Wen Yuesheng opened her eyes at the sound.

The scene below was already in chaos.

Nu Lie had been struck down by Zhang Yulin’s hammer so hard that he couldn’t stand.

Several palace servants had to carry him off.

Zhang Yulin stood on the stage, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling violently.

He had expended a lot of energy, and if Yu Shun hadn’t called for a break, he might not have lasted much longer.

However, before he collapsed, Nu Lie would likely have been out of breath first.

Exhausted, Zhang Yulin simply sat down on the ground.

A palace servant quickly presented him with a bowl of green bean soup to cool off.

He drank several cups, and after a while, he felt slightly better.

He then left the stage with the servants to rest in the side hall.

In the hall, Gu Yu, sitting beside Wen Yuesheng, exclaimed, “The heir has won!”

Wen Yuesheng remained calm.

With only seven days of training, Zhang Yulin’s stamina still hadn’t reached its peak.

For now, this was the best he could do.

The people in the hall soon came to their senses and cheered.

“The number one warrior of Haozhou isn’t all that impressive after all.”

“Nu Lie didn’t expect such a fate after defeating four others, right?”

“But he had already fought four battles, and the hot weather definitely drained his strength.”

“So what? With the Duke heir’s divine strength, even if Nu Lie were in his prime today, he would still not be a match for him!”

“The heir is unmatched in bravery!”

The Emperor, too, was delighted and exclaimed, “With such a warrior, Great Hui is truly fortunate!”

“Zhang Xian, you’ve raised a good son!”

Amid the flattery in the hall, the Duke of Loyalty and Bravery nearly stumbled.

He had never imagined he would live to see such a day.

When he heard the Emperor calling his name, he snapped to attention and loudly replied, “Your Majesty’s praise is too much. Yulin’s accomplishments today are entirely due to the Princess’s help. I, as his father, do not dare claim credit.”

The Emperor paused for a moment.

Fine, Zhang Xian really had turned Si Ning into a Buddha.

But the Emperor was in a good mood and didn’t press the issue.

Instead, he even praised Wen Yuesheng, saying, “I heard you wanted to pay respects to the Buddha, and I thought you were causing trouble again, but now it seems you’ve become more sensible.”

In the Emperor’s view, Zhang Xian had clearly become obsessed, attributing all the credit to Wen Yuesheng.

But in reality, Zhang Yulin’s success was likely due to his inherent divine strength.

Wen Yuesheng’s contribution was probably just that one moment during the training when she helped Zhang Yulin regain his energy.

“Si Ning, what do you think? What should I reward you with?” The Emperor asked leisurely, turning to Wen Yue Sheng.

Wen Yuesheng replied without hesitation, “Gold, silver, jade, a thousand taels of gold, Buddha statues, and antiques.”

The Emperor: ?

She wasn’t being modest at all.

The Emperor frowned. “Aren’t you here to pay respects to the Buddha?”

Wen Yuesheng answered casually, “How can one respect the Buddha without silver?”

The Emperor: …

Alright then.

Wen Yuesheng’s bluntness caught everyone off guard—not just the Emperor, but also the others in the hall, especially those familiar with her.

Given her great achievement today, with her temperament, she wouldn’t have just asked for simple material rewards.

With such merit, she could easily return to the palace, regain favor in front of the Emperor and Empress, and continue to suppress Wen Yuru.

But she didn’t.

It seemed that, compared to material wealth, she was more interested in her Buddhist practices.

Xiao Jin sat calmly but couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

She had become more contradictory yet sharper in her beauty than before.

“Cousin,” Wen Yurou’s soft voice pulled Xiao Jin out of his thoughts.

He came to his senses, his eyes darkening.

He had actually been distracted by Wen Yuesheng just now?

“Yuruo isn’t feeling well. She wants to rest in the side hall for a moment.”

Only then did Xiao Jin notice that Wen Yurou’s face looked somewhat pale.

At this moment, Nu Lie was being carried off the stage, and Prince Yu Shun of Haozhou personally led the physicians to treat him.

The banquet temporarily paused.

Xiao Jin softly said, “I’ll go with you.”

As they stepped out of the palace hall, they unexpectedly ran into a cold, composed figure.

Xiao Jin’s footsteps faltered as he looked up.

The person only nodded slightly and then walked directly into the hall.

Many people in the hall, still caught up in the previous battle, paused when they saw this.

“Looks like the Prince cares more for Wen Yuruo.”

“Tsk!” Lu Hongying sneered.

The atmosphere in the hall remained lively, but then Gao Quan hurried in with urgent news. “Your Majesty, Lord Yan has arrived.”

The banquet had been ongoing for a while, and Yan Ling had only just arrived—later than even Wen Yuesheng.

There were whispers around.

“Why would Lord Yan arrive so late at such an important occasion?”

“It’s said… he was ambushed on the way here.”

As Yan Ling entered the hall, because both he and Wen Yuesheng had arrived last, he was seated next to her.

When he sat down, Wen Yue Sheng notice9mid a faint smell of blood.

She paused for a moment and looked up to see Yan Ling in his crimson official robes, identical to those of the other ministers, but his demeanor was unusually cold and aloof.

He had bandages wrapped around his right wrist, and his expression was colder than usual.

The Emperor was about to speak, but at that moment, an inner servant hurriedly into the room, whispering something to Gao Quan.

Gao Quan’s expression changed suddenly, and he hurriedly bowed, delivering the news to the emperor.

