Jian Yi caught Jiu’er, finally managing to steady her on her feet.

Did this girl really have to embarrass herself like this?

“I—I’m fine. Maybe I’ve been standing too long and I’m a bit tired.”

Jiu’er immediately made up an excuse for herself, even though she had basically been sitting the entire morning.

Jian Yi gave a cold, disdainful snort.

Did he not know this girl by now? She was clearly nothing but a shameless admirer of handsome men.

Every single time she saw the Ninth Prince, didn’t she always lose herself completely?

Sure, the man really was extremely good-looking, but did she have to embarrass herself like this?

She was his boss, after all!

Jiu’er’s small face flushed slightly. She looked up, but accidentally met Zhan Qingcheng’s gaze, which had turned toward her.

He and An’bao were walking on the left side of the steps. An’bao, who wasn’t particularly short to begin with, looked especially frail standing next to him.

He was very tall, with a slender frame, and standing on the steps, he was a striking sight all on his own.

The gaze he cast toward her seemed intensely focused, yet in the very next moment, it turned utterly indifferent.

Before Jiu’er could even figure out whether that glance had really been meant for her, she looked up again only to find his gaze already withdrawn.

He wasn’t looking at her anymore. Ugh!

Her little heart pounded away, a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

But in the end, it all turned into disappointment.

He had walked on.

“He’s already gone. How much longer are you going to stand here?”

Jian Yi’s voice rang out, cool and dry.

Feng Jiu’er startled, immediately snapping back to herself.

She even began to feel a bit disgusted with herself — losing her wits at the drop of a hat was just too embarrassing.

It was just that one glance from him a moment ago — cold and pristine in white — that had instantly carved a hollow right into her heart.

“The view here is just especially nice. I’m only staying to look at it. What’s there to rush about?” She shot Jian Yi a glare.

Jian Yi couldn’t be bothered to call out her lie.

Indeed — for someone like Feng Jiu’er, a shameless admirer of handsome men, wherever Zhan Qingcheng stood was the finest view under heaven!

Jiu’er still couldn’t help glancing once more in the direction of her father’s bedchamber.

Only once Zhan Qingcheng’s figure had completely disappeared from view did she finally leave, her heart full of disappointment.

Inside the hall, An’bao led Zhan Qingcheng before Feng Qiongcang.

Zhan Qingcheng appeared utterly composed, and to everyone’s surprise, he did not even bow before Feng Qiongcang.

An’bao couldn’t help but quietly remind him, “You see His Majesty, and you still won’t bow?”

Zhan Qingcheng raised an eyebrow, coldly meeting Feng Qiongcang’s gaze.

“I am not a subject of the Feng Clan, nor is my Bei Mu Kingdom subservient to the Feng Clan. Why should I bow?”

An’bao actually quite liked this man in white, but seeing him act so brazenly in front of the emperor made his heart race with worry.

Still, An’bao found himself unable to refute what Zhan Qingcheng had just said.

Feng Qiongcang looked Zhan Qingcheng over, and the latter let him examine him freely, without the slightest intention of avoiding his gaze.

He studied him carefully for quite a while before finally waving a hand.

From the looks of it, His Majesty didn’t seem angry.

An’bao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated back to Feng Qiongcang’s side.

“You are the Ninth Prince of Bei Mu Kingdom?” Feng Qiongcang asked.

“Yes.”

“Grant him a seat.”

An’bao immediately relayed the order. “Grant him a seat!”

Several young eunuchs immediately carried a chair to the front of the hall. Zhan Qingcheng sat down casually, showing not the slightest trace of humility before the Son of Heaven.

In fact, the cold, hard, noble air about him seemed almost no different from the emperor’s own.

What a rare talent indeed — one in ten thousand!

Feng Qiongcang stared at Zhan Qingcheng, a flicker of admiration passing through his eyes.

But admiration aside, a man like this — he couldn’t necessarily feel at ease letting him stay.

