“That wretched woman — how dare she come to this palace openly?” Nanmen Rong’s expression darkened immediately, and she snapped in fury: “Perfect. Seize her and execute her on the spot!”

Whenever Nanmen Rong encountered Feng Jiu’er, she wanted her gone — whether openly or by other means. Nothing short of killing her would satisfy.

As long as she acted on impulse and Feng Jiu’er fell into her hands, Feng Jiu’er would be in grave peril.

But while Nanmen Rong was acting on impulse, the matron had regained her composure.

“My Lady, Feng Jiu’er did not come on her own — she is…”

Outside, guards and palace maids and eunuchs came swarming at the commotion, surrounding the doorway until not even water could pass through. A young palace maid’s startled cry rang out: “Protect Lady Consort Rong!”

The sound of guards drawing their swords could be heard!

The matron grew somewhat anxious. “My Lady, Feng Jiu’er — she has collapsed on the stone steps outside!”

……

Feng Jiu’er had been bundled up and delivered here by someone. No one could tell who bore such a deep grudge against her — knowing full well that she and the former Empress Rong, now Lady Consort Rong, were at odds, whoever it was had knocked her unconscious and sent her directly to Nanmen Rong’s doorstep.

When Jiu’er came to, she felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest. She had indeed suffered another injury to her heart meridians — though this time it seemed far less severe than before, nowhere near a life-threatening degree.

On instinct, she moved her hands, only to realize they had been bound. She opened her eyes and looked up — and there, seated on the daybed, was none other than Nanmen Rong, who despised her with every fiber of her being.

Had it been the black-robed man who brought her here to Nanmen Rong, or had Nanmen Rong’s people taken her from his hands?

Almost certainly it had been the black-robed man’s doing. Otherwise, with his level of cultivation, how could Nanmen Rong’s people have taken her from him?

Why had he delivered her to Nanmen Rong? Was this also intended to work against the Ninth Imperial Uncle? Using someone else’s blade?

But did the black-robed man not know that Nanmen Rong and Nanmen Ye were not of the same mind at all?

Then again — right now, Nanmen Ye was scouring the land for the Ninth Imperial Uncle, with orders to kill on sight.

The black-robed man probably assumed that Nanmen Rong, like her father, was desperate to have the Ninth Imperial Uncle eliminated — and so had left her in Nanmen Rong’s hands.

Jiu’er did not know whether she ought to feel fortunate. Falling into Nanmen Rong’s hands was, by any measure, better than falling into Nanmen Ye’s.

If she had fallen into Nanmen Ye’s hands, he would certainly have made a great show of announcing her capture — using her to force the Ninth Imperial Uncle out into the open, and then setting the most vicious of traps to wait for him to walk straight into it.

But if she was in Nanmen Rong’s hands — Nanmen Rong would naturally want the Ninth Imperial Uncle to emerge as well, yet she at least would not go out of her way to have him killed.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness.

Seeing Jiu’er quietly breathe a faint sigh of relief, Nanmen Rong was far from pleased. This wretched girl — she had fallen into her hands and she still dared to be unafraid? Did she not know her life could be forfeit at any moment?

Still — she was the Phoenix girl. Perhaps for that reason alone, she ought to be kept alive.

Just now, after sending the others away, Nanmen Rong and the matron had lifted Jiu’er’s clothing and examined her. The Phoenix mark was indeed faintly visible, hovering between the skin’s surface and the flesh beneath — a birthmark no human hand could have branded there. Compared to that fake Feng Qingyin, it was in an entirely different class.

Feng Jiu’er sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Having confirmed she was at least temporarily safe, the quiet exhale she had let out was perfectly understandable.

Even so, she was now in Nanmen Rong’s hands, with no telling when she might be able to leave.

What if the Ninth Imperial Uncle noticed her absence and felt compelled to come out and look for her? What would become of Mu Mu then?

The situation was genuinely dire. If she did not return soon, the Ninth Imperial Uncle would surely end up abandoning Mu Mu to come looking for her.

Was there any way to let the Ninth Imperial Uncle know she was safe on the outside?

“Sitting in this palace’s hands — what could you possibly be calculating?” Whenever Feng Jiu’er went quiet, Nanmen Rong always had the unsettling sense that her mind was working through some scheme.

She could not have said exactly why she felt the constant need to be on guard against this woman. Perhaps it was simply that she was truly too cunning — impossible not to watch carefully.

“Nothing much. I only wanted to know whether the Ninth Prince’s Manor has truly been sealed.”

Jiu’er’s words made Nanmen Rong flare up immediately. “If not for you, why would A’Jiu have been reduced to this?”

“Surely not — the Ninth Prince’s Manor has truly been sealed? He has truly become a wanted criminal?” Feng Jiu’er seemed genuinely astonished, her large, clear eyes blinking over and over.

Nanmen Rong had been made to look foolish by her feigned innocence before, and she was not about to be deceived by it again. Even so, it did make her wonder — why would she put on such an act? That was something Nanmen Rong could not quite puzzle out.

Feng Jiu’er turned it over in her mind a moment, then asked again, “Then… can the Ninth Prince ever reclaim his title? If he has truly become a wanted criminal, would that not mean he has nothing left?”

“Nonsense! A’Jiu is the most exalted prince in the dynasty — how could he possibly have nothing? How dare you curse A’Jiu like that, you wretched creature!”

Nanmen Rong was truly furious. Why was this wretched girl still behaving as if it were none of her concern, only worrying about whether A’Jiu had lost everything? Was she not even the slightest bit worried about A’Jiu himself?

Then the thought struck her, and Nanmen Rong’s expression suddenly shifted. “Where is A’Jiu? Is he not with you?”

“I have been with Mu Mu the whole time. I crossed paths with the Ninth Prince outside the city before, but where he went after that, I do not know. I don’t even know where Mu Mu is.”

Feng Jiu’er exhaled a quiet, almost helpless sigh. “Since the Ninth Prince is in this state now, staying with him would do me little good anyway. Not being able to find him might even be for the best.”

“What do you mean?” Feng Jiu’er was willing to abandon A’Jiu simply because he had nothing left? That was impossible.

A’Jiu was such a captivating presence — even if he had nothing, just having him would be more than enough. What on earth was Feng Jiu’er thinking?

To Nanmen Rong, she truly wanted nothing more than A’Jiu. Better still if A’Jiu had nothing at all — that way he would stay by her side forever and be her man, at peace.

Feng Jiu’er looked at Nanmen Rong and pressed her lips together. “Empress… no, Lady Consort Rong…”

“You dare!”

“Then you really are Lady Consort Rong — am I supposed to still call you Empress? If His Majesty heard that, he’d have my head removed, wouldn’t he?”

Feng Jiu’er stared back at her, looking utterly unintimidated despite being entirely at her mercy — as if she truly did not fear death.

Nanmen Rong gave her no more than a sharp glare, and let the matter drop.

Everyone called her Lady Consort Rong now — the imperial decree had already been issued. Why bother arguing with this wretched girl over that?

“Where exactly is A’Jiu? Feng Jiu’er, stop playing the fool with this palace. I must find A’Jiu — tell me at once. If you do not, I will not let you off.”

“You were never going to let me off anyway — what difference does it make whether I say anything or not?”

“You—”

“Actually, I may be able to help draw him out.”

Feng Jiu’er blinked, apparently still entirely confident in herself despite everything.