Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

With her hair ornaments swaying gracefully, Ye Wanning is still the same Ye Wanning; her appearance is always unforgettable.

Zhao Chuan stared wide-eyed, thinking it was a hallucination. When he went to look for the person again, he couldn't find him. But his colleague said, "You'd better take your eyes off him. That's Lord Xie. If you don't want to die, don't look. People like us can't afford to offend Xie Bohuai."

"Madam Xie?"

"Yes, weren't you just looking at Madam Xie? Could it be that you've taken a liking to Princess Xihe?" A colleague, upon hearing this, also thought it was possible. They were all newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and Princess Xihe had just divorced. If Zhao Chuan wanted to marry into a powerful family, he could become her husband.

Zhao Chuan wanted to say that he had no intention of marrying into a wealthy family, but the words came out as if he was looking at Madam Xie. No matter what he said, it would be wrong, so he simply stopped talking and searched for people in the crowd.

Unfortunately, there were too many people at the palace banquet, and before Zhao Chuan could find Ye Wanning, the Emperor and Empress arrived first.

At this moment, Ye Wanning knelt in the crowd, her heart pounding in her chest.

She tried her best to avoid it, staying home as much as possible, but she still couldn't escape it.

It's certain that Zhao Chuan recognized her.

Hearing the Emperor and Empress tell everyone to stand up, Ye Wanning stood up weakly. She didn't want to go to the front, but Princess Xihe had already sat down and came over to pull her up.

After sitting down, Ye Wanning noticed a scorching heat emanating from her. There was no way to avoid it, so she could only grit her teeth and pretend she hadn't seen it.

"My mother just told me that among the newly appointed scholars, there's one named Zhao Chuan. He's quite good-looking and learned. His best advantage is that he's an orphan, so he doesn't have to argue about relatives or in-laws. The only downside is his foul mouth; he's offended quite a few people. There's another one named..."

Princess Xihe mentioned several people, but Ye Wanning only remembered Zhao Chuan. "Does Your Highness have any favorites?"

"I think they're all just average, and I don't have any particular thoughts right now. But I'm quite curious about how Zhao Chuan curses people, to the point that even my mother has heard of it. He must be an extraordinary man." Princess Xihe said, glancing into the crowd and spotting Zhao Chuan. Seeing him staring straight at her, she clicked her tongue and said, "Could it be that my mother hinted to him that he's already taken a liking to me?"

Ye Wanning forced a smile and said, "It shouldn't be. Her Majesty the Empress will definitely ask for your opinion first before going to see them."

"Then why is he keeping looking in our direction?"

"Perhaps he has poor eyesight and doesn't know the rules." Ye Wanning feigned displeasure, and Princess Xihe snorted in response, agreeing that he was indeed ill-mannered.

The two were whispering to each other when someone came to offer toasts, but most of them were to Princess Xihe.

The women of the clan had long been instructed not to get too close to Ye Wanning.

Those who could attend the palace banquet were all ministers of the second rank or above and court ladies. Most of them had family wealth and did not need to deliberately curry favor with anyone to maintain their family's dignity.

Most of them feared and despised Xie Bohuai, and had no intention of trying to please him, or even having anything to do with him. They all secretly hoped for Xie Bohuai's downfall, so they avoided Ye Wanning, their gazes towards her filled with scrutiny and disdain.

Some people looked down on Ye Wanning for remarrying with a child, some were because of Xie Bohuai, and others harbored secret jealousy, thinking that Ye Wanning only had beauty and why she deserved her current status.

Although some people came to speak to Princess Xihe, no one took the initiative to talk to Ye Wanning, which made Princess Xihe feel awkward.

Sometimes, when Princess Xihe would take the initiative to bring Ye Wanning into the conversation, the other women would immediately quiet down and leave after saying only a few words.

"Your Highness, I'd like to sit over there," Ye Wanning said softly, not wanting to be stared at any longer.

"me and you togather!"

"No need, Your Highness, please continue with your work. I'm going to get some fresh air." Ye Wanning pressed down on Princess Xihe's hand. "No need, Your Highness. Look at all those people waiting for you, please let me go."

