Before the longevity banquet even began, the phoenix hairpin had already become the center of attention.

“…With the appearance of this phoenix hairpin, it seems that Prince Yong’an’s intentions are now clear, don’t you think?”

“The Zhen Guo Duke’s family seems to agree as well. After all, Lady Wei is Prince Yong’an’s aunt. If it weren’t for that connection, would she have brought it along today?”

“That said, I don’t see the princess at the banquet today.”

“Why would she come? With someone sitting to the left and the right of the old lady, there likely wouldn’t be any room left for the princess.”

“It’s amusing, really. On such an occasion, Second Miss Wen had the audacity to wear the phoenix hairpin directly.”

The person speaking did not name names, but everyone understood the implication.

What would Princess Sining feel when she saw this scene?

Fortunately, the Old Madam of the Zhen Guo Duke’s family soon appeared, supported by attendants.

Today, for her birthday celebration, the Old Madam wore a deep red gown, her expression solemn as she slowly entered the floral hall.

Before stepping inside, the Old Madam’s footsteps paused for a moment.

She looked toward the phoenix hairpin on Wen Yuruo’s head, her voice tinged with displeasure. “On such an occasion, why are you wearing that hairpin?”

The attendant supporting her whispered, “Perhaps the prince obtained it during his hunt, and Second Miss Wen was pleased and wore it to express her joy.”

The Old Madam said nothing.

She had been young once and understood a woman’s mindset.

Still, the Old Madam liked Wen Yuruo enough to leave her some dignity and did not scold her openly.

Everyone ushered the Old Madam to the main seat.

As soon as she sat down, Wen Yuruo presented the birthday gift she had prepared.

Knowing that the Old Madam practiced Buddhism, Wen Yuruo had painstakingly hand-copied a sutra and spent considerable time embroidering it onto a screen.

When the screen was brought out, everyone around gasped in admiration.

The screen was made of agarwood, and the sutra was embroidered with meticulous, dense stitches.

Notably, it was double-sided embroidery, a rare and painstaking technique that required immense time and effort.

Naturally, the Old Madam was pleased, and her expression softened.

She said gently, “You’ve been thoughtful.”

Among all the birthday gifts presented by the many guests, Wen Yuruo’s was undoubtedly the most sincere and impressive.

However, upon seeing the embroidered sutra, many couldn’t help but think of someone else.

Hadn’t Wen Yuesheng been the talk of the capital earlier for a sutra that had miraculously cured the Empress Dowager?

And yet, today, she hadn’t received the phoenix hairpin, nor had she managed to deliver a sutra to the Old Madam.

She had clearly lost this round.

With this thought, many believed that Wen Yuesheng would not show up today.

Yet, just after the embroidered sutra was removed, a servant of the Zhen Guo Duke’s household hurried in to report that the princess had arrived.

The floral hall fell silent for a moment.

No one had expected Wen Yuesheng to show up under such circumstances.

But then again, considering her personality, it wasn’t surprising.

Whether favored or not, she had always seized every opportunity to compete with Wen Yuruo. It wasn’t unexpected that she would come today.

Still, the seats beside the Old Madam were already occupied—Wen Yuruo to the left and Wei Lanzhi to the right—leaving no room for anyone else.

Just as everyone was contemplating this, the servants led a group of people into the hall.

The moment they entered, the previously lively and noisy hall fell into sudden silence.

Wen Yuesheng was dressed in a black gown, devoid of any distracting colors.

Over it, she wore a white robe with wide sleeves embroidered with golden Buddhist texts.

The golden lettering shimmered as she moved, giving the impression of life within the sutras.

Though similar to Wen Yuruo’s gift, the Buddhist texts on her attire carried an imposing aura of violence.

Yet, her expression remained cold and detached, creating a paradoxical but strikingly beautiful contrast to the killing intent radiating from her.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

She led the group, with Zhang Yulin following closely behind.

No one knew where Zhang Yulin had come from, but he was clad in full armor.

Zhang Yulin was a tall and burly man to begin with, and appearing in full armor alongside Wen Yuesheng made the scene even more overwhelming.

Moreover, despite coming to a birthday banquet, he still carried his pair of purple-gold hammers at his waist, which clanged loudly as he moved.

…It didn’t seem like they had come to celebrate at all.

It looked more like they had come to stir up trouble.

When Wen Yuesheng entered the floral hall, the crowd remained utterly silent.

In front of Zhang Yulin—who was so tall he seemed to almost touch the lanterns hanging from the ceiling—no one dared to speak.

The first to recover was Lady Xu, the wife of the Zhen Guo Duke.

She quickly stood up and instructed a maidservant, “Go and inform the prince that the princess has arrived.”

Today’s longevity banquet was not just about celebrating the Old Madam’s birthday.

The main purpose was to mediate between Prince Yong’an and Xiao Jin.

Yet, after waiting for a long time in the main courtyard, Xiao Jin and the Duke had yet to see Prince Weiyang arrive—only Wen Yuesheng had shown up.

