The Empress, hearing the words of Concubine Yun, raised her eyes to look over, and where the Crown Prince was supposed to be accompanied by Lady Chang, it was clearly Lady Shen.
She frowned, wondering why the Crown Prince didn't bring Lanlan with him on such an important day.
Xiao Jinyan, hearing this, glanced at Shen Chuwei, and saw that she was lowering her head, eating the dish he had just given her, oblivious to Concubine Yun's words.
It wasn't Shen Chuwei's fault that she didn't hear Concubine Yun—the clinking of glasses and the constant sound of string and woodwind instruments drowned out the chatter, and she was entirely focused on her food, making it easy to miss others' remarks.
Xiao Jinyan calmly replied, "Concubine Yun, Lady Chang is unwell and unable to attend the New Year's Eve banquet. The lady sitting beside me is Lady Shen."
As he spoke, his hand under the table tugged at Shen Chuwei's skirt.