Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

"stop."

A dignified female voice rang out, not loud, but steadily suppressing the clamor of the entire hall.

Everyone was stunned and looked in the direction of the sound.

The Empress, who had remained silent all along, slowly put down her teacup.

She raised her eyes, her gaze passing over the crowd, and looked directly at Consort Zhao.

That usually gentle face suddenly hardened.

"The Crown Princess was merely praising the peony; how did she offend you?"

The Empress's voice was calm, yet every word carried immense weight.

"Or is it that, in Consort Zhao's eyes, peonies are truly inferior to crabapple blossoms?"

Consort Zhao was momentarily speechless when asked the question; her lips moved, but she couldn't immediately respond.

The Empress slowly stood up, looked around at the assembled noblewomen, and finally her gaze fell on Consort Zhao.

She didn't raise her voice, yet everyone could hear her clearly.

"Do you think you're the only one left in this harem?"

The room was completely silent.

Consort Zhao's face turned pale and then flushed.

She stared at the Empress, her chest heaving violently, her lips moving for a long time.

She wanted to lash out, but the Queen's words were impeccable.

In this imperial harem, the empress is the empress, and the imperial concubine is the imperial concubine; their ranks are laid bare and no one can deny them.

No matter how favored or domineering she was, she was ultimately inferior to the Empress in terms of rank.

Moreover... the Wing King is currently winning over the hearts and minds of the people in the court, which is a crucial time for his reputation to rise.

Many court officials were observing, and many forces were weighing their options.

If she were to openly turn against the legitimate line of the Empress at this time...

If word gets out, it won't just damage Consort Zhao's reputation, but it will also harm Prince Yi's overall situation.

She gritted her teeth, swallowed her anger, and forced a stiff smile.

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? How could I dare?"

As she spoke, she waved away the palace maids and picked up her teacup again, though her hand was still trembling slightly.

She thought that she could easily manipulate Yun Shuyao.

Unexpectedly, the Empress would stand up for this disgraced young girl at this time.

She glanced coldly at Yun Shuyao, her eyes almost overflowing with resentment and anger, but ultimately she didn't lash out.

Yun Shuyao nodded slightly to the Empress, her eyes filled with gratitude.

The Empress nodded slightly, said nothing, and picked up her teacup again.

Consort Zhao took a sip of tea to calm her temper, then turned her gaze to a young girl beside her.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, but she had an arrogant look on her face.

She was Consort Zhao's niece, the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family, Zhao Lanzhi.

That is, the biological daughter of Zhao Guojiu, whom Xiao Fang killed in the street.

Today she was wearing a pale yellow dress and sat beside Consort Zhao.

From beginning to end, he was staring at Yun Shuyao with eyes full of hatred.

Upon receiving her aunt's look, she immediately understood; she was also unable to swallow this insult.

"What's there to be proud of?"

Zhao Lanzhi suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but it sounded particularly jarring in the quiet banquet.

No matter how much she tries to act like a lady from a wealthy family, she can't change the fact.

The heir of the Marquis of Yong'an would rather marry a lowly slave from the brothel than have her.

She raised her chin, stared at Yun Shuyao, and said, word by word:

"Clearly, she's not even as good as a lowly slave."

Upon hearing this, the faces of all the ladies in the room changed.

Some people gasped in shock, while others hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended to drink tea.

These words were so venomous that even the most gossipy women dared not respond.

Comparing a noblewoman from a prestigious family to a lowly slave in a brothel.

This is not just humiliation, it's tearing off someone's face and stomping on it.

The Empress frowned, about to speak.

Suddenly, a series of chaotic footsteps came from outside the Hibiscus Pavilion.

Amidst the flustered attempts of palace maids to stop them and the impatient growls of men, the scene was filled with the sounds of men trying to stop them.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, you cannot go in—"

"roll."

One word, cold and indifferent, yet it sends chills down your spine.

The gauze curtain of Furong Pavilion was suddenly lifted.

Xiao Fang strode in.

He was wearing a bright red official robe, and the sword at his waist gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

He stood against the light at the doorway, his figure tall and slender like a pine tree, his aura cold and sharp, suppressing the fragrance of cosmetics that filled the garden.

A group of women gasped softly and retreated.

Some people hurriedly raised their fans to cover their faces, while others unfolded their handkerchiefs to shield their faces.

These sheltered ladies had never seen anything like this before.

An outsider brazenly barged into the imperial concubine's flower-viewing banquet, with a knife hanging from his waist.

Consort Zhao slammed her hand on the small table in front of her, making the teacups jump.

She abruptly stood up and shouted angrily:

"Xiao Fang! Don't you have any manners?"

"The women are having a banquet, how dare you, an outsider, barge in!"

Xiao Fang did not stop walking. His gaze swept over the crowd and found Yun Shuyao sitting at the table.

From beginning to end, he didn't even glance at Consort Zhao.

He walked up to Yun Shuyao, leaned down slightly, and carefully observed her expression.

Seeing that his wife's expression was not good, his gaze gradually turned cold.

Xiao Fang straightened up and slowly glanced around at the group of women sitting there.

Those pampered ladies and young women, after being swept over by his gaze, all shrank back, wishing they could hide under the table.

Then his gaze returned to Yun Shuyao's face, his voice soft and casual.

"Who would make you feel better if you killed someone?"

A few words, light and airy, as if asking what to eat tonight.

Everyone in the room shivered involuntarily.

Just moments ago, Zhao Lanzhi was arrogant and haughty, but now the color drained from her face, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.

She wanted to step back, but her legs were too weak to move. She could only futilely grab the sleeve of the palace maid beside her, tears already welling up in her eyes.

Everyone else was on tenterhooks, no one doubted that Xiao Fang would keep his word.

The next moment, Xiao Fang's gaze caught her unusual expression.

The tall man strode over, and everyone's eyes followed his steps.

She watched helplessly as he walked up to Zhao Lanzhi and grabbed her by the back of her collar.

The way he held it was like he was carrying a little chick.

Miss Zhao was being held by him, her face flushed red, and her whole body trembling like a leaf.

She looked up and met Xiao Fang's cold eyes. Her lips trembled for a long time, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Tears streamed down her cheeks in large drops, her eyes filled with fear and pleading.

Xiao Fang looked down at her and asked in a cold voice:

"Did you make my Yao Yao angry?"

Zhao Lanzhi shook her head desperately, making muffled sobs, but she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.