Reborn and married in a swapped marriage, my aloof husband is too ruthless.

Minister Liu held the brand-new inspection standards in his hand, a fake smile plastered on his face, like a cat that had stolen some fish.

“Madam Su, this batch of supplies is of great importance, and His Majesty’s health is even more precious, so… this humble subject has to be cautious.” He paused, then handed the standards to Su Jinxin, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible malice, “These are the latest inspection standards, please cooperate, Madam Su.”

Su Jinxin took the standard and glanced at it briefly before understanding Minister Liu's sinister intentions.

This is not a new standard at all; it's clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult!

The standards are so stringent that they are unheard of, and many of the requirements are even contradictory, making them impossible to meet.

She sneered. This Minister Liu must have taken bribes from Consort Zhou and is deliberately trying to cause trouble, right?

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Consort Zhou swayed her slender waist as she approached, her words sharp and barbed: "Oh, Madam Su is still here? I thought you had already packed up and run away! If these supplies can't be produced, it's a crime of deceiving the emperor!" She covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes practically overflowing with schadenfreude.

"Your Highness is too kind," Su Jinxin said calmly, her expression unchanged, as if she were discussing the weather. "The supplies are almost finished. Your Highness should think about what to reward us with when the time comes."

"Hmph, stubborn as a mule!" Consort Zhou sneered, glancing at the inspection standards. "These are new standards personally set by the Emperor. If you fail to meet them, I will be the first to punish you!"

Minister Liu chimed in from the side, "Madam Su, these new standards are much stricter than the previous ones. You'd better hurry. If you delay His Majesty's important business, no one can bear the consequences!" He said with a forced smile, as if he could already see Su Jinxin's disgrace.

Su Jinxin slowly rolled up the inspection standard, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Since it's a standard personally set by the Emperor, then naturally we must follow it. However..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over Consort Zhou and Minister Liu, her eyes sharp as knives, "This lady would like to ask, from which old palace regulations did this so-called 'new standard' come?"

Upon hearing Su Jinxin's words, Consort Zhou and Minister Liu's expressions changed simultaneously.

This "new standard" was obviously fabricated by them in private; there was no old court precedent for it.

Minister Liu's forehead began to sweat, and he stammered, "This...this is...the recently revised version by the Imperial Household Department..."

"Oh? The Imperial Household Department recently revised it?" Su Jinxin looked at him with a half-smile. "Then why didn't Eunuch Zhao tell me about it?" As she spoke, she nodded slightly towards the crowd.

Eunuch Zhao, who had been hiding behind the crowd, hoping to see Su Jinxin make a fool of herself, was startled when he was suddenly called out. He quickly squeezed out and said in a trembling voice, "Madam Su... this..." He glanced at Consort Zhou, whose face was ashen, and then at Su Jinxin, who was looking smug. He was caught in a dilemma and did not know how to answer.

Su Jinxin didn't give him a chance to think. She pulled out a thick booklet from her sleeve—it was a collection of old palace regulations. Turning to a page, she pointed to the rules and regulations and read aloud, "According to old palace regulations, the inspection standards for specially made materials should primarily consider practicality, durability, and aesthetics, with no other stringent requirements. Lord Liu, you're probably not making up those 'new standards' yourself, are you?"

Minister Liu's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if he had been struck by lightning.

He never expected that Su Jinxin would carry with her the old palace customs!

Now, he's really shot himself in the foot.

Seeing this, Consort Zhou realized that the situation was not good. She glared at Minister Liu and cursed him inwardly for being good for nothing and good for making things worse.

Su Jinxin, too lazy to pay attention to these two clowns, turned to Master Craftsman Li and said, "Master Li, there's no need to listen to this nonsense. Let's continue working." Master Craftsman Li was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement, directing the craftsmen to get back to work.

A few days later, the specially made supplies were finally completed, and Su Jinxin personally delivered them to the palace.

The emperor was delighted to see these exquisite supplies and praised them highly.

He picked up an item and examined it carefully, his eyes full of appreciation. He turned to Su Jinxin and said, "Madam Su, you have done very well. I am very satisfied."

Su Jinxin smiled slightly and said modestly, "This is what I should do."

The Emperor glanced at Consort Zhou and Minister Liu, whose faces were grim, and smiled meaningfully. "I've heard that recently some people have been obstructing Lady Su's work..."

Before the emperor could finish speaking, Consort Zhou and Minister Liu knelt down with a thud, their faces pale and covered in cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, please investigate! Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I... I absolutely did not do such a thing!" Consort Zhou's voice trembled as she tried to defend herself.

Minister Liu was terrified, kowtowing repeatedly, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I...I was just confused for a moment..."

The emperor sneered, "A moment of confusion? I think you have ulterior motives!" He waved his hand, "Guards, drag these two away and interrogate them thoroughly!" The guards immediately stepped forward and dragged the two away.

Witnessing this scene, everyone present gasped in shock, and their gazes toward Su Jinxin held not only admiration but also a hint of fear.

This Lady Su is not only highly skilled, but also deeply trusted by the Emperor. It seems that no one will dare to offend her easily in the future.

The emperor was in a great mood and immediately rewarded Su Jinxin with a large amount of gold and silver treasures, as well as a court-exclusive commercial token, which allowed her special privileges in court-related commercial affairs.

The issuance of this token signifies that Su Jinxin's status in the business world has been officially recognized, which is like adding wings to a tiger!

