Su Huaiyuan suddenly felt an appreciation for talent!
He looked at Shen Changyuan, the Marquis of Changping, and began chatting with him cheerfully.
"Congratulations, Shen Shangshu. Your eldest daughter married the Crown Prince, and your second daughter married Xuan Wang. Please look after us in the future."
Shen Changyuan smiled and cupped his hands in return,
"It's the Shen family's honor. An honor~"
Shen Changyuan was also quite helpless!
The Crown Prince and Xuan Wang belonged to opposing factions!
Thinking of Mingzhu's inner thoughts, he decided he must have a serious talk with his two sons tonight.
[Ding— Host, there's a major scandal!]
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhu immediately perked up, losing interest in the song and dance performance.
[Hehe~]
[Gua Gua, stop laughing so creepily and tell me quickly!]
[Host, the Emperor's junior talent is having an affair with a guard!]
This inner thought struck Jingyuan Emperor like a thunderbolt of betrayal.
Everyone froze.
Especially those ministers and their families who could hear the inner thoughts.
Surely the Emperor wouldn't silence everyone!
The young lady from Changping Marquis Manor is going to be the death of me!!!
This was Shen Mingzhu's first time encountering such a scandalous affair, immediately reminding her of the hit drama "Empresses in the Palace" where Consort Sun's red mandarin duck undergarment was still hanging from that ruffian's waist—how thrilling!
[Gua Gua, is that talent surnamed Sun?]
The System immediately asked upon hearing this,
[Host, how did you know she's surnamed Sun?]
[Hehe~ Because they're from the same clan dating back eight hundred years! They just love doing this sort of thing!]
The minister surnamed Sun felt deeply offended!
[Gua Gua, quickly give me the details—time, place, people involved, and how they got together?]
Jingyuan Emperor was furious but patiently listened on.
Of course, his shadow guard Long Er had already been dispatched to the rear palace to capture the adulterous couple!
How audacious, treating his inner palace like some common place!
All the ministers were now secretly observing Jingyuan Emperor's expression, fearing the Emperor's wrath might paint the hall with blood!
Empress Lin's face was extremely grim. That such a thing could happen in the rear palace under her management was utterly treasonous—punishable by execution of the entire family!
[Host, it's a long story. This Talent Sun is actually quite pitiful! She was already engaged—her fiancé was that very guard—but her family, seeking advancement, heartlessly sent her into the palace against her will. At first, she tried to live properly in the palace, but our Emperor is completely devoted to state affairs and rarely visits the rear palace. Even when he does, he only visits high-ranking consorts like the Empress and Noble Consorts, never the new entrants.
The palace is a place that follows the wind. Since she lacked favor, the provisions allocated to her were always insufficient. Initially, she used her savings to supplement, but when those ran out, she tried reporting to the Empress. Although the Empress disciplined the Imperial Household Department afterward, Talent Sun only faced increasingly harsh discrimination. Can you believe it?
A palace talent nearly froze to death one winter due to insufficient charcoal!
It was then that Guard Li went through great hardships to find her, spending considerable silver to pull strings and save her life.
Gratitude for saving her life led to offering herself in return. Back and forth, their old flames were rekindled!]
[What happened later, you already know!]
[Ah… a pair of star-crossed lovers!]
Shen Mingzhu sighed deeply.
Thinking about palace consorts being unfaithful, Shen Mingzhu shook her head.
Everyone silently glanced at Jingyuan Emperor before quickly lowering their heads.
At this moment, dishes were gradually being served.
[Wow, Gua Gua! This is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, this is stir-fried phoenix tongue, this is lotus pork tenderloin, this is braised shark fin, this is cherry blossom pork… Wow! So many delicious foods!]
Empress Lin looked at this mentally active young girl—her future daughter-in-law—and unconsciously smiled.
[Host, host, danger! Second Prince Yan Yunxuan resents you for ruining his plans today and has already dispatched assassins to eliminate you on your way home!]
Hearing this inner voice, everyone present looked toward Yan Yunxuan and then at Jingyuan Emperor, Empress Lin, and Li Consort seated at the head table.
[Gua Gua, I'm the Crown Princess, the future wife of the emperor's treasured golden grandson! Just because the Crown Prince isn't the male lead, does that mean I, as his fiancée, have to be forced off the stage?]
[Host, don't lose heart! Keep working hard, earn more points, and then you and the Crown Prince can each take an antidote pill, add a golden bell shield, and if necessary, get fleet-footed talismans! Gua Gua refuses to believe you'll still become cannon fodder!]
[Sigh… Should I call my second and third brothers back? Then I'd have helpers! The Crown Prince just lies around in the Eastern Palace all day, and I have to deal with four princes alone—it's too difficult!]
Shen Mu: …My dear, it really is too hard!
Tomorrow, mother will teach you our Xie family spear technique!
[Gua Gua, what should I do!]
[Empress is my mother-in-law—does she have any hidden guards? Can she lend me a few? They don't need to be too powerful, just as capable as the emperor's Dragon Shadow Guards will do.]
Jingyuan Emperor: …This girl really knows how to dream!
The Dragon Shadow Guards are exclusive to successive Great Yan emperors, only obeying the orders of the current Great Yan emperor.
But Second Prince has gone too far!
I've really been too indulgent with him!
And Li Consort too!
Look at how she just behaved!
Shen Mingzhu sighed inwardly.
[Sigh… The current Xuan Wang is no ordinary person anymore. He's already won over many officials, and his power can now rival Crown Prince Yan Beichen! The old emperor doesn't know yet~]
[How should I remind the Empress and His Majesty? At the very least, I need to help before Crown Prince Yan Beichen wakes up! Otherwise, when the Crown Prince awakens, his home will have been completely stolen!]
Emperor Yan Linghan glared fiercely at Yan Yunxuan, making him tremble with fear.
"How dare you!~"
Yan Yunxuan raged impotently in a voice only he could hear.
He glared venomously at Shen Mingzhu.
It's all her fault!
He could feel it—just now, his father really wanted to "discipline" him!
Shen Changyuan, Shen Qinghong, and Shen Qingbo were currently sitting on pins and needles. What should they do?
Second Prince Yan Yunxuan was actually this kind of person!
Shen Changyuan looked at Jingyuan Emperor with hopeful eyes, wishing he would intervene.
The carefree Shen Mingzhu was currently captivated by a newly served plate of exquisitely shaped pastries on the table.
Look—walnut cakes, flower-shaped pastries symbolizing prosperity, osmanthus cakes—each pastry displayed in its floral form, vivid and lifelike, truly worthy of a palace banquet.