After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

Gu Junwan’s birthday was in early February.

At this time last year, Shen Han was executing a bandit suppression mission in Mount Zhixing.

The political situation was in crisis then, so the Empress’s birthday banquet wasn’t held.

This year was different.

The Empress had successfully unified the Federation and rooted out many hidden “tumors.”

In a sense, after experiencing various vicissitudes, the Federation’s regime had been greatly consolidated, and the cohesion of the people was incomparable to before.

Based on this, Gu Junwan’s birthday banquet this year not only had to be held but also had to be grand.

Invitations had been sent out half a month ago.

Among the more than 600 guests, apart from many important figures from the Federation’s political, military, and business circles, there were also presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers from other countries in attendance.

In addition, many top celebrities would also come to congratulate the Empress.

Including the staff, there were several thousand people in total.

And this was the result after Gu Junwan had people specially delete part of the guest list; otherwise, the number would have increased significantly.

The banquet venue was set at the Yusheng Manor, far from the city center.

From 5 a.m., invited guests began to arrive. All day long, various airships shuttled through the sky above the manor.

Shen Han wore a dark military dress uniform with a golden sash across her chest, both elegant and solemn.

The sturdy fabric and proper cut accentuated her already tall figure, making her look even more upright.

All her long hair was tucked into her military cap, highlighting her facial contours and jaw very clearly. The taut and smooth lines had a jade-like beauty.

The banquet’s security was handled by soldiers and special service personnel, and the empress’s exclusive guard team was also among the invited guests.

However, compared to other guests, their status was more special.

So, the team members all wore uniform military dress uniforms, and their discipline was stricter than others.

At 8 p.m., on the eve of the official start of the banquet.

Shen Han led her team members into the venue.

Except for Jiang Xinyue, who had taken leave due to family matters, everyone following her was an Alpha with a straight back.

These people were all exceptionally good-looking with unique temperaments, attracting attention from various quarters as soon as they appeared in the banquet hall.

However, people’s gazes didn’t linger on them for too long.

Because there were simply too many big shots and elites present here today.

“Everyone disperse and enjoy yourselves. It’s the Empress’s birthday today, and we’re not here to work.”

“Just be a bit more careful. People will know our identity from our uniforms. Don’t embarrass the Empress or the Federation.”

After a brief reminder, Shen Han let her teammates disperse.

Only Ning Xi and Ma Haoyu remained by her side.

Ning Xi looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to them anymore, then chuckled softly, “Boss, you’re becoming more and more like the Empress’s partner now. So impressive!”

Ma Haoyu also curiously asked, “Have you given her the gift? Did Her Majesty like it?”

“I haven’t had the chance to give it yet. She’s been busy all day, and there are always people around her. I haven’t had the opportunity to be alone with her.”

“I’ll have to find a place to give her the gift after this banquet ends.”

As Shen Han spoke, she raised her hand and patted the inside pocket of her uniform.

That position held a long, rectangular gift box containing the fountain pen she had personally polished for Gu Junwan.

As the three were talking, several uninvited guests crossed the entire magnificent hall, walking towards Shen Han’s position.

Ma Haoyu’s gaze happened to be facing the banquet hall, and seeing those people’s demeanor, he knew they weren’t coming over for a friendly greeting.

He warned in a low voice, “Boss, there are some ‘guests’ walking towards you. See if you recognize them?”

Hearing this, Shen Han and Ning Xi turned simultaneously.

Looking up, they found that there were quite a few people coming, 12 in total, both men and women, all around 25 years old. They seemed to have come to attend the banquet with their parents.

Recognizing one of them, Shen Han raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s that pretty boy Cao Zikun who still hasn’t given up on Junwan!’

A while ago at the Egret Hotel, Shen Han had left a deep impression on this person.

Now that the pretty boy was coming over with people, looking aggressive, he must be here to settle the score from last time.

Shen Han smiled slightly, and in a voice only the three of them could hear, briefly explained Cao Zikun’s information.

“The one walking in front on the right with somewhat effeminate features is called Cao Zikun. His father is the former Finance Minister. Because he made great contributions in the action to recover the northern region, Junwan didn’t completely remove him. He’s an old fox.”

“Cao Zikun is Junwan’s admirer. I see several Alphas around him who probably are too. They’ve come to pick a fight.”

Ning Xi curiously asked, “But why would he target you? Your romance with the Empress is so secretive.”

Shen Han: “He doesn’t know anything about the romance. It’s just that once, I drove him away from Junwan’s side. I guess that kid has been holding a grudge ever since.”

The facts were indeed as Shen Han had guessed.

Every time Cao Zikun thought about the situation when he went to the Egret Hotel to deliver intelligence to Gu Junwan, he got so angry his teeth hurt.

