The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Su Yu's words were very clever. On the one hand, it revealed that he had never forgotten Su Yue and the others who had married far away. On the other hand, it directly showed the Crown Prince of Dibei's determination to protect Princess Fenghua.

Hearing this, Sikong Shu felt uneasy. He thought to himself that he would probably have to pay more attention to Su Yue and the others in the future, otherwise...

Ji Jiucheng and Tang Jingyao stared at Su Yu with some surprise for a while, then exchanged a glance and both turned their gaze to Sikong Jin...

Sikong Jin touched her nose, looked at them innocently, her eyes filled with confusion.

However, Sikong Jin's grand banquet for distinguished envoys from the outer court and certain important officials in the court could not be concealed in the bustling and lively capital of Dayong, a place teeming with eyes and ears.

While they were still indulging in a lavish feast at the Hilton, the news had already reached the ears of the king in the Dayong Palace.

Inside the study of Emperor Kōzaki U of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Emperor Dayong's face was gloomy and uncertain. He sat silently on the dragon throne, his eyes flashing with a sharp and cold light. Below him stood the Left Prime Minister Yang Hong and Liu Changyue, the head of the Liu family. The two old foxes also had different expressions and their eyes were darting around, each with their own thoughts.

Liu Changyue exchanged a glance with Yang Hong before stepping forward and clasping his hands in greeting. “Your Majesty, according to my understanding, Sikong Jin also invited Tang Jingyao, the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, and Ji Jiucheng, the Grand Secretary of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Sikong Shu also went there! Your Majesty, I believe that Sikong Jin’s private meeting with envoys from the outer court is not simple. We must be careful.”

"Your Majesty, this old minister seconds the motion!"

Yang Hong agreed.

Emperor Da Yong remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Since Su Yu is Princess Feng Hua's elder brother, it's not wrong for Si Kong Jin, as his nephew, to invite him to a banquet. Si Kong Shu is the head of the Si Kong family, so his participation is perfectly normal. As for Tang Jingyao, he has always been on good terms with Si Kong Jin, which is also understandable. But this Ji Jiucheng... what exactly is Si Kong Jin up to?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister is also puzzled!" Liu Changyue said, a cold glint flashing in his old eyes. "I fear that some people are plotting something unknown. In particular, Sikong Jin's behavior these past few months has been extremely perplexing. Just the way she handled that upheaval, she managed to do it so flawlessly, without offending either side. Such meticulous thinking is beyond the capabilities of a mere upstart like her. There seems to be something intriguing behind this!"

"Intriguing?" Yang Hong frowned, squinted, and thought for a moment. "Does Patriarch Liu mean that there might be a master guiding Sikong Jin?"

"I can't say for sure, but to believe that a mere youth like Sikong Jin has such ability, hmph..."

"Yes, I also had some doubts about this matter before. If this matter were left to me to handle, it would probably be quite difficult. I didn't expect... In my opinion, this matter is probably not simple."

Emperor Dayong listened to their discussion, his expression changing several times. He snorted coldly, "You're suggesting that the person who devised this plan for Sikong Jin is probably that old fox, Sikong Shu?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that this is very likely. That old codger Sikong Shu has been watching from the sidelines for quite some time now. The only one who hasn't been affected this time is their Sikong Mansion, isn't he? Hmph, by throwing out Sikong Jin, their strength hasn't been diminished in the slightest!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, that old fox Sikong Shu is extremely cunning. I'm afraid Sikong Jin is just a pawn in his game. Don't forget, the military power that Sikong Qi previously controlled was actually in the hands of Sikong Rui. That was the true strength of the Sikong family!"

Yang Hong reminded him.

"Sikong Shu, he wants to control the pawns I've laid out? He underestimates me too much! You want to watch from the sidelines? Well, that depends on whether I'm willing!" Emperor Dayong sneered, his eyes gleaming.

Liu Changyue and Yang Hong exchanged a glance, and the two of them let out a knowing sneer.

"What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

Liu Changyue asked.

A sinister smile crept across Emperor Dayong's face as he spoke coldly—it was already late at night when they left Hilton. He instructed his subordinates to escort Su Yue, Su Yu, and the others back to the Sikong residence, while Sikong Jin went out to see Tang Jingyao home.

As the two walked through the gloomy and secluded alley, Tang Jingyao suddenly stopped. "Ajin, you didn't need to escort me back. Judging from the attitude of the Sikong family head towards you just now, I'm quite relieved."

Sikong Jin shrugged. "With such an important figure around, if he still doesn't restrain himself, wouldn't he be an idiot?"

Tang Jingyao smiled, then looked at Sikong Jin with some doubt, "Ajin, what's the meaning of this banquet tonight? You didn't just call me and Ji Dage here to give Sikong Shu a piece of advice, did you?"

"Look at you, people who don't know any better would think I'm despicable. What kind of look is that... "

"Look at that shameless smirk on your face, what do you think I would think you are? Someone seems to know that the Liu family has a dinner party at the Hilton tonight, and still dares to call us over so openly. It's obvious that they want to do something bad."

Tang Jingyao glared at Sikong Jin with annoyance. This guy was always like that. Every time he did something bad, he would pretend to be innocent and naive, making people want to punch him.

Sikong Jin, having been seen through, could only chuckle awkwardly a few times, touched her nose, and then her delicate face suddenly fell silent. She looked at Tang Jingyao and said in a serious tone, "I brought you back precisely to tell you about this. It seems your jinx really came true."

Upon hearing Sikong Jin's words, Tang Jingyao was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Sikong Jin with a puzzled look. "What's going on? I thought that given your usual caution, you wouldn't be so blatant as to call us out to dine with the envoys of the Great Zhou. Even though it's your family banquet, you know the rules."

"Don't worry, Yukichi wouldn't dare to touch you. His actions today were out of necessity."

Sikong Jin sighed, looked up at the starry sky, and pulled her cloak tighter. "Forget it, let's find somewhere to talk. It's freezing."

A moment later, the two arrived at an abandoned pavilion in a desolate forest near the Tang residence.

Sikong Jin built a fire, and the two of them sat around it to warm themselves.

"To make a long story short, Xi'er is still waiting for me at home!"

Tang Jingyao rubbed his hands together, warming them by the fire as he spoke.