The Empress Dowager froze, then said angrily, "Meng Jiangming, you are forcing my hand."
Meng Jiangming raised his head and looked at the Empress Dowager with clear, cold eyes. "Your Majesty, when have I ever forced you? Have you not been forcing me all along? If I cannot protect the people around me, I can only share their punishment."
The Empress Dowager clutched the handkerchief in her hand tightly and said coldly, "Meng Jiangming, are you sure you want to defy me for a mere servant?"
"Your Majesty, why can't you let Xiao Yue go? What wrong has he done to make you insist on punishing him?" Meng Jiangming asked.
The Empress Dowager said angrily, "His greatest mistake was coming to the Ningguo Duke's manor and delaying your marriage."
Meng Jiangming looked up and said word by word, "Your Majesty, I believe you are mistaken. My not marrying is because I cannot forget Princess Xingyue, what does it have to do with his lowly servant?"
"Meng Jiangming." This time, the Empress Dowager was truly furious.
Meng Jiangming slowly kowtowed his head to the ground. "If I have offended Your Majesty in any way, I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
"Meng Jiangming, very well. You are capable. You have forced my hand like this," the Empress Dowager said, gritting her teeth.
Meng Jiangming remained kneeling, motionless.
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly and said, "Let's go."
Zi Luo was startled and quickly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, what about that servant..."
The Empress Dowager looked at Zi Luo coldly and said, "Do you not understand what I say?"
Zi Luo trembled all over and quickly said, "You all hurry back."
The young eunuch released Xiao Yue and returned to his position.
As the Empress Dowager's palanquin passed Xue Xingyue, Xue Xingyue felt as if daggers were being aimed at her back. Her gaze was sharp and piercing.
She lowered her head, remaining still. Only when the gaze moved away from her did she lift her head, watching the retreating figures with a profound deepening of her gaze.
"Get up!" Meng Jiangming stood up and said calmly.
Xue Xingyue nodded and said, "Thank you, Fuma, for saving my life."
Meng Jiangming heard this and said, "This Fuma did it not for you."
Xue Xingyue said, "This junior knows their place."
Meng Jiangming felt as if he had been cornered. He turned his head away and said, "You are not allowed to run around the palace from now on. This time, this Fuma arrived in time. The next time, be careful of your head."
"Yes, Fuma Ye," Xue Xingyue replied.
The next time? It would likely not come.
Suddenly, a young eunuch approached from not far away and, bowing beside Meng Jiangming, whispered, "Fuma Ye, His Majesty is still waiting for you."
Meng Jiangming heard this, glanced at Xue Xingyue, and said, "Go back and inform His Majesty that this Fuma is feeling unwell and will be returning to the manor."
After speaking, Meng Jiangming walked towards the palace gate.
After a few steps, he realized that the person behind him had not followed. He said, "What? Do you still want to stay in the palace?"
Xue Xingyue quickly stepped forward.
Meng Jiangming walked ahead.
Gazing at Meng Jiangming's retreating back, she felt a touch of absentmindedness.
Upon returning to the Ningguo Duke's manor, the head maid beside Madam Jiang invited Meng Jiangming in, while Xue Xingyue returned to her room.
The moment she pushed the door open, she sensed a different atmosphere. Without making a sound, she closed the door and suddenly darted towards a corner.
"Your Highness, it is I."
Xue Xingyue stopped, retracting the whip she had already drawn, and said coldly, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the palace banquet?"
Ji Wuran heard this and said, "I felt bored, so I came back."
"If you say that, and Xue Tianyue hears it, she likely won't let you off easily," Xue Xingyue said.
Ji Wuran heard this and smiled faintly, "But now, only Your Highness has heard it. Does Your Highness intend to expose me?"
Xue Xingyue furrowed her brows slightly. "Go back. This is the Ningguo Duke's manor, not the Ji'an Marquis's manor."
Ji Wuran's gaze softened slightly. "Does Your Highness truly worry about me? Your Highness need not worry. I come and go as I please. These people in the Ningguo Duke's manor cannot be relied upon by me."
Xue Xingyue said, "I am not worried about you; I am afraid you will implicate me."
Ji Wuran's lips twitched slightly, and he chuckled, "Your Highness is truly heartless."
"Being heartless is better than being sentimental, because sentimentality is always hurt by heartlessness."
"Your Highness, that is only because you met the wrong people. If you met..."
Xue Xingyue suddenly reached out and covered Ji Wuran's mouth. Just then, a voice came from outside, "Xiao Yue, Madam wants you to come over."
"Alright, I'm coming right away," Xue Xingyue replied.
Hearing the footsteps outside disappear, Xue Xingyue turned her head and found her eyes moist, even feeling a warm surge of air. She quickly withdrew her hand.
Her gaze turned cold, and her expression followed suit. "Ji Wuran, you did that on purpose."
Ji Wuran said innocently, "Your Highness, how could I have done it on purpose? It was Your Highness who covered my mouth. I couldn't breathe, so it was natural for me to breathe through my mouth. Does Your Highness believe I should not breathe?"
Xue Xingyue furrowed her brows slightly.
Seeing this, Ji Wuran said, "Since Your Highness has matters to attend to, this subject will take his leave first."
Saying this, he vanished from the room without waiting for Xue Xingyue to speak.
Xue Xingyue's gaze turned cold. She opened the door and walked out.
Arriving at Madam Jiang's room, she found Meng Jiangming was not there. She bowed and said, "This junior greets Madam."
Madam Jiang looked up at Xue Xingyue, scrutinizing her with great care.
Xue Xingyue lowered her gaze, allowing Madam Jiang to examine her. After a long while, Madam Jiang suddenly spoke. "Today, Fuma Ye offended the Empress Dowager for you. Do you know your fault?"
Xue Xingyue bowed and said, "This junior does not believe this junior has any fault."
Madam Jiang heard this and sneered, "You don't believe it? Do you know that if the Empress Dowager were to take offense at the Ningguo Duke's manor because of this, it would be a great disaster for the Ningguo Duke's manor."
"Madam, I believe you should say this to Fuma Ye. This junior also does not know why the Empress Dowager wishes to punish me. Fuma interceded for me because he felt I had done nothing wrong. If, by interceding for me, the Ningguo Duke's manor suffers a great disaster, please tell Fuma Ye to never mind my affairs again, for this junior has no right to refuse Fuma Ye."