Princess Lin’an waved her hand, and attendants came forward to arrange screens, forming a circle that blocked the view of the ladies and young misses. Then guards stepped forward, holding boards that weighed a full thirty jin. They pinned down Jiang Nan and mercilessly brought the boards down heavily. After just a few strikes, his clothes were already torn, and immediately blood flowed everywhere.

The expressions on everyone’s faces finally looked better. Jiang Nan’s very existence was something disgusting to them, so now seeing him humiliated, they all revealed expressions of relief.

Princess Lin’an naturally wasn’t behind the screen. She merely turned her face away, unable to bear watching, her heart already hating Li Weiyang to the bone.

Behind the screen, Li Weiyang listened to the heavy fall of the boards and the man’s muffled grunts. She smiled slightly, beckoning to Zhao Yue beside her and whispering a few words in her ear. Zhao Yue understood and immediately walked out, speaking a few words quietly to Guo Cheng. Guo Cheng suddenly spoke: “Wait!”

Everyone looked at him, somewhat confused.

Guo Cheng said coolly: “I’ve heard that the boards at Princess Lin’an’s residence have always been administered quite gently. Why not let my Guo family people carry out the punishment instead?”

Princess Lin’an’s face changed dramatically: “Guo Cheng, don’t go too far!”

Guo Cheng looked toward Crown Prince Yongwen, his expression somewhere between a smile and not. Crown Prince Yongwen glared angrily at Princess Lin’an, then said coldly: “Do as Master Guo says.”

Behind the screen, Li Weiyang revealed a cold smile. This board beating had a term in the palace called court flogging, and not just anyone could serve as the executor. Skilled executors would wrap a stone in clothing, and after finishing the beating, the clothing would have no damage, but the stone inside would be shattered into pieces. This method of beating didn’t look very severe, but what it caused were all internal injuries. There was another method that was completely opposite—the executors practiced differently. Similarly wrapping something in clothes, they would wrap layers of tofu. After the beating, the clothes would be torn to shreds, but the tofu would remain completely undamaged. Compared to the former, the second type looked more gruesome, with skin torn and flesh split open, but it wouldn’t damage tendons or bones. Having lived in the palace for so long before, how could she not know these tricks? Princess Lin’an was merely putting on a show!

Guo Cheng replaced them with Guo family guards who beat him nearly to death. Before long, Jiang Nan was already sweating like soybeans, his face ashen, cold sweat soaking through his back. He almost bit through his own tongue from the pain. Guo Cheng gave a look, and someone immediately came forward to block his mouth, preventing him from making any sound, lest he frighten the young ladies behind the screen.

Yuan Lie held his tea, watching quietly with a calm expression.

Crown Prince Yongwen smiled as he looked at him, saying softly: “Prince Xu truly has excellent methods. I didn’t realize back then that you were such a formidable player.”

At first, he had thought Yuan Lie was indifferent to fame and fortune, disliking conflict, which was why he had never participated in the power struggles of the capital. Who would have thought he had such cunning, actually colluding with the Guo family and openly coming to pressure him.

Yuan Lie merely smiled, also speaking softly: “I don’t understand what the Crown Prince is saying.”

The Crown Prince gave a cold laugh: “If you had actually sent that python over and severely impeached Princess Lin’an, Father Emperor, out of sympathy for the Guo family, would definitely have flown into a rage even without solid evidence. With the Chen family criticizing from the sidelines, even if Mother Empress wanted to protect my imperial sister, I’m afraid she wouldn’t be able to.”

Yuan Lie’s long eyes gleamed brightly, his smile quite meaningful as he said in a low voice: “The Crown Prince is overthinking. I’m merely seeking justice for Miss Guo.” Actually, if he had truly sent the python up and the Emperor heavily punished Princess Lin’an, the matter would definitely become very tense. Empress Pei would certainly take action against Li Weiyang prematurely, and the Guo family would officially clash with Empress Pei… It wasn’t the right time!

Hearing this, the Crown Prince lowered his head in thought for a moment. The coldness on his face suddenly disappeared, and his tone became gentler: “I didn’t know before that you were also interested in these matters. Your father is my uncle, we’re all one family. We should be closer. Why do you need to stir up this muddy water?”

Yuan Lie smiled indifferently: “I already said just now—it’s to uphold justice for Miss Guo. If Princess Lin’an hadn’t been in the wrong first, how would it have come to this—”

Stubborn and unenlightened! Crown Prince Yongwen was furious in his heart, but his face remained even more impassive.

