Lengyue endured in silence for a long while, working hard to keep herself calm.

Throughout it all, Feng Jiu’er hadn’t so much as glanced at her once, her hands resting on Emperor Ji’s legs, doing something Lengyue couldn’t quite make out.

The way Feng Jiu’er behaved now, it was as though she hadn’t given Lengyue a single thought from start to finish.

Lengyue even felt that, in the other woman’s eyes, she must seem like nothing more than someone making unreasonable trouble.

She held back her fury — it was truly an effort to bear.

But in the end, under Emperor Ji’s warning gaze, she bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said coldly, “General Feng, I apologize. Please forgive me.”

Feng Jiu’er didn’t even raise her head, only saying flatly, “Your apology isn’t sincere, so there’s nothing for me to accept.”

“However our relationship stands makes not the slightest difference to me, so there’s no need for you to apologize at all — just don’t get in my way.”

“You—!” Lengyue clenched her fists. Endure it! Even if she was so angry she could cough up blood, she didn’t dare lose her temper in front of her foster father now.

Her apology hadn’t come from any real sense of wrongdoing — it was only for her foster father’s sake. If Feng Jiu’er understood that, all the better — but she shouldn’t think Lengyue was truly afraid of her!

At last, Jiu’er withdrew her hands and looked at Emperor Ji. “Old Master, I still need to go back and tend to the Ninth Imperial Uncle, so I’ll take my leave for now.”

Emperor Ji nodded. He had originally thought to have Lengyue see her off, but on second thought, decided against it.

He said, “Then I’ll trouble you to keep watch over the Prince. If anything happens, have someone notify me at once.”

Feng Jiu’er nodded and left.

Yu Jingfeng followed behind her, walking out of the tent and heading back toward the Ninth Prince’s tent.

Only once their footsteps could no longer be heard did Lengyue turn to look at Emperor Ji, her eyes burning hot, her heart full of grievance.

“Foster Father, why would you take an outsider’s side and let her bully me?”

“She isn’t an outsider. In the future, she’s very likely to belong to Wuya.”

“Foster Father!” These words startled Lengyue so badly her heart trembled, and the tears she’d been holding back were startled right back down.

She walked over and knelt beside Emperor Ji’s wheelchair, clutching at his robe so carefully, so cautiously.

“Foster Father, you… are you giving up on Yue’er? Are you really going to choose Feng Jiu’er and cast Yue’er aside?”

In her distress, the tears finally truly slid down this time. “Foster Father, Yue’er has served you for over a decade — are you really going to give up on Yue’er?”

Lengyue sank down onto the ground, still gripping his robe tightly, her face turning deathly pale.

“Foster Father, it was you who said Yue’er was born to serve the Venerable Master, and that for her whole life, she would watch over him.”

“You taught Yue’er martial arts since she was small. You said that only with good martial skill could Yue’er stand beside the Venerable Master and fight alongside him.”

“That Feng Jiu’er — her martial skill isn’t even half as good as Yue’er’s. She has no right at all to stand beside the Venerable Master, isn’t that so? Foster Father, tell me, isn’t that so?”

Although Lengyue had indeed been a bit unreasonable lately, growing impulsive, setting aside her recent behavior, for more than a decade she had always been obedient and sensible.

Especially since Lengyue was also a strong person — she never liked to cry.

She had been by his side since she was small, and seeing her like this now, Emperor Ji’s heart was heavy too.

“Yue’er, the ground is cold — get up first.”

“No, Foster Father. If you really are giving up on Yue’er, then Yue’er will never get up for the rest of her life.”

Emperor Ji let out a faint sigh, looking at her, his brow furrowing. “Is it that you simply cannot accept Feng Jiu’er?”

“I…”

“But haven’t you always known that Wuya is destined for great things, and that the women by his side could never be just you alone?”

“Have you forgotten everything I taught you since you were a child?”

Lengyue lowered her head, staring at her own hands clutching his robe, and said nothing.

Emperor Ji still felt a measure of disappointment in her — with such a lack of tolerance for others, how could she ever be qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with Wuya in the future?

“What Wuya needs isn’t some little girl, nor a companion who only knows romance and idle pleasures. Wuya’s companion is destined to be an extraordinary woman.”

“Yue’er, if you cannot become that, how could you possibly have the right to stand beside him?”

“It isn’t that Yue’er can’t do it, it’s only that—” She took a deep breath, masking the icy resentment in her eyes, before lifting her head to look at him.

“Foster Father, Yue’er could accept any other woman in the entire world — but Feng Jiu’er alone, never. You know this, Foster Father — the Venerable Master was injured so badly because of her, he nearly…”

She bit her lip, her face frosted over. “Foster Father, will you truly allow a woman like that to remain at the Venerable Master’s side? She will become his fatal weakness for the rest of his life!”

Emperor Ji said nothing. Lengyue continued, “Foster Father, it isn’t that Yue’er cannot tolerate her — Yue’er simply cannot tolerate a woman who brings ruin upon the Venerable Master remaining at his side.”

“And yet Feng Jiu’er’s courage and cunning are utterly beyond what an ordinary woman could match…”

Though what Lengyue said was the truth, Emperor Ji’s admiration for Feng Jiu’er only grew deeper and richer.

Lengyue looked at his deeply furrowed brow, fell silent for a moment, then forced out a faint smile.

“Foster Father, if Feng Jiu’er can truly help the Venerable Master, then of course Yue’er is willing to accept her, and willing to serve the Venerable Master together with her in the future.”

“Foster Father raised and trained Yue’er into someone capable precisely out of fear that some outside woman might hold the Venerable Master back. Yue’er understands this — from now on, Yue’er won’t act up anymore.”

Emperor Ji finally nodded, and after letting her help him onto the soft couch, he lay down to rest.

“We still need to set out early tomorrow, so you should go rest as well.” He waved a hand — at this moment, he didn’t much feel like continuing the conversation with Lengyue.

He had indeed worked hard to cultivate Lengyue, hoping that in the future, there could be a flawless woman at Wuya’s side.

But ever since Feng Jiu’er had appeared, he had gradually come to realize that the girl seemed far better suited to Wuya.

And yet, Yue’er was, after all, the girl he had raised from childhood — she would always be family, and all the more deserving of trust…

The moment Lengyue stepped out of the tent, the smile on her lips vanished at once.

Her foster father was beginning to favor Feng Jiu’er — to the point that he had actually begun considering letting her take Lengyue’s place at the Venerable Master’s side.

Feng Jiu’er hadn’t just stolen the Venerable Master’s attention — now she was even stealing her foster father’s favor too!

How could she bear it? How could she ever accept it!

She could tolerate other women being near the Venerable Master — after all, she had been raised since childhood with the idea that the Venerable Master could never have just one woman in his future.

But what she could not bear was that woman receiving all of the Venerable Master’s attention, while she herself couldn’t even earn a single glance from him!

The Venerable Master had never once embraced her, never once smiled at her, never once rested his head on her lap to sleep, and certainly never once allowed her to stay the night in his chambers.

All of that, Feng Jiu’er was about to take away! The Venerable Master could have other women by his side — but not Feng Jiu’er! It could never be Feng Jiu’er!