“Are you truly willing to become the princess’s consort?” Feng Qiongcang asked.

Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince’s reply was nothing short of audacious: “She is already my woman.”

An’bao’s knees buckled with a thud, and his elbow knocked against the desk in front of Feng Qiongcang, the pain nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

But the atmosphere in the hall had become rather… heart-stopping.

Even in pain, An’bao could only clench his teeth tightly, not daring to make a sound.

So arrogant! Simply too brazen!

How could this man speak to the emperor with such an attitude, such a tone?

But, being this arrogant somehow made him… ah, she really liked it so much!

An’bao’s inner maiden-heart instantly went all soft and tingly, utterly smitten beyond reason!

“Ahem!” Feng Qiongcang gave a light cough.

An’bao instantly snapped out of his daze, quickly lowering his head, looking bashful.

Young eunuchs like him had tender hearts that were far too easily swayed.

Still, in front of the emperor, he didn’t dare act out of line.

“I don’t understand what you mean. Jiu’er grew up in my private estate since childhood and only recently returned to the palace.”

Everyone understood the meaning behind the emperor’s words.

Whatever he declared to be true would be treated as the truth.

Zhan Qingcheng leaned back against the chair, daring even to look sidelong at the emperor!

An’bao’s little heart wouldn’t stop pounding — he found this young lord before him enchanting as an immortal, yet he also feared the man might truly anger the emperor.

After all, the authority and dignity of the Son of Heaven was not something to be provoked lightly.

Feng Qiongcang narrowed his eyes. Though he truly did admire the man.

But, just as An’bao thought, the Son of Heaven’s authority could not be trampled upon at will either.

“Zhan Qingcheng, you show such contempt for the dignity of the imperial house — are you truly not afraid that I will punish you for it?”

His face was somewhat pale, and Feng Qiongcang could tell at a glance that he had suffered a very serious injury.

No matter how formidable he had once been, he was now injured, and he had walked straight into the imperial palace.

If he ordered men to seize him, this lofty Ninth Prince probably wouldn’t be able to walk back out.

Zhan Qingcheng continued to regard him calmly, seemingly entirely unconcerned by the threat.

Just as Feng Qiongcang furrowed his brow, about to give the order to seize him and at least take him down a notch, Zhan Qingcheng suddenly spoke.

“The Feng Clan may appear peaceful and prosperous right now, with the capital seemingly thriving in song and dance — but in truth, the Feng Clan is fractured from within, and even several border cities now stand on the brink of collapse.”

“What did you say?” Feng Qiongcang’s expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing.

“Not everyone in this nation submits to Your Majesty. Among the common people, there is another voice — one that believes Your Majesty’s throne was obtained without proper legitimacy.”

“You…”

“Back when the late emperor was alive, the crown prince he formally invested was the Fourth Prince — who is now known as Prince Ye.”

Zhan Qingcheng’s hand rested on the chair, his long fingers tracing lightly along the ancient wooden armrest.

So nonchalant, so utterly at ease!

Yet the words coming out of his mouth made Feng Qiongcang’s expression darken, and made An’bao’s legs go weak, nearly causing him to lose his footing.

“The late emperor suddenly fell gravely ill. Afterward, the imperial seal of state ended up in Your Majesty’s hands, the Fourth Prince’s whereabouts became unknown, and Your Majesty ascended the throne. Two years later, the Fourth Prince returned and was given the title of Prince Ye.”

“Since his return, Prince Ye has been like a puppet, entirely at Your Majesty’s command, forever sent out to campaign on Your Majesty’s behalf, shedding blood on the battlefield without rest.”

Zhan Qingcheng stared at him, his gaze suddenly turning icy.

“A once-proud crown prince, now reduced to nothing more than Your Majesty’s killing tool! Those who once supported the crown prince and remained loyal to the late emperor — do you really think they can accept this?”