She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Zheng Lingyi was momentarily dazed, then nodded: "Yes, I'm fine!"

"Life is short, only a few decades. There are many things to do, and love is just one of the most common. If you lose, you lose; it won't kill you. I, Zheng Lingyi, can afford to lose! And I have the courage to find something else to challenge myself with!"

Wan Yi saw a sense of freedom and determination in her expression. She thought that this must be the courage of a girl who grew up surrounded by love!

"We're all relieved that you think that way."

Zheng Lingyi tilted her head, her smile carrying a heavier weight than before: "Actually, I know you all didn't like me before. When I was bullied, you would only find someone to help me get revenge, you couldn't do anything right yourself!"

"I'm always soft-hearted. If someone cries or begs, I'll let it go, but then I'll go back and be furious."

Wan Yi was very honest, nodding and then shaking her head: "It's not that I don't like it, but you're too well protected, yet you're so innocent that it's enviable."

"Many girls our age are valued by their families, but frankly speaking, they are just pawns of the family. Few of them are truly loved just because they are their parents' children."

"Because of envy, and not wanting to admit that they are not loved, they use belittling words like 'can't do anything right' to cover up their jealousy."

Zheng Lingyi has recently come to understand many things, and she understands to some extent the envy and jealousy that the woman mentioned.

"Not everyone is like that! Ningning also envies me, but she is not jealous of me. She always protects me, hoping that I can protect this innocence. Unfortunately, it was still torn apart by a wicked man."

Wan Yi thought for a moment and said, "So even though she was domineering and arrogant before, there were still people willing to be friends with her. It's probably because they saw her true nature—that she's a good person!"

"I pride myself on my keen eye for people, yet I suffered a terrible setback with the county princess!"

Zheng Lingyi patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Ningning is just too good at pretending. Not to mention us, even those old foxes who have seen her before didn't realize she was faking it, did they?"

"If we're talking about stumbling and losing face, it's their stumble that's truly shameful and egregious!"

Wan Yi covered her mouth and smiled.

I wonder if Zheng Lingyi has been spending too much time with Jiang Ruining, because she's becoming more and more like him in terms of shamelessness and rascality!

But it's actually quite cute!

Corridor.

The Empress Dowager embraced Rong'an, who was covered up in a cloak and was completely concealed, as they prepared to leave.

Duke Zheng, with his long legs swaying, stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Regent, since someone deliberately misled Crown Prince Yelü into mistaking the person, I beg the Empress Dowager to rescind my daughter's investiture."

The title "Feng" was bestowed by the emperor.

The purpose was to send Zheng Lingyi to her death.

Zheng Lingyi doesn't need to go now; the title should indeed be revoked.

However, the Duke of Zheng came to the Empress Dowager to have the decision revoked, which seemed to be deliberately rubbing salt into her wounds.

Everyone looked at each other.

Someone smirked.

Some people are angry.

Some people are waiting for Zheng Lingyi's investiture to be revoked before they can feel at peace.

The Empress Dowager was already displeased: "Since..."

Xiao Che slowly stood up, dusted off his robe, revealing an embroidered pattern on the cuff that resembled a mandarin duck or a duck, with its mouth open as if it were laughing. In this situation, the mockery was palpable.

His cool voice once again drowned out the Empress Dowager's anger: "His Majesty's words are law; how can they be changed so easily!"

"The Duke of Zheng has served the country well, and his only daughter has received this honor; consider it a reward! All you relatives and ministers, serve the court faithfully, and such good fortune will come your way in the future!"

That's all.

He then turned to look at the young emperor.

"What does Your Majesty think?"

The young emperor was speechless, feeling both pleased to see the Empress Dowager humiliated and displeased by the Regent's arrogance. His bewildered expression twitched slightly. He looked at the Empress Dowager, then at the Regent, and finally said softly, "What my elder brother says is absolutely right."

The Zheng family was overjoyed and expressed their gratitude once again.

The others: "..." That's a princess's throne, not a jade ruyi that you can just give away!

But the clever ones understood.

The Regent Prince is simply extending his affection to the princess because he knows she's close to Zheng Lingyi, and he's been "tricked" into giving her this title! Furthermore, the Empress Dowager originally intended to scheme against Zheng Lingyi, and the Regent Prince's actions are deliberately meant to annoy her!

Zheng Lingyi had obtained the title of princess for nothing, and it was even tricked from the Empress Dowager. The last bit of gloom in her heart from being deceived and schemed against dissipated!

Reaching her family, she smiled slightly and said, "Father, Mother, Brother, let's leave the palace!"

Duke Zheng nodded and glanced down at the corridor.

The regent had already left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night and snow, his steps hurried, as if someone was waiting for him to rush away!

Zheng Lingyi: "The Prince is in a hurry to see Ningning so he can show off his merits!"

Duke Zheng held his wife's hand, then looked tenderly at his daughter: "Fortunately, you have always treated the county princess well over the years, and never distanced yourselves from her because of other people's opinions. Otherwise, who knows what the Zheng family would be like now!"

Madam Zheng would often sigh when she came in, saying that a moment of pity had brought the family several strokes of good fortune: "As long as others don't scheme against the Zheng family and get along with us kindly, it's always good."

"Alright! Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go home! I'll cook some braised pork knuckle noodles myself, have a good bowl and get rid of the bad luck!"

The family quickened their pace as they walked towards the palace gates.

We should stay in this ominous place as little as possible, even for just one second!

He had just boarded his own carriage.

"Lingyi!"

Zheng Lingyi heard someone calling her name outside the car window.

She had heard that voice for over a decade.

I used to look forward to hearing it every day, but now I just find it annoying.

And at the deepest level of boredom, there is also a stinging pain!

Without dismounting from the carriage or lifting the curtain, he simply said, "Young Master Xie is now the consort of Princess Rong'an. Our statuses are different, so please do not come looking for me again."

"I have nothing left to say to you!"

That's all.

She urged the driver to return home.

Without the slightest hesitation.

From the moment Xie Lanheng was released from prison, he knew that their relationship was completely over. But for some reason, perhaps because he had been pretending to like her for too long, protecting her had become a habit, or perhaps because she was too valuable, when he was told that their engagement was over, his heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his breath caught in his throat for a few moments.

Reason told him that it was too late to salvage the situation, but his eyes kept instinctively searching for her. Whenever he saw her, he wanted to get closer, even though he didn't know what to say.

Watching the Zheng family's carriage leave, I felt an emptiness in my heart, as if someone had ripped a piece out of me.

It's been exposed to the wind.

……

St. Anne's Palace.

Originally called Cining Palace, it was renamed Sheng'an Palace after the Empress Dowager assumed regency; ambition and aspirations are all contained within these two characters.

"I told you to stay in the palace, why did you have to leave!"

The Empress Dowager's emotions had already dissipated on the way back to the palace, carried away by the cold wind. Her current questioning was to deliberate over the development of the whole matter and to find out exactly where she had lost!

Rong An curled up on the bed, sobbing, "It was a maid in the palace who told me that rumors are circulating outside that I had an affair with Xie Lanheng, and that Xie Lanheng's accidental killing of Xiao Zheng was orchestrated by Mother, all to force the Xie family to agree to marry the princess and to side with Mother!"

"The rumor originated from Zhenweiguan Restaurant, son..."

The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes were cold and stern: "And then you felt guilty!"