The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 143 His thoughts.

The smile on Si Ning's lips gradually disappeared.

Watching the direction the girl left in, Si Ning picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.

A pair of gentle eyes lifted again, their cold gaze falling on Jingmo, who had not yet left.

Jingmo had no sword at his waist.

At the palace banquet, no one except the Imperial Guards is allowed to carry weapons.

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze towards Jingmo carrying a hint of coldness.

Jingmo also felt that gaze.

He straightened up, then lowered his eyes slightly to meet Si Ning's gaze.

He gave a slight bow as a form of greeting: "Greetings, Mr. Si."

It was as if she had just seen him.

Si Ning smiled nonchalantly, but said, "Lord Pei is a powerful minister. If he really doesn't want to drink, it shouldn't matter if he offends those envoys."

His slow, leisurely tone carried a subtle chill.

Jingmo pretended not to understand, but remained respectful: "Mr. Si Ning is absolutely right. I will certainly pass it on to you, sir."

Si Ning slightly curled her lips, her tone indifferent and cold: "Lord Jingmo, I heard that the wound on your master's shoulder blade from some time ago has not yet healed."

Jingmo nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Sining. The master said it's probably because it got soaked in water, which is why it's gotten worse."

Upon hearing this, Si Ning lowered her eyes and chuckled softly.

"If Lord Jingmo is so inclined, perhaps he should pay closer attention to your master when he applies medicine tonight; you might make an unexpected discovery."

Jingmo scratched his head, not quite understanding Si Ning's meaning.

He simply clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then turned and took his leave.

……

On the other side, when Jiang Jinshuang arrived at her banquet, she immediately saw Pei Du's seat.

—They were surrounded by several envoys from Beihuai, making it impossible for them to pass through.

Pei Du's shoulder wound had not yet healed. Jiang Jinshuang frowned and glanced inside through the scattered figures.

—The red plum blossom on her chest seemed even more vibrant.

The wound is bleeding.

Jiang Jinshuang's eyes sharpened, and she took a few steps forward, walking to the back of the crowd.

"I have heard that Grand Secretary Wan Jin possesses unparalleled talent, and I wonder if I may have the honor of offering you a toast."

"I have long heard of the Grand Secretary's deeds. My lord, I would like to offer you a toast!"

"Please don't refuse, sir!"

"Your Excellency..."

Upon seeing this, the assembled guests and court officials exchanged bewildered glances, none daring to step forward.

It's not that I'm afraid of those foreign envoys.

However, the Grand Secretary rarely drinks at banquets. If they were to press him relentlessly and insist that he drink a cup, it would be these ungrateful people who would lose face.

Those present had clearly been turned away by Pei Du before, and never dared to force him to offer them a toast.

Even if he truly wanted to offer a toast, he only dared to let Lord Pei substitute tea for wine, while he himself drank it all in one gulp.

These barbarians from Beihuai are truly rude.

The guests watched silently, all wondering when the Grand Secretary would lose his temper.

I waited for ages, but it never came.

The envoys, of course, were unaware of these things, and within a short while, their gestures of offering toasts became less respectful.

Several envoys deliberately stepped forward, pretending not to hold their wine cups properly, and spilled the golden wine onto Pei Du's neat and clean robes.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinshuang stepped forward and grabbed the envoy's wrist!

She secretly applied force with her hand.

"Ding-dong—"

The envoy's wine cup instantly fell to the ground, smashing at everyone's feet!
To avoid being splashed with wine, the envoys instinctively took a few steps back, finally managing to distance themselves from Pei Du's seat. "Click—"

The envoy didn't even have time to react, and instinctively took a few steps back.

Belatedly, he finally felt the pain in his wrist.

It wasn't intense, but for some reason, his hand suddenly felt weak and trembled slightly.

To onlookers, Jiang Jinshuang had merely touched the envoy's wrist, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Therefore, when the envoy felt a slight pain and heard the sound of bones breaking, he did not take it seriously.

The envoys scattered.

Jiang Jinshuang stood in front of Pei Du, looking at the envoys with a half-smile: "Gentlemen, Lord Pei is unwell and cannot drink alcohol."

As she spoke, Jiang Jinshuang turned and glanced at Pei Du.

His clothes were stained with wine, and his embroidered green robe was damp with a deep green hue.

Jiang Jinshuang felt her obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness acting up again.

With a slight frown, Jiang Jinshuang followed the line of sight up the hem of Pei Du's robe and saw the red plum blossom on his chest.

It's not just embroidered.

There was also blood seeping out.

Upon seeing her arrive, Pei Du looked up at her, his gaze clear and calm, undisturbed: "Your Highness."

He called her that, his tone slightly muffled.

It must be that the wound has reopened, and the person is enduring the pain.

Jiang Jinshuang's eyes reddened, and she clenched her knuckles slightly.

She got angry.

But this anger didn't stem from feeling sorry for Pei Du; it was just a feeling of...pity?
She had finally managed to bandage her wound, and she had also promised Si Ning that she would take good care of Pei Du.

Jiang Jinshuang felt that this group of people were asking for trouble and were determined to make things difficult for her.

"I've always heard that Lord Pei and Her Highness the Princess are not on good terms, but now it seems that it was all just a rumor."

These words were not spoken by the envoys, but by Wen Fengcang from the opposite side, who passed through the graceful dancers.

Wen Fengcang smiled at Jiang Jinshuang, tilted his head, raised his wine glass, and looked at her with a beaming smile.

Jiang Jinshuang was in a bad mood.

But when Jiang Jinshuang is in a bad mood, she can actually manage a forced smile and a laugh.

"Since Your Highness has heard these rumors, you must also have heard that I am protective of my own."

You have to consider the owner before you beat a dog.

Whether she and Pei Du are on good terms is Wan Jin's business, and Bei Huai, as an outsider, has no right to interfere.

"Oh? Is that so?" Through the flowing sleeves of the dancers, Wen Fengcang smiled gently. "Then how does Your Highness wish to protect her?"

"Your Highness is being rude. I am but a weak woman. Even if I were to defend my own, it would be of no consequence to Your Highness."

Despite saying this, Jiang Jinshuang raised her wine glass, walked past the dancers, and stood in front of Wen Fengcang.

"I would like to offer a toast to the Crown Prince."

As she spoke, Jiang Jinshuang leaned slightly forward and clinked glasses with Wen Fengcang.

"Actually, not only has His Highness the First Prince heard some of the rumors about me, but I also know a little about the rumors about the First Prince."

"Oh?"

"Wen Fengcang," Jiang Jinshuang chuckled softly as she leaned forward, tilting her head to whisper, "I heard your father has a brother who has been living away from home."

"Do you think that if he secretly prepares for the future, he might remove you from the position of crown prince?"

In an instant, the smile on Wen Fengcang's lips froze.

A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes. He turned abruptly and met Jiang Jinshuang's smiling gaze directly.

But after saying that, she stood up, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

They came to Pei Du's side.

Jiang Jinshuang lowered her eyes and said, "Let's go, let's change our clothes first."