou's room.

Now, a rumor is spreading throughout Yujing City that Concubine Zhou is likely to replace Princess Gong.

When Jiang Xue heard Xiaochun tell her the rumor with a serious and angry face, she didn't say anything, but slowly walked to the window and looked out. The tender buds on the branches had grown into lush green leaves that could shelter her from the wind and rain.

Three months passed so quickly and it is already midsummer.

But why did she feel cold all over even though the weather was hot?

She hugged herself and thought back to the past three months. Every time she saw him, he always had a scent that didn't belong to her.

A sour feeling surged up from her lower abdomen, causing her heart to ache and cramp so much that she couldn't straighten her back.

In order not to worry Fu Dong and the others, she closed her eyes tightly and endured the pain silently. She didn't know how long it took before the uncomfortable feeling slowly dissipated.

She looked at the worried expressions of the two girls, Xiaochun and Fudong, and then turned her gaze to herself in the mirror, who had become thin and pale due to a month of illness.

Oh, this is so horrible.

Her fingers gently brushed across the mirror, moving down along her face. This haggard and weak look was just like the weak self in her dream. This was the look she hated the most.

"Fudong, help me dress up." She didn't want to live like in her dream again in her new life.

Cheercing herself up, she sat in front of the dressing table and asked Fudong to help her comb her hair and put on makeup.

Seeing that their princess finally regained some energy, the two maids, Fudong and Xiaochun, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She smiled slightly and started to help herself take care of it.

Not long after, a brand new Jiang Xue appeared in the mirror.

No matter how difficult the world is, she must live with dignity and brilliance.

"Come with me to get some fresh air." After being stuck in the house for three months, it's time to go out and stretch your muscles.

After walking a few steps in the courtyard, I saw the palace's housekeeper leading several maids in.

The maid held a tray with a beautifully crafted dress on it.

"Master Butler, this is..." Fu Dong couldn't help but ask curiously when he saw that the material of the clothes was extremely exquisite and the embroidery was top-notch.

"Princess, this dress was sent by His Highness. It's the dress prepared for the Chao Feng Banquet in half a month." The butler explained.

The Chaofeng Banquet is a grand banquet hosted by the Queen in midsummer every year.

All the guests invited to this banquet were the wives of royal nobles, and it was simply a social gathering for women of the upper class.

To put it bluntly, it is a stage for comparison and flattery.

She had also presided over this matter when she was the queen in her dreams. Although on the surface it was a competition and flattery, the more important thing was to take this opportunity to bring the two closer. After all, the court and the harem were closely connected, and some relationships that were not easy to win over in the court could be secretly done here.

Therefore, whenever there is such a banquet, the ladies of each family will prepare it with great care, not only to avoid being looked down upon, but also to enable their family to establish a more advantageous network of relationships.

Over the past year, Prince Gong's power has soared like a rocket, from an inconspicuous prince to a prince with great power. This explosive rise has made him the target of all nobles.

Therefore, at this Chaofeng Banquet, Jiang Xue naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.

Her clothing, appearance, words and deeds would become hot topics of discussion. Once she made a mistake, not only would she be embarrassed, but the Prince Gong Mansion would also become the target of public criticism.

"This dress is so beautiful." Before Jiang Xue could say anything, Concubine Zhou broke into the courtyard without permission.

In the past few months, the Zhou family's power has been at its peak, and Concubine Zhou is extremely favored, so the guards did not dare to stop her.

As soon as she saw the beautifully crafted dress, her eyes seemed to be glued to it and she couldn't move them away.

She walked straight to the maid holding the dress without even saying hello to Jiang Xue.

"This dress belongs to me." She reached out and snatched the dress from the maid, and said confidently: "My Lady Princess, this dress is too bright in color. It is not suitable for you. Please give it to me. My age is just right for this color."

Fu Dong frowned. Was Concubine Zhou trying to say in a roundabout way that their princess was old?

In fact, Concubine Zhou was only one year younger than Jiang Xue, so how could she have the qualifications to laugh at the princess.

Xiaochun even grabbed the hem of the clothes and pulled hard, trying to get the clothes back. However, she used too much force and with a "hiss" sound, a hole was torn in the soft fabric, destroying the perfection of the entire dress.

"You..." Concubine Zhou was so angry when she saw that she not only failed to get her beloved clothes but also had them ruined by Xiaochun. She was about to curse at him, but when she thought of the lesson she received for being rude to Jiang Xue last time, her heart trembled and she swallowed the curse back. She looked at Jiang Xue involuntarily, and when she saw that she was not angry, she felt relieved and continued speaking.

"It's just a piece of clothing, why do you have to be so stingy, Princess? Your Highness promised me last night that I can ask for anything I want, Princess. Your Highness is very generous and will definitely not embarrass me." She knew very well that Jiang Xue and Xiao Zhan had been in a cold war recently, and she deliberately mentioned that she was with Xiao Zhan last night, obviously to irritate Jiang Xue.

She was just a woman who had fallen from favor, and it was an honor for her that someone liked her clothes.

She even dared to let the maid snatch things from her, without even considering her current status.

"Xiaochun, let go."

Jiang Xue glanced at Concubine Zhou and signaled Xiaochun to let go.

"Take this dress if you like it."