The red invitation, embossed with gold lettering, read "Zheng Yutang's Birthday Banquet," its words conveying an irresistible warmth.

He Yi held the invitation in her hand, her fingertips brushing against the four large characters "Eldest Sister's Arrival," as if she could see the cold smile on Lin Shi's lips.

[That old fox Lin is up to something again! He Yi, watch out!]

[Zheng Yutang's birthday banquet? This looks like a trap!]

Standing behind her, Qingju looked at the invitation and paced anxiously. "Princess, they couldn't tolerate you in the first place, and who knows what evil they're plotting now! We mustn't walk into their trap; this is a trap!"

He Yi slowly tossed the invitation onto the candlelight inside the floor heater, watched as the Xuan paper was burned into charred ink, and stood up with a cold laugh.

"The more afraid we are, the more smug they become. Do you think they'll just ignore us if we don't go? According to the Lin family, who knows what other tricks they might have up their sleeves."

A cold glint flashed in He Yi's eyes. "Let's leave as soon as we say we're leaving. I want to see what tricks they can pull."

[Stand up, He Yi! Don't let the Lin family bully you!]

[Waiting to see the Lin mother and daughter slap in the face!]

at the same time.

Seeing that He Yi was determined to leave, Qingju was so anxious that she kept rubbing her hands together.

Qingju's gaze swept over the vermilion invitation. "Princess, this banquet is too suspicious! The master has just recovered from his illness, and it is a time of taboo in the mansion. Yet, Concubine Lin insists on holding a birthday banquet for the second young lady at this critical moment. She clearly has ill intentions!"

[Qingju's analysis is excellent! That old fox, Lin, definitely has ill intentions!]

[Run, you villainous female supporting character! This is definitely a trap! If you go in, you'll probably be devoured alive!]

[Don't panic, upstairs! Who's our villainous female supporting character? She's resilient, adaptable, and capable of turning the tables!]

"Alright, stop worrying unnecessarily. Don't worry. If we really don't go, it'll make us look guilty." A cold glint flashed in He Yi's eyes: "If the Lin family wants to put on a show, I'll be the one to sabotage it. Does she think she can trap me with a scheme? Let's see whose knife is drawn first."

[A head-on confrontation! I love watching He Yi slap the faces of those scheming, hypocritical women!]

Meanwhile, in the western courtyard of the Minister's residence, chaos was raging. A delicate Jun porcelain teacup was thrown to the ground with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.

The jewels and gems in the brocade box were scattered everywhere. Zheng Yutang was furious and pointed at the kneeling maid, screaming, "You little brat, how did you get into our Minister's mansion if you can't even clean a jewelry box properly! What use are you bunch of good-for-nothings?!"

The maids were all trembling with fear. The second young lady already had a bad temper, and recently, for some reason, she had been getting angry at the drop of a hat.

No one dared to look up at that moment.

Especially since the poetry competition the day before yesterday, Zheng Yutang has been like a firecracker that could explode at any moment. That day, she confidently chose a pomegranate red dress that she had made a few days ago, thinking that she could outshine everyone at the poetry competition and leave a good impression on Gu Minghe.

Who knew that they had been waiting since early morning, until the sun began to set, and then from dusk until the lamps were lit, but they still hadn't seen the young master.

Later, Yunyu, who had accompanied Jiang Shu to the poetry competition, secretly told her that Young Master Gu hadn't actually attended the competition that day.

Instead, he spent the entire morning at the Princess's residence, even having breakfast there. Of course, Yunyu was just making things up; the young master did indeed go to the Princess's residence early that morning.

However, He Yi didn't like him, and since He Yi was preparing to return to the Minister's residence to visit her father, who was in slightly better condition, she sent Gu Minghe away early.

Gu Minghe went to the poetry competition simply to chat and play with He Yi. Now that He Yi had given up, he naturally lost interest in going. However, Zheng Yutang was unaware of this.

A few days ago, her mother had already given her a firm instruction that she must "successfully win over" the young master, because only in this way could she live a life of luxury in the future.

But what about reality? This cruel reality turned into a harsh slap in the face, mercilessly thrown at Zheng Yutang's face.

[With Zheng Yutang's temper, she must be incredibly jealous!]

[Hilarious! Gu Minghe doesn't even consider her a shill. She's just being delusional.]

[I feel sorry for the little maid for three seconds; she's so unlucky to have such a master...]

"I'm so angry! I'm going to kill that bitch Zheng Heyi!"

Zheng Yutang grabbed the teacup on the table, ready to smash it again, but was stopped by Granny Sun, who had just entered the room.

"My dear second young lady, please calm down! What are you making a scene about? Madam sent someone to take a look, and look at you..."

The old woman lowered her voice and whispered in Zheng Yutang's ear, "This old servant knows you are furious, but what's the use of smashing things? We need to find a way to pull that little wretch down from her position as princess!"

Zheng Yutang, panting heavily, sat down with a thud and slammed her fist hard on the table.

"Find a way? What way can I possibly find? I've tried before, but how effective were they? Besides, she's now a princess above all others, backed by the royal family, and even my father has to give her some leeway!"

The old woman curled the corners of her lips into a sinister, cold smile.

"Second Miss, so what if she's a princess? As long as you use the right methods, you can still bring her down."

"Methods? What methods could I possibly have? Please teach me, Granny." Zheng Yutang hurriedly went to find some silver to bribe this old thief.

At the same time, in the instant she turned around, Zheng Yutang thought of the poetry competition a few days ago, when Yunyu had also pulled her aside to talk about Zheng Heyi.

Yunyu's words still echoed in her ears, "Once Zheng Heyi's reputation is ruined, even if someone protects her, even if she really gets married to the young master, she still can't withstand the so-called public opinion."

Upon seeing the silver, the old woman chuckled and transformed into an old hen.

She grabbed the five taels of silver that Zheng Yutang had given her, and deliberately kept him in suspense, saying slowly, "Have you forgotten? What is the most important thing for a woman? Nothing more than her innocence."

She added, "If, if she loses her innocence, what does she matter as a princess? She's nothing but a harlot."

Hearing this, it was like a thunderclap striking Zheng Yutang's head. Zheng Yutang grabbed the old woman's hand abruptly, a flash of madness in her eyes.

"Grandma, you mean... to ruin Zheng Heyi's reputation with this kind of method?"

"I was just speaking casually," the old woman said, feigning fear as she lowered her head despite having given such a brilliant suggestion. "I was just speaking casually, and whether you adopt it or not is ultimately up to you, Miss."

Zheng Yutang paced back and forth in the room with a happy expression.

Suddenly, those previous images flashed through his mind: Gu Minghe's gentle gaze when he looked at Zheng Heyi, Zheng Heyi's sudden rise to become a princess, and now her pampered and arrogant demeanor growing stronger every day.