Only at this moment did Jiafu suddenly realize that in her previous life, the person behind Noble Consort Liang’s misfortune might not have been Consort Zhu who committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Most likely, it was the elegant woman sitting across from her now, smiling at her.

The wine in her cup was golden yellow. When she picked it up and gently swirled it, it seemed as if there were fragments of gold floating inside. It looked the same as the cup of the Duchess of Qin beside her.

She didn’t know what drug Zhang Fengtong had put in this cup of wine specially prepared for her. Whatever it was, she knew she absolutely could not drink it.

Beside her, the Duchess of Qin and others followed Zhang Fengtong in standing up to offer birthday wishes. The other ladies at the table followed suit. Jiafu also slowly stood up, looking at Zhang Fengtong, lifting her wine cup. Watching for the brief moment when Zhang Fengtong drank and her gaze left her, she brought the cup to her lips. With a slight bend of her wrist, using her large sleeve as cover, she poured the entire cup of wine down her sleeve.

Though it was summer and the fabric was not as thick as winter clothing, on such an occasion, the attire worn had at least three layers, which was essential. The wine quickly soaked into the inner and middle layers. Though her outer robe was azure, there was some seepage at the bottom of her sleeve, but when Jiafu lowered her arm, it was completely concealed, and those around her noticed nothing.

After drinking, Zhang Fengtong glanced at the empty cup in front of Jiafu, smiled slightly, and sat down. With this, the birthday feast officially began.

Jiafu remained composed, engaging in quiet conversation with the Duchess of Qin beside her. From time to time, guests would come individually to pay their respects to Zhang Fengtong. Jiafu noticed that despite being busy, Zhang Fengtong would occasionally glance in her direction. She pretended not to notice.

Gradually, Zhang Fengtong seemed to become somewhat impatient. After dismissing a flattering lady who had come to speak with her, she gave a signal to the palace attendant behind her. The attendant understood and came forward again, picking up the wine pot and repeating the process, pouring wine for everyone at the table as before. When it came to Jiafu’s cup, the same technique was used, all clearly observed by Jiafu.

This woman was truly pushing too hard. One cup was not enough; thinking perhaps the potency of the drug was insufficient, she repeated the same trick, wanting Jiafu to drink a second cup of wine.

Anger gradually surged within Jiafu. When Zhang Fengtong raised her cup again to toast to her mother, and everyone at the table joined in the toast, she too picked up her wine cup but then set it down, pretending to feel dizzy and holding her forehead.

The Duchess of Qin beside her noticed something was wrong with Jiafu and quickly asked.

Jiafu slowly opened her eyes and apologetically said, “I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my stomach and some blurred vision… I feel somewhat dizzy…”

The Duchess of Qin asked with concern, “Do you normally drink wine?”

Jiafu seemed severely dizzy, covering her face with both hands and shaking her head: “Very rarely…”

The Duchess of Qin smiled: “That explains it. I think you’re a bit drunk. I drink often, and as soon as I tasted it, I knew this wine was expertly brewed, and more potent than what I usually drink. It seems you can’t handle alcohol.”

Jiafu apologetically smiled and looked toward Zhang Fengtong: “I fear if I drink any more, I might embarrass myself on the spot, which would not be good. Let me substitute tea for wine to wish Lady Zhang a happy birthday…”

There was a teapot ready at the table. Jiafu picked it up and turned to ask the maid standing behind for a new cup. She poured tea, but her hand seemed to weaken, and she couldn’t hold the teapot steady—it slipped from her grasp.

The Duchess of Qin laughed: “You are drunk! Here, let me pour for you. Quickly drink some tea to sober up.”

Zhang Fengtong observed Jiafu for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: “It seems Madam Pei indeed cannot handle alcohol. Just one cup, and she’s already like this. It wouldn’t be good to let you get completely drunk. Tea instead of wine is fine too. Have some more food, and after you recover, you’ll surely feel better.” As she raised her wine cup and was about to drink with everyone, a small eunuch suddenly entered the birthday hall from outside and announced in a drawn-out voice: “His Majesty has sent a birthday plaque and two peaches. Kneel to receive them.”

The hall, previously filled with laughter and chatter, suddenly fell quiet upon hearing the palace messenger’s arrival. Lady Zhang, who had been flitting like a butterfly around the hall encouraging guests to enjoy themselves, was overjoyed at this unexpected honor and quickly led people out to welcome the gifts.

Zhang Fengtong also put down her wine cup and hurriedly went toward the hall entrance. All the female guests in the birthday hall, along with all the maids, old women, and wives standing at attention, followed her out in a rush.