For a time, Su Jinxin was incredibly popular and became the most sought-after person in the entire capital.

After the ceremony, Yan Chengan walked quickly to Su Jinxin's side and excitedly hugged her.

"Xin'er, you're amazing!" His deep voice was filled with pride and love.

Su Jinxin smiled softly in his arms, and the two gazed at each other affectionately, their eyes seeing only each other.

The palace servants and ministers around them watched this scene silently, feeling the deep affection between them, and a sweet atmosphere filled the air.

Some people are envious, some are jealous, and some... have ulterior motives.

Just then, a palace maid hurried over and whispered a few words in the ear of Consort Zhou's personal maid.

The maid's expression changed, and she quickly walked to Consort Zhou, who had already been dragged away, and whispered something to her.

A sinister glint suddenly flashed in Consort Zhou's previously despairing eyes... She abruptly raised her head, staring intently at Su Jinxin and Yan Cheng'an, and said through gritted teeth in a voice only she could hear, "This... is just the beginning..."

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan walked out of the palace gate hand in hand, the golden sunlight shining on them, like a perfect couple.

Yan Chengan gently held Su Jinxin's hand and said softly, "Xin'er, thank you for your hard work today."

Su Jinxin smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling. "This is nothing, just a small matter. However, I always feel that things are not so simple. That Consort Zhou is not one to give up easily."

Yan Chengan nodded, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. If she dares to cause trouble again, I'll make her pay the price!"

The silence was shattered by a sharp voice as soon as the words were spoken.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Empress! Lady Su... she has been behaving improperly in the palace!" A palace maid cried out as she ran over, kneeling before the Emperor and Empress. She tearfully accused Su Jinxin of having an affair with a guard in the Imperial Garden, her words resolute and shocking.

The crowd gasped and turned to look at Su Jinxin with varying expressions.

Yan Cheng'an's face darkened, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

Su Jinxin remained calm, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Oh? Improper conduct? What evidence does this palace maid have?"

The palace maid pointed tremblingly at Su Jinxin, "This servant...this servant saw it with my own eyes! Madam Su...she was with the guards behind the artificial hill..."

"You audacious servant! How dare you slander me!" Su Jinxin shouted sharply, taking out a jade pendant from her sleeve. "This is Consort Zhou's personal jade pendant. How do you explain its appearance on you?"

The palace maid's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she stammered, unable to utter a word.

Su Jinxin continued, "This jade pendant is evidence that Consort Zhou instructed you to frame me! You think you can bring me down with this? You're so young and naive!"

The emperor flew into a rage. "Guards! Drag this insolent servant away and beat him to death!" He then turned to Consort Zhou, his eyes icy cold. "Consort Zhou, how dare you!"

Consort Zhou collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.

The emperor snorted coldly, "Guards, throw Consort Zhou into the Cold Palace, and for the rest of her life, she shall never step out again!"

The storm subsided, and Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan's reputations actually rose instead of falling.

However, just when everyone thought the matter was over, Su Jinxin suddenly received a mysterious letter.

Upon opening it, there was only one sentence on it:

"The show has only just begun..." Su Jinxin toyed with the letter in her hand and sneered, "Tch, another elementary school level threat. Aren't you tired of playing this game?" Yan Cheng'an took the letter from her hand, glanced at it, and said indifferently, "The taller the tree, the more the wind blows. Now that you are making a name for yourself in the palace, naturally some people will be jealous."

"Envious? Let them be jealous, the more jealous they are, the better!" Su Jinxin rolled her eyes. "I'm Niu Hulu Jinxin now, anyone who dares to mess with me, I'll give them a good beating!"

The days that followed were indeed turbulent.

First, Master Craftsman Li suddenly disappeared, reportedly leaving a letter saying that he couldn't bear the pressure and had gone far away.

This was a complete shock. He was the only one who knew the manufacturing process for the special supplies. Now that he's gone, who will do the job?

Eunuch Zhao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in front of Su Jinxin. "Madam Su, you have to think of a way! If we can't deliver these supplies, and the Emperor blames us, our family can't bear the consequences!"

Su Jinxin remained calm. "Don't panic, I have a plan." She had long anticipated that someone would interfere, and had secretly arranged for someone to learn the production process.

Within a few days, a new batch of supplies was completed, even more exquisite and more powerful than those made by Master Craftsman Li.

When Eunuch Zhao saw the finished product, his eyes widened. "Madam Su, you are truly amazing! This...this is even better than the previous one!" He quickly presented the supplies to the Emperor, who was overjoyed and immediately rewarded Su Jinxin with ten thousand taels of gold and countless silks and satins.

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan walked out of the palace gate hand in hand once again, the setting sun casting long shadows of them.

Su Jinxin stretched and said, "Finally done. I need to get some sleep when I get back."

Seeing her exhausted appearance, Yan Cheng'an tenderly pulled her into his arms, saying, "You've worked so hard."

Su Jinxin snuggled against him and said, "What's the big deal? It's basic stuff, don't be silly."

Suddenly, a dark figure flashed by, shoved a letter into Su Jinxin's hand, and then quickly disappeared into the night.

Su Jinxin opened the letter and saw that it read:

"Congratulations on completing the mission, but... the new game has only just begun..."

Meanwhile, deep within the palace, a chilling laugh echoed... "Su Jinxin, you think you've won? Hmph, the real show is yet to come!"