After that, Cen Xi was placed in the highest position by this group of women, and they wisely ignored her.

Then the sisters talked about each other's husbands' families and their soon-to-be husbands.

The conversation drifted further and further away, and in the end, Cen Xi seemed like an outsider, isolated. It wasn't until the banquet started that their enthusiasm returned.

Today was a family dinner, and there was no rule about men and women sitting at separate tables. After the banquet started, Shen Jinchen naturally sat down next to Cen Xi.

As soon as Cen Xi saw him sit down, she grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong?"

Shen Jinchen sensed something was off about her and asked softly.

"Don't you think your sisters are very happy today, like they're enjoying a final celebration?"

As Cen Xi watched the pampered young ladies laughing and chatting, he always felt that their joy was not in the topics they were discussing, but in a kind of resolute pleasure.

"You mean, they might do something extreme after today's banquet?"

In fact, Shen Jinchen had been trying to guess the purpose of today's banquet. He had just tested his father, who said that they were getting married and wanted to say goodbye to him, their elder brother, one last time.

My father's words were sincere; they didn't seem fake.

But he always felt that his sisters today were not as carefree as he described.

He knew Shen Qinghua, the woman who always wanted to be his empress, very well.

"Hmm! What should we do?"

Cen Xi only guessed that something bad might happen, but she didn't know what it would be. Subconsciously, she felt a little panicked.

"Let's wait and see. Since we're here, it's not easy for us to leave. If the food is poisoned, neither of us is afraid. We're both immune to all poisons. We can pretend to be poisoned and see what their true intentions are."

Shen Jinchen held Cen Xi's hand and gave her a reassuring look.

Little did they know that the other party was up to no good, and if one move didn't work, they would come up with a second. The test for the two of them had only just begun.

"Your father must have treated you well, right?"

"Hmm, why do you ask that?"

Shen Jinchen looked at Cen Xi with suspicion, wondering why she asked that.

"If you have any antidote on you, give him one. I suspect that your suitors at today's family banquet want to die with you, and they might not even spare your father."

Cen Xi leaned her head close to his ear and whispered something.

A hint of suspicion flashed in Shen Jinchen's eyes, but he quickly understood Cen Xi's meaning. He then gave Shen Youji a wink, and the two of them left their seats one after the other.

Shen Qinghua observed the interaction between the three people. As soon as the two men left, she smiled sweetly and asked Cen Xi:

"What did the eldest princess say to my elder brother? He seemed so nervous that he pulled Father outside."

“I told your elder brother that there was a protective object in the mansion that seemed to be broken. Your elder brother didn’t believe me, so he wanted to take Father with him to take a look.”

Cen Xixiao looked at this cunning woman who was lying through her teeth.

"A talisman to ward off evil spirits? What talisman do we have in our mansion? Your Highness, you know so much! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a feng shui master!"

Shen Qinghua's smile was as beautiful as her name, but the dark glint in her eyes ruined the harmony.

"Those stone lions at the entrance, when I entered just now, I noticed that the one on the left was missing an ear. I'm not a feng shui master, but I've heard people say that the entrance represents the family's image, and if there's anything unusual about it, then that family will definitely suffer a bloody disaster. Don't you think so, Qinghua?"

Cen Xi glanced at her with a faint smile, then probed her with a serious expression.

"The lions at the gate were fine after you entered the manor. The steward checked them himself. The princess must have made a mistake. Father and brother have been out for a long time. I'll go take a look. I don't really want to go look at the lions at the gate."

Shen Qinghua and Cen Xi locked eyes for a while, then Shen Qinghua calmly smiled and retorted to Cen Xi.

After saying that, she generously got up and went to find Shen Jinchen and Shen Youji.

Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of the women at the table, Shen Qingying suddenly smiled and said to Cen Xi:

"The princess must have seen wrong. How could there be bloodshed when we are having such a happy time?"

“It was indeed a mistake. I personally checked it once. Your Highness, there is no need to worry. Let’s begin the banquet now.”

Shen Qinghua had just reached the door when she saw Shen Youji enter with a calm expression, followed by Shen Jinchen.

As soon as he entered the room, he sat back down in his original seat and began preparing for the banquet.

Shen Qinghua didn't even get a glance from her, but instead smiled and sat back down in her seat.

Then came the sounds of chopsticks and bowls being used.

No one spoke during the meal; everyone ate in silence.

The poison was indeed administered; no one was spared. The first to show symptoms were several young girls, who were completely unaware of what was happening and had consumed the most.

Seeing them writhing in agony, Shen Jinchen was the first to stand up, glaring angrily at Shen Qinghua and Shen Qingying. He strode over to the victims, took their pulses, and fed them the antidote.

Hahahaha…

Seeing that he was skilled and quickly calmed his sisters' poison, Shen Qinghua, who usually maintained a respectable image, walked directly in front of Shen Jinchen and laughed heartily.

"Have you finished laughing? Shen Qinghua, is this the grand show you prepared? Poisoning all of us?"

"That's right, it was prepared by me. Brother, did you think your antidote would completely cure the poison? Let me tell you, it's useless. Without a body immune to all poisons, they will still die in the end. Did you and Father already guess something when you went out earlier? And you sent him the antidote in advance?"

"It's no use telling you this unless he didn't eat anything tonight, but you all ate just now, so you're all going to die. Don't worry, you won't die right away. I'm giving you seven days. After seven days, you won't even be able to keep your bodies."

Shen Qinghua, with a chilling smile, scanned everyone present, as terrifying as a vengeful ghost.

"Shen Qinghua, what do you mean? Why do we have to die too? Didn't you promise me that if we helped you with this, you would give us the antidote? Why? You poisonous woman."

After Shen Qinghua finished speaking, the most excited people were not Cen Xi and Shen Jinchen, but Shen Qingying and the others who were allies. It was just a revenge, and they never thought of risking their lives.

This woman is far too ruthless.

“You all want to marry him, you all want to take his place. Now I’ve given you a chance. Aren’t you grateful? You need to think this through. This man in front of you could never have married you in his lifetime. Even Ji Changming protected him without any principles. Marrying him in this life is just a pipe dream.”

"I'm granting you all the right to die with him today, isn't that a tremendous favor? And yet you're all still complaining, aren't you ungrateful?"

Seeing her sisters staring at her in astonishment and anger, Shen Qinghua burst into laughter—a sinister, unrestrained, and somewhat insane laugh.