Empress Yu noticed the expressions of these people and was irritated by Cheng’s chattiness.

She quickly changed the subject and asked Grand Princess Qiu, “Where is the Crown Prince?”

She Xin replied, “Replying to Your Majesty, after the Crown Prince arrived, he went straight to the outer seating area. At the moment, he is with the male guests in the Yan Feng Pavilion.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly Matriarch Wang, who was seated next to the top seat, subtly lifted the corner of her mouth.

The other ladies had their own thoughts.

The marriage of Miss Fu, who had just reached adulthood, to the Eastern Palace was a well-known fact.

It was obvious that the Crown Prince had always been close to Miss Fu, treating her with great care.

Why, on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, did he not even show up?

Seeing this, the women felt that today’s young lady, who was celebrating her birthday, seemed quite desolate.

Her parents had passed away, and her grandmother did not come.

It was hard-won that her elder brother came, yet the little lady seemed closer to him than her cousin.

Looking at Ms. Fu’s demeanor, she was composed and serene, as if everything around her was irrelevant.

What could Empress Yu say?

She could only hurriedly add, “The Crown Prince is well-mannered,” and then invited everyone to take their seats.

The dishes were served one after another, the musicians began to play, and the banquet commenced.

When Cheng Yun took her seat, she deliberately lagged behind, gently grabbing Zhan Ying’s hand, and was startled to find that the child’s hand was as cold as ice.

She looked at her in surprise.

Zhan Ying recognized that this lady was Mrs. Xie, who had just mocked Fu Zean, and nodded in return before sitting in the seat to the right of Wang Taifu(Matriarch Wang).

Zan Ying was not surprised at all that the Crown Prince was in the outer seating area.

After last night’s cold treatment, it would be strange if Li Jinghuan were to come and soften his stance first.

She was not surprised that Fu Zhuangxue came.

She wasn’t afraid of her coming; she was afraid of her not coming.

The rest was just waiting for the scene from her previous life to unfold.

She remembered that on this very day in her past life, after the second round of drinks, before Mrs. Quanfu performed her coming-of-age ceremony, Zhan Ying got drunk and took the opportunity to walk by the water pavilion to sober up while changing clothes.

She happened to encounter Li Jian, a palace attendant from the Eastern Palace, guarding the artificial hill.

From behind the hill came the intimate voices of the Crown Prince and Fu Zhuangxue.

Zhan Ying wiped the sweat from her palm and silently calculated the time.

In the water pavilion, the strings and bamboo instruments played a gentle tune. The high-bun musicians sang the “Phoenix’s Chick” song, their soft voices and beautiful melodies creating a serene atmosphere.

As the evening progressed and the music softened, guests were free to talk and move around.

Fu Zhuangxue, seated at the end of the table, felt a deep unease.

She glanced a few times towards the Yan Feng Pavilion, obscured by willow branches on the curved bridge, and then pretended to admire the garden before leaving her seat.

Zhan Ying withdrew her gaze, took a sip of wine, and covered her sleeve.

After waiting a while, she saw Chun Jin behind the dense peach leaves at the bottom of the long steps, waving to her discreetly.

This was something they had arranged earlier.

Zhan Ying had asked Chun Jin to go to the artificial hill first and, under the guise of a summons from the Empress, divert Li Jian to avoid alarming the enemy.

Once everything was set, Chun Jin would signal her, and Zhan Ying would use the excuse of enjoying the scenery to invite the guests over.

Everything was ready, and Zhan Ying tightened her grip.

Just as she was about to speak, a guard from outside Fengzhuang’s gate hurriedly entered the garden with a look of panic.

Upon reaching the water pavilion, the guard tripped and fell, and while kneeling, reported, “Reporting to Her Majesty, the Grand Marshal has entered the palace. He is now outside Yunlong Gate, saying he wants to congratulate Miss Fu on her birthday.”

After the report was delivered, the water pavilion fell into an eerie silence, as if it had suddenly turned to night.

Moments ago, Miss Yu had been indulging in wine, but her face turned ashen in an instant, and the green porcelain cup in her hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

In the Jin Dynasty, there was only one Grand Marshal.

And there was only one person who could make the entire palace tremble with fear, and that was the younger brother of the late Empress Wei.

Ten years ago, in the dead of night, he single-handedly breached three palace gates and entered Empress Yu’s private quarters.

He left a two-foot-long spear mark on a pillar and declared that if the mark was erased, the central palace would be doomed.

For years, the empress had dared not repair that mark.

Today, as the Empress arranged a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Fu Zanying and was preparing to marry a new bride, this formidable figure, who should have been in Jingkou, suddenly appeared.

Yet, he claimed it was merely to celebrate a young girl’s birthday.

Who could believe that?

In the silence, the wife of the Inspector-General blurted out, “Today is the sixteenth, right?”