On the other side, sixty boards had already been administered. The Guo family guards had long received Guo Cheng’s signal—one person holding the head, two holding the hands, two holding the feet—they raised the palm-width heavy boards and struck down fiercely. With a crackling series of boards, each one delivered with full force, they were practically beating him to death. Jiang Nan had originally gritted his teeth and endured, but gradually he could no longer bear it, trembling all over from the pain. After all, he came from a distinguished family. Although he had been wounded on the battlefield before, it wasn’t this kind of punishment that humiliated him to the extreme. Those contemptuous gazes could drive a man with strong self-respect completely mad. Yes, he had given up his self-respect to become the Princess’s male favorite, and he thought that was the limit, but he never expected Li Weiyang could think of even more humiliating methods.

One strike after another, and with a crack, the board actually broke clean through. Jiang Nan groaned and fainted. At this moment, Princess Lin’an could no longer care about anything else. She rushed over, using her own body to shield him, shouting angrily: “I am here—who dares to continue!”

Yuan Lie looked on with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, but said: “Is the Princess questioning the Crown Prince’s decision?”

Princess Lin’an’s face was full of fury: “Prince Xu, I have no grievance or enmity with you. Why are you helping the Guo family humiliate me!”

The Crown Prince coughed lightly: “Lin’an, stand aside. I already said one hundred boards. Your obstruction is useless.”

Princess Lin’an’s eyes reddened with anger: “No! I absolutely won’t let you hurt him anymore!”

Behind the screen, Li Weiyang laughed. Had Princess Lin’an gone mad, to actually make such a disgraceful scene in public? Or was—Jiang Nan’s charm really that great?

Yuan Lie smiled coldly: “I advise the Princess to sit down and stop doing pointless things.”

The corners of Lin’an’s eyes and brows were full of hatred, as if she wanted to rush up and slap Yuan Lie: “I’m asking you—when did he become a thorn in your side that you must eliminate at all costs? A real man has the courage to take responsibility for his actions. Why hide and skulk? You clearly want to kill him!”

Yuan Lie looked at her indifferently, a frost-like chill appearing in his eyes like autumn water. His tone was lazy and casual, but the content was cold and hard as iron, carrying a resounding killing aura with overwhelming authority: “It’s not that I want to kill him—it’s that he’s seeking his own death!”

Princess Lin’an was shocked into stunned silence. She didn’t know that her actions had already harmed Li Weiyang, and this was the biggest reason Yuan Lie would never let Jiang Nan go under any circumstances. Anyone who hurt her must pay the price!

Yuan Lie’s brows and eyes were all coldness and sharp edges, his entire body radiating icy frost. At this moment, in his eyes, there was no longer any trace of languidness or casualness. What replaced it was the ruthlessness and clarity of an unsheathed blade, swift and decisive like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves: “Princess, if you continue to obstruct the execution, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Princess Lin’an said furiously in shame and anger: “Audacious! How dare you speak to me like this!” She waved her hand, and hidden guards who had been waiting nearby immediately flew forward, killing intent fierce as lightning striking directly at Yuan Lie’s face. The attack came suddenly. One of the two black-clothed guards beside Yuan Lie leapt up. Before anyone could clearly see how he moved, the silver gleam in the hidden guard’s hand clanged as it was knocked away, piercing directly into a square brick in the ground beside Princess Lin’an, humming incessantly. Princess Lin’an was so shocked her entire face turned white.

Crown Prince Yongwen watched with cold eyes, saying nothing, obviously testing the other party’s capabilities. Princess Lin’an quickly came to her senses and immediately flew into a rage, shouting sternly: “Why don’t you capture him!”

The hidden guards concealed in the garden rose up together—eight of them in total. They rustled like sudden wind in the air, pressing down so people couldn’t raise their heads to look. But Yuan Lie smiled coldly, and the other four guards beside him rose up to meet the wind. In just a few moments, they became entangled with those eight men and landed six or seven feet away. Everyone thought they would witness a fierce battle, but there was no so-called prolonged fighting. In just an instant, the heads of Princess Lin’an’s eight hidden guards had already rolled to the ground!

Princess Lin’an was shocked beyond measure. These eight hidden guards were carefully cultivated by Empress Pei and specially given to her. They had never encountered opponents before, but today, before they even touched Yuan Lie, they were killed one after another—completely unacceptable!

