Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Lingyan is going to attend a banquet at the Qingyuan Marquis's residence today.

Today is the birthday of Marquis Qingyuan, the grandfather of the chubby Jin Yuhuan.

Upon arriving at the Marquis's residence, one sees the vermilion gates wide open, with guests arriving in droves, all of whom are prominent officials and renowned figures from prestigious families.

For a time, the mansion was bustling with noise and excitement.

Upon Lingyan's arrival, everyone bowed and paid their respects.

Its immense popularity is evident.

Lingyan then gracefully passed through the bustling crowd and went straight into the women's rest area.

It was a large hall located deep within the mansion, decorated with magnificent yet elegant style.

It was the height of July, with the sun blazing and heatwaves raging outside.

Therefore, no one wants to go outside to sunbathe.

Fortunately, there was ice in the hall, so everyone could cool off and no longer feel so irritable and stuffy.

When Lingyan arrived in the hall, everyone immediately stood up and bowed to her.

Lingyan smiled and gestured for them to stand up.

Then everyone sat down again.

Lingyan then went straight to sit down next to the three princesses and Xie Zhiyi.

The four of them were overjoyed to see her arrive.

After exchanging greetings...

The Eighth Princess complained, "What's wrong with this year? It's only July and the weather is already unbearably hot."

The Ninth Princess echoed, "Exactly! Summers have never been this hot before! It's so strange!"

Upon hearing this, Lingyan thought of a very serious problem.

With such abnormal weather this year, there is a risk of drought.

In ancient times, whenever a natural disaster occurred, people would believe it was a punishment sent down by heaven.

They believed that the king's incompetence and tyranny angered Heaven, which is why the gods sent down divine punishment.

At this point, the monarch needs to issue an edict of self-reproach, requesting Heaven's forgiveness to help the monarch overcome the natural disaster.

A king who is punished by Heaven will be considered by the people to be an unwise ruler.

He's either a tyrant or a foolish ruler.

In short, people will question the monarch's abilities, and the imperial power will be greatly diminished as a result.

If instigated by those with ulterior motives, it could even trigger a popular uprising, with potentially severe consequences.

Moreover, this year is different, as Xiao Muyao was just appointed as the crown prince.

At that time, those princes might blame the drought on Crown Prince Xiao Muyao.

They say that Heaven did not recognize him as the crown prince, which is why it sent down this punishment.

If public sentiment becomes agitated, Xiao Muyao's position as crown prince will be in grave danger.

With the will of the people in control, Emperor Jingzhao had no choice but to depose the crown prince.

But in fact, natural disasters are all very natural phenomena.

It is caused by natural factors and is part of the laws of nature.

It was not some punishment from heaven, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the king.

But the ancients believed this, and they were absolutely convinced of it.

Their faith in the gods is something that no one can persuade them of.

Since they have already deeply ingrained this belief, rather than waiting for others to use it as a reason to attack them, it's better for them to strike first and shift public opinion to their side.

After coming up with a solution, Lingyan was no longer in a hurry.

Looking up, I saw that the Seventh Princess also looked worried, which meant that she had also thought about this matter.

So she smiled and nodded at the Seventh Princess, indicating that there was no need to worry as she already had a way to deal with it.

Seeing this, the Seventh Princess was no longer worried and felt relieved.

With my sister-in-law's intelligence, I'm sure she can resolve this matter perfectly.

Just then, Lingyan noticed that the Seventh Princess's face was a little pale and she looked somewhat tired.

Her heart tightened, and she immediately took the woman's wrist to check her pulse.

The other three were also very worried and looked at Ling Yan nervously.

The Seventh Princess was also surprised that her sister-in-law would suddenly take her pulse.

She's been feeling quite tired lately and can't seem to get enough sleep.

But she thought it was because of the hot weather and Meng Huai'an's constant harassment, so she didn't take it to heart.

Seeing her sister-in-law withdraw her hand, the Seventh Princess quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, is there something wrong with my body?"

Ling Yan said speechlessly, "Didn't you know you were pregnant? Didn't Meng Huai'an notice either? And yet you still acted so recklessly."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess's eyes widened. Looking at Ling Yan with surprise and joy, she excitedly asked, "Really? I'm pregnant?"

The three people beside her were also very happy for her upon hearing this.

Lingyan smiled and nodded, saying, "You are indeed pregnant, and it's been more than a month. There were no problems before, but you've been too tired lately, so the pregnancy is a little unstable. It's not a big problem. After you return to the manor, the imperial physician will prescribe some medicine to help you maintain the pregnancy."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

Too tired...