In an instant, everyone at the table had left, leaving only Jiafu behind.

Jiafu looked at the cup of wine in front of her, then glanced at the cup of wine that Zhang Fengtong had just picked up but set down without drinking. Her heart beating rapidly, she picked it up and quickly moved around the table, swiftly exchanging the wine cups. She composed herself before hurriedly following the others, joining them in kneeling to receive the gifts.

The eunuch who had been sent was Cui Yinshui. He entered with a smile, announced the imperial decree, and then several small eunuchs carried in the birthday plaque and peaches, placing them on the birthday table, adding glory to the hall. Only then did Zhang Fengtong and Lady Zhang lead everyone to rise. Lady Zhang thanked Cui Yinshui for his trouble and invited him to stay for wine, but he waved his hand, offered a few congratulatory words to Lady Zhang, and left with the small eunuchs.

After Lady Zhang returned from seeing them off, the guests had all returned to their seats. The atmosphere was even more lively than before. Lady Zhang was needless to say extremely pleased. Zhang Fengtong, listening to the compliments from the ladies at her table, also had a smile in her eyes as she raised her wine cup. The ladies all followed suit.

Jiafu watched as Zhang Fengtong drank that cup of wine. She picked up her tea and slowly took a sip.

The birthday feast continued. At this time, the sound of gongs and drums began, and on the stage set up across a pool outside the birthday hall, the opera performance began. They were performing “Five Daughters Pay Birthday Respects.”

Jiafu continued to appear as if she couldn’t handle alcohol, but aside from this, she showed no other signs of distress.

Zhang Fengtong alternated between chatting with the ladies seated near her and occasionally glancing at Jiafu.

Jiafu knew she must be thoroughly confused by now. She pretended to be captivated by the opera, facing the direction of the stage with the Duchess of Qin beside her, listening to the performance and conversing in low tones.

“The Crown Prince has arrived—”

The opera on stage was in full swing when another eunuch entered and loudly announced.

The atmosphere in the birthday hall was pushed to its peak for the evening.

Lady Zhang was overjoyed, quickly turning her head to look at her daughter. Zhang Fengtong initially seemed somewhat incredulous, freezing for a moment before her face lit up with joy. She hurriedly stood up and went out to welcome him.

As before, everyone in the hall rose to follow and greet him. When Xiao Yintang, dressed in the bright yellow robes of the Crown Prince, appeared at the entrance of the birthday hall, all the female guests either greeted or bowed to him, and the actors on stage also stopped their performance and knelt.

Xiao Yintang wore a smile, his gaze sweeping across the people in the hall, quickly spotting Jiafu standing behind the Duchess of Qin. His gaze fell on her and lingered slightly before he said: “No need for formalities. I have come simply to wish my mother-in-law a happy birthday, so there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

Back in Wuding, Lady Zhang had known that her daughter did not have Xiao Yintang’s favor. Tonight, on her birthday, she hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to personally come and offer birthday wishes. Not wanting to put her daughter in an awkward position, she hadn’t mentioned such a possibility to her at all. She never imagined that the Crown Prince would give her such a face. How could she not be beaming with joy?

Without waiting for Xiao Yintang to complete his greeting to her, she hurried forward and affectionately helped him up.

Zhang Fengtong’s father and several brothers also rushed over upon hearing the news. Since the hall was filled with female guests, it wasn’t appropriate for them to linger. After Xiao Yintang finished offering birthday wishes to his mother-in-law, he was invited to sit in another hall. Intentionally or not, his gaze swept over Jiafu once more before he left.

First, the Emperor had bestowed a birthday plaque and peaches, and then the Crown Prince had personally come to offer birthday wishes. After the ladies were seated again, the compliments directed at Zhang Fengtong were endless.

Zhang Fengtong was naturally all smiles at first, but gradually, her complexion seemed to change. Her face flushed red as if she were dizzy, and she leaned to the side, supporting her forehead with her hand.

Sitting beside her was the mother of the Duke of Zhu, who quickly reached out to support her.

The ladies at the table finally noticed that something was wrong with her and stopped talking. The palace attendant also noticed the Crown Princess’s unusual state and hurriedly called for Lady Zhang.

Lady Zhang hurriedly left her guests and came over. Seeing her daughter’s flushed face and glazed eyes staring straight ahead, sitting motionless as if drunk, she was alarmed and quickly came to support her, asking softly: “Fengtong, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhang Fengtong didn’t seem to hear. She suddenly turned her head, her eyes fixed on the direction of the opera stage.