It’s unclear what he said, but the emperor, who had been in a good mood, suddenly grew solemn.

Soon after, he stood up and left the palace.

With the emperor’s departure, the atmosphere in the hall loosened.

Many people stepped out of the palace to get some fresh air, or perhaps went to the side chambers to rest.

Others, noticing the odd expressions of Gao Quan and the servants, sensed something was wrong and quickly made their exit.

Few people remained in the palace banquet.

Wen Yuesheng and Yan Ling were seated near a few princes, but now the area around them was empty.

The hall appeared disorderly, and Wen Yuesheng was still calmly cleaning her hands.

Just then, someone quickly walked over, stopping behind Yan Ling.

“Master,” came the voice of Yan Ling’s personal attendant.

Yan Ling didn’t rise, but coldly spoke, “Speak.”

The attendant hesitated for a moment, glancing at Wen Yue Sheng’s back before speaking in a low voice: “… Something happened not far from here in another palace. Princess Furuo was disheveled and tangled up with a guard.”

“The palace had been unoccupied, and just earlier, Miss Wen, feeling unwell, went there with Prince Yong’an’s company, only to stumble upon what happened with Princess Furuo.”

“Miss Wen was shocked, and Prince Yong’an has sent guards to surround the palace and has summoned the imperial doctor.”

Seeing that Wen Yuesheng remained unresponsive, the attendant added softly, “The imperial doctor examined the things inside the palace and found that the incense burner was lit with an aphrodisiac fragrance.”

That meant, while the two countries were engaged in a martial arts competition, over there, Princess Furuo had somehow ended up running out of the palace, and in broad daylight, was with a guard…

Gu Yu, standing behind Wen Yuesheng, could feel her heart pounding.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to listen further.

Such palace secrets, she couldn’t understand why Yan Ling didn’t mind letting them overhear.

Wen Yuesheng, however, seemed not to hear.

After finishing cleaning her hands, she gently wiped them with a silk handkerchief and spoke in a calm, emotionless voice: “It seems that Lord Yan doesn’t like Prince Heng Guang very much.”

Her sudden words caught everyone off guard.

Gu Yu didn’t understand the meaning behind this, but the attendant who had come to report the matter to Yan Ling suddenly stiffened.

Princess Furuo and Prince Heng Guang were full-blood siblings, both born to the Empress, the fourth of the emperor’s consorts, and had been favored by the emperor for many years.

It wasn’t until Yan Guifei entered the palace that the attention shifted slightly.

Though the favor diminished, the affection still remained.

The emperor had always been somewhat preferential to Princess Furuo and Prince Heng Guang, and Prince Heng Guang was one of the first princes involved in the court’s affairs.

As for what happened today… Princess Furuo, in her audacity, was using various methods to avoid marrying into the Haoxiu Kingdom.

Others might not know, but the attendant was clear about it.

From the attempted assassination of Yan Ling this morning to the specially prepared aphrodisiac fragrance in the palace, this whole scheme had been aimed at Yan Ling’s family from the start.

The emperor had ordered Princess Furuo to be confined to her palace, but even with her alone, it would have been difficult to set up such a large plot.

However, if Prince Heng Guang was involved… it would be another story.

For the sake of helping Furuo avoid the marriage, Prince Heng Guang might not have been willing to go so far, but if Furuo wanted Yan Ling, he could easily have pushed him into danger.

After all, in the entire court, there was only one person who could escape unscathed after such an incident: Yan Ling.

Furthermore, the East Palace had been vacant for years, and several princes had been trying to win over Yan Ling.

If Yan Ling became Prince Hengguang’s brother-in-law, it would bring Prince Hengguang even closer to the East Palace.

Too bad Yan Ling was not so easy to manipulate.

Yan Ling lifted his gaze to her.

She was not very close to him, yet the faint fragrance of sandalwood lingered by his side.

Yan Ling’s eyes were colder than ever.

His crimson robe was immaculately neat, and even in the sweltering summer, his neck was tightly covered, leaving only the graceful curve of his Adam’s apple visible.

But the person before him was too slender, always wearing wide sleeves and robes.

The porcelain-like delicate hands she stretched out to clean were always in loose sleeves, with the collar slightly undone, revealing a large expanse of porcelain-white skin…

And a delicate, vibrant red lotus.

Inside the hall, there was an ice mirror, but the heat still lingered.

Even the wind that passed through the hall carried a scorching warmth.

Yan Ling’s expression remained indifferent, but there was an underlying hoarseness in his voice as he spoke lowly, “Is the red lotus mark on the back of the princess’s neck something she’s had since birth?”

The question was abrupt.

The attendant quickly took several steps back, daring not to listen to another word.

Gu Yu, stunned, flushed bright red and stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend the question for a long time.

The mark on the princess’s neck?

That was a place even she seldom paid attention to.

Wen Yuesheng raised her head at the sound.

Yan Ling remained seated, still cold and detached, but his tone held a subtle difference.

Wen Yuesheng smiled faintly, “Of course not.”

Yan Ling did not move but felt the sandalwood fragrance grow stronger.

His expression remained cold, but his eyes seemed clouded, like they were shrouded in smoke, making it impossible to see clearly.

“This mark was drawn,” Wen Yuesheng remarked leisurely as she looked at him. “Do you believe it, Lord Yan?”

He had been affected by the aphrodisiac fragrance.

Wen Yuesheng had not noticed until now, but when he mentioned the red lotus…

It was indeed a unique mark on her, but it wasn’t hers.

It belonged to No.7. her past life.