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

Wende Hall.

The Empress had already returned to the palace to change her clothes, and was waiting to take her seat with the Emperor.

Crown Prince Wen Huaizhang sat below the Empress, with the other princes arranged in order below him.

Although Jiang Jin'an was only a third-rank official, he had a special status. As a close minister of the emperor, he often accompanied the emperor and participated in confidential matters. At this grand palace banquet, his position was second only to the prime minister.

"Jin'an, look who's here."

Prime Minister Lu Ming, who was over fifty years old, had dedicated his life to cultivating talents, and his students were numerous and outstanding. Jiang Jin'an was one of the best among his many outstanding students, so he always showed Jiang Jin'an extra care.

Following Lu Ming's gesture, Jiang Jin'an looked up at the palace gate and saw Shen Jingshu and Wen Yin coming together, smiling sweetly.

With just one glance, his heart softened.

When Wen Huaiqing saw Shen Jingshu enter the hall, he turned to the eunuch and whispered a few words to him. The eunuch accepted the order and hurriedly withdrew.

Wen Yin bid farewell to Shen Jingshu, and the ladies of each family, along with their daughters, found their husbands' seats and sat down to the side.

Seeing Song Wan's displeased expression, Shen Zizhong quickly asked, "Madam, what happened?"

Song Wan shook her head and sighed softly, "It's nothing."

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Shen Zizhong felt even more strongly that something must have happened.

When he caught a glimpse of Xie Wanqing's swollen cheeks, he already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth. Helpless, he could only sulk inwardly. His wife was too soft-hearted, which made his niece so absurd and repeatedly cause trouble.

"Sister, brother-in-law is watching you." Shen Yuanzhou, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed Jiang Jin'an's gaze that was always following Shen Jingshu, and teased her with a grin.

"You're so talkative." Shen Jingshu glared at him, but a blush involuntarily rose on her face.

When Jiang Jin'an saw her like this, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, but he knew to restrain himself and looked away.

Fifth Prince Wen Huaiyu pouted, "Fourth Brother, why do you think Father Emperor would bestow the Marquis's daughter in marriage to Jiang Jin'an?"

Wen Huaiqing glanced at him, a half-smile on his face, "What? Do you want to take her home as a concubine?"

"Fourth Brother is joking. If I dared to have such a thought, she would probably chase me down three streets with a whip."

Wen Huaizhang chuckled and said, "Fifth Brother, you shouldn't say such things carelessly. If Jiang Jin'an hears this, I won't help you out."

“My brother has always been very close to him,” Wen Huaiqing replied, his gaze sweeping between Wen Huaizhang and Jiang Jin’an.

"I have always valued talent," Wen Huaizhang said calmly, his tone indifferent.

Before long, Li Delu chanted outside the palace: "The Emperor's carriage and the Phoenix carriage arrive together—"

Everyone rose and knelt, shouting: "Welcome Your Majesty! May Your Majesty be well! May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"

After Emperor Hui and Empress Hui took their seats on the dragon and phoenix thrones, Emperor Hui said, "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the crowd responded in unison, then rose and returned to their places.

"Today is the Empress's birthday celebration, and I am delighted that all of you have come to this banquet. I hope that you will all enjoy yourselves to the fullest and celebrate the Empress's boundless blessings."

As the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, musicians and dancers rushed into the center of the hall, their colorful ribbons fluttering, creating a scene that seemed both dreamlike and ethereal.

After the dance, the gift-giving ceremony began, with the officials presenting their carefully prepared gifts. A dazzling array of rare and precious treasures filled one side of the hall.

Seeing that the time was right, Wen Huaiqing rose from his seat and said, “Mother, I recently acquired a precious treasure called the ‘Lingxi Moon-Gazing Pearl.’ It is produced in an extremely cold place and can only emit light on the night of a full moon, and the light can cover an area of ​​several feet. It can calm the mind and spirit, and there are even rumors that it can preserve one’s youthful appearance. I respectfully present it to Mother, wishing you long-lasting blessings, eternal youth, long life, and peace every year.”

After saying this, the eunuch presented a delicate brocade box to the Empress. Wen Huaiqing opened the box, and the Moon-Gazing Pearl was round and smooth, with faint strange patterns, as if it were a naturally formed image of the moon and the spirit. Everyone in the hall was amazed and marveled at it.

The Empress smiled and said, "Huaiqing's filial piety is commendable, and I am very pleased with this gift."

In his previous life, Wen Huaiqing also presented the Lingxi Wangyue Pearl, but this precious treasure was tainted with poison.

The poison, named "Illusory Smoke Powder," originated from the Northern Territory.

When the Empress was poisoned, it was about half a year later. She first experienced hallucinations and fell into a state of madness, then gradually lost consciousness, and finally died from facial ulceration.

Emperor Hui deposed the empress and even refused to let her be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

A year later, Wen Huaiqing's birth mother was promoted to Empress.

From that time onward, the Crown Prince's condition deteriorated further, leading to impeachments from court officials and Emperor Hui's great disappointment in him.

Shen Jingshu kept this in mind and carefully calculated the time.

She didn't know if the poison had been there from the beginning, so she dared not act rashly.

After the gift-giving ceremony, everyone was free to move around and chat. The atmosphere in the hall became relaxed and lively. People gathered in small groups, exchanging pleasantries or appreciating the gifts they had just received.

Jiang Jin'an was thinking about Shen Jingshu. After exchanging a few words with Lu Ming, he got up to find her. He had only taken a few steps when Gu Shiyi blocked his way.

She was already seething with anger about falling into the water in the Imperial Garden today, and now seeing Jiang Jin'an so eager to find Shen Jingshu, her jealousy burned fiercely.

She stood in front of Jiang Jin'an and asked, "Cousin, where are you going?"

Jiang Jin'an frowned slightly, his already cold face becoming even more icy, clearly having no intention of paying her any attention.

Gu Changyi walked straight over and said with a forced smile, "Instead of enjoying the scenery with the other young ladies, you're blocking your cousin here. His fiancée is right there. Are you trying to cause a misunderstanding?"

"Whose brother are you anyway? She caused me to fall into the water today, and you're still defending her?" Gu Shiyi was furious, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

This matter was neither a major nor a minor one. It wasn't uncommon for people to fall into the water, even in private residences, let alone the imperial harem. In such a short time, the officials who already had families learned the general outline of the incident from their wives.

But since the Empress had already spoken, and Gu Shiyi herself had said it was an accident, bringing it up again now would make her seem ungrateful and lacking in tact.

Fortunately, the musicians were still playing, so only this small group of people could hear it.

Fearing her daughter would cause trouble, Jiang rushed over to smooth things over, only to hear Jiang Jin'an say sternly, "I wouldn't mind throwing you into the water again."

The voice was as cold as a glacier, as chilling as snow, sending shivers down one's spine.

"You!" Gu Shiyi was speechless for a long time after hearing his words.

Jiang couldn't help but rebuke, "Jin'an, how could you speak to your cousin like that! If that Miss Shen really hurt someone, can she bear the responsibility!"

Jiang Jin'an's expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "I can take on that responsibility."