All the guests were shocked into not daring to move. They could hardly imagine that Princess Lin’an was domineering to this extent—daring to attack Prince Xu at a banquet. And Prince Xu, not yielding in the slightest, had openly given Princess Lin’an a show of force—what was happening today? Had these imperial family members all gone mad?

The other young ladies all looked at Guo Jia, sizing her up from head to toe. They couldn’t understand what charm this Guo Jia possessed that could make Prince Xu so infatuated with her that he would risk everything to seek justice for her.

That bloody scene made even the men feel sick to their stomachs. But Yuan Lie’s breathing remained calm, as if unconcerned: “Princess Lin’an, there were actually assassins mixed among your servants. I’ve already eliminated them for you. You needn’t thank me.”

Princess Lin’an extended a hand, pointing at Yuan Lie, too angry to speak. On her beautiful forehead, veins continuously bulged outward, clearly showing she was furious to the extreme: “You… you…” She swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground. The maidservants beside her quickly supported her, preventing her from making a fool of herself in public. However, Princess Lin’an had already made too much of a fool of herself today—everyone had witnessed a spectacular show.

Crown Prince Yongwen was another protagonist in this drama, but he was obviously much calmer and much cleverer than Princess Lin’an. From beginning to end, he merely watched quietly, seeming completely unconcerned, smiling: “Excellent skills! To think Prince Xu’s residence has such talented people—truly makes me look at you with new eyes.”

Behind the screen, Li Weiyang was also quite surprised. So Yuan Lie had already prepared people to deal with those hidden guards, but how had he done it… She didn’t know that from the moment Yuan Lie discovered the special nature of the hidden guards, he had secretly cultivated another force, completely surpassing the hidden guards in every aspect.

“The Crown Prince flatters me.” Yuan Lie’s face showed his usual calm smile: “The waves behind push forward the waves ahead. Although the Yuexi hidden guards were trained from childhood and are first-rate experts, there must be people in the world who can replace them. As they say, under great rewards there will always be brave men, isn’t that right?”

Crown Prince Yongwen’s face showed a moment of dark coldness. His gaze turned to look at those four guards, but all four lowered their heads, making their expressions impossible to see. Yongwen didn’t believe anyone in this world could surpass the hidden guards, but this thing had just happened before his eyes—he had no choice but to believe it. If the hidden guards had killed Prince Xu with one sword earlier, he could have pushed everything onto Lin’an, after all, everyone saw it was Princess Lin’an who, in a moment of anger, had issued the kill order. But it hadn’t succeeded! If Prince Xu brought this matter to the Emperor, everyone here would suffer the consequences. He smiled: “Prince Xu is right. To think the Princess had assassins planted among her people—these people all deserved death.”

“Imperial Brother!” Lin’an cried out in exasperation, no longer calling him Crown Prince, but directly addressing him.

“Silence!” Crown Prince Yongwen’s face turned cold, cold light flashing in his eyes. His phoenix eyes became stern and imposing, maintaining a lofty attitude: “This matter ends here.”

Princess Lin’an wanted to continue arguing, but Crown Prince Yongwen stepped forward and suddenly slapped her, scolding in a low voice: “You’ve completely disgraced the imperial family’s face—be quiet!”

Lin’an had never received such treatment and stood frozen on the spot.

Everyone frowned. This scene was truly too ugly. Princess Lin’an’s actions today had cast a heavy shadow over Empress Pei and Crown Prince Yongwen’s reputation, completely disgracing the imperial family. No wonder the usually composed Crown Prince would slap her.

Yongwen turned around: “My sister was rude and should indeed be properly disciplined, but there’s no need for outsiders to interfere. So, I ask Prince Xu and Madam Guo to give me face and hand her over to my handling.”

Yuan Lie looked toward the screen’s direction. Madam Guo, hearing this, had already walked out. She coldly looked at Princess Lin’an’s highly swollen left cheek, then glanced at Jiang Nan who was breathing more out than in, and smiled coldly: “My Guo family has always been reasonable. Since the Crown Prince has spoken up, we’ll treat this incident as if it never happened!” With that, she turned her head: “Jia’er, we should go back.”

Li Weiyang walked out gracefully from behind the screen, her skirt hem hanging quietly still, not moving at all. Without even glancing at Princess Lin’an who was in the extreme of shame and anger, she smiled at Madam Guo: “Yes.”

