Entering The Palace

On the day of the flower banquet, Shen Li wore a light yellow strapless dress. She paired it up with a coat of the same color. Zhong Ning wore a light green long dress. Both of them were dressed beautifully, but it was nothing too conspicuous.

The group rode the carriage all the way to the palace gates. Because of the palace's regulations, they had to walk for the rest of the journey.

Although Shen Li had some memories of the palace, experiencing it herself was something else entirely.

Although it was already evening, the roads in the palace were brightly lit by various colored glaze lamps, and one could clearly see the colorful lights placed everywhere.

Many people were on the road, all dressed up to attend the banquet. Shen Li did not dare to gawk for too long. She gave them one final glance and hurried after her group.

Shen Li intended to spend this trip to the palace in peace. It would be best if no one noticed her.

But the heavens didn't go as she wished. It did not take long before she saw the host's uncle coming with his family.

Be it the clothes on Shen Jiao and her mother's bodies or the accessories on their heads, they were practically screaming for attention. The women looked they were carrying all of their family's wealth on their bodies.

She wondered how Shen Jiao had not yet broken her neck.

Old Madam Yin was dressed in bright red. When she spotted Zhong Ning, her eyes almost turned into the same color as her clothes.

The two groups of people met on a narrow road and walked side by side. Because they were in the palace, Old Madam Yin did not dare to make a scene. After approaching Zhong Ning, she was about to flare up when she received Gu Sheng's cold gaze.

In spite of all her power, she was still an old lady. Such a tall, strong, and tanned man would still intimidate her on a primal level.

With this statue of a man walking by Zhong Ning's side, Old Madam Yin couldn't do anything to her, but she could always scold her own granddaughter.

She scolded Shen Li in a low voice.

"You're a traitor. You actually helped that jinx deal with your grandmother. Don't forget that your last name is Shen as well."

In Old Madam Yin's impression, Shen Li was the most suitable person to be scolded. She could not talk back, and she would not complain to others even if she was wronged.

However, she had forgotten that this Shen Li was different from the one she knew.

Shen Li did not act like the coward she remembered. She opened his mouth and said, "Well, your surname isn't Shen."

While the stunned old lady stopped in her tracks, Shen Li continued.

"You're actually speaking such vulgarities in the palace. Grandmother, do you sometimes feel that you've lived too long?

"Or... do you want to tell everyone how you mistreated your daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and how you seized your daughter-in-law's family property?"

Old Madam Yin's face was filled with panic. She subconsciously looked around and saw that someone had already noticed the commotion. She immediately fell silent in fear.

Shen Guang also came over to pull her away.

"Mother, say no more."

Shen Li did not want to argue with this group of people. After all, these irrelevant people were not worth wasting her energy on. She pulled Zhong Ning and walked a few steps faster, leaving Old Madam Yu in the dust.

Shen Guang's hand was still holding on to Old Madam Yin, but his eyes were already following Zhong Ning.

In the past few years, he had only met Zhong Ning a few times. Zhong Ning had always worn plain clothes and had a quiet, demure presence. Her appearance today awoke a desire he had tried so hard to suppress.

There was an odd saying that traveled among the men. "A wife was inferior to a concubine, and a concubine was inferior to a mistress." It now made sense to him.

Just thinking about his brother's woman made his heart itch.

Zhou Qing spotted Shen Guang's expression and knew what he was planning. She stared at Zhong Ning's back, her gaze filled with poison.

The next second, Zhou Qing's eyes swept over to the man beside Zhong Ning, and she suddenly said, "Well, I'd be. Sister-in-law's family is crawling with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. She and the man next to her really look like a perfect couple."