the letter in hand."Mother, generals, just now Dugu Xiu sent a letter saying that if I don't hand over Zi Xing, tomorrow they will send Feng Aotiantian one arm."Feng Lingxi handed the letter to her mo..."Xier, how could you say such things again When did this king ever say I would take her as a concubine"

Dugu City grasped her hand, "Since this king has taken you as his consort, there is no intention to take another. Besides, if this king truly wanted to take her as his consort, he wouldn't have married you in the first place. Rest assured, the position of Fourth Royal Consort cannot be taken by anyone, it belongs to you and only you."

Feng Lingxi abruptly retracted her hand and looked at Zhao Mamá beside her, saying faintly, "Let's calculate the time. Mother Concubine should be back soon. Let's go find her."

Looking at her leaving figure, Dugu City felt a sense of loss. Didn't she feel even a little bit touched

He was so open and honest with her, why did she always remain distant and cold

"Fourth Wangye, this palace is not like outside the palace. It's right for Fourth Wangfei to act this way."

Grandma Zhao followed Feng Lingxi's footsteps. This princess was the one favored by Empress Shu, so she naturally treated her with respect and kindness.

"Could they possibly dare to harm Xi'er"

Dugu City frowned, returned to his mother's side, and saw that his mother had already returned and was preparing to go to the banquet. He hurriedly stepped forward to greet her.

"Mother Empress."

Shu Fei glanced at Dugu City and said lightly, "It's getting late, it's time for dinner."

獨孤城應聲，看著母妃拉著兮兒的手，“兮兒，可是有人對你不好？”

Feng Lingxi smiled and shook her head, "Replying to Mother Empress, no one has ever made it difficult for your daughter-in-law."

"Your Majesty, the Princess just encountered Princess Zhaoran. Princess Zhaoran insulted the Princess."

Grand Ma Zhao reported truthfully. Feng Lingxi looked at Grand Ma Zhao, who had been silent the whole time, and hurriedly explained, "Mother concubine, Princess Zhaoran was just speaking out of anger. Don't take it to heart."

"Shufeng listened to her words and said unhappily, “This Zhaoran County Princess is so rude. You're a four-ranking princess anyway, how come you don't know how to retort her Even if something happens, your mother will support you."

"Mother, it's really alright. We don't need to make a big fuss about this."

Since Princess Zhaoran was bestowed by the Emperor himself, she must be favored by him. If she truly offended Princess Zhaoran, she wouldn't know how to deal with her consequences later on.

"Do you think she'll let you off just because you're not making a fuss You'll see later."

Shu Fei's words left Feng Ling Xi speechless. She knew this Zhaoran County Princess was not someone to be trifled with. As long as she didn't push it, she wouldn't want to confront her.

"Mother, Your Majesty's temperament is just like this. Mother need not worry, everything will be taken care of by me."

Dugu Cheng patted Feng Ling's hand, signaling her not to worry. However, he didn't know that she wasn't worried about Princess Zhaoran making things difficult for her, but rather thinking about when she could leave the palace. She disliked the palace struggles and even more so, the restraints it imposed.

"Go to the banquet."

The noble consort brought them to the banquet hall in the imperial garden. Upon seeing her arrival, all the consorts who had come to the feast stepped forward to pay their respects to her, their attitudes very warm and enthusiastic.

"The Emperor and Empress have arrived!"

Shufei led Feng Lingxi and Dugu Cheng in greeting. The emperor smiled broadly, with Zhaoran County Princess by his side. Seeing the triumphant smile on her face, Feng Lingxi's eyes darkened. It seemed this banquet tonight was truly going to be a difficult one.

"Please take your seats. Today is a family dinner, just order whatever you like."

The emperor spoke, and Princess Zhaoran sat beside him, whispering something to the emperor that made him laugh uncontrollably.