Madam Guo actively reached out to take Li Weiyang’s hand and walked out without looking back. Although Li Weiyang walked very steadily, Yuan Lie still noticed something was wrong. His gaze moved to Li Weiyang’s ankle, revealing a thoughtful expression… Then he also stood up: “Crown Prince, I’ll take my leave now.”

Crown Prince Yongwen smiled: “Good, I’ll personally see you out.” With that, the two men smiled and walked out side by side like good brothers.

Everyone was bewildered. A battle had just occurred here—how could the protagonists shake hands and make peace in just a moment? Some ladies and young misses also came out from behind the screen one after another, looked contemptuously at Princess Lin’an, then left in succession.

But Princess Lin’an could no longer care about others. Jiang Nan’s injuries were severe—he was almost not breathing. She screamed: “Quickly fetch a physician! Quickly!”

Crown Prince Yongwen indeed escorted Yuan Lie all the way to the entrance, watching him mount his horse before smiling: “Prince Xu was frightened today. I must apologize on Lin’an’s behalf.”

Yuan Lie smiled faintly: “The one who was frightened wasn’t me. The Crown Prince needn’t worry. Farewell.” With that, he turned and rode away without looking back. Those guards of his with extraordinary skills also rode away one after another.

Crown Prince Yongwen stood on the high steps in front of the Princess’s residence. The warm smile that had been on his face turned cold: “Someone come. From today on, monitor this person’s every move for me. If there’s any treachery, report immediately.”

An official from the Crown Prince’s residence immediately responded: “Yes, Crown Prince.”

Jinhua Tower—this wine house located in the bustling market district had been reserved today by a distinguished guest. Yuan Lie rode at full gallop all the way here, stopping at Jinhua Tower’s entrance. Then he dismounted, tossed the reins to the guard behind him, and strode up to a private room on the second floor. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.

The woman inside smiled and turned around. Only then did Yuan Lie breathe a sigh of relief: “Madam Guo was willing to let you come out?”

“Earlier in the carriage, I told Mother I wanted to thank you. She said it was appropriate, and also said the Guo residence will specially prepare gifts to send to Prince Xu’s residence tomorrow.” Li Weiyang smiled.

Yuan Lie stared at her, his blazing gaze making her heart tremble. She couldn’t help saying: “Why are you looking at me like that?”

His heart stirred, but he merely smiled, his smile possessing a bewitching charm: “It’s nothing.” Though he said this, he had already walked to her side and suddenly crouched down, pinching her ankle. Li Weiyang cried out softly. He exhaled: “You are indeed injured.”

Li Weiyang hadn’t expected to be seen through so quickly. She simply stopped pretending and sat down directly: “Yes, when that giant python lunged over earlier, I accidentally fell. It’s nothing serious.”

“Who says it’s not serious?!” Yuan Lie’s voice reached her ears, carrying a hint of suppressed concern that went straight to her heart.

Li Weiyang closed her eyes briefly, speaking softly: “Don’t worry, it’s really nothing.”

He suddenly raised his head to look at her. The golden thread dark patterns on his chest garment were intricately interwoven. Those blazingly bright pupils were incomparably serious: “You already injured your ankle once before. This time it’s an old injury recurring—do you never want to walk again?”

Seeing him so worried, Li Weiyang’s heart couldn’t help but pound.

He looked at her, an indescribable emotion flowing in his eyes, saying softly: “Let me apply medicine for you.”

She suddenly came to her senses, feeling it deeply inappropriate: “I can do it myself. If not, there’s still Zhao Yue. In fact, Zhao Yue has already gone to buy medicine.”

He didn’t speak again, merely watching her quietly. At this moment, Zhao Yue had already returned with the medicine. Seeing this situation, she tactfully placed the medicine on the table and quietly withdrew.

As soon as Zhao Yue left, the room fell completely silent. Outside the window lattice, birds fluttered their wings flying past. But Li Weiyang felt an unknown panic sweep through her heart. She gently curved her lips: “Today, by doing this, you exposed your own forces too early. It’s really too dangerous.”

He uncorked the bottle in his hand, poured out some medicinal salve, and massaged her injury unhurriedly: “If this power can’t protect you, what use is it?”

She lowered her head: “That’s not how you should put it. Power should be used on the blade’s edge. Today’s matter—you didn’t need to interfere.”

