This Beginning of Autumn banquet was very thoughtful.

The warm reception from the palace servants, the exquisite arrangement of the banquet, the delicious dishes, everything made people feel at home.

Coupled with the unabashed greetings between the Crown Princess and the other ladies, one could feel the hospitality of the hostess of the Linhua Palace.

This made the fourth princess who came to the banquet feel very complicated.

A year ago, she was the host of a flower viewing banquet in Wei Garden, attracting all the young men and women in the capital to compete for her. At that time, Ning Xihua was just a princess who had just emerged. The two were evenly matched and could even whisper to each other.

But now, although she finally obtained the title of "Kangle" when she got married, she only married the second son of Luanyangbo.

Chen Meng was diligent and motivated, but because he was the second son, he could not inherit the title. He had just passed the spring examination this year, and now he was only given the position of a seventh-rank Hanlin reviewer.

On the other hand, Ning Xihua has become the crown princess who is high above everyone else and is the center of attention. Although the two of them are not worlds apart in status, they are no longer on equal footing as they were a year ago.

She had thought that since the Crown Prince was in poor health and not favored by his father, her third brother would definitely be the heir to the throne. But now...

The fourth princess looked at Ning Xi's dignified and steady appearance, but she felt uncertain in her heart.

What if the crown prince succeeds to the throne in the end? Then wouldn't Ning Xihua become the queen who rules the country? !

If it was a year ago, she would have rushed forward to pick a fight. But the incident at Yuanlu Temple made her restrain herself a lot. She felt uncomfortable, but she would not rush forward to cause trouble.

The ladies and young ladies around knew that Princess Kang Le and the Crown Princess did not get along with each other when they were in private. Some impatient ladies even deliberately ignored Su Yue just to please Ning Xihua.

But the shrewd ladies still chatted with Su Yue in a friendly and cheerful manner. After all, the Fourth Princess still had Concubine Sun and Prince Rui as her backers. Now the situation was unclear, and the smartest thing to do was not to offend either of them.

If the Fourth Princess's attitude towards the Crown Princess at the banquet was awkward enough for anyone with a discerning eye to see, then the way Princess Rui got along with the Crown Princess was somewhat surprising.

Since Princess Rui entered Linhua Palace, she has been almost always by the side of the Crown Princess. She pours tea for the Crown Princess, cheers her up when she jokes, and even blocks the advances of some ladies who secretly try to persuade her before the Crown Princess even opens her mouth.

If it weren't for the fact that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had just been assassinated and the situation between Prince Rui and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was tense, they would have suspected that the husbands these two married were brothers from the same mother with a harmonious relationship.

"It's just gossip from me, but I couldn't help being curious, so I had the guts to ask the Crown Princess."

The person who spoke was the daughter-in-law of Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice, and Su Xu's aunt.

"I heard that someone blocked the Crown Prince's carriage yesterday, claiming that the plague in Yizhou was man-made. Later, the Crown Prince took that person back to Linhua Palace. I don't know whether what he said was true or false."

Although she covered her face with a veil and spoke in a low voice, she still couldn't resist the sharp ears and eyes of the ladies around her.

In addition, this matter was really shocking, so everyone turned their attention to Ning Xihua, hoping to get the latest news from her.

Ning Xihua smiled calmly without hiding anything.

"Your Highness did bring the man back and interrogated him all night. He took the memorial to the palace to see His Majesty just before the banquet. As for whether it is true or not, we will know after today."

As everyone knows, Emperor Shao Yuan is still ill in bed, and even the morning court session has been postponed for some time. The fact that the Crown Prince rushed to the palace to meet him must be very important.

Mrs. Sun's eyes sparkled when she got the answer. When she was about to leave today, her father-in-law stopped her and told her to say she was sick. In the end, her father-in-law asked her to attend the banquet as usual, saying that she should not let anyone know anything.

Although Mrs. Sun didn't know what her husband and father-in-law were planning, she sensitively realized that today's banquet might be unusual, so she wanted to find out the situation.

