After the Crown Prince and the Empress exchanged a few words, the sound of silk instruments filled the air, marking the official start of the Spring Banquet.

Once the dancers had withdrawn, it was time for the noble ladies of various families to showcase their talents.

These banquets were, in essence, matchmaking events for the noble young men and women of the capital.

Those who were yet to be married would seize the opportunity to display their skills in hopes of finding a good match.

The ladies, in particular, competed fiercely, striving to outshine one another with painting, poetry, music, and dance.

Among all the performances, Ye Lingxue’s “Flying Celestial Dance” stood out the most.

The sight of her soaring gracefully through the air, suspended by wires, left the audience astonished.

To these ancient onlookers, it was as if a goddess had descended to the mortal world.

Even the Third Prince and Prince Liang were mesmerized, exclaiming in admiration.

“This is exactly the kind of woman I’ve set my eyes on—silent at first but stunning when she strikes,” said Xiao Ruiye, his eyes burning with intensity as he watched Ye Lingxue’s elegant movements.

Prince Liang, hearing this, glanced at the Third Prince.

While he acknowledged Ye Lingxue’s beauty, he was not particularly enchanted by her.

Instead, his attention was drawn to a figure in the corner—someone exuding an air of cool detachment and ethereal grace.

Unlike the others who were captivated by Ye Lingxue’s dance, this woman idly played with the tea cup in her hand, her gaze sharp and intelligent, as if she saw through everything.

She was no ordinary lady.

Shen Qingwan seemed to sense Prince Liang’s gaze.

When she turned to look, their eyes met in the air.

After a brief exchange, she calmly looked away.

Meanwhile, Ye Lingxue’s eyes remained fixed on Beichen Yuan, but unfortunately for her, he did not spare her a single glance.

“Your Highness, I have long admired you. May I have the honor of offering you a toast?”

Ye Lingxue approached Beichen Yuan, holding her cup of wine, her large, dewy eyes filled with anticipation.

Her delicate and feminine demeanor was on full display.

However, Beichen Yuan merely cast her a cold glance before turning his body away.

Ning Huaian quickly stepped in to block her path.

“Miss Ye, His Highness does not like people getting too close,” he stated firmly.

Ye Lingxue bit her lip, appearing hesitant and pitiful. “Your Highness, I only wish to express my admiration and offer you a simple toast.”

Watching this display, Shen Qingwan almost burst out laughing.

Ye Lingxue reminded her of a cat in heat, practically presenting herself to Beichen Yuan with eagerness written all over her face.

Beichen Yuan must have sensed Shen Qingwan’s amused gaze because he turned to look at her.

Seeing the slight arch of her eyebrow, his expression darkened—was this woman mocking him?

“You are not worthy of offering me a toast,” Beichen Yuan said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Ye Lingxue’s heart clenched, but she did not back down.

If he didn’t like gentle and demure women, she could be bold and radiant instead.

She refused to believe she couldn’t win over this ancient man.

“Whether I’m worthy or not, Your Highness can only know after giving me a chance. Since this is our first meeting, I have prepared a small gift for you.”

Ye Lingxue prided herself on being different from other women.

She believed it was only a matter of time before Beichen Yuan fell for her.

Thus, she boldly presented her gift—a small monocular telescope.

She thought Beichen Yuan would at least be curious about the object, but before she could react, he raised his hand, and a powerful force sent her flying backward.

The telescope fell to the ground, its lens shattering upon impact.

Luckily, the Third Prince, Xiao Ruiye, caught her in time, preventing her from suffering a greater humiliation.

Ye Lingxue was truly shocked.

She had not expected Beichen Yuan to be so ruthless, striking without warning.

She looked up at Xiao Ruiye with teary eyes, still shaken.

Moved by her delicate state, Xiao Ruiye asked, “Miss Ye, are you alright?”

Ye Lingxue wiped the corner of her eyes and softly replied, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’m fine… I was too reckless. I should not have approached the War King.”

“War King has always kept his distance from women. You’d best not provoke him,” Xiao Ruiye advised, his gaze filled with determination.

Ye Lingxue hadn’t anticipated Beichen Yuan to be this difficult, but that only fueled her interest further.

The harder he was to conquer, the more she wanted to try.

Meanwhile, Ye Minglan, perhaps out of nervousness, drank too much tea and excused herself to the restroom.

Shen Qingwan initially wanted to accompany her, but Ye Minglan insisted she’d return quickly and had Rong Yunshuang go with her instead.

So, Shen Qingwan didn’t think much of it.

However, after a long time, Ye Minglan had yet to return.

Sensing something was wrong, Shen Qingwan immediately got up to search for her. She found Rong Yunshuang unconscious behind a rock formation.

Shen Qingwan quickly pressed an acupoint on Rong Yunshuang’s body to wake her up.

“Miss… Miss, the Madam… the Madam was taken away…” Rong Yunshuang stammered, still dizzy.

“By whom? Did you see where they went?” Shen Qingwan asked urgently.

“A palace maid… and two men in black. They went that way.”

Without hesitation, Shen Qingwan told Rong Yunshuang to rest while she followed the direction pointed out.

The palace grounds were eerily quiet, not a single servant in sight.

The strange stillness made Shen Qingwan even more uneasy.

Just as she was about to continue searching, she noticed a shadowy figure sneaking into a locked room.

She followed and, before stepping inside, heard a weak voice calling for help—it was Ye Minglan.

Without hesitation, Shen Qingwan kicked the door open.

Inside, a foul-smelling old man with rotting teeth was pressing down on Ye Minglan.

A thick, intoxicating scent filled the air.

Even after inhaling just a little, Shen Qingwan felt her blood surge uncomfortably.

Covering her nose, she swiftly yanked the man off Ye Minglan.

Ye Minglan, barely conscious, was still struggling. But upon recognizing her daughter, she finally sighed in relief.

“Wanwan… I feel so hot,” she murmured, her cheeks flushed.

Shen Qingwan immediately understood—the room had been filled with an aphrodisiac.

Without hesitation, she knocked Ye Minglan unconscious to prevent her from losing control.

Just as she carried Ye Minglan out, Rong Yunshuang arrived, seemingly recovered.

“Yunshuang, take my mother to a safe place to rest,” Shen Qingwan instructed.

After ensuring Ye Minglan was taken care of, Shen Qingwan returned to the room to interrogate the culprit. As expected, the mastermind behind it all was Ye Minghui.

Ye Minghui had wanted to ruin Ye Minglan’s reputation and take her place.

But unfortunately for her, her plan had completely failed.

Since Ye Minghui liked playing dirty tricks, Shen Qingwan decided she would return the favor tenfold.