When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

"Where did this crazy woman come from? You and I have never had any connection, why are you framing me?" Du Shulan's face changed drastically and she stood up hurriedly to defend herself.

He Xiangwan, however, threw herself at her recklessly, shouting, "It's you! You gave me these, saying they would help me bring down the Xie family! You vicious woman, you've brought such misery to my Shen family!"

The two wrestled, and the scene was chaotic for a moment. The Queen Mother frowned irritably and shouted, "Enough! This is disgraceful! Someone, pull them apart!"

Several palace maids and eunuchs stepped forward and took great pains to separate the two.

He Xiangwan had disheveled hair and looked in a disheveled state, while Du Shulan, though disheveled, still stood aside, forcing herself to remain calm.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent. This He must have lost her mind to make such random accusations. I have no grudges against the Xie family, so why would she frame them?"

Anyway, Du Shulan didn't leave any evidence for the Shen family, so He Xiangwan couldn't do anything to her with her empty words.

The Queen Mother's eyes swept across her face, "Are you really not involved in this matter?"

"I will never say a word of falsehood." Du Shulan looked up at the empress dowager with a firm gaze.

The Queen Mother pondered for a moment, "Come here, the Shen family wrote rebellious poems and wove rebellious pictures. The evidence is irrefutable. Immediately arrest Shen Jingshi and He Xiangwan, and take them to the Sky Prison. They will be tried on another day!"

"Immediately dispatch the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court to conduct a thorough investigation of the Shen family! Imprison all members of the Shen family and await their fate!"

"Yes!" The royal guards waiting outside the palace came in and took Shen Jingshi and He Xiangwan away.

Shen Jingshi's face was ashen, his eyes filled with despair. He knew that this time he was really finished, and the Shen family was finished too.

He Xiangwan struggled unwillingly, crying out miserably, "Empress Dowager, spare me! All of this was instigated by Du Shulan! She is the mastermind! Spare me—"

However, her shouts were quickly drowned out by the rhythmic footsteps of the Royal Guards.

Du Shulan watched the two men being taken away and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as she raised her head, she met the Queen Mother's sharp eyes, and her heart was suddenly startled.

"Du, the Shen family keeps saying that you were behind this. Although I know they are desperate, you are also a suspect in this matter. Until the matter is fully investigated, you must stay in the palace and not go anywhere!"

The Queen Mother's voice was cold and stern, leaving no room for doubt.

Du Shulan was shocked, but she didn't dare to resist. She could only bow her head and agree: "Yes, I obey your command."

She cast a look at Jiang Buli for help, but saw that his face was gloomy and veins on his forehead were bulging. It was obvious that he was extremely angry.

Jiang Buli felt that this foolish woman was doing extremely stupid things! He wanted to cut off all ties with her right then and there!

Although he was angry, he couldn't just ignore it, so he had to bite the bullet and go forward to beg for mercy.

"Your Highness, my wife is quite dull and insensitive. Please forgive me if I have offended you. I am willing to guarantee with my life that my wife has no intention of treason."

The Queen Mother glanced at him coldly. "Your guarantee? I don't trust it. Mrs. Du will stay in the palace until the matter is fully investigated."

This sudden change caught everyone off guard. The guests looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to breathe.

After a while, the Queen Mother's expression eased slightly. "Thank you, Changyu. I am very pleased with the brocade dress and the poem you presented me. You have made a great contribution this time, and I will reward you handsomely."

Xie Changyu bowed calmly and said, "It is my honor to present a gift to the Empress Dowager. I dare not take credit for it."

The Queen Mother nodded and signaled the female official to unfold the gorgeous brocade dress again. The phoenix embroidered on the dress sparkled brightly under the light, and it seemed to be about to jump out, which was breathtaking.

"This is the embroidery needlework inherited from my Xie family. It uses gold thread as the base, combined with the sheen of brocade, creating the effect of 'floating light, golden sparkle, and still shadows, like a jade'. The phoenix on this magnificent dress is made from hundreds of different silk threads..."

Xie Changyu took the opportunity to talk about the exquisite craftsmanship of Xie family brocade, which not only successfully resolved the previous plagiarism controversy, but also gave a perfect promotion for Xie family brocade.

The guests were fascinated by the performance and were amazed at the exquisite craftsmanship of Xie family brocade.

"Excellent, excellent! The real thing is the real thing, it's truly exquisitely crafted!" The Queen Mother nodded in appreciation, "The Xie family's brocade is truly worthy of its reputation."

Then, she turned to Chu Jinghong and said, "Ms. Chu, you have raised such an outstanding son. I will reward you handsomely."

Chu Jinghong bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am so kind. I am just doing my duty as a mother."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "You don't have to be so modest. I know my limits."

Then, more officials continued to present gifts, and the farce just now seemed to be just a small episode and did not affect the continuation of the birthday banquet.

There was singing and dancing in the hall, and people were talking and laughing.

When everyone left, the Queen Mother left Xie Changyu alone.

Coincidentally, Prince Jingyuan Ximen Liu also had something to report to the Queen Mother, so he stayed as well.

"Changyu, the idea of ​​this birthday gift must have come from someone else, right?"

"Nothing can be hidden from my great-aunt. This embroidery and the poem were both created by my sister-in-law Jiang Song."

Xie Changyu lowered his head slightly. In front of the empress dowager, he always told her everything he knew.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother showed a hint of surprise on her face, "Oh? The concubine's daughter of the Jiang family? It's her? I really underestimated this girl."

She had only heard that the Jiang family had married their concubine's daughter to Xie Changyan, but she hadn't paid much attention to her concubine's name. Now, after hearing Xie Changyu mention it, she realized that Jiang Song was so talented.

"Yes, my sister-in-law is indeed a rare and extraordinary woman." Xie Changyu's eyes flashed with admiration when he spoke of Jiang Song. "She completed the embroidery and lyrics for this birthday gift alone. I am only responsible for presenting them."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly. "In that case, Jiang Song is indeed a talented person. It is rare for the Jiang family to have such a daughter."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Then why didn't she enter the palace with you today?"

Xie Changyu explained, "My brother needs someone to take care of him, so my sister-in-law stayed at home."

The Queen Mother nodded in understanding. "She is indeed a woman of affection and righteousness. When you return, give her my regards and tell her how I admire her talent. Tell her to come to the palace more often when she is free to spend time with me."

"Yes, I will definitely convey the Empress Dowager's message."

On the side, Ximen Liu heard this and his heart moved slightly.

He also wanted to meet the woman who could write such profound lyrics and paint such vivid paintings. What kind of charm was she?

What is even more rare is that she was able to predict the turmoil at today's birthday party in advance and resolve it cleverly. Her wisdom and courage are truly admirable.

The Queen Mother nodded and said nothing more. She soon returned to discussing business with Ximen Liu.

……

As the night deepened, the guests left the palace one after another.

At the palace gate, Xie Guangting and Chu Jinghong were waiting for Xie Changyu to return home together.

Tonight's birthday banquet was truly thrilling, and Chu Jinghong is still feeling the lingering fear until now.

"Why hasn't Changyu come out yet?" Chu Jinghong couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Xie Guangting comforted him, "Don't worry, Changyu has always been steady and nothing will happen to him."