Xiao Heye looked helplessly at the bowl of lilies being passed around, feeling both angry and amused.

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial was being threatened into eating food he didn't like?

It seems we need to teach this arrogant little brat a lesson.

I've seen bold people before, but I've never seen anyone as audacious as her.

Li Xun stood behind him, taking several deep breaths, trying to make his breathing as steady and smooth as possible.

It's really tough on him. At his age, Li Xun still has to run around delivering things and relaying messages...

He didn't know whether the master and the empress had a good relationship, but Li Xun's old leg was probably not in good shape.

The distance between Xiao Heye and Su Tiyue was only a few dozen steps, but Jiang Min, who was sitting directly opposite Xiao Heye, saw almost everything that had just happened.

Jiang Min noticed every subtle change in Xiao Heye's expression and eyes.

That look in your eyes is anything but innocent...

Presumably, there is some unspeakable secret between Master Xiao and that woman.

She feigned curiosity and asked Consort Wan, who was sitting next to her, who all the concubines and female relatives present were.

The others are naturally irrelevant.

What Jiang Min really wanted to know was: who was the person who could make Master Xiao personally peel shrimp?

The two chatted for a long time.

Oh... now Jiang Min finally understands.

It turns out she was Su Tiyue, the widow of the late emperor, the Dowager Consort of Tingyu Tower, and the daughter of the Minister of Revenue.

This surprised Jiang Min quite a bit. Imperial concubines and eunuchs?

Surprised, Jiang Min grew increasingly angry the more she thought about it…

The hairpin that Wanbaolou himself had his eye on was probably the one he was going to give to Su Tiyue, right?

Xiao Heye was just a eunuch, so what made him so special?

Why should he reject himself and waste his own feelings? Xiao Heye clearly likes women, doesn't he?

But he would rather have the late emperor's woman than even glance at me?

Jiang Min thought and thought, but still couldn't figure out where she was inferior to Su Tiyue.

Jiang Min lowered her head and took a sip of wine, thinking bitterly: "Hmph, just a eunuch, I don't care about him at all."

I am... destined to be an empress.

Although she thought that way, her eyes remained sharp as she looked at Su Tiyue.

If looks could truly kill, Su Tiyue would probably be dead several times over today. Because, Jiang Min wasn't the only one eyeing her covetously; Consort Wan also had her sights set on her.

However, Su Tiyue on the other side was completely unaware of all these undercurrents in the palace.

At this moment, Su Tiyue was engrossed in eating the shrimp that Xiao Heye had peeled for her, and... drinking the sweet wine that Xiao Anzi had specially prepared just for her.

Xiao Anzi rose to the position of Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department in just two days, and no one under him dared to complain.

Because everyone knows that the person behind Xiao Anzi is Xiao Heye.

Therefore, within these unfathomable palace walls, to survive one must learn to keep quiet, and to live like a human being, one must possess power.

When he worked at Tingyu Tower, the other eunuchs and maids only saw Xiao Anzi as a child they could bully at will. After all, Xiao Anzi was not old; he would only turn sixteen in a few months.

Now things are much better. Wherever Xiao Anzi goes, those who used to bully and look down on him have put away their arrogant faces and bow and scrape, respectfully calling him "Eunuch An" or "Manager An".

Shortly afterward, the emperor and empress dowager arrived, and the banquet began.

Perhaps because the banquet was held in the lakeside suburbs, with pleasant scenery, and Xiao Anzi did not deliberately arrange the banquet's procedures and rules, everyone was quite relaxed.

The simplicity and casualness made the banquet lively yet elegant.

The Empress Dowager was very satisfied with this and looked at the newly appointed head of the Imperial Household Department with special regard, even personally praising Xiao Anzi a few times.

Of course, what pleased the Empress Dowager the most was...

The banquet was only halfway through when, at Jiang Min's enthusiastic invitation, Zhou Tingyue finally agreed to leave the banquet with her first and go to the back hill of Fangxin Garden to admire the peach blossoms together.

In the evening, after dinner, the lively and noisy banquet gradually dispersed.

The evening breeze stirred up ripples on the calm lake surface.

A few small boats drifted lazily on the lake.

Seeing that it was still early, Su Tiyue instructed Liu Wan to have a boat prepared at the lakeside, as she planned to go to the other side of the lake to see the crabapple blossoms.

There was a large expanse of grass underfoot, with small pits and uneven surfaces in some places.

Liu Wan ran to the lakeside to call a boat first. Su Tiyue's shoes weren't very comfortable to walk in, but she walked very carefully.

As Zhou Lin was leaving, he happened to pass by her and, seeing that Su Tiyue was having difficulty walking, he offered her a helping hand.

Su Tiyue was startled by the sudden appearance of the Prince of Huainan: "Your Highness?"

Zhou Lin nodded slightly, then reached out and took Su Tiyue's arms, worried that she might twist her ankle: "Where is Your Highness going? Where are your maids? Why aren't they taking good care of you... What if you fall?"

With so many people around, Su Tiyue naturally didn't want to get too involved with Zhou Lin. She pushed him away with some force, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly walked towards Liu Wan.

Consort Wan, who was not far away, saw all of this and was very anxious.

No wonder, no wonder Zhou Lin has been acting hot and cold towards her lately.

So it really is true that he's hooking up with Su Tiyue? They were exchanging glances just now, and now they're even pulling and tugging at each other in front of so many people…

The grudges I had with Su Tiyue before haven't been settled yet, and now... she's actually openly trying to steal my man?

Consort Wan gritted her teeth as she stared at the figure that had just boarded the small boat, a wicked thought forming in her mind.

This time, she wasn't afraid of offending Xiao Heye.

For Zhou Lin, and to protect him, Consort Wan would do anything.