Feng Lingxi sat beside Dugu City, intending to keep a low profile and conceal herself. Suddenly, she was called out by name.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Fourth Princess you bestowed upon City Brother is the eldest daughter of General Feng's family. Could you please ask her to perform a program for us It would be great to see the elegance of a young lady from the Feng family."

Shufei looked at Zhaoran Junzhu's smile and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Xi'er has just recovered from a serious illness and married into the Fourth Prince's Mansion. Her body hasn't fully recovered yet. I think it's better to forget about it."

"Imperial Consort Shu, it's been some time since you recovered from your illness. Today is a family banquet, and your body should be almost fully recovered by now."

The Empress spoke, and Princess Zhao-ran immediately agreed, “Yes, I heard about it too! After the Fourth Royal Consort recovered from her illness, she's like a different person entirely. At least let us open our eyes to something new.”

Dugu Cheng looked at Feng Ling Xi's slightly sullen face, got up and bowed to his father.

"Father, you know about A'er's past circumstances. Please don't make things difficult for her."

"Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect to her. As the Fourth Princess Consort, she must possess extraordinary talents. Perhaps she could perform a piece to entertain us"

Feng Lingxi listened as the Empress and Princess Zhao Ran spoke to each other, their words clearly aimed at embarrassing her and creating an opportunity to divorce her from her position as Princess Consort.

If she deliberately made herself ugly to spite them, Consort Mother and Dugu City would surely be embarrassed. If she tried to force her way out, her chances of leaving the Fourth Prince's Mansion would become even smaller.

Since even Shu Fei said that Xi'er hasn't fully recovered, let's just stop.

The Emperor spoke, and the Empress, though she wanted to say something more, could only swallow her words out of respect for his face.

Ever since Consort Shu entered the palace, the Emperor's favor towards her had made all the other concubines dare not speak out. For so many years, the Emperor hadn't tired of that woman. This Consort Shu had always been a thorn in her side.

"Your Majesty, since the Fourth Princess is unwell, perhaps we could have the imperial physician take a look at her. Perhaps she can bear children and continue the lineage of the Fourth Prince's Manor"

The Empress changed the subject, and the atmosphere at the scene froze again. Looking at the Empress like this, Concubine Shu also couldn't hold back her anger.

"Your Majesty, today is a family feast, we should all be happy and enjoy the meal together. As for treating Xia'er, how about letting the imperial physician come to the Fourth Prince's Mansion to treat her tomorrow"

The Empress glanced at the Consort Shu with a smile and said, "Consort Shu, continuing the imperial lineage is a major affair. They say that Miss Feng of the main branch had a high fever before and might have damaged her brain. We don't even know if she has fully recovered. How about we examine her today This way, everyone can rest assured."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that Feng Lingxi was personally betrothed to Cheng'er by my imperial decree. Are you saying that I am old and my eyes are failing that I can't even see clearly who a person is"

The Emperor roared with anger, causing the Empress to scramble to her feet. "Your Majesty," she stammered, "I didn't mean it that way. My concubine…"

"If you don't want to dine, you may go back now."

The Emperor coldly sneered, "Bring the meal."

The Empress bit her lip, glaring viciously at Shufei. That despicable woman, she didn't believe the Emperor could protect her forever.

"Your Majesty, it is all my fault. I shall dance for you, Your Majesty, to ease your boredom."

The county princess Zhao Ran spoke, and the Emperor responded. Only to see County Princess Zhao Ran gracefully dancing in front of everyone, her movements were elegant, just like a fairy who had come out of the world. After one dance, people couldn't take their eyes away.

The Emperor drank a cup of wine and suddenly clutched his chest, fainting. The scene instantly descended into chaos.

"Send for the imperial physician."

The Empress cried out, standing on the side, anxious.

"It's too late."

Feng Lingxi looked at the emperor's face and hurriedly said to Dugu City, "Let me try."k on Xiaoli's situation. Making sure she was alright, she covered her with a blanket and returned to bed. However, this commotion had robbed her of sleep.When the Three Kings entered the capital, the...