Princess Chu returned quite late today, half an hour later than usual. From her conversation with the nanny, Tao Sheng learned that the princess had just attended a party at Princess Heqing’s Mansion. Seeing the princess’s tired and emotional eyes, Tao Sheng knew the party had been significant.

News that Shen Ruojin frequently visited Prince Rui’s mansion quickly reached the Eastern Palace and Princess Hui’an. Upon hearing this, Princess Hui’an became furious.

Her father had risked his life to save Guan Muyun and Shen Ruojin, but they had turned around to join Prince Rui. It felt so shameless!

Princess Hui’an wanted to punish Shen Ruojin, but her parents kept a close eye on her, preventing her from getting involved with Shen Ruojin, which restrained her.

The poetry meeting held at Princess Heqing’s mansion made her happy, so she asked her cousin, Lady Le’an, to invite Shen Ruojin. Ever since Shen Ruojin’s incident, no host family had invited her to such activities. Princess Hui’an wanted to see Shen Ruojin’s current state herself.

What the Magistrate of Hui’an County did not expect was that Shen Ruojin not only attended the banquet but also arrived with Princess Rui. Shen Ruojin was humble and attentive to Princess Rui, even more so than when they were study partners before.

Princess Hui’an felt unbalanced watching this scene. She targeted Shen Ruojin throughout the banquet, bringing up her past actions and accusing her of being engaged to Guan Muyun and having an affair with her cousin, who visited the Eastern Palace.

It had been a while since the last flower-viewing party with Princess He’en, and everyone had forgotten Shen Ruojin’s past. Princess Hui’an’s fuss brought everything back up.

Shen Ruojin looked very pale, shaking and nearly fainting, and no one stood up for her except one person.

Princess Rui seemed neutral but actually supported Shen Ruojin, accusing Princess Hui’an of lying and claiming that she backstabbed her former study partner, showing her character was quite average.

Princess Hui’an had support from the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince, while Princess Rui was the wife of the current prince and the elder to Princess Hui’an.

The two sides were evenly matched, but Princess Hui’an was more aggressive. She sarcastically said to Princess Rui, “Aunt is too soft-hearted. She believes whatever Shen Ruojin says. I remember that the aunt in Uncle Rui’s family was not like this. She always distinguished right from wrong.”

Princess Hui’an referred to Prince Rui’s first wife, and the current Princess Guan was considered his second wife.

Princess Rui hated to hear this. She bluntly stated that she was not biased and only wanted to be fair. She criticized Princess Hui’an for being uneducated for speaking to her elders that way. They began to argue, and the situation became difficult to manage.

As the eldest sister-in-law, the Princess of Chu had to bring several princesses to mediate the quarrel. In the end, the argument got so heated that she came home late.  

Tao Sheng didn’t expect Princess Chu would face trouble again when she went out for a party.

Shen Ruojin really is the heroine of this world. Even when she’s away from the usual household conflicts, she’s still at the center of attention, creating plenty of drama.

Despite Shen Ruojin’s reputation getting worse, Princess Rui still openly supports her. This means Guan Muyun has firmly decided to support Prince Rui.

After hearing all this, Tao Sheng finally understood why she felt uneasy when she first heard about Guan Muyun’s split from his family.

It always seemed strange that Duke Ling gave up on Guan Muyun, who he trained for over 20 years. Now, it looks like this was all part of Duke Ling’s plan—to allow the Guan family to openly support the Crown Prince, while Guan Muyun secretly supports Prince Rui.

This way, they could bet on both sides.

That way, no matter who wins, the Guan family would have an escape plan.

History is usually written by the victors. So, if Prince Rui becomes emperor, Shen Ruojin’s past actions won’t matter much, and she could still be the wife of Duke Lingguo.

The Guan family has a smart plan, but they didn’t consider another outcome.

What if neither side wins?

The King of Chu, with the Emperor’s favor, his status as the eldest son, and support from Ji Yanming, is slowly rising to power.

Who will win in the future is still uncertain.

It’s too early for the Guan family to celebrate their plan.

After talking about the events of the day with Tao Sheng, Princess Chu noticed it was getting late, so she invited Tao Sheng to stay for hotpot.

The King of Chu didn’t come home until it was completely dark, and Tao Sheng and the princess had already finished eating stewed noodles.

Princess Chu felt it was odd: “Where were you? Why are you so late?”

Even though the King of Chu was working hard during this period, it was rare for him to come back this late.

The King of Chu, clearly hungry, took off his coat, sat down, and started eating. “I went to see my father for something important.”

“Is it about work?” Princess Chu asked cautiously.

At the banquet earlier, Princess Rui had mentioned that the King of Chu always managed to get what he wanted by constantly asking the Emperor for favors.

Although the King of Chu is a straightforward person, Princess Chu is more sensitive. She felt that now that her husband was a prince tasked by the Emperor, he should act more restrained.

“It was serious,” said the King of Chu seriously. “I wanted to remove Guan Muyun from his position as supervisor of the Shanglin Garden project.. I had to get my father’s permission.”

As the saying goes, when a new leader comes in, changes happen quickly, and the King of Chu was no exception. His first action was to deal with Guan Muyun.

Yesterday morning, the King of Chu made a surprise inspection of the Construction Department’s records. After looking over everything, most of the files were in order, but a book on construction and two exterior drawings were missing.

It turned out these were in the possession of a sixth-ranked official under Guan Muyun. Three days ago, Guan Muyun borrowed these materials, registering them to be returned two days later, but they hadn’t been returned yet.

Shanglin Garden is the Emperor’s private garden, and the layout of the palaces inside is top secret. Guan Muyun broke the rules by taking these out of the secure area.

Tao Sheng remembered this from the original story. Guan Muyun did this to study the layout of the new garden, so he could prepare a fitting gift for the Emperor at next year’s Wanshou Festival. It was also to help Prince Rui gain favor.

Unfortunately, Guan Muyun picked the wrong time, as the King of Chu had just taken office and wanted to make his mark.

The King of Chu had always resented the Lingguo Duke’s family for supporting the Crown Prince, and now he was even more upset with them for supporting both the Crown Prince and Prince Rui.

So this time, Guan Muyun was caught by the King of Chu, and there would be no escape.

The King of Chu wasn’t lenient and had his advisor prepare a report highlighting Guan Muyun’s neglect, making it sound as serious as possible.

After the report was finished, the King of Chu personally delivered it to the Emperor in Xuanzheng Hall. 

Tao Sheng listened carefully: “What happened next?”

“The Emperor was furious. He thought Guan Muyun had been irresponsible lately and that his actions were becoming more reckless. So he ordered Guan Muyun to be suspended for two months to reflect.”

Taking the drawings out of Shanglin Garden could be considered leaking important information, which could threaten the Emperor’s safety.

Naturally, the Emperor wouldn’t take this lightly.

The term “suspended” was clever. Guan Muyun’s position was temporary, without formal appointment. So after two months, if the Emperor still wanted him back, he could be reinstated, possibly with a permanent position. But if the Emperor decided not to use him again, Guan Muyun would remain sidelined with no place in court.

It all depends on what the King of Chu does next.