The banquet was held in the main hall of Zhaoyang Palace.

Seating is arranged according to rank and status.

Below the dragon throne, there were eight seats, in order for the princes and the princes, followed by the Marquis of Weiyuan and Princess Qingrui.

After the eight seats, the court officials were seated on both sides.

Mo Yunhan, holding Jiang Qingwan's small hand, passed through the court officials and noble ladies, and ascended to the head of the eight seats.

Many people turned their attention to this.

Marquis Guo Changhong of Weiyuan had already turned gray. Guo Hao was not present today, but he had heard Jiang Qingwan's name countless times from his son.

Though aged, his wise eyes glanced at it curiously for a moment, but quickly looked away.

Jiang Qingwan looked up and heard someone softly calling her from the side.

She turned her head and saw Mo Qingrui winking at her.

Sitting next to her was a refined scholar, who should be Jiang Zhao, the son-in-law of the Prince Consort, who was serving as the Deputy Chief of the Court.

This person has delicate features, exuding an aloofness that seems detached from the mundane world. His brows reveal a strong scholarly air, and his forehead glows with a faint red light.

He is a blessed person.

As if sensing her gaze, Jiang Zhao looked up.

She had obviously heard Mo Qingrui mention her before, and nodded slightly as a greeting.

Jiang Qingwan smiled and returned the greeting, but as she turned her head, she suddenly met a pair of cold and deep eyes.

Sitting opposite him was Mo Shaoqing, the third prince of the current dynasty, the empress's legitimate son, and the most favored prince among all the princes in the capital.

He was currently grinding his wine cup, freely scrutinizing her.

Jiang Qingwan ignored her and lowered her eyes to look at the food on the table.

The main course hadn't been served yet; there were only fruits, desserts, and wine.

Just as she was about to smell what kind of wine it was, Mo Yunhan suddenly reached out and took the wine pot from her.

You are not allowed to drink alcohol today.

Jiang Qingwan glanced at him sideways, clearly annoyed.

Mo Yunhan, however, brought over the lychees from his side, gently peeled the shells with his jade-like fingers, and brought them to her lips.

This move drew whispers from many people.

Already the center of attention, now it has become the focus of everyone's attention.

Jiang Qingwan reached under the table and squeezed the man's firm thigh, her beautiful eyes flashing with fire, her voice low and menacing.

"Don't go too far."

As he spoke, he put the lychee into his mouth.

The tribute lychees are indeed different from those bought in the market; they are sweet, juicy, and have very small seeds.

As she was pondering where to vomit, Mo Yunhan's palm opened in front of her.

"Go ahead and throw up."

This is truly unbearable to watch.

Who could have imagined that one day, the cold and ruthless war god Mo Yunhan would be so considerate and doting on a woman?

And this woman was a divorced woman, a lowly merchant, whom everyone criticized.

Many noble ladies cast envious and jealous glances their way.

Just then, a charming female voice rang out from the other side.

"His Highness the Ninth Prince and his wife have such a good relationship. Who could have imagined that just a month ago, the wife was someone else's wife, eagerly waiting for her husband's triumphant return?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Those noble ladies who had previously been filled with envy and jealousy now secretly smiled to themselves.

Jiang Qingwan slowly spat out the lychee pit and looked up.

The speaker was Su Qinghe, dressed in a light green dress and gold headdress, looking extremely noble, but her features revealed a hint of meanness.

Her marriage to the Second Prince, Mo Shaojun, was already arranged, which qualified her to attend the palace banquet and sit with the prince.

Before Jiang Qingwan could speak, Mo Qingrui let out a cold laugh.

"Who was I to be so disrespectful back then? Turns out you're another county princess from the Su family. Now you're dressed in fine clothes and can grace the halls of high society, looking presentable, but your words give you away. The Second Prince didn't marry you so you could embarrass yourself."

Mo Shaojun's expression also changed slightly.

Su Qinghe, however, did not see this and said sarcastically, "Princess Qingrui, the Emperor's decree of marriage has been read. I am now the future Second Prince's consort. You'd better not call me 'County Princess' all the time."

Jiang Zhao placed a small plate of peeled lychees in front of Mo Qingrui.

"Even before the wedding, there are many possibilities. Whether she becomes a county princess or an imperial concubine is not something that can be decided with just a few words."

Su Qinghe scoffed.

"You hold no official position in the court and are only qualified to attend this banquet because of the princess's influence, yet you dare to spout nonsense."

Guo Changhong, who was watching the spectacle with a furrowed brow, shook his head inwardly.

Su Weichuan was shrewd and extremely intelligent, but unfortunately, each generation of his children and grandchildren was less capable than the last.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhao suddenly stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, County Princess."

Su Qinghe snorted coldly, about to make another sarcastic remark, but Mo Shaojun had already stood up and formally returned the greeting.

"Please don't be offended, teacher."

He called him "teacher," not "master."

Su Qinghe's heart skipped a beat.

Mo Shaoqing, who was drinking nearby, burst out laughing.

"Third brother, you really did choose a good woman after all your hard work. If it weren't for Jiang Zhao tutoring you at the Imperial Academy, you probably wouldn't have passed Father's unified examination. You've only just been granted permission to participate in court affairs, and now you're already discarding her like a used tool. It's really too cold-hearted."

Su Qinghe realized something was wrong and quickly got up to try and salvage the situation.

“Princess Qingrui, Prince Consort, it was my mistake. I apologize to you both.”

As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Qin Minglang and Su Yulan preparing to sit down out of the corner of her eye, and immediately said with a charming smile, "I sincerely wish the Ninth Prince and Ninth Princess well. Look at my sister Lan'er and Lord Qin, they are now a loving and harmonious couple. Even if a couple has made a mistake, they can still live a good life as long as they don't mind."

Mo Shaoqing burst into laughter again.

His sinister eyes suddenly swept towards Mo Yunhan.

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