Meng Huai'an truly exhausted her every day.

So she blushed and replied, "Thank you, sister-in-law, I understand."

Lingyan still trusted the Seventh Princess.

If she didn't know, that's fine; but if she did, she would definitely treat it with caution.

So I said no more.

The Eighth Princess immediately exclaimed joyfully, "Congratulations, Seventh Sister, on having a child!"

The Ninth Princess immediately exclaimed, "Congratulations! I'm going to be an aunt!"

Xie Zhiyi smiled gently and congratulated her, "Congratulations to the Seventh Princess on the birth of her son."

Faced with the three congratulations, the Seventh Princess smiled and sincerely replied, "Thank you for your congratulations."

After saying that, she lowered her head and gently stroked her lower abdomen with a smile, looking very happy and content.

At this moment, the Eighth Princess said regretfully, "It's a pity that Sister Jiang isn't here for such a joyous occasion."

The Ninth Princess also sighed and said, "Yes, she came to say goodbye to us in a hurry that day. I didn't even recognize her. She was like a completely different person."

Xie Zhiyi chuckled and said, "She hasn't changed; she's just always been like this. Now that she can be herself again, we should be happy for her!"

The Seventh Princess smiled and agreed, "That's right. She was radiant and carefree that day. I like her very much and admire her."

After hearing this, Lingyan looked at them and said, "She has finally broken free from her constraints and shackles and is doing what she likes. She should be thriving, so we should be happy for her."

The four of them smiled and agreed.

At this moment, the banquet was about to begin, so the group got up and headed to the main hall.

Upon arriving at the main hall, everyone took their seats, with male and female guests arranged on either side of the banquet table in an orderly manner.

Although Marquis Qingyuan was old and frail at this time, he was still in good spirits.

He sat at the head of the table, exchanged a few pleasantries with everyone with a smile, and his words revealed a mixture of kindness and authority.

Then, with a command from Marquis Qingyuan, the banquet officially began.

The crowd toasted and laughed, their voices rising and falling, accompanied by the sounds of string and wind instruments, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Jin Yuhuan kept glancing at Lingyan, winking and making faces, which made Marquis Qingyuan feel helpless and had a headache.

Fortunately, the Crown Princess did not hold it against her.

The banquet was filled with a harmonious atmosphere, laughter, and joy as everyone celebrated Marquis Qingyuan's birthday.

Just as everyone was immersed in joy, clinking glasses and laughing, Lingyan's gaze inadvertently caught an unexpected scene.

A maidservant, in her haste, accidentally spilled a bowl of steaming soup onto Xie Zhiyi's exquisite clothes.

Instantly, the colorful soup spread across the plain fabric, making it particularly eye-catching.

This scene immediately attracted the attention of those around, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

The maid was so frightened that she turned pale and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy.

Her voice was choked with sobs as she begged for Xie Zhiyi's forgiveness.

Xie Zhiyi didn't pay any attention to this and didn't mind the maid's clumsiness.

He simply smiled faintly, appearing quite magnanimous, and was not angered by this unexpected little incident.

Upon seeing this, Jin Yuhuan's mother, Princess Huirong, quickly stepped forward and offered her sincere apologies to Xie Zhiyi.

At the same time, he instructed the servants in the mansion to take the troublesome maid away from the scene so as not to affect the atmosphere of the banquet.

Afterwards, she personally led Xie Zhiyi out of the hall and to a side room to change clothes, showing the host's thoughtfulness and consideration.

With Xie Zhiyi and Princess Huirong gone, everyone quickly put the little incident behind them and continued to immerse themselves in the joy of drinking and singing, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

However, Lingyan's gaze did not shift.

She noticed a man in his early twenties in the men's section; he had shifty eyes and slicked-back hair.

He then quietly left the hall, his steps hurried, as if he couldn't wait.

Ling Yan immediately understood.

This scene just now, this kind of drama, is all too familiar.

She's seen far too many things.

Soon, Xie Zhiyi and this man will probably be caught in bed together by everyone, accused of having an affair.

So this must have been a scheme by that man, designed to force Xie Zhiyi to marry him.

However, she felt that this matter was absolutely doomed to fail.

Xie Zhiyi wouldn't be that stupid. The reason she obediently left was probably to go along with the plan and push things along.

Because she also wanted to find and deal with the person who had plotted against her.