When the number “sixteen” was mentioned, women who were more perceptive suddenly recalled the old rumor and their expressions turned fearful.

Zanying’s heart raced anxiously.

In her agitation, she did not catch the full meaning of the statement, only that she had never met this Grand Marshal, and she could not believe he had come just for her birthday.

She turned her gaze to the Empress.

In an instant, the Empress’s face changed color.

Her hairpin trembled, and her fingers shook as she steadied the table.

Her eyes mixed with anger and fear.

It was clear whom the Grand Marshal had come to trouble.

Under different circumstances, Zanying might have welcomed it.

But today, she had her own significant matter to settle, and her plan could not be interrupted.

Although her mother had been bound by a bond of friendship with the late Empress Wei, it was well known that Grand Marshal Wei hated the Yu family.

Having recognized her as a surrogate mother for so many years, he would likely have a poor opinion of her.

Not only would he not help her, but he might also associate her with the Yu family.

She could certainly delay raising the issue of breaking off the engagement, but if she missed this critical moment and no one witnessed the scene of Li Jinghuan meeting with others in secret, even if she exposed it, the royal family would have ways to cover it up and would not easily let her go.

There were too many uncertainties; she could not afford the risk.

Seeing Chun Jin waving anxiously under the tree, Zanying bit her tongue and made a decision.

She spoke up in the silent pavilion, “Grand Marshal, your kind intentions are deeply appreciated. However, being young and of humble status, I dare not trouble Your Excellency to visit. There are many distinguished guests in the garden today, and it may not be convenient. I hope to express my gratitude another day.”

With that, all eyes turned to the young lady, their expressions a mix of astonishment and admiration.

At such a moment, even the Empress might not dare to refuse, for fear of provoking the formidable Grand Marshal.

Unexpectedly, the young Miss Fu could handle the situation with such tact and grace.

The Empress, reacting a moment later, had her expression soften from cold to warm.

She thought to herself that after so many years of training, this girl’s heart was indeed on her side.

She hurriedly said, “Yes, let’s respond as Zanying suggested. Quickly, go.”

The palace guard hurriedly left.

Before long, he returned to report, “The Grand Marshal has already left the palace.”

The guard was drenched in sweat from the journey.

The Empress finally felt her heart settle.

After her relief, she was puzzled as to when the Wei family’s young man had become so easy to handle, whether he had truly been swayed by a young girl’s words or had other intentions.

She scrutinized Zanying.

At the same time, Zanying rose gracefully from her seat, her white dress flowing like drifting snow.

She said, “Sitting idly is dull. The view by the water bridge is quite nice. Please, let us take a look.”

What was this about?

The Empress had already encountered enough surprises today and was immediately on guard. “Zanying, the coming-of-age ceremony is about to start. What are you doing now?”

“The auspicious time has not yet arrived, so I think there is no harm.”

Zanying stepped away from her seat, saying, “I thank the Empress and the esteemed ladies for coming to celebrate my birthday. Being young and inexperienced, I have no way to repay you, so I can only offer a small token of my hospitality.”

“Good,” Cheng Yun was the first to respond with a smile. “Just in time, I also want to walk off the wine. Miss Fu must know where the best scenery is, so please lead the way.”

With Mrs. Xie taking the lead, the others were willing to attend to the birthday girl’s interests.

Except for a few senior and dignified matrons like Wang Taifu(Matriarch Wang), the rest were eager to follow.

As Empress Yu was the Empress, she had to go along, but she was genuinely afraid that Fu Zanying, who seemed to be causing trouble everywhere today, might create more issues.

She could only suppress her anger and follow along.

Thus, the procession grew larger.

Miss Yu, having just experienced a scare, needed to calm down and thus brought her daughter along as well.

However, despite being the Emperor’s sister, she could not surpass the precedence of the Xie, Qiao, and Fu families in Jiankang, so she ended up at the back.

Cui Xin, looking at the backs of the crowd in front, wore a displeased expression.

She had come to the palace today with the hope of rivaling Fu Zanying in beauty.

A month ago, she had tailored a ten-patterned silk dress, applied yellow powder to her forehead, used makeup, and styled her hair high, making a fresh appearance.

But all she heard at the banquet was praise for Fu Zanying’s beauty, composure, and propriety.

Now, she was just making a show of hospitality.

Her aunt was still seated in the back.

How could she, as a niece, take the role of hostess?

While she was feeling upset, Cui Xin suddenly heard voices of a man and a woman ahead.

At first, the voices were vague, and she thought it was some troublesome young eunuch talking with palace maids.

Suddenly, a deep male voice said, “Why are your eyes red? Did you suffer any grievances at the banquet?”

Cui Xin stopped in her tracks and widened her eyes.

Having harbored feelings for the Crown Prince for years, how could she not recognize his voice?