That night when he left, he was too excited about seeing his goddess to be angry.

After returning home, the more he thought about it, the more furious he became.

‘That guard even ordered Special Assistant Xu to drive me away in the end! Who does she think she is?!’

‘Isn’t she just a bodyguard by the goddess’s side? She really thinks she’s something!’

Cao Zikun knew the guard team would also attend this grand banquet.

In the afternoon, he had already badmouthed her to several other admirers who were similarly infatuated with the Empress.

To successfully provoke conflict, Cao Zikun exaggerated the information he had collected.

“That guard captain always takes advantage of work opportunities to offend the Empress. In the summer, when the Empress went to the disaster area for condolences and encountered muddy roads she couldn’t pass, she actually carried her on her back! And deliberately walked very slowly!”

“And! I heard that once when the guard team was escorting the Empress to the former empress’s residence, when the Northern Commander hadn’t stepped down yet, she was actually playing on her phone while working, not taking the Empress’s safety seriously at all!”

The group of love rivals: “!!!”

Damn! This is too much!

Just because she has military merits, she can disrespect the Empress?

Now, seeing Shen Han, Cao Zikun immediately led the group over.

These people were all children of officials, who normally looked down on each other.

But now that they had a more dislikable target, the love rivals immediately united against a common enemy.

There were many diverse people attending the banquet, and no one would pay special attention to a group of young people chatting.

As long as they didn’t make too much of a commotion, it wouldn’t be a disrespectful situation.

Relying on their greater numbers and their somewhat presentable status, the group was in high spirits as they crossed the banquet hall.

But when they really got close to Shen Han, they involuntarily felt an inexplicable timidity.

The three guards in military dress uniforms before them had such a strong aura, it was a bit scary.

Especially that captain named Shen Han.

She looked quite gentle, but the gleam in her eyes under the brim of her hat was as sharp as a knife.

Remembering the rumors that she had once single-handedly shot and killed an entire team of armed bandits in the forest, their hearts began to beat uncontrollably.

That feeling of being stared at by a fierce beast made the hair on their arms and necks stand on end.

Cao Zikun was the first to come to his senses.

He secretly pinched himself, cleared his throat, and said with a straight face, “Captain Shen!”

His voice immediately brought the others out of their dazed state.

Shen Han withdrew her gaze and said coolly, “What can I do for you?”

This was her wife’s birthday banquet, and she didn’t want to make the atmosphere tense.

Without the fear of being dominated by the “death stare,” Cao Zikun’s courage temporarily recovered somewhat.

He spoke directly, “Captain Shen, we didn’t come over to cause trouble-”

Before he could finish, Ma Haoyu retorted, “Cause trouble? Do you have the guts? I see your faces are almost purple with fear.”

Cao Zikun glanced at him sideways without responding, and continued to look at Shen Han with furrowed brows, “We hope you can strengthen your sense of mission and responsibility, better serve Her Majesty loyally, and not be lazy or do things beyond your job responsibilities!”

The speech he had originally prepared wasn’t this; it was words mixed with intimidation and mockery.

However, facing the extremely intimidating Shen Han, he couldn’t muster any harsh words, so he changed his approach on the spot.

Cao Zikun was quite cunning.

His words took the moral high ground to lecture Shen Han. Whether she argued or got angry, it would count as a small victory for Cao Zikun!

Shen Han thought for a moment, then said to him, “The way you were just focused on speaking-”

Hearing this, everyone around perked up their ears, ready to grasp the key points so they could better counter!

Shen Han continued, “You looked like a master applying screen protectors at the subway entrance.”

Cao Zikun: “???”

Ning Xi: “Pfft!”

Ma Haoyu: “Top-tier screen protector master?”

The Alphas who had come with Cao Zikun all had strange expressions.

They felt like laughing inside but didn’t dare to actually laugh out loud.

Cao Zikun’s face turned green.

Just as he was wracking his brains for a comeback, the front of the banquet hall suddenly became bustling.

The absolute protagonist of tonight, the Empress, had arrived!

The venue where everyone was gathered was a spacious, pillarless luxurious banquet hall.

Crystal chandeliers weighing several tons hung down from the dome, with colors like pearls and jade. Looking up, it was like a dazzling galaxy.

Under the starry sky, Gu Junwan, wearing a white dress, slowly appeared before everyone, accompanied by Tang Yucai.

Her long hair was slightly pinned up, neat yet stunning.

A string of pearl necklace adorned her swan-like long, fair neck. Apart from this, there were no other accessories like earrings or rings, yet she was still breathtakingly beautiful, making people’s hearts race.

Gu Junwan’s hands and forearms were covered in white silk gloves, looking sacred and noble.

She lightly held her Alpha mother’s arm, nodding slightly to everyone, like an elegant beauty stepping out of a painting!