Yan Xue was sweating bullets because she desperately wanted to be the one to win first place.

Ruan Ci prayed in her heart that Yan Xue would be eliminated.

Consort Shu carefully examined the remaining cups of tea and, after confirming that they were all drinkable,...

I tasted them one by one.

Her expression remained indifferent throughout, though she felt somewhat uneasy inside.

She thought that one of these high-ranking officials' wives would have a decent skill, but she was wrong.

She felt a pang of sadness, because she had personally tasted the tea brewed by Shen Pingjin, so she knew that if Shen Pingjin participated in this tea-brewing competition, everyone present would be utterly defeated.

It's just a pity that the young girl she had her eye on had already married that arrogant and ignorant regent.

Consort Shu didn't know who should be awarded first place in the tea-making competition, because the remaining cups were all pretty much the same.

Looking at the last cup of tea on the table, Consort Shu took a sip as if it didn't matter.

But this one bite made her eyes widen in surprise.

The rich and mellow aroma of tea filled her nostrils, making her feel as if she were surrounded by its fragrance, as if she were about to fly to the sky.

Consort Shu couldn't believe it. Wasn't this just as good as the tea brewed by her favored daughter-in-law, Shen Pingjin?!

Could it be...?

However, Consort Shu then denied it, saying it was impossible, with so many people watching, Shen Pingjin would not have had a chance to make a move.

Yan Xue nervously raised her head and saw that Consort Shu's expression seemed to have changed slightly. For a moment, she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart.

Ruan Ci also noticed the change in Consort Shu's expression on the stage, and his face instantly darkened.

She walked up to Yan Xue, her expression twisted: "Did you lie to me?!"

Yan Xue knew that no amount of arguing would work at this point.

He could only stammer, "I... I don't know what happened. I... I really forgot the steps for making tea."

Looking at Yan Xue's expression, Ruan Ci wondered if she was overthinking things.

Perhaps it's just because the person in front of you is lucky?

However, Ruan Ci had a vague feeling that things were not so simple.

She scoffed, "You'd better not have done it on purpose."

She only allowed Yan Xue to attend the Spring Banquet to be her foil. If Yan Xue were to win the tea-making competition, wouldn't she lose both her wife and her army?

She, Ruan Ci, couldn't afford to suffer such a loss!

Yan Xue spoke hesitantly, "Maybe I was just lucky. If you had done it seriously, Xiao Ci'er, the result might have been better than mine."

Ruan Ci felt somewhat pleased by these words, but she still gave the timid Yan Xue a cold look.

You better not be lying to me!

Consort Shu couldn't help but finish the tea in one gulp after another, and then glanced at the name on the porcelain cup with a slight change in her expression.

He frowned and said, "Who is Yan Xue? Step forward and let me see her."

It's such a pity that she never noticed such excellent tea-making skills.

Yan Xue glanced at Ruan Ci beside her, and finally stepped out from the group of women.

In an instant, Yan Xue felt all eyes on her.

Ruan Ci watched Yan Xue walk away from her, and for a moment she was filled with hatred.

But there's nothing that can be done, since Yan Xue got lucky this time.

Shen Pingjin also saw Yan Xue walk out from the side, and knew that this tea-making competition should be similar to the one in her previous life, with Yan Xue winning the competition.

She didn't focus her attention on Yan Xue, but rather on Ruan Ci.

She was a little curious about how Ruan Ci knew Yan Xue was going to drink tea next.

Consort Shu stared at the crowd and saw a woman in a light blue dress walk out from a group of women. Her eyes narrowed slightly in an instant.

At the same time, he said in a deep voice, "You are Yan Xue?"

Yan Xue was actually a little flustered, but she knew that the more critical the situation, the less she could afford to panic.

She tried to calm herself down and spoke in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Greetings, Your Highness, I am Yan Xue."

“Raise your head.”

Yan Xue kept her head down, so Consort Shu couldn't quite make out the girl's appearance.

She had never heard of this person before. Could it be that this girl was ugly and dared not show her face?

But when Yan Xue raised her head, Consort Shu realized that her guess was wrong.

The girl below wore a light blue dress, her jet-black hair swayed in the wind, and her fair face was free of makeup, giving her a natural beauty.

Consort Shu found it extremely strange. Today was supposed to be a spring banquet, yet this young girl hadn't bothered to dress up properly before coming to the banquet.

This instantly made Consort Shu feel extremely favorably toward the girl named Yan Xue.

Yan Xue suppressed her inner fear and tried her best to make her expression look very calm.

Consort Shu took in the expression of the girl named Yan Xue in front of her and felt extremely satisfied.

Not bad, not bad, it's calm and collected, she likes it.

She likes girls like that.

Shen Pingjin was the first girl she liked, so while she couldn't quite say she liked the girl in front of her named Yan Xue, she was about the same.

"She's got the makings of a beauty."

Consort Shu slowly opened her mouth and looked at Yan Xue. Yan Xue blushed, her cheeks turning rosy.

Ruan Ci, watching from below, was so jealous that she gritted her teeth.

That bitch...

Didn't she agree to just be my foil? Now that I kindly brought her to the Spring Banquet, she's stealing the show!

She definitely did it on purpose, definitely!

Ruan Ci was absolutely furious. If she hadn't been so careless, she would have been the one standing on the stage being praised by Consort Shu!

Yan Xue was just her lackey to begin with. How could a lackey surpass her? Ruan Ci thought to herself that she absolutely could not let such a thing happen.

As Ruan Ci looked at Yan Xue, who was the focus of everyone's attention, a dark thought suddenly formed in her mind.

Yan Xue is currently enjoying great popularity; if she suddenly loses her innocence...

Ruan Ci smiled coldly. When the time came, she would lend a helping hand to Yan Xue, and Yan Xue would know that staying by her side was the best choice!

With that thought in mind, Ruan Ci took advantage of everyone's attention being on Yan Xue and left in a huff.

Meanwhile, Shen Pingjin, who had been watching Ruan Ci closely, witnessed the entire scene.

Is this... a sign that they're about to take action?

Shen Pingjin clicked her tongue inwardly and followed him up.