He didn’t raise his head, seriously applying medicine for her: “Then just consider that I didn’t want the Guo family to have all the glory.”

Li Weiyang was speechless: “What foolish talk is this?”

Before her words fell, her chin was suddenly grasped and lifted up.

She was startled, but then she crashed into his gaze—those bottomless amber-colored eyes, ultimately deeply affectionate. After a long while, he slowly spoke: “I don’t want the Guo family to be more important in your heart than me. You clearly said it—we depend on each other, we only have each other.” Word by word falling into her ears, shaking her heart and spirit into confusion.

She looked all the way into his pupils, her eyes deep. The emotions suppressed there were turbulent like waves, impossible to ignore. Hot blood rushed straight to her brain. She actually moved a bit closer to him and looked at him: “I won’t.”

He froze. But Li Weiyang had already sighed: “I won’t consider the Guo family more important than you.” She and Yuan Lie had depended on each other for many years—it wasn’t comparable to the affection with the Guo family. Moreover, her feelings for Yuan Lie were extraordinarily complex, but for Madam Guo, it was another kind of gratitude.

Joy surged in his eyes instantly. She was just about to tell him to let her go, but unexpectedly he bent forward and kissed the edge of her lips. For a moment Li Weiyang was only surprised and didn’t raise her hand to push him away, letting him nuzzle like a puppy for a moment before leaving. She was completely stunned, not reacting for a long time. Seeing she actually didn’t refuse, his heartbeat drummed, and he gently leaned forward again, carefully brushing across her lips, tentatively exploring a bit inside.

Li Weiyang’s body stiffened at once. He must be crazy—otherwise how could he dare to do this to her… But this wasn’t the first or second time, yet each time he pushed the boundaries further. She was about to become angry, but those soul-stirring eyes of his, truly without any impurities, seemed extremely innocent.

Her heart kept trembling wildly. She grasped his arm, her voice cold: “Yuan Lie!” However, what she thought was icy cold was actually soft, without any force. He gazed at her silently, without fear, and would absolutely not retreat.

Suddenly someone knocked outside, then Zhao Yue pushed the door open: “Miss, the Guo family’s carriage has come to pick you up…” Immediately after, Zhao Yue looked in shock at this scene inside. She never would have imagined these two people could be in such a position, so intimate, so heart-racing and face-flushing—”Oh my, I’m sorry, this servant didn’t see anything!” She slammed the door shut again, making it worse by trying to cover it up.

Li Weiyang looked at Yuan Lie with extreme annoyance. He seemed completely unconcerned, smiling playfully: “Are you angry? Why don’t you hit me!”

So shameless, so utterly without shame—Li Weiyang didn’t know what to say.

But he still held her hand, his palm so warm that Li Weiyang couldn’t help wanting to nestle against it. But she was ultimately extremely rational, controlling this emotion, only sighing softly: “I’m about to leave, so we should talk about serious matters.” At this moment, her voice was melodious and gentle: “Today you offended Crown Prince Yongwen and Princess Lin’an. I’m afraid you’ll provoke big trouble…”

The opposing stance couldn’t be changed. Whether the pace of revenge sped up or slowed down, they would reach that step. However, she originally didn’t want Yuan Lie to face them directly. She hoped he could be free and happy, rather than facing an uncertain future. Now acting like this regardless of everything, giving up easily obtainable glory and wealth—would he regret it in the future?

“Don’t worry. As long as I haven’t died, I won’t let you face them alone…” He held her hand, speaking seriously. Hearing this, Li Weiyang froze. She didn’t know why, but her always cold heart had a trace of warmth, and her eyes also had warm moisture. After quite a while, she finally murmured softly: “Such a fool…”

He merely smiled, his fingers gently and lovingly caressing her dark hair: “So, before I die, you’re not allowed to abandon me and leave. If you abandon me again like last time, I absolutely won’t forgive you again.”

Li Weiyang’s body stiffened slightly. After a long time, she said: “I won’t.”

Yuan Lie smiled, his gaze gentle: “I believe you.” Whether she would or not didn’t matter. If she ran again, he would chase again. Even if it meant exhausting thousands of mountains and rivers, she couldn’t escape. “Guess what Princess Lin’an is doing now?”

Li Weiyang paused, seeming not to expect him to ask this question. After thinking for a moment, she said softly: “The palace.”

Yuan Lie nodded: “Right, the palace.”

