The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

"The banquet is probably about to start, why don't we go to the Haiyan Hall first?" Jing Anle said to Qin Zhihua and Chu Mingyue as he turned around.

“Alright, now is the perfect time to go,” Chu Mingyue replied.

"Mmm!" Qin Zhihua nodded in response, her blush still lingering. Jing Anle, knowing the reason, didn't look at her much, but Chu Mingyue glanced at Qin Zhihua a few times.

The three of them then headed towards the banquet hall.

Even during breaks, male and female guests are separated, while the male guests sit together in friendly groups.

Murong Peifeng was indeed disappointed today. Firstly, he had intended to win first place in the men's competition, but in every round, Crown Prince Xiao Heng of Li Kingdom took first place, leaving him to finish second. Secondly, Jing Anle won six rounds in a row, except for the second round, securing seven first-place finishes.

Murong Peifeng was amazed by Jing Anle's talent and suddenly understood why his previous plan had failed. He knew that the previous method would not work.

His friend Mu Ziqi, who was standing next to him, said with a grin, "Brother Murong, if it weren't for that Crown Prince Xiao, you would be number one!"

Mu Ziqi was just joking, but he didn't expect Murong Peifeng to get really angry. Murong Peifeng glared at Mu Ziqi, which scared Mu Ziqi into shutting his mouth.

Murong Peifeng looked in Xiao Heng's direction, where Xiao Heng was drinking with the other crown princes. Murong Peifeng downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, slammed the cup down on the table, and thought: Crown prince? Hmph! It won't be long before I'm the crown prince too.

Xiao Heng seemed to sense that someone was watching him, but when he turned around, there was nothing there.

At this moment, a palace servant came over, bowed, and said loudly: "Please move to the banquet hall!"

And so, the group got up in twos and threes and headed toward the banquet hall.

Xiao Heng was about to call the other three to go together, but he couldn't see Yelü Yuanxiu. At this moment, Luo Wei said, "He was just here! How come he disappeared in the blink of an eye?"

Xia Tingfu also said, "I heard him say earlier that he was going to relieve himself. I'm afraid that when he comes back and doesn't see us, the palace servants will naturally tell him."

Xiao Heng nodded in agreement, and the three of them set off.

When Xiao Heng and the others arrived at the banquet hall, Jing Anle was already seated in the second seat on the left, while Xiao Heng's seat was opposite her.

Jing Anle was adjusting her sleeves when she looked up and met Xiao Heng's gaze. He was dressed in a dark green robe with gold accents, and a sapphire blue jade belt around his waist, looking quite dashing. Jing Anle could only smile at him and nod slightly. She also felt strange; ever since she saved Xiao Heng last time, she felt that he was always looking at her with strange eyes.

Xiao Heng didn't know why, but even though there were so many noble ladies sitting there, he just happened to notice Jing Anle at a glance. Just then, Jing Anle also saw him, smiled at him, and looked away. Xiao Heng smiled to himself and then sat down.

Little did they know that Qin Xiuyuan had already taken in all of this seemingly insignificant detail.

At this moment, Emperor Jing and Consort Gui walked over, and everyone stood up to pay their respects.

"Sit down, everyone!" Emperor Jing said. He was dressed in a black dragon robe today, his posture upright, and although he was over forty, he still had a magnificent presence.

Emperor Jing glanced down at the audience, which was filled with guests. He was particularly struck by Jing Anle's face, which resembled that of the late Empress. He thought to himself, "If only she were still here."

Everyone thanked the emperor and sat down, while Consort Yu, who was beside Emperor Jing, tried her best to maintain her smile. She had just returned to Jinrong Palace today when she received the news that Emperor Jing had actually given the power to manage the harem to Consort Li!

When Consort Yu heard the news, she trembled with rage, smashing the teacup on the table to pieces. She and Consort Li were sworn enemies, and now that the wretched woman had gained power, she would surely swagger around. But for now, she could only try to behave well and reclaim her control over the harem!

