May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Within a few days, the problems of the old lady's winter clothes for the palace banquet and the servants' charcoal fire were perfectly resolved.

After this incident, the old lady completely changed her opinion of Xie Qianjiao, praising her endlessly, which made Xie Qianjiao feel so proud that she walked with a swagger.

Everything is now arranged, and all that's left is to wait for the palace banquet.

As the year drew to a close, the imperial court was already busy, and then a momentous event occurred.

“It was that Embroidered Uniform Commander who just returned to the capital,” Pei Zeyu said, seemingly still shaken. “He led his men to ransack the Fukang Marquis’s residence, and now the streets are in complete chaos.”

The old lady was also shocked: "The Fukang Marquis's family is one of the wealthiest households in the capital! They were just raided like that?!"

Pei Zeyu nodded: "I heard that before this Embroidered-Robe Commander even returned to the capital, he had already eliminated the Prefect of Qianzhou and all his cronies. I thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect... it really happened."

Wen Yuanshu listened quietly, but couldn't help thinking about the man she had met at the hot spring resort.

She didn't come to her senses until she heard someone call her name.

"Yuan Shu, is there any news from the General's Mansion?"

Wen Yuanshu shook her head: "I didn't hear of such a person when I went to the hot spring resort last time."

The old lady patted her chest and said, "That's enough, that's enough. Such a person is no different from a demon. Let's not ask about him anymore. Zeyu, you have to be careful and make sure you don't give anyone any leverage over you!"

In the past, the old lady didn't say it, but she actually felt that Pei Zeyu was not ambitious. But now it seems that not being ambitious is not entirely without its advantages.

At least if you do nothing, you won't have any leverage against you, and you won't get into such trouble.

Pei Zeyu repeatedly agreed.

Because of the incident at the Fukang Marquis's residence, the festive atmosphere in the capital was inevitably diluted, becoming quite subtle.

On the day of the New Year's banquet, everyone got ready early and headed to the palace one after another at dusk.

The main hall was resplendent in gold and jade, exuding a unique royal aura of majesty. Even at a banquet, no one dared to truly relax.

After everyone entered the hall and took their seats, they chatted for a while. Then, as an attendant announced in a drawn-out tone, "His Majesty has arrived," everyone stood up and bowed to welcome the emperor into the hall.

When they sat down again, everyone noticed that there was another person next to the emperor.

The man stood beside the emperor, eight feet tall, with a commanding presence and eyes like cold stars. The lower half of his face was covered by a white jade mask with blue faces and fangs. He wore a black brocade robe, with a ring-pommel sword slung across his waist. His left hand rested casually on a copper ring. His imposing aura made people afraid to look directly at him.

The moment Wen Yuanshu saw that person, her gaze narrowed slightly.

Isn't this the man from the hot spring resort that night?

The man noticed her gaze and looked at her coldly, but his eyes subtly changed the moment they met.

"Is this the newly arrived Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

A murmur of discussion arose around her. Wen Yuanshu withdrew her gaze, forced herself to remain calm, and picked up the wine glass on the table.

The emperor was beaming and in high spirits, forcing everyone to suppress the complex emotions brought on by the embroidered-robe commander and feign joy.

After several rounds of drinks, feeling the effects of the alcohol, Wen Yuanshu rubbed her temples, greeted the old lady, and went outside.

Chunhua, holding the cloak, trotted after her, saying, "Madam, don't get too cold!"

At this time, there were also many people outside the hall who had drunk too much and came out for a walk to get some fresh air. As long as they did not leave the area of ​​the main hall, no one would care.

Wen Yuanshu entered a secluded pavilion with ease, pulled her cloak tighter, and sat down.

Chunhua stood to the side holding the cloak, looking quite helpless: "Madam, Mr. Zhou said you can't get cold!"

"It'll only be a little while," Wen Yuanshu said, rubbing her temples. "It's nothing."

A man with a sword at his waist came over, took the cloak from Chunhua's hand, and casually threw it on Wen Yuanshu, covering her completely from head to toe.