She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

Shen Jingshu rolled her eyes inwardly. This Consort Shao really loved watching the drama unfold.

She rose and bowed, replying, "Your Highness, I am deeply honored to receive the Emperor's decree of marriage. I admire the Commandant's uprightness and kindness, and his dedication to the country and its people. I will serve him wholeheartedly to repay His Majesty's grace and live up to His Majesty's expectations."

Her answer was neither humble nor arrogant, revealing neither too much personal emotion nor failing to subtly praise Jiang Jin'an, leaving no room for criticism.

Consort Shao raised an eyebrow, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer, but did not pursue the matter further.

Gu Shiyi seized the opportunity to say, "Miss Shen, my cousin holds an important position and is in charge of the security of the capital. I heard that you got into a conflict with someone in the street and even started a fight. In the future, you must not let your improper behavior give my cousin something to say and damage his reputation."

Shen Jingshu smiled, "Miss Gu is quite well-informed. Speaking of which, it was fortunate that the Commandant was kind and discerning that day. Otherwise, I would have definitely sent that man to the yamen to be paraded through the streets for such a heinous act of gossiping about the female relatives of officials."

Madam Jiang also spoke up, saying, "Miss Shen, you come from the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, so you should naturally know the rules for a lady of a prominent family. My nephew's mansion is currently without anyone to manage it. Once you marry into the Jiang family, you will be the head mistress, and all affairs will be handled by you. You must not lose your dignity and reputation due to your own negligence, and bring shame to both families."

His words clearly indicated his intention to give Shen Jingshu a hard time.

"I, Jing Shu, will always remember the teachings of the Duchess. However, I have often heard that once a woman is married, she should obey her husband and respect him. The Commandant is wise and discerning, and he has his own considerations and decisions. Your concern makes me a little uneasy. Does Your Majesty feel that the Commandant is still young and not yet experienced enough in handling household affairs, which is why you are so concerned? If that is the case, I would like to ask Your Majesty for guidance. Would Your Majesty be willing to teach me?"

These words, seemingly respectful and obedient, were actually a veiled criticism of the Duchess for overstepping her bounds and meddling in the internal affairs of the Jiang family.

Seeing her daughter being publicly humiliated like this, Song Wan felt sorry for her and immediately said, "The Duchess is truly a kind-hearted woman. The Commandant hasn't even spoken about the affairs of the Jiang family yet, but you're already in a hurry to set rules for your nephew. My daughter, though not as knowledgeable as you, has learned some principles of conduct from me. If you're really worried, you might as well teach your own children more, so that others don't think you're overstepping your bounds and losing your dignity."

As the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang, how could she allow others to humiliate her daughter so easily? So what if it was the Duke of Dingguo's mansion? If anything happened, even if it went to His Majesty's ears, she would have her own way of speaking!

The mother and daughter retorted in unison, causing Jiang's expression to change. However, considering the presence of the Empress, she refrained from making a scene.

The Empress, sitting on the high platform, always wore a smile, but did not utter a word to stop it.

In her mind, the open and covert struggles between women, as long as they did not cross the line of etiquette or act too recklessly, could add a unique interest to the palace banquet, and be regarded as an interlude to liven up the banquet.

She clapped her hands and said, "Alright, this is a joyous occasion, let's not ruin the harmony between the two families."

After this brief interlude, the banquet proceeded as usual, with everyone adopting a friendly demeanor and offering compliments. The young women, given the opportunity, rose and began to frolic and play in small groups.

Seeing this, Xie Wanqing's eyes lit up and an idea came to her. She said to Song Wan, "Aunt, I see some familiar girls over there. I'd like to go and talk to them."

The palace banquet was already boring, so Song Wan assumed that she just couldn't sit still and waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead, but don't run around."

With permission, Xie Wanqing pretended to greet the ladies, but her eyes were always on Gu Shiyi's movements.

When she found the right opportunity, she quietly approached Gu Shiyi and sweetly greeted her, "Hello, Sister Gu."