Lady Xu wasn’t particularly worried that Wen Yuesheng would cause trouble.

Over the years, despite her temper, Wen Yuesheng had always tried to behave obediently in front of them.

Calling Xiao Jin over was merely a precaution to ensure the scene didn’t become too awkward.

Lady Xu chuckled softly, “Your Highness, please take a seat.”

Wen Yuesheng sat down, but Zhang Yulin, standing behind her, did not.

Expressionless, he stood like a towering mountain behind Wen Yuesheng, his imposing presence unsettling those around them.

The seat Wen Yuesheng occupied wasn’t particularly prominent and was far from the host’s table.

It paled in comparison to the place of honor granted to Wen Yurou, who accompanied the old matron.

Once seated, Xia Zhi stepped forward and presented a birthday gift.

Indeed, how could Wen Yuesheng not bring a gift for the old matron of the Duke of Zhenguo’s household on her birthday?

In previous years, Wen Yuesheng had always delivered the most extravagant gifts.

But this year was different.

When the gift was placed before the old matron, curious onlookers discovered it was a string of prayer beads.

Neither jade nor gemstone, but made from bodhi seeds.

Though crafted from rare and beautiful star-moon bodhi seeds, the beads seemed unimpressive amidst the array of precious treasures on display.

However, given that the gift came from Wen Yuesheng—widely rumored to possess a unique spiritual connection—the beads carried more significance than ordinary ones.

Still, compared to the lavish treasures others had presented, such as the towering screen engraved with scriptures on both sides, the beads seemed almost humble.

Many found her choice perplexing.

Since she had attended the banquet despite recent events, shouldn’t her gift have been the highlight of the day?

Why present something so seemingly plain, especially when she was already at a disadvantage?

As these thoughts swirled, Wen Yuesheng spoke. Her tone was calm:

“In addition to this, I have another item to present to the old matron.”

At that moment, Xiao Jin, who had just arrived after hearing the news, exhaled in relief.

Since the hunting grounds incident, unease had gnawed at him.

He had considered meeting Wen Yuesheng but found himself at a loss for words.

After all, the phoenix hairpin had been his gift, a fact he couldn’t deny.

Now, seeing Wen Yuesheng attending the banquet as usual and bringing a gift, he felt reassured.

Perhaps her words that day had been spoken in anger.

His expression softened. Yet just as this thought crossed his mind, Wen Yuesheng spoke again.

“This item is something the old matron will find familiar.”

Guyu stepped forward briskly but, instead of presenting the item like the earlier gift, opened the silk box for all to see.

Inside the box lay a blood-red jade mandarin duck pendant—specifically, half of it.

Onlookers stared in confusion. A gift consisting of only half a pendant?

Even Lady Xu appeared momentarily baffled, though the old matron’s expression darkened as her gaze fell on the pendant.

She lifted her eyes to Wen Yuesheng and asked sternly, “What does this mean, Your Highness?”

“This is the token gifted to me by Her Majesty the Empress when my betrothal was arranged.”

Her words sent shockwaves through the room.

Everyone froze.

At the Duke of Zhenguo’s old matron’s birthday banquet, Wen Yuesheng had presented the token of her engagement. What could this mean?

Some guests glanced at the phoenix hairpin adorning Wen Yurou’s head and began to piece things together, though they dared not believe their suspicions.

For years, the engagement had been seen as a mere formality, disliked by Xiao Jin, unwelcomed by the Duke’s household, resented by the Empress, and entirely overlooked by the Emperor.

Yet now, the token of this supposedly insignificant engagement had been brought forth—by Wen Yuesheng herself.

As the crowd struggled to process this, Wen Yuesheng rose.

She walked gracefully to Guyu’s side and picked up the jade pendant.

“My visit today concerns this engagement.”

Her gaze was icy, and in her hand, the blood-red jade glowed fiercely under the sunlight.

The pendant was a rare treasure, its value surpassing even the phoenix hairpin Wen Yurou wore.

The matching half of the pendant, held by Xiao Jin, was carefully stored in the Prince Yong’an residence.

Over the years, many had forgotten about this engagement token, including the Duke of Zhenguo’s household.

After all, from the moment the late Grand Princess passed away, Wen Yuesheng had been considered unworthy.

Their favoritism toward Wen Yurou was blatant, to the point where most recognized the phoenix hairpin as the engagement token, completely disregarding the jade pendant’s significance.

But now that the pendant had resurfaced, its brilliance overshadowed the phoenix hairpin.

Many assumed Wen Yuesheng intended to compete with Wen Yurou by presenting this superior token.

Unexpectedly, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Wen Yuesheng released her grip.

“Crash!”

The exquisite jade pendant shattered as it hit the floor, fragments scattering in all directions.

Such a rare treasure should not have broken so easily, but in Wen Yuesheng’s hands, it shattered as she intended.

Amid the crimson shards of blood jade, silence fell over the hall.

“The token is destroyed,” Wen Yuesheng declared coldly. “From this moment forward, the engagement is annulled.”