The wolf that killed Liang Can was extraordinarily ferocious.

Liang Can often trained beasts himself and was quite familiar with the temperament of such creatures.

Therefore, when he brought the two ferocious beasts with him, they were transported in cages pulled by carriages.

Upon arriving here, he released them from the cages, but it wasn’t without preparation.

The wolf had been chained with iron, and two servants were tasked with watching over it.

By all logic, an incident like this shouldn’t have happened.

Yet, the beast still went mad, broke free of its chains, and killed Liang Can.

The two servants were interrogated, but neither could explain why the wolf had gone mad.

Before coming to the hunting grounds, the wolf had been fed raw meat and was usually obedient to Liang Can’s commands, despite its ferocity.

What was most peculiar was that the place where the wolf killed Liang Can was near the corpse of the tiger.

Xiao Jin had a vague suspicion that the two incidents might have been orchestrated by the same person—or the same group of people.

But there was no evidence.

Just as he was leaving the scene, he caught a whiff of the rich aroma of cooked meat lingering in the air.

Hearing Prince Weiyang’s words, his gaze darkened.

Wen Yuesheng said indifferently, “I am devoted to the Buddha, not a monk.”

Prince Weiyang: …

Well, that was true.

At that moment, a palace servant entered hastily, bowed low, and reported, “Your Highness, Lord Liang has pleaded guilty before the emperor and received his punishment. The Liang family has already taken his remains back to their residence.”

“The emperor has decreed that Liang Can’s fate was his own doing for privately raising ferocious beasts. There is no need to discuss this matter further.”

This was effectively the final word on the incident.

The people in the hall murmured their agreement.

Xiao Jin’s gaze fell on the slender figure in the room. Seeing her rise, he paused for a moment before following her outside.

Dusk had fallen, and faint streaks of pale red lingered at the edge of the sky.

Wen Yuesheng stood before the hall, listening to Zhang Yulin’s report.

She stood sideways, holding a strand of beeswax prayer beads, her expression indifferent.

Beside her, Zhang Yulin bent as low as possible to speak to her, his tone respectful.

This fierce and hard-tempered general behaved with uncharacteristic gentleness and deference only in her presence.

Xiao Jin’s eyes darkened as he spoke, “Sining.”

She lifted her gaze toward him, her expression devoid of emotion.

It was no longer the look she once gave him, overflowing with affection. Nor did her face light up in a smile when she saw him, calling him “cousin.”

The restlessness Xiao Jin had suppressed for days flared up again, wild and uncontrollable.

His expression darkened as he strode quickly to her side, his voice low and urgent. “Was today’s incident at the Liang residence related to you?”

He shared the same suspicion as Marquis Zhongyong.

Very few people possessed the strength to shoot and kill a tiger with such force.

When it came to immense strength, there was only Zhang Yulin—and Zhang Yulin now only listened to Wen Yuesheng’s orders.

Wen Yuesheng’s expression remained cold. “You should ask the Imperial Guards.”

The Liang Can incident had been handled entirely by the Imperial Guards.

Xiao Jin hadn’t expected such an answer from her, and the emotions he had been holding back for so long finally broke free.

But what truly set him off wasn’t today’s events. It was Wen Yuesheng’s icy attitude toward him.

His gaze darkened as he looked at her, his voice cold and sharp. “Sining, don’t forget—I am your fiancé.”

It should have been him standing by her side, not some crown prince of Haozhou, and certainly not Zhang Yulin, who had appeared out of nowhere!

His words stunned everyone who had just arrived on the scene.

Even Xiao Jin’s personal attendant, standing by his side, couldn’t help but glance at him in surprise.

Everyone in the capital knew that Prince Yong’an had never cared for Wen Yuesheng.

His current behavior was entirely incomprehensible.

Even more unexpected was Wen Yuesheng’s reaction—or rather, her lack of one. She remained expressionless and said calmly, “It doesn’t have to be.”

The Wen family had already left the Princess’s estate, and this marriage arrangement should have been annulled long ago.

No one had expected Wen Yuesheng to respond this way.

Xiao Jin was momentarily stunned.

When he finally reacted, he was already furious. Yet within his anger was a sense of something deeper—something he couldn’t name: a mixture of disbelief and fear.

Their engagement had been established for over a decade. No matter what methods Wen Yuesheng had used in the past to try and gain his attention, she had never said anything like this.

Today, not only had she said it, but she had said it with such cold indifference.

Under the intense surge of emotions, Xiao Jin felt a faint sting in his chest.

He wanted to say something more, but the sound of gongs and drums from afar interrupted him.

“Bang, bang, bang—”

“The leader of today’s hunt is Prince Yong’an.”

During every royal hunt, a leader would be named—this being the person who caught the most prey that day.

Today’s participants were members of the royal family and prominent noble families.

Others, such as Zhang Yulin, patrolled the hunting grounds to ensure the emperor’s safety but did not partake in the hunt itself.

As the announcement ended, a palace attendant hurried over to Xiao Jin.

Standing beside him, the attendant announced loudly, “Your Highness, the prize for today’s hunt—Her Majesty the Empress’ phoenix hairpin—has been delivered to Miss Wen Yurou, as per your instructions.”

Silence.

