Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Halfway through the banquet, Dou Zhao came to find Xiao Zong, saying that the Leopard Guard had a new case.

Before leaving, Xiao Zong instructed Yuan Zhi to take Xiao Rong home immediately after dinner, and not to linger at the *** residence, nor to have any private contact with the county princess.

Yuanzhi complained that he was meddling too much, but under pressure, she still agreed.

However, after the banquet, the county princess invited everyone to sit in the back garden. Since no one said they wanted to leave, Yuanzhi felt embarrassed to leave first.

It is the season for chrysanthemum appreciation, and many rare and precious flowers have been presented to the palace from various places. The emperor, remembering that his elder sister liked them, selected a few pots and sent them to the empress's residence.

Yuan Zhi was tired of seeing so many varieties in the palace in her previous life, so she didn't find them strange. Xiao Rong, on the other hand, was seeing so many varieties for the first time, and she kept praising the beauty of a pot of "Ten-Foot Curtain".

Wei Xueyao stood in front of the "Green Peony," reciting poems and composing essays, showing off her literary talent.

Yuan Ying clapped and cheered, while Wei Xueyao rolled her eyes at her.

She turned the elegant activity of appreciating flowers and reciting poetry into street performance!

"Stay away from me! It's not enough that you've embarrassed my father, you want to embarrass me too! Do you really think the Wei family owes you something?"

Yuan Ying was on the verge of tears when Wei Xueyao scolded her in a low voice, "If you want to cry, find somewhere where no one is around. Don't embarrass yourself here!"

Yuan Ying covered her face and ran away. Yuan Zhi watched a good show and thought to herself that this trip was worthwhile.

Wei Xueyao noticed her and asked with a smile, "Does Madam Xiao not like these pots of chrysanthemums?"

"How could that be? I really like it."

How could she say she didn't like something bestowed upon her by the emperor?

"I noticed that Madam Xiao seemed rather uninterested, and I thought that the scenery of the *** Mansion was not to your liking."

Yuan Zhi denied it: "I just drank too much and sat here for a while to sober up. Besides, you don't have to get close to appreciate flowers. There's a different kind of charm to it from a distance. For example, the pot in front of Miss Wei smells too strong, making people afraid to get close."

Several women nearby chuckled upon hearing this and whispered, "What a sharp tongue!"

Wei Xueyao was so angry that her teeth itched. "How dare you disrespect a gift bestowed by the emperor!"

"Miss Wei, with so many people watching, how can you be so hypocritical? The flowers are covered in your spittle; you're the one who's being disrespectful!"

"Yuanzhi! So what if you married a commander? What's there to be so arrogant about! Do you know what will happen if you go against the Marquis of Yingchuan's family!"

Yuan Zhi raised an eyelid and said, "I really don't know. Why don't you tell me, Miss Wei, so I can make some preparations?"

Wei Xueyao twisted her handkerchief, "You just wait!"

Xiao Rong was arrogant and domineering at home, but dared not say a word outside. Only after Wei Xueyao left did she move to Yuan Zhi's side.

"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law, can you please control your temper a little? If this continues, I'm really afraid you'll offend all the powerful families in Shengjing. It's not easy for my brother to be an official; you should think about him too!"

The elder brother oversees all officials in the imperial court, constantly making enemies, while the elder sister-in-law relentlessly offends the families of officials in the inner quarters. What is this? Is it a case of husband and wife working together in harmony?

Yuan Zhi glanced at her sideways, "I see now, you're only good at bullying your own kind! Did you get your brother's position today by putting up with all that humiliation?"

"You refuse to admit you're a coward and try to make yourself look good. What did your older brother do to offend you that you're trying to drag him down with you!"

Xiao Rong: "..."

The women: "..."

In just one hour, she had offended her elder sister, her aunt, and the Marquis of Yingchuan's family. This Fifth Miss Yuan really does have the power to do whatever she wants in the Xiao family!

Xiao Rong was simple-minded. It took her a while to understand what "gilding" and "going down the water" meant when Yuan Zhi insulted her indirectly.