On the stage, they were performing a scene where the poor scholar Zou Yinglong, who had achieved the highest academic honor, was making a passionate declaration of unwavering loyalty to his humble wife through all seasons. Zhang Fengtong stared intently for a moment, her eyes growing wider, her gaze increasingly confused. Suddenly, she let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Lady Zhang finally realized that something was seriously wrong with her daughter. She hurriedly called for someone to help take her back to her room, but unexpectedly, Zhang Fengtong suddenly pushed her away. Unprepared, she stumbled back several steps and nearly fell.

“Stop it, all of you stop! You actors, what nonsense are you singing to deceive people? Where in the world is there such a devoted husband? It’s all lies!”

Zhang Fengtong pushed Lady Zhang away and turned to shout at the actors on stage, her voice full of disgust.

The actors were in the midst of their heartfelt performance when the Crown Princess suddenly erupted in fury, accusing them. They were all frightened, hastily stopping and kneeling in panic.

The entire birthday hall instantly fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Zhang Fengtong, who suddenly appeared drunk and deranged, in shock and uncertainty.

Lady Zhang was horrified, not understanding why her daughter had suddenly lost her composure. She hurriedly approached her again, whispering in her ear: “Fengtong! What’s wrong with you? Wake up!”

Zhang Fengtong’s eyes were red. She turned to look at Lady Zhang, staring at her for a long while before tears suddenly streamed down her face. She choked out: “Mother, my heart is bitter, don’t you know?”

Lady Zhang knew her daughter must be drunk to the point of incoherence. She turned and saw countless gazes directed at them. Suppressing her shame and anger, she forced a smile and said: “The Crown Princess must have had too much to drink and has lost her composure. I apologize for the offense. I’ll take her to rest first…” She signaled to those beside her, who supported Zhang Fengtong, urgently trying to lead her out.

Zhang Fengtong struggled violently, screaming continuously, not allowing anyone to touch her. With a crash, her wide palace robe sleeve swept several bowls and dishes off the table, along with the wine pot, all falling to the ground and shattering. She gritted her teeth, fixed her gaze on the mother of the Duke of Zhu beside her who was frozen in shock, and suddenly reached out, actually grabbing her by the throat. While throttling the old woman’s head and shaking it violently, she laughed loudly: “Cao, you should have died long ago! Do you think that after climbing into the Crown Prince’s bed a few times, he likes you? How dare you be disrespectful to me! You fool, let me tell you, the Crown Prince desires Pei You’an’s woman! That vixen surnamed Zhen! You pitiful wretch, you deserve to be strangled to death by the Crown Prince!”

Everyone in the hall was shocked, staring in disbelief. When they came to their senses, they all turned to look at Jiafu.

Jiafu’s heart was racing.

She had switched that cup of wine with Zhang Fengtong’s because she had been provoked, merely wanting to give her a taste of her own medicine, to go with the flow and administer a slight punishment. Zhang Fengtong would never have imagined that she had lived two lives and knew the secret of that teapot. Even if she were to think about it later, she could never suspect that the wine had been switched by her—she would only think the palace attendant had poured the wrong wine.

But Jiafu hadn’t anticipated that the drugged wine would have such a terrifying effect. After drinking it, Zhang Fengtong completely lost her mind, not only revealing the inside story of the recent death in the Eastern Palace but also dragging Jiafu into it.

The spacious birthday hall was as silent as a grave, with only the cold, hoarse laughter of Zhang Fengtong and the desperate struggling sounds of the old Duchess of Qin, whose throat she was clutching.

Lady Zhang was horrified. She and others forcefully tried to pry Zhang Fengtong’s hands away, but unexpectedly, her grip was extraordinarily strong. After a great struggle, they finally freed the old duchess, whose eyes had already begun to roll back. As soon as her throat was released, the old woman collapsed to the ground, fainting. The ladies nearby rushed forward in panic—some pounding her chest, others rubbing her back. Meanwhile, Zhang Fengtong had been restrained by servants who were forcibly dragging her out of the birthday hall. She struggled fiercely. Lady Zhang, fearing she might say more nonsensical things, tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but was bitten hard. Lady Zhang cried out in pain and withdrew her hand.

“Mother, my heart is bitter! Why do even you treat me this way—”

Zhang Fengtong’s eyes were bloodshot. She cried and laughed, appearing completely deranged. She reached out and clutched a table leg tightly, not letting go. The entire table was dragged forward as people tried to pull her away. The scraping sound of the table corner against the floor was accompanied by dishes falling and soup splashing. The ladies screamed in alarm. In the struggle, one of her palace shoes flew off—far from the dignified appearance she had presented earlier.