Xiao Jin’s previously uncontrollable anger and frustration suddenly caught in his throat.

The announcement had drawn the attention of others within the palace.

Upon hearing these words, murmurs of discussion broke out.

“Today’s prize is a phoenix hairpin?”

“Isn’t the phoenix hairpin traditionally reserved for the crown princess or the wives of princes?”

“Exactly…”

Xiao Jin could not utter another word.

The prize for the hunt included more than just the phoenix hairpin, but this particular item carried significant symbolism.

Without much thought, Xiao Jin had ordered his attendants to deliver it to Wen Yurou.

Yet now, in front of Wen Yuesheng’s gaze and against the backdrop of the words he had just spoken, this entire situation appeared utterly absurd and ridiculous.

So much so that even after realizing the implications, he couldn’t bring himself to meet Wen Yue’s eyes.

All he saw was Wen Yuesheng stepping away after listening to Zhang Yulin’s final words, leaving without sparing him another glance.

“The phoenix hairpin has been sent. Fourth Brother, could it be that you’re preparing for some good news?” Prince Wei Yangwang teased nearby, his words striking at Xiao Jin’s heart.

“In my opinion, Fourth Brother is truly fortunate. With Si Ning as your fiancée and Wen Yurou as your beloved, you simultaneously insist the engagement must remain intact while gifting the phoenix hairpin—symbolizing a prince’s consort—to Wen Yurou.”

“Such indulgence! Sisters on both sides, truly enjoying the blessings of having it all!”

At this, Xiao Jin turned his dark, brooding eyes toward Wei Yangwang.

Weiyang raised his brows. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Fourth Brother, I’m genuinely curious. Are you planning to wrong your beloved and make her a concubine? Or will you persuade Si Ning to lower herself as a royal princess and take second place to her younger sister?”

Wei Yangwang had always been unrestrained in his speech, and Xiao Jin rarely revealed his emotions.

Before anyone could react, Xiao Jin’s fist landed squarely on Wei Yangwang’s face.

“Fourth Brother!”

“Your Highness!”

“Xiao Jin, how dare you hit me? Are you committing fratricide?”

The entire palace descended into chaos.

Meanwhile, none of this had anything to do with Wen Yuesheng, who had already left the palace grounds.

When she returned home, however, she received an invitation from the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence.

In a few days, it would be the birthday of the Duke’s old matron.

The invitation, personally delivered by one of the matron’s attendants, invited her to attend the celebratory banquet.

When the invitation arrived, Wen Yue was chatting with Zhou Manniang and Lu Hongying.

Zhou Manniang glanced at the gilded card and softly asked, “Will the Princess attend?”

Although Wen Yuesheng had been engaged to Prince Yong’an for years, the Duke of Zhenguo’s family had always shown her little regard.

While they followed protocol by sending invitations to their banquets, the invitations were no different from those sent to other guests, often delivered by servants.

Given Wen Yuesheng’s engagement to a prince, the Duke’s family should have treated her with greater importance.

Yet such recognition had never come her way.

This time, however, they had made an exception by sending a formal invitation.

But with the phoenix hairpin already gifted to Wen Yurou, Wen Yuesheng’s position at the banquet would be awkward and ambiguous.

“Why bother going? Whoever received the phoenix hairpin should go. What’s the Princess got to do with it?” Lu Hongying fumed.

Unexpectedly, Wen Yuesheng replied, “Of course, I’ll go.”

Lu Hongying was taken aback, unsure of Wen Yuesheng’s reasoning.

Zhou Manniang’s eyes gleamed slightly, and she gently said, “Very well. I’ll arrange for preparations.”

The Duke of Zhenguo’s matron(Matriarch)’s birthday was a grand occasion in the capital.

For one, the matron was highly esteemed, and this was her seventieth birthday. Even members of the imperial family sent gifts to celebrate.

Secondly, rumors had spread about Xiao Jin gifting the phoenix hairpin to Wen Yurou during the royal hunt.

Additionally, Xiao Jin had, for reasons unknown, quarreled with Prince Wei Yangwang at the hunt, even striking him.

The emperor, infuriated, had punished Xiao Jin.

While many were unclear about the incident’s details, both Xiao Jin and Prince Weiyang were expected to attend the matron’s birthday banquet.

What would transpire at the event was anyone’s guess.

As a result, this year’s banquet promised to be especially lively.

Early in the morning, the area outside the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence was bustling with activity.

Carriages carrying guests filled the streets.

Located south of the imperial city, the Duke’s residence occupied a large estate that took up an entire street.

The banquet was set in the main hall, which was connected to a flower hall at the back.

A door between the two could be opened, creating a spacious and lively venue for such an event.

Due to the large number of guests, the Duchess of Zhenguo, Lady Xu, enlisted Wei Lanzhi and Wen Yurou to help her greet the visitors.

Among the guests, Wen Yurou attracted frequent glances.

It was no surprise—Wen Yurou was impeccably dressed in a vibrant gown embroidered with twin blossoms, exuding elegance and charm.

Most striking of all was the radiant phoenix hairpin adorning her hair.

The hairpin, with its pearl-inlaid beak and golden body encrusted with gemstones and agate, dazzled in the light, making her stand out among the noblewomen of the capital.