The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

On the Empress's birthday, the palace was brightly lit.

Inside the main hall, the emperor and empress sat side by side on a high platform.

Emperor Xiao Dingkun was over fifty years old, with a round face and a smile that often lingered on his face. His bright yellow dragon robe accentuated his slightly plump figure, yet he exuded natural majesty.

He smiled and surveyed the entire room, pausing deliberately when his gaze fell on the Crown Prince at the lower left:

"Yuan'er has lost weight recently," the Emperor said gently, with concern. "Is it because you've been too busy with state affairs?"

Like an ordinary father who cares about his son.

Xiao Chenyuan, dressed in a moon-white crown prince's robe embroidered with silver dragons, rose to pay his respects, his expression somewhat distant, "Your subject is well, thank you for your concern, Father."

"Sit, sit." The emperor waved his hand, picked up a piece of hibiscus cake for himself, and said, "Today is your mother's birthday, so relax."

Xiao Chenyuan's gaze fell on the pastry, and his voice lowered slightly: "The imperial physician said that Father's cough has flared up again recently, and he shouldn't eat sweets..."

"Alright, alright, I understand." The emperor waved his hand helplessly, but still obediently put down the pastry he had just picked up. He looked at Xiao Chenyuan's thin face, a complex sense of guilt flashing in his eyes, and reached out to pat the crown prince's hand, "You must also take care of yourself."

This brief interaction between the father and son, observed by those with a keen eye, sparked various interpretations.

A slight commotion suddenly arose outside the hall.

Su Yaoyao stepped into the palace gate under the moonlight.

The moon-white brocade dress shimmered under the palace lanterns, its hem rippling with each step.

Her dark hair was half-up, and she wore little jewelry, only a string of sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist and a bright white jade pendant at her waist—the character "Yuan" on it was so clear it was almost blinding under the palace lanterns.

All eyes in the hall instantly focused on them.

"Pretentious." Li Yan held her wine glass and scoffed at the young lady beside her, "A woman who has broken off her engagement is parading around wearing men's underwear. She has no shame... Does she really think she's the Crown Princess?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for several people in the vicinity to hear.

The Second Prince's seat was slightly lower down, and Su Yun'er sat beside him. Given her status as someone who had not yet been formally married into the family, she should not have attended such a palace banquet. However, she had somehow managed to come along under the pretext of being "pregnant and needing the prince's company."

At this moment, she gently stroked her lower abdomen with one hand and held onto the Second Prince's sleeve with the other. Her posture was delicate, but her eyes were fixed on the Buddhist beads on Su Yaoyao's wrist, and her jealousy was almost overflowing.

The Second Prince, Xiao Qiming, stared at the jade pendant on Su Yaoyao's waist, his face ashen—it was the Crown Prince's personal token! How dare she wear it so openly!

Just then, another person entered through the palace gate.

A woman in a long, sky-blue dress walked in slowly. She was slender and upright, with delicate features and a cool, aloof demeanor. After taking her seat, she sat upright without looking to the side, as if all the noise around her was irrelevant to her.

"Chu Qingzi..." someone exclaimed in a low voice.

This daughter of the Prime Minister is a legend in the capital—she lives a secluded life, rarely appears in public, and is rumored to be aloof and arrogant, looking down on everyone except the Crown Prince.

She sat quietly, seemingly oblivious to the stares that were directed at her. Only when her gaze swept over Su Yaoyao did she pause slightly.

"Chu Qingzi..." some noble ladies whispered among themselves, "She actually came? In previous years, she always claimed to be ill and didn't attend the Empress's birthday banquet."

"What's with the pretense of high and mighty? She's just putting on airs. I heard she's in love with His Highness the Crown Prince, so naturally she came today since he's here."

"Falling in love with the Crown Prince? Wouldn't she be furious if she saw that string of beads on Su Yaoyao's wrist?"

Chu Qingzi ignored him, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and her eyes remained calm.

When Su Yaoyao entered the hall, Xiao Chenyuan's fingertips, which were twirling the prayer beads, paused almost imperceptibly.

He didn't look up, but instead stared at the sake in his cup, his lips pursed almost imperceptibly.

The Empress took it all in, her nails, painted with crimson nail polish, lightly tapping the armrest of her phoenix chair, her eyes filled with unfathomable calculation.

On the other side, Jiang Jingchen and Xie Yu looked at the wine pot brought up by the palace servants, and exchanged a glance, their faces turning somewhat pale.

"This wine..." Xie Yu lowered his voice, "smells like the plum blossom wine from Qingfeng Pavilion that day."

Jiang Jingchen closed his eyes briefly: "Stop talking, I feel like throwing up."

The two of them both rubbed their foreheads.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the banquet gradually warmed up.

