Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

As dusk settles, the palace is ablaze with light, its golden splendor reflected beneath the glazed tiles, for the grand banquet to be held on the Emperor's birthday.

The Imperial Guards stood solemnly on both sides of the long palace corridor, each holding a sword and expressionless.

Officials in their robes, along with their families, passed through several checkpoints at the palace gates before being led by palace maids carrying lanterns to the palace banquet.

But at this moment, when Pei Zhiheng appeared at the palace gate with his two daughters, the group instantly attracted most of the attention.

Pei Suisui, in her light blue embroidered dress, and Pei Nanyue, in her light pink tulle dress, both shone brightly under the lights.

In particular, the eldest daughter of the Pei family, known as the talented woman of Nanyang, rarely made an appearance. She calmly passed the inspection and stood there like a fairy who was untouched by worldly affairs.

"Lord Pei!"

Pei Zhiheng was just about to walk into the palace when he heard someone calling him, so he turned around.

It was Lady Wang, the wife of General Gu, a high-ranking official in the court, followed by a clever young girl.

"It's Madam Gu."

Pei Zhiheng nodded to Wang Shi.

General Gu Hou, who had been guarding the southern border for many years, heard that the Emperor had recently taken pity on him and brought his wife and daughter, Gu Shining, back to the capital.

Madam Gu curtsied and turned to Pei Zhiheng to introduce the girl behind her.

"This is my daughter, Gu Shining. Ning'er, quickly greet Prime Minister Pei."

A young girl in a peach-pink cloud-patterned dress slowly stepped forward and bowed to Pei Zhiheng, saying, "Shi Ning greets Prime Minister Pei."

Although it was the first time Pei Zhiheng had met Gu Hou's daughter, he could tell that Gu Shining's manners were somewhat stiff. Perhaps it was because she had been staying at the border for too long and had developed a somewhat carefree personality, so she did not often attend such banquets.

Gu Shining raised her head. With light makeup, she wasn't as exquisitely dressed as the noble ladies of Nanyang, but she was still quite fresh and pretty. The heroic spirit in her eyes and brows was more like that of Marquis Gu.

"He looks exactly like Lord Gu."

Pei Zhiheng laughed heartily. He and Gu Hou had been friends for many years and together they assisted the newly enthroned emperor, quelling many criticisms in the court.

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu smiled and said, "My husband Gu was saying before he left that he wanted me to bring back more special products from the border. I will have someone deliver them to your residence tomorrow."

"How could I possibly accept your gift? I haven't even had a welcome dinner for Madam Gu since you came back. Marquis Gu will have to blame me for neglecting you."

"Prime Minister Pei is joking. Those local specialties are nothing special. Please don't worry, they are just a token of my master Gu's goodwill." Madam Gu glanced at the two beautiful women behind Pei Zhiheng and quickly changed the subject.

"These two must be Prime Minister Pei's two daughters, right?"

Pei Zhiheng quickly had his daughter perform the proper greetings, and then introduced her to Madam Gu.

"These are my two daughters, Pei Nanyue and Pei Suisui."

"The little girl is really beautiful. It's true what they say, the environment shapes the people. Look at my daughter." Madam Gu's eyes lit up as she looked at Prime Minister Pei's daughter and immediately fell in love with her.

Although her daughter, Gu Shining, is also elegant and poised, her personality is just like her father's and her two older brothers—she's always lively and mischievous.

Young women in traditional Chinese households are taught the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age, as well as needlework and embroidery, which cultivates their gentle nature.

On the contrary, Gu Shining loved following her father around since childhood, learning martial arts, horseback riding, and strategy. She was even more proficient in the tactics of killing barbarians than her two older brothers.

Fortunately, the Emperor was considerate of the Gu family's long-term service guarding the border and issued an edict to bring Gu Shining back to the capital. She was really worried about her before leaving, so she came back with her for support.

It's just that the Emperor deliberately chose this time to bring her daughter back; even a fool could see what the Emperor meant.

"Madam Gu, you may not know this, but my eldest daughter is a bit like me, and my youngest daughter is also quite mischievous."

Pei Zhiheng glanced at Pei Suisui without making a sound, and Pei Suisui quickly composed herself.

Her father was still blaming her for the incident where she went to Fengya Zhai while playing and was suddenly attacked by assassins.

"That's just like my family's personality. Maybe you two can even become friends." Madam Gu patted Gu Shining's shoulder.

"Shi Ning has met the two elder sisters of the Pei family."

"Hello, Sister Shi Ning." Pei Nanyue nodded gently.

Two adults were in front, and three girls followed closely behind them.

Pei Suisui kept turning back every few steps, but she couldn't find Thirteen's figure. She gradually felt uneasy.

A few days ago in that dark alley, she clearly saw Man'er, who was beside Duan Yuyan.

Fearing she hadn't seen clearly, she had someone investigate the man afterwards. It turned out he was a well-known assassin in the martial arts world, who specialized in taking money to kill for others.

It's likely that Duan Yuyan has already decided to kill Thirteen.

"Sui Sui, what are you looking at?"

Pei Nanyue glanced at her with a scrutinizing look. Pei Suisui was startled and quickly shook her head, suppressing her panic.

"fine."

She had been trying to warn Thirteen, but ever since returning to the manor, her sister had been keeping an eye on her, preventing her from leaving. She even sent Aru to look for Thirteen, but to no avail.

Pei Nanyue simply ignored Pei Suisui and turned to Gu Shining to ask...

"Miss Gu, are you settling in well in the capital?"

“Unlike the border regions, the capital is a bustling metropolis, indeed the most prosperous place in Nanyang,” Gu Shining said with a light smile.

"Is this your first time back in the capital?" Pei Nanyue turned her head to look at the bright young girl.

Having grown accustomed to her own younger sister causing trouble every day, she would feel a pang of regret when she saw other people's younger sisters, who were all more well-behaved and obedient than her own.

"I came back when I was a child, probably when I was six years old. I never thought so much time would have passed in the blink of an eye."

Gu Shining composed herself, a hint of inexplicable sorrow appearing in her eyes, which Pei Nanyue noticed.

She inadvertently noticed the half-jade pendant draped around Gu Shining's waist; its aged appearance clashed somewhat with her other attire. She softly inquired...

"Miss Gu, this jade pendant was a gift from someone, wasn't it? It looks quite old, and you've been wearing it all this time."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shining lowered her head and glanced at the jade pendant at her waist, subconsciously holding it in her hand and rubbing it.

"Yes, I'm used to wearing them."

“It looks like a fine jade pendant to me, but it’s only half. Perhaps it was a gift from your sweetheart?” Pei Nanyue lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear her.

Gu Shining looked up and met her watery eyes, her expression freezing. A blush instantly spread across her delicate face.

She awkwardly looked away, saying, "It was just a gift from a good friend."

"Nanyang is not like the border region; there are many people and many eyes here. Sister Shi Ning, you still need to be careful and not let anyone with ulterior motives see you."

Pei Nanyue didn't ask any more questions, but she realized that Gu Shining was simple-minded and might be devoured in the end, leaving not even bones behind, if she entered this cannibalistic imperial city.

Pei Nanyue felt a warmth in her heart. She secretly observed this talented woman from Nanyang and found her to be just as rumored—beautiful inside and out.

Pei Nanyue saw the emotions in her eyes, and the two smiled at each other without saying anything more.