The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

On the day of the flower viewing banquet, the banquet officially began when the sun was high in the sky.

The blue and white porcelain table in the front hall was decorated very elegantly. Clusters of February orchids and violets surrounded the table and the surrounding area, as well as crabapple and peach trees that were originally planted in the front yard and were in full bloom.

A white jade flower stand stands squarely in the center, displaying many rare and precious flowers, including green plum blossoms and golden-edged daphne.

The plum blossoms, defying the frost with their proud spirit, and their golden edges as translucent as snow, instantly captivated the guests, who lingered among them.

Prince Rong and Princess Rong walked hand in hand towards the main seat on the Blue and White Porcelain Terrace. Their faces were solemn and dignified, yet they could not hide the smiles in their eyes.

Princess Rong was beautiful and elegant. As soon as she sat down, all the guests turned their heads and bowed. The room was filled with the swaying of pearl hairpins and the soft tinkling of jade pendants.

"Today, all the flowers are in full bloom, a truly auspicious occasion. This flower banquet is specially prepared so that we can all enjoy the spring scenery and savor the simple pleasures together. Please, no need for formalities," Princess Rong said with a smile, gesturing for everyone to rise.

"I have a few rare flowers and plants in my residence. If any young master or lady takes a liking to one, you may come here after the banquet to take one home. It would be a good way to make the most of this spring season. First come, first served."

These words drew silent admiration from the audience. The Prince and Princess Rong radiated even more, their smiles becoming increasingly captivating.

At this moment, several maids and servants hurriedly rushed from the backyard to the front hall.

One of the maids went to the audience seats to look for the person, while the others went up on stage and whispered to the head maid.

The head maidservant hurriedly went up to the stage and whispered something in Princess Rong's ear. Princess Rong's expression immediately changed.

The second wife lowered her voice and asked, "Is it really Lord Zhou?"

"It's absolutely true." The maid dared not say more. "Right now, Lord Zhou has been mistaken for a thief by the servants of Prince Rong's mansion, tied up, stuffed into a sack, and thrown out! Madam, what should we do now?"

The second wife forced herself to remain calm: "What else can we do? It's none of our business. Qi Yunli ordered the arrest, as long as Ruolan isn't there, it's fine."

"What if Lord Zhou comes back and blames us..."

"Shut up!"

Just as everyone was enjoying the flowers, Princess Rong also left her seat.

The second madam hurried along, no longer in the mood to admire the flowers. Given the occasion and the fact that she was at someone else's residence, she rushed to the courtyard where the women were resting.

When she arrived, Princess Rong was pinching her nose at a piece of burlap sack soaked in dirty water and reeking of sewage, and said sternly:

"Is there a thief inside? Wake him up! I want to see who dares to cause trouble at Prince Rong's residence, and who sent them!"

Regardless of the truth, there can only be one final answer: it belongs to the King of Sheng.

The second wife hesitated to speak, fearing she would get herself into trouble, and could only glare at Qi Yunli, her anger surging.

When the burlap sack stained with the stinking ditch sewage was untied, Princess Rong's expression was complicated.

When the person in the sack appeared, he had no outer robe, only a thin inner garment clinging to his body.

Her white undergarment was stained with dirty water and smelled foul. Even her panties were soaked through, clinging to her skin and revealing her flat, shapeless curves.

But that face belonged to Lord Zhou, the Vice Minister of Revenue who was on good terms with her husband, Prince Rong!

"Quickly! Go and clean Lord Zhou thoroughly!"

Princess Rong pinched her nose and ordered, then summoned a servant, "Quickly go and invite the Prince over."

When the guests admiring the flowers in the front hall saw the lady of the house hurrying to the backyard, some of the curious ones asked a maid to lead the way so they could also go to the backyard to see the scenery.

Unexpectedly, they found that the Vice Minister of Revenue, Lord Zhou, was wearing only a completely unprotected undergarment. A man over fifty years old, he had lost all face.

Lord Zhou's family members also came from the front yard.

In his dazed state, Zhou Wenbin saw that everyone surrounding him was frowning and pinching their noses. Despite the excruciating pain all over his body, he shouted to Princess Rong:

"Your Highness, I am truly innocent! I simply got lost. It was her! This vile woman falsely accused me of being a lecherous thief!"

Madam Zhou frowned, draped her husband's outer robe over his shoulders, and then shrieked at Qi Yunli:

"The flower-viewing banquet was incredibly grand, and Prince Rong's hospitality was truly commendable! Yet you, without even distinguishing right from wrong, have slandered a court official!"

Qi Yunli lowered her eyes and head: "The small courtyard where guests rest in the backyard is always guarded by maids and servants. If Lord Zhou were lost, he would not have mistakenly entered the women's quarters."

The second wife quickly chimed in, "What do you take the Rong Prince's Mansion for? How dare you act so presumptuously here!"

The head maid in charge of the backyard stepped forward and reported to Princess Rong: "The maids said that the young lady of the second branch of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion fell into the water and is resting here. However, since it is inconvenient for the servants to serve her closely, they asked us to temporarily withdraw for half an hour, and then return to guard the entrance of this courtyard after half an hour."

Zhou Wenbin struggled to his feet, saying, "I got lost in the last fifteen minutes!"

Seeing that everyone was present, Princess Rong felt it inappropriate to show favoritism and said, "Lord Zhou went to the wrong courtyard, which was your fault, and you can't blame others for mistaking you for a thief. I think we should let this matter rest."

Her gaze sharpened as she swept over the Second Madam: "As for the Second Madam, I am quite curious. Why did you insist on dismissing all the servants of my Prince's Mansion after your young lady fell into the water? Do you perhaps believe that the servants of my Prince's Mansion are poorly trained and unworthy to serve the young lady of the second branch of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion?"

The second wife lowered her head, cowering like a quail: "I acted rashly in a moment of panic, out of love for my daughter. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Princess Rong rebuked sharply: "Aren't these two young ladies also from your Dingyuan Marquis's residence? You personally summoned them to the backyard just now, which led to this situation."

"It all started with you, but I wonder if you, a woman without official rank or status, can bear the consequences?"

Upon hearing this, the second wife hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "I was foolish, please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Qi Yunli and Wei Ruowei also knelt down.

Zhou Wenbin, who was beaten black and blue and almost fainted, was extremely unwilling to accept it:

"Your Highness! It is all the fault of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family that I have fallen into this state, becoming a laughingstock! I beg Your Highness to severely punish these women! I implore Your Highness to do me justice!"

"Who dares to speak ill of my Dingyuan Marquis's residence here?"

A clear and melodious voice came from behind. Wei Jun walked slowly closer, his expression indifferent. He first bowed to Princess Rong: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Princess Rong's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly: "Nian'an, there's no need for such formalities."

When Prince Rong arrived, he heard Zhou Wenbin, ignoring the servants' attempts to stop him, repeatedly pleading with the Princess to severely punish the women of the Dingyuan Marquis's household.

"I beg Your Highness to do me justice! The women of the Marquis of Dingyuan's household have wronged me to this extent! Today, I must demand an explanation!"

Prince Rong gestured for a servant to step forward: "Lord Zhou accidentally fell into the ditch today and is somewhat delirious and talking nonsense. Please ask him and his wife to go down and rest properly. Remember to choose a quiet, secluded courtyard so that Lord Zhou can recuperate in peace."

The Prince Rong, who used to call him brother, now decisively abandoned him in front of Wei Jun, a rising star favored by the emperor.

Zhou Wenbin, having lost face in front of everyone, was now overwhelmed with emotion and shouted recklessly:

"Prince Rong! Do justice for me!"