Phoenix Cries Return to Court

In the main hall of the Ministry of War's residence, bright red lanterns hung high, and red silk flowers were hung high from the eaves and corners of the corridors, with red brocade carpets stretching as far as the eye could see.

Inside and outside the main hall, dozens of tables were set up, and amidst the clinking of glasses, there were sounds of congratulations.

"Congratulations! Your Excellency, you are young and promising, and now you have won the favor of Princess Ding'an. You are truly a winner in life!"

Several guests, their faces full of flattery, crowded in front of an eight-foot-tall man dressed in a bright red wedding robe with a nine-ringed jade belt around his waist.

This man was none other than He Guangzheng, the Minister of War.

At this moment, the handsome young man's face was flushed from drinking, his deep eyes were half-closed, and his brows were full of self-satisfaction.

He symbolically took a sip of wine from his glass in one hand, while offering a hand to a guest who had come to offer congratulations. The smile on his lips never faded, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the colorful lacquered screen with the auspicious floral design in the center of the main hall.

Through the screen, one could vaguely see the graceful figure in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

That was the woman he had been longing for, Tao Qingqing.

He Guangzheng's heart skipped a beat.

I recall that Flower Festival of that year.

On Qiqiao Bridge, crowds come and go, all just passing through.

Amidst the shower of petals, as if by telepathy, he suddenly stopped and looked up to see Tao Qingqing standing deep in the shadows of the flowers, her figure graceful and her black hair swaying in the wind.

Suddenly, a petal gently landed on her temple. The beauty raised her eyes, her gaze soft and gentle, like mist and smoke, concealing the tender beauty of spring.

That one glance was worth a thousand years.

From then on, they fell in love and vowed to stay together year after year.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. On the day of her glamorous wedding, he was heartbroken over his past dreams.

Unexpectedly, fate had its reasons, and the two were able to rekindle their romance.

However, because of his first wife, Lady Wen, he never dared to be too ostentatious.

Now that Lady Wen has "died suddenly," Qingqing, bearing the title of princess, is ordered to marry him.

In this way, he could both fulfill his personal desires and use the princess's influence to advance further in his official career.

This perfect solution was sure to excite him.

Just as the excitement was reaching its peak, the noise around me suddenly stopped, and all around became deathly silent.

He Guangzheng's heart sank, and an ominous premonition instantly gripped him.

He turned his head sharply, following the horrified gazes of the crowd, and the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

A slender yet upright figure stood prominently beneath the vermilion gate of the main courtyard.

The figure was dressed in pure white, her jet-black hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, swaying gently in the cold wind.

Although he was thin, his eyes were clear and piercing, with a hint of murderous intent, making him look like a demon who had crawled back from hell to claim a life!

He Guangzheng was startled and stared intently.

It was her!

His first wife, Madam Wen!

No, that's not right!

He had already sent his trusted confidants to force-feed the arsenic to the Wen family.

Those old women are all strong and capable; they certainly won't make any mistakes.

But in front of...

"She's...she's come back to life! The lady has come back to life!" A servant finally couldn't hold back and let out a shrill wail.

As if waking from a dream, everyone panicked and scattered in all directions.

The maids and servants who had been carrying food and wine were now ashen-faced, and the trays and wine pots in their hands fell to the ground one after another.

Several elderly women trembled all over, muttering incantations and pleading with Buddha for protection.

Even He Guangzheng's most capable butler was ashen-faced and stood frozen in place, not even having the courage to step forward and stop him.

A joyous celebration was turned into chaos in an instant.

He Guangzheng's mind went blank, and cold sweat instantly soaked his inner clothes.

In order to marry Tao Qingqing, he deliberately concealed the fact that Wen Shi had "died suddenly".

He only claimed to the public that his wife was chronically ill and unable to receive guests.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but feel resentment.

This Wen family member, when he was alive, always opposed him and got in his way; now that he's dead, he still won't settle down and insists on crawling out to ruin his big plans!

However, not everyone lost their composure amidst the chaos.

Tao Qingqing, who witnessed everything from behind the screen, made a gesture without making a sound.

The next second, a nanny dressed in a dark red brocade robe with a solemn expression walked out from behind the screen.

He shouted, "Insolence!"