No one had any desire to continue drinking or eating. Everyone in the hall gathered around—some trying to mediate, others discussing the situation. Amid this chaos, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the birthday hall. Everyone turned to see the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess’s two brothers rushing in. Seeing the situation, their faces changed dramatically. They pushed through the crowd, came forward—one firmly pinching Zhang Fengtong’s mouth shut, the other forcibly bending her arms back—and quickly had her carried out.

Xiao Yintang’s face was ashen. He glanced at Jiafu standing at the back of the crowd and forced himself to say to everyone: “She is drunk. What she just said was all nonsense. I apologize for the shock.” With that, he hurriedly left.

Though Zhang Fengtong had been taken away, the birthday hall remained in chaos. The old duchess whom she had just throttled had finally regained consciousness. Her family members, having rushed over upon hearing the news, showed displeasure after seeing the situation. They reluctantly listened to Lady Zhang’s apologies and explanations before supporting the old duchess and leaving.

The feast could not continue. Lady Zhang, sweating profusely, stood there, her face alternating between red and white, as she struggled to make excuses for her daughter’s loss of composure.

The ladies gradually recovered from their earlier shock. They knew that tonight’s incident was ugly and truly appalling, but they pretended nothing had happened and went along with Lady Zhang’s explanation, saying that the Crown Princess must have been exhausted from recent events and had too much to drink tonight, thus temporarily losing her composure.

One after another, people began to take their leave. The Zhang family servants saw them out but without their earlier spirit. Each was uneasy, with expressions as if in mourning, making constant mistakes.

Jiafu felt somewhat regretful and also quite fearful.

If she hadn’t been forewarned and prepared, she would surely have drunk that cup of wine tonight. Had she done so, it was truly hard to imagine what embarrassment she might have caused.

She couldn’t help but shudder.

Someone tugged at her garment from the side. She turned to see Second Lady Meng giving her a look, leaning close and whispering: “You’an has sent someone to say he’s waiting outside to take us home. Let’s go.”

Jiafu turned around and saw Lady Xin casting a cold glance at her.

Zhang Fengtong had brought this upon herself and had greatly embarrassed herself, but Jiafu also felt somewhat ashamed. Under the watchful gazes of those behind her, she silently followed them out of the birthday hall, arriving at a wrought iron gate separating the inner and outer courtyards. She saw Pei You’an standing there, his figure motionless, and felt increasingly uneasy.

Given how major the incident in the birthday hall had been, he must have heard about it.

Zhang Fengtong’s madness, publicly stating that the Crown Prince coveted Jiafu, was undoubtedly humiliating for Pei You’an as her husband.

Jiafu passed by him, somewhat afraid to look at his expression, and slightly lowered her head.

She heard him tell Lady Xin and Second Lady Meng that he had just returned from the palace and, knowing they had gone to the Zhang family banquet and had nothing else to do, had come to escort them back.

His tone sounded no different from usual.

Jiafu secretly raised her eyes and met his gaze directed at her. Not daring to look closely, she quickly lowered her head again and remained silent. At the door, she boarded her carriage, and Pei You’an mounted his horse. Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Fengtong’s father hurriedly rushed out from the main gate, calling: “Master Pei, please wait!”

Pei You’an turned his head, glanced, and dismounted.

Zhang’s father led Pei You’an to a secluded area near the gatehouse, where no one else was present.

“Does Elder Zhang have something else to discuss?” Pei You’an asked.

Zhang’s father was highly respected and elderly. Zhang Fengtong was his youngest daughter, so in court, everyone respectfully addressed him as Elder Zhang.

Zhang’s father no longer maintained his usual demeanor. His face showed embarrassment. Before he spoke, he bowed deeply to Pei You’an and said apologetically: “I am here to apologize to Master Pei on behalf of the Crown Princess. Tonight she was drunk and lost her mind, speaking nonsense. Not only did she slander the Crown Prince, but she also offended both Master Pei and his wife. This is truly the result of my failure to properly educate my daughter. Tonight I will go to the palace to confess my fault to His Majesty. There is no excuse for my guilt! But here, I hope Master Pei will be magnanimous and not take offense. On behalf of my entire family, I am profoundly grateful!” As he spoke, he bowed deeply again.

Pei You’an’s tone was polite but quite cold. He merely said: “The Crown Princess was naturally speaking nonsense while drunk. If Elder Zhang wishes to confess to His Majesty, it would be best to go quickly. I fear the palace gates will soon close if you delay.”

He gave a slight bow to Zhang’s father and turned to leave.