She pretended to beg for mercy, and while Princess Xihe was being pulled aside to talk, she quickly escaped.

You can't wander around during palace banquets. If you go to secluded places, you might be mistaken for a spy or something, and it's hard to explain.

Ye Wanning was at the very edge, gazing at the bright moon outside the window, wondering if Xie Bohuai had arrived yet.

At this time, Xie Bohuai was no longer in the procession on the official road. He changed his clothes with Minister Zhou and took a side road instead.

Minister Zhou, an old man, was mostly carried on Qingshan's back.

Although it is the Dragon Boat Festival, they are staying in a cave in the suburbs, surrounded by the sounds of frogs and birds.

The three men sat around the fire. Minister Zhou ate a dry steamed bun, taking a long time to swallow it. “I’m getting old, really old. Back when I went to the capital for the imperial examinations, I also camped out in the wild. At that time, I traveled with other scholars I met on the road. Having companions helped us fend off bandits. When I was young, I studied hard and became the first Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in our area.”

Upon hearing this, Aoyama couldn't help but ask, "And then what? Is there anything else?"

“Of course.” Speaking of this, Minister Zhou was very proud. “Since I entered the court as an official, I have opened a school in my hometown. Anyone who is talented and willing to work hard can come to study by bringing their own provisions. If they are even more capable and can pass the provincial examination, they will come to my home to study. Since the school opened, three people have passed the imperial examination.”

For a county, producing four Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) is indeed quite an achievement.

Therefore, the locals all praised Minister Zhou for his great sense of righteousness and for not forgetting his roots; he was an exceptionally good person.

Speaking of which, when he looked at Xie Bohuai, who had entered the court without taking the imperial examination, Minister Zhou couldn't stand him at all. "Xie Bohuai, no matter what tricks you play, you can't escape my sharp eyes. You'd better give up your crooked thoughts and stop trying to play tricks on me. If anything happens to you, the Zhou family will definitely use the full strength of the clan to deal with you!"

When they were almost at Huaizhou, Xie Bohuai came out with Minister Zhou, leaving some people in the group to impersonate the three of them.

At first, Minister Zhou complained that Xie Bohuai was going to use underhanded tactics, but Xie Bohuai said that this was the only way to see the real situation, so Minister Zhou just hummed and remained silent.

After walking for two days, Minister Zhou was exhausted. Seeing that Xie Bohuai was silent, he couldn't help but nag, "Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. As a child, how can you stand on your own two feet if you don't even know how to be filial? I've met your father before, and he's a good man. Why did you have to make things like this?"

There are even rumors that Xie Bohuai's stepmother was angered to death by him.

Qingshan couldn't stand it anymore. "Lord Zhou, how do you know that the Xie family member is a good person? You've been an official for decades. You can know a person's face but not their heart. Don't you know that?"

"No matter how many faults a father has, you shouldn't have acted like this; it's gone too far!"

“Minister Zhou, if your voice is still so strong, let’s continue on our way.” Xie Bohuai turned to look at him. “Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. There are wolves, snakes, and rats in the mountains and forests.”

"Hmph, don't try to scare me. I'm not one of those pampered young masters. If you don't want to hear it, I'm not happy to say it, but I still have to say it again, Xie Bohuai, you..."

Before Minister Zhou could finish speaking, Xie Bohuai got up and left.

At this moment, Qingshan followed. It was pitch black all around, leaving only Minister Zhou alone.

Whether there were wolves or not, Minister Zhou seemed to hear the low whimpers of a wolf pack.

"Xie Bohuai, come back quickly! This time I really won't say anything more!" Minister Zhou added more firewood to the fire.

Not far away, Qingshan covered his mouth and chuckled, "Sir, this old man knows fear too." He then howled like a wolf twice.

In the darkness, Xie Bohuai raised his eyebrows slightly. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. He wondered what Wan Ning was doing at this moment.

At this moment, Ye Wanning, guessing that the palace banquet was about to end, was preparing to go back to find Princess Xihe when she was once again entangled by Princess Chun.