The Poisonous Consort, the Regent's Beloved

The rumbling of the carriage, like raindrops, glided across the gleaming white marble, reflecting the scorching sun and the pitter-patter of its wheels. The carriage was draped in silk on all sides, and the gold-inlaid and jewel-encrusted windows were concealed by a pale blue gauze curtain, making its splendor imperceptible.

"It's Miss Ren."

Someone in the crowd immediately recognized whose carriage it was. As soon as the words were spoken, all the young noblemen and ladies were eager to try and show their faces in front of her.

Miss Ren? Grand Tutor Ren only has this one daughter. Apart from Ren Yinxue, no one else can be called Miss Ren.

Since arriving in the capital, whenever I inquire about news, I always hear about this Miss Ren.

She is the most beautiful woman in the capital, the most talented woman in the capital, and the legitimate daughter of Ren Zhong, a first-rank minister of the current dynasty.

It is said that Ren Zhong cherishes this daughter dearly. All the young men and women want to curry favor with him. If a man can marry into her family and have a father-in-law with such power, it's like rising to the top in one step.

The women felt both envy and jealousy, but given her status, most of them still wanted to try and build a relationship with her.

These reputations are secondary; the most important piece of news is that she and the current regent were childhood sweethearts.

Although the Regent was a few years older than her, it was said that he had watched Ren Yinxue grow up, and the two had been playing together since childhood. The Regent always treated everyone with an aloof attitude, but he was different with this person.

Once, the two of them were the envy of everyone in the capital, a perfect couple. However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, the regent seemed to have completely changed, becoming fierce, tyrannical, and unpredictable.

Originally, everyone thought that the Regent and Miss Ren were a match made in heaven, but now they all lamented that a beautiful flower had been stuck in cow dung.

Back then, it was said that the two had agreed to hold a grand wedding after Miss Ren turned fifteen, a traditional coming-of-age ceremony. However, time has flown by, and Miss Ren has long since passed that age; two and a half years have passed since then. At the beginning of this year, she turned seventeen, but their wedding has still not taken place…

At seventeen and still unmarried, if this happened to a woman from an ordinary family, she would probably be the subject of gossip long ago. But this woman is different. After all, her status is what it is, and everyone wants to curry favor with her. So how could anyone dare to talk about her?

Su Fuying learned about these things by overhearing casual conversations between patients while seeing patients at the clinic.

Although people dared not discuss it openly due to the Regent's authority, they couldn't help but whisper about it in private.

Human curiosity is hard to suppress. No matter how much pressure or restrictions are placed on us, our desire to gossip remains unchecked.

They will always find various opportunities to secretly discuss those seemingly taboo topics. This is true in any era and in any society.

Thinking of this, Su Fuying suddenly turned her head curiously and asked Biluo in a low voice, "How old is the Regent this year?"

Biluo was momentarily stunned, then whispered, "This servant doesn't know. How could the Regent possibly be related to us? This servant didn't inquire."

As they spoke, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. A pair of delicate white hands lifted the curtain, and a pretty little face came into view.

She has a classic oval face with well-defined features and delicate facial structure. Her eyes are large and bright, with long eyelashes that droop down like two butterflies fluttering in the air.

With a high, straight nose and an innate air of arrogance, he stepped down from the carriage, supported by his maid.

She wore a black and gold embroidered robe with cloud patterns and a crescent-shaped phoenix-tail skirt. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with large, beautiful crabapple blossoms, as if they were blooming at her feet. With each step the young woman took, flowers seemed to bloom, swaying gracefully.

Even Su Fuying couldn't help but praise her, saying that she truly deserved to be called the most beautiful woman in the capital. Her clothes and attire exuded nobility, yet they didn't appear vulgar; she was the epitome of a wealthy young lady.

She was surrounded by intense gazes, but a feeling compelled Ren Yinxue to look up. Their eyes met, and a pair of calm, expressionless eyes were staring at her.

The moment I saw her face, I felt a strange sense of crisis. How could this woman be so beautiful?

The hand around his waist tightened involuntarily, and he turned his head to ask, "Who is that?"

The maid Xiao Cui followed her gaze and was also momentarily shocked by Su Fuying's face. After realizing what was happening, she immediately searched her memory.

"Miss, I have never seen this woman before."

After the maid finished speaking, she suddenly saw Su Wan'er next to Su Fuying and said, "I heard that a young lady from the Minister's mansion has returned. There are many rumors in the capital. I guess it must be the eldest daughter of the Minister's mansion, Su Fuying."

Su Fuying.

Ren Yinxue silently repeated the name in her mind. Seeing that she was still staring at her, a strange emotion flashed across her eyes.

At this moment, everyone around came forward. "Miss Ren, do you remember me? You even glanced at me during last year's imperial examination."

“Miss Ren, I, I, my father is the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. May I invite Miss Ren to enjoy a boat trip on the lake during the day?”

"Miss Ren..."

Although I just met Su Fuying, this Miss Ren seems to lack a certain charm. But she has status, so if I can get in touch with her, what more could I ask for?

Hearing the noise and seeing the annoying faces, Ren Yinxue became impatient. The maid next to her immediately said, "Get out of the way, don't offend my young lady's eyes."

The officials and their families who came today were all of high rank, yet none of them dared to utter a sound after being so humiliated by a mere maid. Ren Zhong was currently enjoying great prestige; who would dare to provoke him?

It's time for the morning court session. Everyone, including Su Chengde, has gone in first. Now only their families are waiting here.

Su Wan'er felt frustrated for a long time, watching Su Fuying steal the spotlight, and now Ren Yinxue came along. She had dressed up carefully all day but no one praised her.

Dissatisfied, she muttered under her breath, "What kind of number one beauty is she? So arrogant and rude, she's disgracing the noble ladies of the capital."

Su Fuying glanced at her upon hearing this. Didn't she know what kind of person Su Wan'er was? She couldn't help but say coolly, "If you could catch up with half of her, you'd probably be strutting around like crazy."

"You!" Su Wan'er never expected that she would say such disgusting things in public.

Liu Hui reached out and grasped Su Wan'er's hand, then shook her head at her. The mother and daughter exchanged glances, and Su Wan'er's arrogance immediately dissipated.

Su Fuying took in their subtle actions and sneered inwardly.

The once noisy palace gate suddenly fell silent. Su Fuying looked over in confusion and saw an eunuch walking out of the palace gate with a bow. "This humble servant has come on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to respectfully invite you all to move."

Having stood there for so long, Su Fuying finally received the summons. Not wanting to be stared at like a monkey for even a second longer, she quickly followed the old eunuch into the palace.

There were only about twenty people in total, both men and women. In all dynasties, men were not allowed to enter the inner palace, but this empress had the emperor's permission to invite men to banquets of all sizes.

It is said that this honor was due to the emperor's high regard for the Ren family and the fact that the empress was the younger sister of Grand Tutor Ren.

After walking for half a day through the winding palace with the eunuchs, we finally arrived at the entrance of a magnificent palace. At first glance, it was indeed several times larger than Consort Li's palace.

The plaque above the gate bears the words "Kunning Palace" written in a vigorous, dragon-like style.