She swept her gaze over the trembling servants and spoke in a cold voice.

"In broad daylight, utter nonsense! You're all acting like madmen, what kind of behavior is this! On the host's joyous day, how can you behave so disrespectfully? Get yourselves back in order!"

The servants were stunned by the shout. Looking at the blinding sunlight overhead, they barely managed to calm themselves down, and they all knelt down to beg for forgiveness, hurriedly cleaning up the mess.

The old nanny turned her head, her sharp gaze sweeping over "Madam Wen," and said in a deep voice, "Madam Wen! What are you up to?"

"Today is the joyous occasion of our Princess Ding'an and Minister He's wedding. You are from a distinguished family, and even if you are unwell, you should still observe proper etiquette. How could you come out to greet guests in such disheveled attire? Are you perhaps driven by jealousy and unable to tolerate our princess, so you deliberately play tricks to belittle her and disrupt the wedding banquet?"

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her gaze sharp as a knife, fixed intently on "Wen Shi".

Although the woman in white remained silent, there was no fear on her face.

He simply stood there quietly, looking at her with a half-smile, exuding an imposing aura.

A chill ran through her, and Granny Zheng couldn't help but shiver.

She pinched herself hard, then squeezed out a few tears, her voice suddenly rising, tinged with sobs, and said again.

"Madam Wen, how can you feign madness and be so ungrateful!"

She paused, glanced at everyone, and spoke with firm conviction.

"I, Princess Ding'an, am a golden branch and jade leaf personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. I am a meritorious official who left my homeland for the sake of the stability of the country, and only returned home in glory after surviving many dangers! Now that the princess has condescended to marry you and is willing to be a concubine of the Minister, this is already an immense favor to you."

"Instead of being obedient and treating the princess with respect, you're engaging in these charlatan-like acts and misbehaving—it's outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar, their gazes towards the woman in plain clothes filled with disdain and disgust, and the whispers grew louder and louder.

Several sycophantic officials immediately stepped forward and sternly criticized the "Wen family".

"As the wife of the Minister of War, how could she be so jealous and insane! No wonder the Minister wanted to take another wife; he must have been driven to desperation by this woman!"

"That woman is absolutely wicked! Showing up at a wedding banquet in a plain white funeral shroud is utterly inappropriate!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xihe's anger intensified.

Although she now resides in the body of the Wen family, she was once the Empress Dowager who ruled the harem and was the mother of the nation. When had she ever suffered such contempt and humiliation?

Seeing that someone was backing him up, He Guangzheng felt a little more at ease.

He straightened his wedding attire, regained his dignified demeanor, and looked impatiently at the woman in front of him.

"Mr. Wen, I discussed with you the matter of marrying Qingqing as a secondary wife before, and you personally agreed. Why are you going back on your word now and causing trouble here? You know that there has never been any affection between us as husband and wife. Over the years, I have treated you well. Although we have no children, I have never mistreated you. Why are you still not satisfied?"

Seeing this, "Mr. Wen" finally spoke, his voice clear and hoarse, yet carrying an unyielding authority that befitted someone long accustomed to a high position: "Your words, Minister, are quite strange. When I awoke, I was dressed in coarse burial clothes, lying in a thin coffin, trapped in this dilapidated and cold courtyard, without even a servant to burn paper money or attend to my funeral. The funeral music hasn't started, but the celebratory music is playing. He Guangzheng, you are so heartless and ungrateful; if you've done it, you should be prepared to face the consequences."

He Guangzheng's eyes swept quickly around, and he shouted sternly, "Wen family, stop talking nonsense!"

Having said that, he abruptly turned to the servants standing to the side, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly take the lady back to her courtyard and keep her quiet!"

"Who dares!"

"Wen" raised her eyes and gave a faint glance to the old woman and servants who were about to step forward. The chilling and murderous aura she exuded made everyone stop in their tracks.

She gave a cold laugh, slowly took a step, and walked towards the main hall.

Dressed in plain white funeral clothes, he looked particularly eerie against the backdrop of bright red wedding silks filling the room.

She stopped in front of He Guangzheng, looked at the man in front of her with a cold and sharp look in her eyes, and spoke slowly, word by word.

"If my husband doesn't make things clear today, how can I... dare to behave myself?"