A flash of light, a fleeting glint of the blade, almost imperceptible.

Qiu Shiyi Niang didn't notice it either. Seeing the Empress taking her side, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief, tears streaming down her face as she repeatedly kowtowed to Empress Zhou to express her gratitude.

Sixth Princess Xie Ruizhi, seeing Qiu Shiyi Niang in such a state, revealed a hint of disdain in her eyes.

But quickly, she lowered her gaze again, restoring her previous timid expression, and gave the Empress a light bow, saying in a crisp voice, "Mother Empress, if there's nothing else, this child and my sisters will go play in the garden."

"Go on," Empress Zhou waved her hand, her stern face instantly becoming kind and gentle.

Then, she added a sentence that was both stern and weak.

"Ruizhi, and also Fourth and Eldest Daughter-in-law, you must all remember, not a single word of what happened in Fengzao Palace today can be spread."

"If anyone dares to talk nonsense, this Palace will not spare them lightly."

Her benevolent face revealed no hint of threat, yet there was an imposing air that made everyone feel intimidated.

Led by Xie Ruizhi and You Wanwan, they all kowtowed and then stepped out of Fengzao Palace.

On the palace road, the winter sun shone.

A thin layer of golden light lightly sprinkled on Xie Jin's face, beneath his high, straight nose, his tightly pressed thin lips seemed to have been carved by a master craftsman, perfect and dazzling.

Yu Qingwu walked beside the man, staring at him fixedly for a moment, and couldn't help but open her mouth, asking in a low voice, "Your Highness, why did you today..."

"Why did I make it impossible for Qiu to save face?" Hearing this, Xie Jin stopped and turned to look at her.

Their eyes met, and deep whirlpools swirled within his profound pupils, as if trying to draw her in.

He smiled lightly, raised his hand to gently stroke her hair, and said tenderly, "That Qiu clearly wanted to give you, Senior Sister, a hard time, so I naturally had to let her know what the consequences are for bullying my wife."

Wife…

That title again.

These two words were like ripples of warm water, touching Yu Qingwu's heartstrings.

Qingwu had to admit that although Xie Jin was capricious, he could easily make a woman's heart flutter if he wanted to.

Raising her eyes to look at the man's dark pupils, her heart couldn't help but tremble, but she forced herself to remain calm and asked him with some concern, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid that Xie Qiyun will use this to turn the tables on you in front of His Majesty, since you've so blatantly thrown mud at him?"

Turn the tables on him?

If he was afraid that Xie Qiyun would use this to cause trouble, he wouldn't have said those words.

Besides… his Mother Empress was no pushover.

Xie Jin narrowed his eyes slightly and replied to Qingwu with a faint smile, "Senior Sister, don't worry, he won't have the chance."

"With things having escalated to this point, Mother Empress can still distinguish what's important. She wouldn't truly convict me for the sake of protecting Qiu, would she? If that You Wanwan uses this to cause trouble, Mother Empress knows who should be sacrificed."

"By the way, Senior Sister, when did you learn to make rouge? And how did you create so many colors?"

After speaking, Xie Jin changed the subject and asked Qingwu softly.

Hearing this, Qingwu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a touch of sadness flashed in her beautiful eyes.

After a pause, she responded softly, "My master taught me…"

Mentioning her master, Yu Qingwu's face also darkened.

Her master had taught her many things, many abilities that were enough to allow her to stand on her own in this world, even shine brightly, but who would have thought that these abilities were merely her capital to become someone's favored concubine.

"My master taught me more than just these things. Taming beasts, taming inchworms, taming birds and animals, and also brewing tea and wine, arranging flowers…"

And… the art of shattering hearts…

Yu Qingwu didn't say the last sentence.

As she spoke, her voice gradually faded, and her eyelids also drooped.

Xie Jin felt heartache as he watched, and he also felt a little discomfort.

He was silent for a moment, then reached out and pulled her into his arms, teasingly calling out to her, "What kind of expression is this, Senior Sister? What is it? Do you feel wronged that your master gave you to me?"

"This concubine… didn't mean that," Yu Qingwu concealed the loneliness in her eyes, looked up at Xie Jin, and changed the subject, asking him, "Your Highness, where are we going now?"

"First to pay respects to Father Emperor, then to drink tea and chat with my imperial brothers."

Xie Jin smiled. After speaking, he took her hand and passed through a palace gate.

Turning and twisting, passing through countless palace gates and corridors, they finally stopped outside Daming Palace.

Stepping in again, they arrived outside Zichen Hall.

Xie Jin knelt down and said with a smile to the eunuch at the door, "Eunuch Yu, please report our arrival."

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, the Crown Prince," Eunuch Yu nodded slightly and stepped into Zichen Hall.

In a short while, he came out again and bowed to Xie Jin and Yu Qingwu, saying, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Consort Yu, His Majesty summons you in."

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Yu." Xie Jin patted Eunuch Yu on the shoulder, rarely showing such a gentle expression.

Eunuch Yu remained calm in the face of favor or disgrace, only gave Xie Jin a light salute, and then stood aside respectfully.

Yu Qingwu raised her eyes and glanced at him. A delicate and beautiful face came into view. His skin was fair, and his lips were pale, but it didn't affect his beauty in the slightest. For some reason, Yu Qingwu felt that this Eunuch Yu looked somewhat familiar, and she inexplicably felt a sense of closeness, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

Before entering, she couldn't help but steal another glance at Eunuch Yu.

Eunuch Yu seemed to notice something and gave her a gentle smile. Yu Qingwu quickly withdrew her gaze.

"Is he good-looking?" At this moment, Xie Jin's mocking voice suddenly came from her ear, carrying a hint of displeasure, and he coldly snorted, "Do you want me to call Eunuch Yu in so you can stare at him to your heart's content?"

"…" He's even jealous of a eunuch, this man…

Yu Qingwu pursed her lips and explained in a low voice, "This concubine just feels that Eunuch Yu looks quite familiar, as if I've seen him somewhere before."

"Do you want me to ask him if he's ever seen you?" Xie Jin said sarcastically, sounding like he was jealous, but in his eyes, there was a faint smile.

Yu Qingwu couldn't figure out his thoughts, gave him a glare, and stopped talking.

Xie Jin glanced at her, continued walking forward, and said, "Eunuch Yu and I are on good terms, you'll have plenty of opportunities to see him in the future."

As they spoke, the two had already reached the inner hall.

Emperor Wei Jing was already sitting on the couch in the hall, with a book in his hand.

Seeing Xie Jin and Yu Qingwu enter, he put it down.

"This son greets Father Emperor." Xie Jin pulled Yu Qingwu forward to kowtow.

Emperor Wei Jing remained seated, gently waved his hand at them, and said lazily, "Rise."

Yu Qingwu stood up with great trepidation, cautiously stealing glances at Emperor Wei Jing's appearance.

What came into view was an extremely handsome face. Although he was already in his forties, it was clear that his features were excellent, and his temperament was even more outstanding. His lazy posture was very similar to Xie Jin.

"Father Emperor, this is Consort Yu, you haven't met her yet. Today, this son specially brought her to pay her respects to you." Xie Jin glanced at Emperor Wei Jing and said very respectfully.

Hearing this, Emperor Wei Jing didn't answer, only 'hmmed' and narrowed his eyes to size up Yu Qingwu.

"Fifth, how does it seem to Us… that this Consort Yu looks very familiar? As if We've seen her somewhere before."