Ridiculous.
She had never heard such a preposterous statement.
Cui Jintang's face darkened. Just as she was about to retort, she heard Pei Zhaolin say,
"I did personally ask the Emperor for this imperial edict of betrothal."
His voice was not loud, but it was as clear as the sound of a golden chime striking a jade staircase, sending a chill down Cui Jintang's spine.
After he finished speaking, his wrist sank, and his eyes drooped quietly.
Cui Jintang let out a sneer, her words full of sarcasm. "Lord Pei sure changes his heart quickly."
Pei Zhaolin frowned slightly, then quickly returned to normal.
As if he had not heard Cui Jintang's sarcasm.
Xie Rou's willow-leaf eyebrows were tightly knitted.
She said meaningfully, "Lord Pei, don't you have anything else to say?"
Pei Zhaolin was silent for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, I have nothing else to say."
Just as Xie Rou was about to ask further, the Emperor impatiently interrupted her.
"Look at them, Your Majesty. They are so deeply in love and inseparable. What's so strange about it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Xiang immediately knelt down beside Pei Zhaolin.
Tears rolled down Luo Xiang's face. She pleaded, "Please, Your Majesty and Miss Cui, spare the two of us!"
It seemed as if she was eager to move on from this topic.
The Emperor loudly rebuked, "Why have you become so unreasonable?"
These words were like a knife, cutting a piece of flesh from Xie Rou's heart.
Xie Rou's face was full of disbelief. "Does Your Majesty really think of me like this?"
It would be a waste of breath to continue this entanglement.
The Emperor flung his sleeves and stood up abruptly.
The Emperor was furious, and no one dared to say a word.
"I still have memorials to review. Your Majesty, rest well. Don't mention this matter again!"
With that, he slammed the door and strode away.
Even the Crown Prince, whom he had been so concerned about just now, didn't receive a second look.
Xie Rou staggered. Cui Jintang rushed forward to support her.
But Luo Xiang wasn't satisfied. She kowtowed to Xie Rou while crying loudly. "Luo Xiang thanks Your Majesty for sparing us!"
These words were like salt on a wound.
Xie Rou's face turned as white as paper. She suddenly coughed violently.
Her head tilted to one side, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
Cui Jintang didn't even turn around. "Get out! All of you, get out!"
Pei Zhaolin first bowed.
But Luo Xiang still seemed dissatisfied. She added fuel to the fire. "I know Miss Cui is angry, but you can't go against morality..."
Before she could finish, Pei Zhaolin struck the back of her neck. Her eyes closed, and she fainted completely.
With a "thud", Luo Xiang fell to the ground.
Pei Zhaolin took a step forward. It was obvious that he wanted to say something. "Tangtang, Luo Xiang today..."
"Can't you hear me? I told you to get out!"
In her rage, Cui Jintang had lost her senses.
She slapped Pei Zhaolin hard across the face. Instantly, a red handprint appeared.
All Cui Jintang could think about was the scene of Xie Rou spitting blood. In her panic, she shouted towards the door, "Zhu San!"
The next moment, Zhu San burst into the room, but Pei Zhaolin blocked his way.
Zhu San quickly bypassed him, put down his medicine box, and began to administer acupuncture to Xie Rou.
The entire Fengyi Palace was in a flurry. Only Pei Zhaolin stood there like an outsider.
He reached up and touched his burning face.
Watching Cui Jintang's figure getting farther and farther away from him.
Pei Zhaolin lowered his eyes, and his fingers hidden in his sleeves tightened.
Forget it.
All he had done today, after everything was over, Tangtang would surely understand his good intentions.
It was just a temporary misunderstanding.
It didn't matter.
Having made up his mind, Pei Zhaolin stepped out of the Fengyi Palace.
The entire Fengyi Palace was in chaos because of Xie Rou, who had suddenly spat blood and fainted. Luo Xiang, who was lying on the ground, was kicked awake before someone noticed her.
Luo Xiang quickly grabbed a maid's hand. Covering her neck, she angrily demanded, "Where is Pei Zhaolin?!"
The maid was still busy sending the prescription, so she immediately shook off Luo Xiang's hand.
Leaving behind a sentence, "Lord Pei has already left the palace!"
She then rushed away.
Luo Xiang stood there, feeling like a laughingstock.
In a hurry, she covered her face with her sleeve and limped out of the Fengyi Palace.
-
In the imperial study.
Qi Xutao, who had been waiting for the Emperor for a long time, was pacing back and forth anxiously.
As soon as she arrived at the imperial study, she heard that the imperial concubine had given birth prematurely, and the Emperor had rushed to the Fengyi Palace.
Just as Qi Xutao was about to go, the guards in the imperial study stopped her.
"Your Highness, the Emperor's oral order is for you to wait here for him."
Qi Xutao barely managed to suppress her panic and waited for two incense sticks' worth of time.
"Creak..."
There was a strange noise from the door behind her.
Qi Xutao quickly stood up and looked. When she saw that it was Xue Wuyou, her face instantly changed.
"Why is it you again?"
Lately, Xue Wuyou seemed to have taken the wrong medicine!
First, he tried every means to pester her and compete with her in martial arts, which made her have no time to meet potential suitors.
Then, when they stopped competing, he still pestered her all day long.
Wherever she went, Xue Wuyou would appear.
Xue Wuyou let out two giggles. He found a comfortable position and leaned lazily on the chair.
He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. His eyes lit up. "This tea is good."
Then he handed the cup to Qi Xutao. "You must be thirsty after waiting for so long."
Unexpectedly, Qi Xutao knocked the tea to the ground.
Xue Wuyou was stunned. He looked down at the broken porcelain on the ground, somewhat puzzled.
"Do you dislike me?"
"But when we were competing in the desert, when we were tired, we could share a pot of wine..."
Qi Xutao directly interrupted him. "I barely regarded you as a half-friend back then. But now, you're causing me a lot of trouble."
Just as she finished speaking, the door of the imperial study was slammed open.
Qi Xutao immediately turned around, ignoring the Emperor's gloomy face.
She rushed forward and demanded, "Brother Emperor, why did you betroth Luo Xiang to Pei Zhaolin? Luo Xiang is your person, right? What on earth are you trying to do?"
"Slap!"
Qi Xutao covered her face and turned to look at the Emperor in disbelief. "Brother Emperor, you, you hit me?"
"Since childhood, you've never hit me once. You hit your own sister for Luo Xiang?"
The Emperor gasped heavily.
He glanced at Xue Wuyou standing behind Qi Xutao, then barely showed a better expression.
"Making a racket all day long. Where is there any dignity of a princess? You're not young anymore. You'll get married soon. Don't be so impulsive in the future!"
Qi Xutao's face changed. She put down her hand and angrily said, "I only want to go to the battlefield and defend the country!"
"What does a mere woman know about defending the country!"
Qi Xutao's face was full of disbelief.
The Emperor forced a gentle smile. "I've found several etiquette tutors for you. They'll teach you proper etiquette so that you won't disgrace our Yan Kingdom when you marry into the Shu Kingdom in the future!"