"Sister-in-law, could you go back and scold me then? Give me some face."

All the noble ladies and young women of Shengjing are here, including her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She doesn't want to become a laughing stock before even getting married.

Yuan Zhi didn't intend to reprimand her in public; she was just a little annoyed and couldn't help but blurt it out.

"I'm not going to scold you anymore. You stay here and look at the flowers for a while. I'm going to go for a walk somewhere else."

Yuan Zhi walked eastward along the lake until she could no longer hear the women's laughter, then she took out the jade pendant from her bosom.

The jade pendants of descendants of prominent families all bear some family mark, whether it is similar in carving style or similar in material, making them easily recognizable.

Today, many prominent families have gathered here, and she had hoped to find some clues. However, after scanning the area, she found none that resembled the jade pendant in her hand.

Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but whether this jade pendant is a blessing or a curse is still unknown. To be on the safe side, we should take it slow.

Yuan Zhi stuffed the jade pendant back into his bosom. As he passed a painted boat on the lake, he bumped into a flustered maid.

"Please forgive me, esteemed guest!"

"fine."

Yuan Zhi brushed the crumbs of pastry off her clothes and glanced sideways at the painted boat.

"Who's up there?"

"Your Highness King Wu..."

"Just him?"

"And... there's another woman."

Yuan Zhi nodded. "I understand. You may go."

Prince Li Rui of Wu was the son of Consort Dunsu, and came from a distinguished family.

After the Crown Prince's death, His Majesty hesitated to appoint the eldest grandson as the heir apparent. Several princes coveted the position of Crown Prince, among whom Prince Wu, Li Rui, had the most supporters and the highest voice.

In her previous life, Consort Dunsu worried that Yuanzhi's pregnancy with the emperor's child would threaten Li Rui's position, so she punished her by making her kneel in the freezing cold for an entire day. Later, she found fault with Yuanzhi and punished her with thirty strokes of the cane, which damaged her constitution and made her unable to conceive.

Yuan Zhi will always remember these grudges!

In her past life, Consort Dunsu died young, and she didn't have time to take revenge. In this life, her son fell into his hands—truly, karma is a cycle, and retribution is inevitable!

His Majesty governs the country with propriety, and Li Rui, catering to this preference, constantly talks about "propriety" to please His Majesty.

Today she will strip away his hypocritical facade and let his supporters see what kind of person Li Rui really is!

Just as Yuan Zhi was about to turn back and call everyone over, he suddenly saw several wine jars scattered on the painted boat. It was probably because the King of Wu hadn't had enough to drink at the banquet and had come here to drink to his heart's content.

This gave Yuan Zhi an advantage. She went aboard the painted boat, poured the remaining wine from the wine jar onto the clutter in the corner, and took out a tinderbox to light it.

Flames quickly rose up, and Yuan Zhi swiftly retreated, running to "Tingyu Pavilion," where he could see the painted boat.

Thick smoke suddenly billowed from the painted boat, shooting straight into the sky.

The women and young ladies in the pavilion, who had been laughing and joking just a moment ago, turned around at the smell of smoke and cried out in alarm, "Fire!"

The King of Wu, who was still waiting for someone to rescue him in the painted boat, was now choking on the smoke and had difficulty breathing, so he pushed open the window and jumped.

The woman, who couldn't swim, leaned against the window and screamed for help.

The servants rushed over, jumped into the water, pulled out the King of Wu, and also rescued the woman.

The man and woman, still shaken and disheveled, left the scene in embarrassment under the watchful eyes of a group of women.

"Heavens! It's actually His Highness the Prince of Wu! Isn't he the most respectful of all? In broad daylight, he's having an affair with a woman!"

"The woman's face was covered in ash, but judging from her hairstyle, she was probably still unmarried. Her figure... looked somewhat familiar."

Wei Xueyao murmured, "Why does it seem like..."

The sisters beside me asked, "Who does it look like?"

Wei Xueyao shook her head vigorously, "Nobody."

Yuan Zhi strolled over and said, "I noticed that woman's clothes and appearance look a bit like my elder sister's."