Emperor Jing and Consort Yu sat on the high seat, while Consort Li (Li Wan'er) and Consort Rong (Rong Jinxiu) sat below Emperor Jing. Consort Chen (Chen Wuqing) and Consort Lin (Lin Zhaoruo) sat below Consort Yu. Apart from these four consorts, other noble ladies were not qualified to attend this banquet.

Consort Li was still dressing in the palace when she received an imperial decree ordering her to take over Consort Yu's management of the inner palace affairs. After making arrangements, she learned that Consort Yu had failed in her duty. Consort Li was naturally delighted. Since listening to Jing Anle's advice last time, Emperor Jing had been visiting her palace frequently. Now that she had the power to manage the inner palace, she was overjoyed and even more grateful to Jing Anle.

Although it was a poetry gathering and banquet, there were also songs and dances, and the singers were dancing enthusiastically. However, Jing Anle noticed that Yelü Yuanxiu's seat was empty. She picked up a cup of wine, took a small sip, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Emperor Jing had already noticed the empty seat next to Xiao Heng and ordered Eunuch Wei to check on it, but he has not yet returned.

"Today's flower appreciation and poetry gathering was a resounding success, and Your Majesty should reward everyone handsomely!" Consort Yu said gently to Emperor Jing, showing no sign of the punishment she had received earlier.

"The Imperial Concubine is absolutely right. Then let's announce which young master or noblewoman has won first place!" Emperor Jing said, waving his hand at the palace servants standing beside him.

The palace servant immediately understood and produced a list. Everyone's eyes followed the list closely. Although they already knew the answer, they were still full of anticipation.

Sitting next to Jing Anle, Jing Rou lowered her eyes. With her delicate and graceful figure, she had originally wanted to stand out today, but she did not expect that Jing Anle would gain the upper hand. What angered her even more was that Murong Peifeng must already know that Jing Anle was the first, since she had belittled her in front of Murong Peifeng before!

Then the palace servants announced: "The winner of the first place for male guests is Crown Prince Xiao Heng of Li Kingdom, the second place is Murong Peifeng, the heir of the Marquis of Pingchang, and the third place is the eldest prince Jing Fengyao."

Because Emperor Jing left first, he was unaware of the results. When he heard that Jing Fengyao had come in third, Emperor Jing's expression changed subtly. Consort Yu was secretly pleased that Jing Fengyao had only come in third, but worried that Jing Fengyu hadn't even made it into the top three. Her expression remained stiff and forced.

Jing Anle was not surprised at all. She glanced at Qin Zhihua out of the corner of her eye, and sure enough, Qin Zhihua smiled after hearing Jing Fengyao's ranking.

Jing Rou, on the other hand, seemed to have known all along. If it weren't for Xiao Heng, her Pei Feng brother would undoubtedly be number one.

The palace maid continued reading: "The first female guest is Princess Anle, the second is Princess Rou, and the third is Qin Zhihua."

When the first place was announced, Emperor Jing looked at Jing Anle in disbelief. When did his daughter become so outstanding? Her musical skills had already amazed him last time, and this time it was even more unbelievable.

The other three concubines besides Consort Li were equally shocked. They were all in the harem, and Princess Anle spent her days admiring flowers and having fun, and playing pranks on them. How could she be so proficient in poetry?

Consort Li stared intently at Jing Anle, whose demeanor was elegant and composed. She thought to herself: Is this Princess Anle really that outstanding?

Emperor Jing laughed heartily and said, "Very well! Come forward and receive your rewards!"

So Jing Anle, Jing Rou, Qin Zhihua, Xiao Heng, Murong Peifeng, and Jing Fengyao walked to the middle and stood in order of their rankings. Jing Anle naturally stood next to Xiao Heng. Xiao Heng glanced at Jing Anle out of the corner of his eye. She was expressionless, but she knew that Xiao Heng was looking at her, but she ignored him.

The crowd below watched them, some with envy, some with disdain, but all were watching them. The palace servants presented them with the rewards, and after expressing their gratitude, they withdrew.