After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

The emperor knew Zhou Gonggong's temperament; this fellow was no stranger to good things, and he said they were delicious, so they must really be delicious.

After Zhou Gonggong finished eating, the emperor gave another piece to the empress.

Princess Huai'an then ordered a piece of cake, and after eating it, she praised it repeatedly.

The Emperor and Empress tasted both kinds of pastries and personally rewarded Chi Sanhua and Chi Zhaodi, who made them.

Shen Yuean and Amber, who delivered the bread and cake, also benefited, and no one remembered the plate of pastries that was taken away.

After Amber left, she found Coral with a serious expression. "How is it?"

Coral's face was a little pale. "I clearly sent people to keep an eye on things, but someone still managed to take advantage of the situation. Fortunately, Miss Shen reacted quickly enough, otherwise a major disaster would have occurred."

Amber was still shaken. "Now I understand why the young master arranged for Miss Shen and Young Master Shen to stay by the Emperor and Empress's side. They were indeed cultivated by the young master."

Coral thought so too.

The two of them went through the Princess's residence again and found three suspicious servants. However, even if they interrogated them, they couldn't find anything. Moreover, the Emperor and Empress were still in the residence, so they couldn't make too much of a commotion.

Meanwhile, Zhao Taifu, who was sitting in the banquet hall in the front courtyard, was also keeping an eye on the Emperor and Empress's situation.

Upon learning that the Emperor and Empress had not eaten the pastries and that their people had been exposed, Grand Tutor Zhao's face turned ashen. The original plan was for the Emperor and Empress to be poisoned and cause trouble, so that the Second Prince could then lead his troops to launch a rebellion on the grounds that Princess Huai'an had poisoned the Emperor.

Even if the emperor hadn't been poisoned, they would still have had to start a rebellion, and even if they succeeded, they would easily be criticized.

Grand Tutor Zhao was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder.

Just then, auspicious music came from outside the mansion gate; the bride had arrived!
All the guests focused their attention on the entrance to the mansion.

Princess Huai'an unconsciously craned her neck to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

The bride alighted from the carriage, and Murong Jue stepped forward to help Shen Yuezhang down. The newlyweds then stepped over the brazier.

At just the right moment, the official shouted, "The bride is entering!"

When the dowry began to arrive, the officials began to read out Shen Yuezhang's dowry list.

This is the part that guests enjoy the most, since everyone has sons and daughters who are getting married, and seeing other people's dowries helps them figure out how to prepare for their own children's weddings.

I heard that the Shen family are just farmers with no background, so I don't know what kind of dowry they can prepare for their daughter.

The gift list initially consisted of large items, such as a pear wood carved bed, a rosewood dressing table, a rosewood floral and auspicious floor screen, an eight-treasure shelf, stools, tables, and chairs, etc. The materials sounded quite nice, but for a wealthy family like theirs, it was really nothing special.

Just as the guests were losing interest, the official continued reading, "Sixteen bushels of deep-sea pearls, twelve coral ornaments, a pair of top-grade mutton-fat jade ruyi scepters, a top-grade jade cabbage carving, twelve sets of red gold and gemstone headdresses, twelve sets of gold-inlaid jade headdresses, twelve sets of mutton-fat jade headdresses, one hundred and eight pieces of pure silver headdresses, sixteen boxes of dried deep-sea abalone, and sixteen boxes of dried sea cucumbers."

The guests were stunned by the series of dowry items and looked at the dowry chests. After the chests were neatly arranged, they were opened together.

This is called sunbathing makeup.

Those who had initially been skeptical fell silent after seeing the exquisite and magnificent items, leaving only sighs of admiration.

The Third Prince's wife frowned. "Could a family like the Shen family really afford to provide so many fine things as a dowry for their daughter?"

She already came from a good family, and she married the third prince, yet her dowry was less than half of Shen Yuezhang's.

The Fourth Prince's wife also looked inquisitive, "Do you think it could have been given by the Marquis of Yong'an?"

The two women both looked toward the head table of the men's section.

Those sitting there were Marquis Shen Yi of Yong'an, as well as the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and other royal nobles.

The Third Prince was clearly also stunned by Shen Yuezhang's dowry. His gaze towards Shen Yi changed instantly. "I didn't expect Lord Shen's family to be so wealthy, far surpassing many prominent families in the capital. I admire you."

Shen Yi smiled modestly, "Your Highness is too kind. My family has no wealth whatsoever! It's just that my wife enjoys business, is interested in all sorts of novel things, and happens to have some expertise in it." "In any case, that's also a testament to Lord Shen's abilities." The Third Prince raised his cup.

Shen Yi raised his glass with trepidation, but inwardly he felt a strong sense of resistance.

Marquis Yong'an secretly stepped on Shen Yi's foot, and then raised his cup along with Shen Yi.

At this moment, the newlyweds had already entered the main hall.

Originally, they were supposed to kneel before Princess Huai'an, but since the Emperor and Empress arrived, they knelt before the Emperor and Empress, and finally knelt before Princess Huai'an.

The master of ceremonies shouted loudly, "The ceremony is complete!"

The emperor looked at the newlyweds with satisfaction and secretly gave Zhou Gonggong a wink.

Grandpa Zhou gently shook his head.

The emperor's smile faded slightly. He glanced at the sky and pondered, "Very well, let's return to the palace!"

"Yes!" Just as Eunuch Zhou turned around, the maid closest to the emperor suddenly drew her sword and rushed towards him.

"Emperor Dog, take your life!"

Eunuch Zhou's expression changed drastically, and he rushed to the emperor's side, shouting, "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"

Shen Congyu and Shen Yuean rushed at the maid and knocked her to the ground in a few moves.

The other party, however, angrily slit his own throat and committed suicide without the slightest hesitation.

The twins were just a little surprised, but not scared.

Princess Huai'an was both shocked and furious, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Guards! Guards!"

No one came after calling for a long time. In the main hall, the emperor and empress were the leaders, and all the royal family members were terrified and uneasy.

The old lady was also present today, and the scene before her reminded her of some unpleasant things, making her hands and feet feel cold.

"Your Highness, what has happened?"

Princess Huai'an didn't know either.

Murong Jue handed Shen Yuezhang to Princess Huai'an, saying, "Mother, I'm going outside to check on things. I'll keep an eye on Yu Yue'an and make sure everyone is safe."

"Yes!" the twins shouted in unison.

Not long after Murong Jue went out, the sounds of swords clashing came from ahead.

Song Yongnian and the others, who were sitting in the guest section, immediately surrounded Shen Yi, took off their coats, and revealed their protective weapons.

Shen Yi said in a deep voice, "We don't know how many men in black there are. My cousin-in-law and Yongnian, break through the encirclement and go to the main courtyard to protect the Emperor and Empress. The rest of you, come with me!"

When they went out to trade, they never took off their armor, and they also carried the protective weapons and hidden weapons that Su Tai had customized for them. They were especially brave when fighting.

Zhao Taifu kept giving the leader of the men in black meaningful glances. These men in black were going all out, almost fighting to the death, but they just couldn't hurt Shen Yi and his companions in the slightest.

It was only then that the civil and military officials realized that the newly appointed Vice Minister of Works was actually highly skilled in martial arts and had kept his abilities hidden. No wonder the Emperor valued him so much!
Amidst their sighs, everyone scrambled to find places to hide.

With the guests out of the way, Shen Yi and his companions fought with increasing ferocity, even rediscovering the feeling they had on the battlefield.

Grand Tutor Zhao sneered from the sidelines. These were merely appetizers; no matter how powerful Shen Yi was, he couldn't possibly defeat five thousand private soldiers. (End of Chapter)