First was my younger sister’s marriage to General Shen. The wedding was grand and lively, with every household hanging red wedding banners, almost rivaling a royal wedding. This marriage indirectly connected the Shen family to me, subtly shifting their stance and inadvertently raising my status in the people’s eyes.
On the wedding day, my sister wore the wedding dress sewn by our mother, looking more beautiful than a lotus about to bloom in early summer.
Mother and I were deeply moved, and we ended up crying together. My sister, with swollen eyes, got into the wedding sedan and was taken to the Shen family by General Shen. Mother cried inconsolably and was barely comforted by Miao Yin and my elder brother.
Just after the joyous event, another shocking incident occurred. The High Priest, considered closest to the divine, was discovered having a private meeting with a man in the temple. This blasphemous act sparked widespread condemnation in Nanrui. The furious Emperor imprisoned the High Priest, stripping her of her position and awaiting investigation by the Imperial Historian’s Office, seemingly facing certain death.
Before this controversy could settle, another major corruption case emerged from the Ministry of Personnel, led by Prince Ning Jiang Yunqiao. The high-ranking officials and number of people involved made it the most significant court scandal in Nanrui in nearly a decade. Prince Ning was stripped of her position and confined to her royal residence, severely damaging Yunqiao’s faction.
Yunqiao was trapped in her residence. I wanted to visit her but ultimately didn’t. We were no longer as close as before, and my visit would only be interpreted as a provocation.
I just wanted to know if she had truly tried to harm me by tampering with the golden cup. Although I believed An Jin wouldn’t lie to me, I wondered if there was a misunderstanding. Was the person An Jin sent reliable?
After much consideration, I decided to consult An Jin, but he suggested using this opportunity to deal Jiang Yunqiao a final, devastating blow, ensuring she could never rise again.
An Jin smiled meaningfully, saying, “To achieve great things, one must seize every opportunity. When you need to be ruthless, you can’t leave any room for mercy. Your opponents are like wild grass on the plains – given the slightest chance, they’ll resurrect.”
