Half-drunk with wine.

The atmosphere was one of joy and peace, filled with singing and dancing.

"Your Majesty, it's time for the fireworks. This year's lanterns and fireworks were meticulously prepared by Prince An. Would Your Majesty like to move to the Imperial Garden to enjoy them?"

The smell of alcohol gave the Empress's cheeks a slight blush, making her less dignified and more gentle.

The emperor was in a good mood today and drank a few extra cups.

He laughed loudly, "Great! Let's go take a look!"

The crowd cheered "Long live the Emperor!" and filed out of the main hall. The princes, generals, ministers, and courtiers left their seats and left the palace, while the princes, princesses, and concubines followed the Emperor and Empress to the Imperial Garden.

The palace maids led the way.

The Imperial Garden was filled with all kinds of lanterns, among which the most eye-catching were those related to the Dragon Boat Festival, such as dragon boats, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and mugwort.

These lanterns are brightly colored and exquisitely designed. Some depict scenes of dragon boat racing, some are lanterns shaped like rice dumplings, and others are wreaths woven from mugwort leaves. They sway gently in the breeze, emitting a soft glow that illuminates the entire Imperial Garden.

Prince An, in high spirits, directed the palace maids and led everyone to the largest artificial mountain in the Imperial Garden. This artificial mountain was winding and majestic, with pavilions and towers dotting the mountain, making it particularly spectacular.

This is undoubtedly the best spot to watch the fireworks, offering a panoramic view of the entire palace.

Fireworks burst forth in a riot of colors, a truly breathtaking sight.

The last firework fell.

In the midst of the garden's silence, a scream suddenly erupted from the artificial hill beneath the pavilion.

"Princess—have mercy!"

Upon hearing the sound, General Weiyuan sprang into action, standing protectively in front of the emperor.

Jiang Jingtian charged down and seized a trembling palace maid.

The imperial guards swarmed in and surrounded the area completely.

"Press forward!"

General Weiyuan gave the order.

The young palace maid was forced forward. Upon seeing the emperor, she was terrified and burst into tears, crying out her innocence, "Your Majesty, save me! The princess is going to kill me to silence me! I didn't mean to, I didn't see anything!"

"Princess?"

The Empress exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jingtian immediately turned around, drew his sword, and rushed towards the artificial hill. However, before he could even enter, a tall and imposing figure emerged from the crowd.

Jiang Jingtian stood facing him, sword in hand, his face full of astonishment. Suddenly, he realized something, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

He growled in a low voice, "Why are you here!"

Under the glow of the lanterns, the Northern King leisurely straightened his clothes. Behind him... was a woman in palace attire with disheveled clothes, loose hair, and her hands covering her face.

The palace attire worn by the woman was different from that worn by the palace maids.

The attire was more like that of a princess, coupled with the little palace maid's cries for help and pleas for justice.

Everyone immediately realized what was happening!

A princess was caught having a secret rendezvous with the King of Northern Mongolia by a palace maid, who then attempted to kill her to silence her.

The concubines, who all had princesses, were terrified.

Especially Consort Mei, her eyes darted around, her face was full of panic, her lips were trembling slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear and unease, as if she had a premonition of something terrible, and her heart seemed to have fallen into an abyss.

She didn't see the Fourth Princess, or even Luo Twelve who was beside her.

In the darkness of the night, a hint of pleasure flashed in the Empress's eyes as she glanced at Consort Mei.

If it weren't for Consort Mei and the Fourth Princess, how could she have been given the power of the six palaces by Consort Xi?

The second son got his revenge.

When Prince An saw the Northern Mongol King and the woman hiding behind him, he suppressed his excitement, widened his eyes, and questioned, "What are the Northern Mongol King and Fourth Sister doing here? Surely not just admiring the flowers and the moon?"

His voice resounded throughout the garden, making it clear to everyone present.

As soon as Prince An uttered the words "Fourth Sister," Consort Mei felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Her body trembled violently, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her face filled with despair.

Jiang Jingtian's expression changed drastically. His longsword trembled violently, instantly transforming into a streak of cold light that shot straight towards the Northern King like lightning. The Northern King reacted extremely quickly, easily deflecting the sword light with a flick of his sleeve. Jiang Jingtian twisted his wrist, making his sword strike even more ferocious, and attacked the Northern King again. The Northern King dodged Jiang Jingtian's attack, and at the same time, clenched his right fist and threw a powerful punch at Jiang Jingtian.

Jiang Jingtian went berserk, using all his brute force. The two figures crossed paths in the air, swords flashing and fists clashing, making it difficult to determine a winner for a time.

Upon hearing the commotion, the Northern Mongol envoy who had come to investigate saw the scene and quickly waved his hand, shouting, "Stop! Stop right now!"

Upon hearing the sound, the two simultaneously kicked out, sending them flying backward with a loud thud as they landed.

Jiang Jingtian was about to make a move when General Weiyuan grabbed him and held him down.

The Northern King's legs went numb. He glared fiercely at Jiang Jingtian, never expecting that a mere Imperial Guard would possess such martial prowess. He had truly underestimated him.

The emperor's eyes flashed with anger as he coldly looked at the unruly Northern Mongol King. "What does the Northern Mongol King mean by this?"

The King of Northern Mongolia dusted off his clothes and looked at the Emperor with an arrogant expression. The envoy immediately stepped forward and questioned, "Is this how you treat my King?!"

"Commander Jiang, how dare you! The King of Northern Mongolia is a guest from our dynasty who has come from afar! What are you doing!"

"You openly attacked a distinguished guest in front of the Emperor! Do you even have any respect for him?!"

Prince An almost burst out laughing, but his face showed anger as he reprimanded Jiang Jingtian. He hadn't expected Jiang Jingtian to be so impatient. If he could expel him from the Imperial Guard, he would have a powerful ally besides Consort Xi and the Seventh Prince.

"Even if you are engaged to the Fourth Princess, it can be changed as long as the marriage has not taken place. Even if you are resentful and unwilling, you should not act recklessly. How can you protect the safety of the palace with such arrogance!"

“Father Emperor—Commander Jiang is so reckless and unfit to command the Imperial Guards. I beg you, Father Emperor, to punish him severely!”

The Yellow Emperor looked at Jiang Jingtian, surprised that this kid was strong enough to fight the King of Beimeng.

Jiang Jingtian immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Although he confessed his guilt, his gaze remained fixed on the King of Northern Mongolia, especially when he saw the "Fourth Princess" behind him with her clothes disheveled.

His fists were clenched, ready to erupt at any moment and fight the King of Northern Mongolia again!

Accompanied by the sound of Prince An's condemnation.

A chorus of schadenfreude arose from the crowd. Jiang Jingtian had risen to power overnight by taking advantage of the Fourth Princess's marriage, becoming a prince consort and a commander, which had aroused the envy and jealousy of countless people.

Prince An saw Jiang Jingtian's resentment and forbearance, and then saw the fourth sister behind the Prince of Beimeng trembling all over, her long hair covering her face, and a look of madness suddenly flashed across her face.

Since Jiang Jingtian cares so much about the Fourth Princess, let's provoke him again and pull him down from his position as commander of the Imperial Guards today!

So he sarcastically remarked, "If Fourth Sister truly has feelings for the Prince of Northern Meng and does not wish to marry Commander Jiang, she could simply ask Father Emperor for his blessing. Why resort to such a clandestine meeting?"

Jiang Jingtian suddenly looked up, his body tense, ready to explode at any moment.

suddenly--

A familiar, gentle voice rang out from behind the crowd, "Is Second Brother talking about me?"