The two exchanged knowing looks and both laughed.

In the palace, on both sides dozens of uniformly green-robed brocade eunuchs stood with hands clasped respectfully, like two rows of dolls, neither hearing nor moving. Princess Lin’an practically knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: “Mother Empress, this time you must stand up for your daughter! The Guo family and that Prince Xu Yuan Lie have humiliated me completely!” She had waited a full hour, but because Empress Pei was napping, she had no way to barge in. Only when Empress Pei summoned her did the palace maids dare let her in. At this moment, her forehead and face were covered with a dense layer of sweat. She couldn’t be bothered to wipe it, and couldn’t care about propriety, urgently speaking to Empress Pei like this.

From behind the heavy curtains, a voice cold as pearls and jade rang out: “If you hadn’t provoked others first, would you have invited such calamity? You still have the face to come cry to me!”

Princess Lin’an froze, a trace of surprise appearing between her delicate brows. She realized Empress Pei must know everything, and immediately defended herself: “This matter… your daughter was indeed rash, but no matter what, they shouldn’t have drawn swords against your daughter! Even if your daughter is stupid and looked down upon by them, Mother Empress is still the Mother of the Nation—you shouldn’t be humiliated by the Guo family like this.” Her purpose was to fan the flames of Empress Pei’s anger, stirring up her dissatisfaction with the Guo family. As long as Empress Pei was willing to intervene, this matter would no longer be her private affair, but a struggle between the Pei and Guo families. Then her revenge could be taken!

“You say this every time—do you think I have nothing to do but clean up after you!” The pearl curtain moved, and Empress Pei slowly walked out from behind it. Her footsteps landed on the blue water-mirror-like brick surface, step by step. The brilliant golden coiled dragon on her skirt seemed ready to fly out. Her embroidered shoes inlaid with luminous pearls moved with strict bearing, even the floating of her skirt hem was soundless. That imperial bearing was completely incomparable to Princess Lin’an’s luxurious nobility.

For a moment, Princess Lin’an only felt that stern gaze strike down on her face. Under her heavy makeup, her forehead was already covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat: “Mother Empress…”

Empress Pei’s golden hairpins and jade ornaments filled her cloud-like hair bun. Her face was absolutely beautiful—impossible to tell she was the mother of three children. She looked at Princess Lin’an kneeling on the steps below, her expression abnormally cold, not even showing a trace of being moved: “Such a useless thing! You’ve completely disgraced the imperial family.”

Princess Lin’an’s domineering arrogance had completely disappeared. Prostrate on the ground, she wept bitterly: “Mother Empress, I have lost face, but I am also your biological daughter. Having suffered such humiliation, you can’t just watch with your eyes wide open. They’re clearly slapping your face!”

Empress Pei stared at her, her eyes hidden beneath her lashes, impossible to see her true expression. But the corner of her lips drew up an almost imperceptible cold smile: “Haven’t I solved enough problems for you?”

Endless coldness and ruthlessness. Princess Lin’an knew she was truly angry and couldn’t help but steel her heart, pleading bitterly: “Mother Empress, your daughter is useless and has caused you much trouble over the years, but I’ve also done many things for you! Will you really not care about me?” She couldn’t just let Li Weiyang and Yuan Lie go like this. She must make them pay the price to vent her anger for Jiang Nan, who remained unconscious until now!

“You are the Empress, our pillar of support. The Guo family is so arrogant—they’ve already bullied the Pei family. You can’t let them run rampant before Father Emperor like this anymore. To put it harshly, will you only fight back after watching me die at their hands?”

“Silence!” Empress Pei’s voice finally carried a trace of anger. The golden tassels by her temples suddenly shook violently. Princess Lin’an’s heart was greatly shocked, and she shrank back, not daring to speak again. She had feared the cold Empress Pei since childhood. Although the other party had always treated her well, compared to her treatment of the Crown Prince and Anguo, it was completely incomparable. The Crown Prince would inherit the throne in the future—he was the heir Empress Pei carefully cultivated. But what about Anguo? She was also Empress Pei’s daughter, the same as herself. Why could Anguo have whatever she wanted, but when it came to her, she had to be fearful and anxious?! It wasn’t fair! So from childhood, she especially resented Anguo…

“I have my own plans for this matter. Get out!”

Princess Lin’an raised her head to look at Empress Pei, secretly delighted in her heart. So this meant Mother Empress had agreed…