Gu Shiyi was chatting with someone when she heard the voice and turned around. Seeing that it was Xie Wanqing, she immediately assumed that Xie Wanqing had come to speak on behalf of Shen Jingshu. So she sneered and said sarcastically without any mercy, "Miss Xie? Your affair with Cheng Wenhao has caused quite a stir in the city. How do you still have the face to stroll around the palace?"

Xie Wanqing cursed inwardly, but put on an extremely aggrieved look on her face, "Sister Gu, I was also tricked into this situation."

She pulled Gu Shiyi a few steps away and whispered, "That day I had arranged to go out of the manor with Sister Jing Shu, but I suddenly fainted, and when I opened my eyes again..."

"Was it her who harmed you?" Gu Shiyi was a little confused. "But you and she grew up in the same Pingyang Marquis's mansion, weren't you close?"

Xie Wanqing did not answer directly. Instead, she bit her lower lip and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Sister Gu, you know my status in the Marquis's mansion. I'm just a dependent."

The Duke of Dingguo had several concubines, plus Gu Shiyi's several half-sisters, none of whom were easy to deal with. When she heard Xie Wanqing say this, she felt that it was somewhat credible.

“She lives in the same household as you and is about to marry my cousin. It’s hard to say that she might be deliberately plotting to frame you in order to clear obstacles for you.”

“Wanqing is just an orphan, how could she have the ability or the mind to scheme against others? But I am really unwilling to accept the current situation. If you really don’t want Shen Jingshu to marry the Commandant, I have a plan.”

……

Wen Yin brought a plate of auspicious cakes to Shen Jingshu. She placed the cakes on the table beside her and asked suspiciously, "Why is your cousin hanging out with that Gu family girl? They're being so secretive."

Shen Jingshu narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing this.

As expected, Xie Wanqing returned to find Shen Jingshu and saw Wen Yin there as well, her face instantly filled with a warm smile.

“Sister Jing Shu, Sister Wen Yin, this palace is really stuffy. I just heard that there are koi carp from the Southern Cang Kingdom in the pond of the Imperial Garden. I heard that they are very different from the koi carp here. They are colorful and have a very unique appearance. If you sisters have time, why don’t we go to the Imperial Garden together to enjoy the flowers and watch the fish? It will help us relax.”

Wen Yin wrinkled her nose and replied without hesitation, "No, didn't we enjoy the Imperial Garden enough? Right now, I just want to talk to Jing Shu."

Shen Jingshu's eyes darted around; she really wanted to know what Xie Wanqing and Gu Shiyi were plotting.

She smiled and said, "In that case, let's go take a look. It's rare to find such a novel thing; it would be a shame not to go and see it."

The three walked together and soon arrived at the pavilion in the Imperial Garden. The pavilion was located by the pond, surrounded by blooming flowers, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of the blossoms.

Wen Yin leaned against a pavilion pillar, craned her neck, and muttered, "Where are the koi?"

Shen Jingshu strolled around seemingly casually, deliberately standing on the other side of the pavilion's edge.

If there are any conspiracies or schemes, we must not implicate Sister Wenyin.

On the surface, she maintained a leisurely demeanor, appreciating flowers and watching fish, but in reality, every nerve in her body was on edge.

Xie Wanqing's eyes flickered as she pretended to talk to Shen Jingshu and moved closer to her.

Gu Shiyi sneaked over from a blind spot, her only goal being to humiliate Shen Jingshu in public, preferably to the point of death, so as to completely ruin her marriage with Jiang Jin'an.

Just as Gu Shiyi approached Shen Jingshu and stretched out her hands to push her forcefully, Shen Jingshu suddenly turned to the side. Gu Shiyi, due to excessive force, stumbled forward and missed her target. She had no time to recover her body and, with a cry of surprise, fell into the water with a "plop."

Xie Wanqing was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that she turned pale and stood there dumbfounded.

Shen Jingshu was not about to let this golden opportunity slip by. She gave Xie Wanqing a gentle push, and in the ensuing chaos, Xie Wanqing fell into the water.