While Madam Sun and the others were still secretly working out the hidden story, Ning Xihua and Qin Songya exchanged glances.

Qin Songya smiled and nodded, and Ning Xihua was temporarily relieved.

Halfway through the banquet, a young eunuch rushed in in a hurry and reported something to the steward in a low voice.

Chang Yi's face changed and he immediately leaned close to Ning Xihua's ear.

Ning Xihua, however, showed no sign of surprise and just glanced at everyone.

Everyone was a smart person. When they saw the looks of the Linhua Palace's chief steward and the Crown Princess, they knew something must have happened.

Without waiting for them to guess, Ning Xihua told everyone directly.

"Just now, the eunuch reported that Linhua Palace was surrounded by nearly 2,000 people. They seemed to be soldiers from the Five Cities Military Department."

The ladies and young ladies were all horrified upon hearing this and didn't even care about their manners.

"What happened! Are they going to rebel!?!"

"What do they want to do? Do they dare to break in?!"

"Could it be..."

Some calm ladies also turned their gazes to Ning Xihua, as if they were thinking about something.

But some of the young ladies who were of a delicate nature and had never experienced such a scene began to sob out of fear.

"I...I want to go home...I don't want to stay here..."

As the crying sounded, another group of people collapsed along with it.

The hall, which was originally filled with laughter and joy, was suddenly filled with crying, cursing, sobbing, and praying, making it very lively.

Ning Xihua rubbed his brows and was about to speak, but someone spoke first.

"Princess Kangle, Princess Rui, the Sun family, the Chen family, the Li family... Ladies and young ladies in the mansion, please go to the gate. After your identities are verified, soldiers will escort you back to the mansion!"

The soldiers surrounding the palace were actually shouting in unison outside, and the sound penetrated the layers of courtyard walls and reached the hall.

The ladies and young ladies whose names were called cried with joy. They did not even bother to greet Ning Xihua and hurried to the door.

But before he could leave the hall, he was stopped by the guards of Linhua Palace.

The fourth princess was the first to speak out, "What do you mean?"

In this situation, no matter how stupid Su Yue was, she knew what was going on.

She, Princess Rui, the Sun family, the Chen family, the Li family... those whose names were mentioned were all on her third brother's side. It was obviously her third brother who was surrounding the palace because he didn't want to hurt them.

The fact that they were so brazen as to surround the Linhua Palace must have meant that the time had come for a life-and-death duel.

Ning Xihua smiled, "What do you mean by this?"

It was obvious that her third brother had the upper hand outside, and Su Yue's momentum also rose suddenly.

"I am Princess Kang Le, who was personally appointed by my father. These ladies also have imperial decrees. The Crown Princess is blocking us. Could it be that she wants to harm the royal family and official families?"

Ning Xihua remained calm, and even the curve of the smile on her face didn't change.

"You dare to surround the Linhua Palace. This is an attempt to harm the royal family and the officials' families, right? Besides, how can we guarantee your safety based on the one-sided statements of these villains? Not letting you go out alone before the matter is clear is for your safety."

These words made the ladies who were called to go through hesitate for a moment.

The remaining ladies who were not named all echoed the sentiment.

That's right! Why can they go out?! We should stay together to be safer!

"You are making excuses! I want to go out today. What can you do to me?"

Su Yue was furious and glared at Ning Xihua.

Having finally gained the upper hand at the crucial moment, she of course wanted to determine who was stronger at this moment.

Ning Xihua looked at her with a smile, still as steady as a rock. More guards appeared in the hall, surrounding everyone tightly.

"Maybe you haven't figured it out yet." Her voice was clear and still unhurried.

"What I mean is that anyone who leaves the palace without permission today will be considered a traitor and an accomplice..."

She suddenly put away the dignified smile she had always worn, and her face showed the ruthlessness of a superior. Her eyes were cold, and she spoke with a strong voice,

"Kill him on the spot!"