Li Yan suddenly stood up, holding a wine cup, and gracefully walked to Su Yaoyao's table, her smile sweet: "Sister Su, I'd like to offer you a toast. Your Buddhist prayer beads are truly eye-catching today. I wonder... if His Highness the Crown Prince would be so kind as to part with a string of them for me as well?"

That's a tricky question.

If Su Yaoyao says she can't, she'll seem petty and jealous; if she says she can, she'll belittle the Crown Prince's feelings.

Su Yaoyao raised her eyes, her smile bright: "If you like it, why don't you ask His Highness yourself?"

Li Yan choked and subconsciously looked at the Crown Prince.

Xiao Chenyuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent.

I dislike others touching my personal belongings.

Direct and ruthless.

Li Yan's smile froze, her eyes instantly reddened, and she looked as if she had suffered a great injustice: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I... I was just envious of Sister Su..."

"Envious?" Chu Qingzi, who had been quietly drinking her tea, suddenly spoke up.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and crisp like shattered jade, instantly drowning out the sounds of string and wind instruments in the hall.

"I heard that Miss Li is on good terms with that illegitimate daughter of the Su family, and she goes to the Yongning Marquis's residence every few days. If you didn't know better..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over Li Yan indifferently, "I would have thought you two were sisters."

The whole hall fell silent.

No one expected that this prime minister's daughter, who usually didn't like to talk to people, would suddenly speak up and even... speak up for Su Yaoyao?

Li Yan's expression changed slightly, and she forced a smile, saying, "Miss Chu is too kind. I was just chatting with Miss Su for a few moments..."

"Is that so?" Chu Qingzi withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at her.

That posture made it seem as if saying another word would be superfluous.

"Alright, alright," the Imperial Concubine said, smoothing things over with a gentle smile. "It was just a young girl's joke. Yan'er, come back and sit down."

As she spoke, she winked at the Second Prince: "Qiming, go and offer Miss Chu a toast. It's a rare occasion for Miss Chu to visit the palace, so you must treat her well."

Xiao Qiming was irritably drinking—ever since Su Yaoyao entered the palace, his eyes had never left her, and the more he looked at her, the more the fire in his heart burned.

Hearing this, he reluctantly got up, casually picked up two cups of wine from the palace servant's tray, and walked to Chu Qingzi's seat.

Su Yun'er twisted her handkerchief tightly under the table.

"Miss Chu," Xiao Qiming said, handing her a glass of wine in a perfunctory tone, "I'd like to toast you."

Chu Qingzi raised her eyes and glanced at him indifferently: "This subject does not drink alcohol."

Direct and straightforward.

Xiao Qiming's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, his face instantly turning ugly—he, a prince, was being publicly refused a toast?!

Li Yan was still holding her breath after being humiliated in public by Chu Qingzi. Seeing this, she rolled her eyes, stood up, and walked gracefully over: "Second Prince, since Miss Chu is not good at drinking, I will drink it for her."

As she spoke, she reached for the wine glass in Xiao Qiming's hand, her posture almost fawning.

Looking at her like this, and comparing her with Chu Qingzi's aloofness and Su Yaoyao's bright and dazzling appearance, Xiao Qiming felt a surge of disgust, but his hand unconsciously loosened its grip.

Li Yan took the wine glass, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then raised an eyebrow triumphantly at Chu Qingzi.

Chu Qingzi ignored it, only lowering her head to adjust a white jade bracelet on her wrist.

Su Yaoyao watched this scene with a slight smile on her lips.

This Miss Chu... is quite interesting.

No one noticed that at this moment, the Imperial Concubine's hand clenched tightly in her sleeve as she watched this scene.

After several rounds of drinks, the Empress suddenly beckoned to Su Yaoyao, "Yaoyao, come, sit next to your aunt."

Her voice was kind and her face was full of smiles.

Su Yaoyao followed the instructions and sat down on the brocade stool below the Empress.

The Empress warmly took her hand, picked up a glass of wine from the table, and handed it to her: "This wine is made from grapes as tribute from the Western Regions. It's not strong. Please try it."

The wine glass was handed to me; the liquid was a deep crimson, like blood.

Su Yaoyao picked up her wine glass and lightly touched the rim of the glass with her fingertips—

This wine...

She touched the antidote pills that she had asked Bailu to prepare before she set off, which were hidden in her sleeve.

She looked up and met the Empress's smiling eyes: "Why aren't you drinking? Don't you like it?"

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Yaoyao smiled.

Just as the rim of the glass was about to touch my lips—

Suddenly, a hand with distinct knuckles reached out from the side and steadily snatched the wine glass from her hand.

Xiao Chenyuan had already left his seat and approached at some point, his expression unchanged and his voice calm:

"I'll drink it for her."