Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

A woman dressed in fairly expensive clothes raised her voice and said, "It's true that someone died in the palace. I have a cousin who works as a guard in the palace, and he was responsible for rescuing the person. I heard that the way that palace maid in the Empress's palace died was exactly the same!"

"Was it the Empress who killed him, or the Consort? There's been no sound from inside the palace."

"Alas, if someone hadn't witnessed it firsthand and written the story of the two consorts into a novel, how would we know? Since ancient times, the affairs of the emperor have been unspeakable. But in my opinion, if the empress killed this person, given the emperor's current attitude towards her, he would have dealt with her long ago. There hasn't been a sound in the palace."

The man who had just mentioned that his cousin was a palace guard stood up again: "Great minds think alike, and the Imperial Concubine is indeed under house arrest, but the Emperor is probably reluctant to punish her."

"The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners! But they're exempt from punishment in the Shen family? Is this imperial concubine some kind of fox spirit reincarnated? What kind of bewitching potion has she given the emperor?!"

"That's right! General Wei sacrificed his life for the country, and his soul hasn't even been reincarnated yet, and the emperor is already mistreating the empress like this. It's truly heartbreaking!"

The waiter rushed out, bowing and smiling obsequiously, "Gentlemen, please don't discuss state affairs, please don't discuss state affairs!"

"We're determined to make a scene! The more popular this 'Twin Consorts' story becomes, the better! If His Majesty the Emperor doesn't punish the vile consort, then let it spread to other countries and become a laughing stock!"

"Oh my goodness, what we do can't control things in the heavens. Come listen to the story, listen carefully!"

The teahouse was noisy for a while, but quieted down as the storyteller said, "One day, the emperor took his concubines to stroll in the garden—"

I may not be indignant, but I still have to listen to the books I've paid for.

"In my opinion, what you said isn't wrong," Wei Rong said slowly in the background of the storytelling, "Even a beautiful woman with a heart of stone has men who are devoted to her, don't they?"

She didn't know Ling Xianru's purpose in coming to see her. If he wanted to persuade her to give up, then he had come to the wrong place.

Essentially, Wei Rong is the kind of person who, once she sets her mind on something, will not turn back until she hits a wall.

She was determined to make Shen Mingxiu pay the price and wouldn't let it go easily.

Ling Xianru remained silent, so she continued, "If you have come to advise me, please leave. Things have come to this point, with rumors spreading everywhere, and it is beyond my ability to stop them."

There will naturally be people who stand up for justice, and there will also be people with a true conscience who want to get to the bottom of this matter.

"It seems Madam has concluded that I am here to make peace," Ling Xianru said with a cool smile. "Then why don't you think about it? If someone wanted to embarrass you on New Year's Eve, why did the dish on your plate turn into a hairpin that would benefit you, instead of—"

Instead of what?

Wei Rong reacted instantly, her face flushing red: "What...what are you talking about!"

Few people could defeat Wei Rong with just one sentence, but how could someone like Ling Xian speak so privately in public, something that makes one want to crawl into a hole?

What does he mean?

Wei Rong once wondered who in the entire palace had such keen insight and means to exchange things right under the emperor's nose.

Despite all the doubts, Ling Xianru was just a passing figure in her mind.

Because he had no reason to help himself.

He should have helped Shen Mingxiu!

Wei Rong even wondered if Zhu Er had switched the contents of the tray without her permission, but Zhu Er had never asked her for a favor.

Qiaoyu was also startled, staring wide-eyed at Ling Xianru.

She understood every word the Prime Minister said, but putting them together in a sentence seemed a bit beyond her comprehension.

Mo Yu hadn't had his brother around lately, so he wasn't as single-minded. When he saw Ling Xianru glancing at him, he decisively grabbed Qiao Yu's shoulder and pulled her away from the spot.

Ling Xianru then looked at Wei Rong: "Does Madam know what I'm saying?"

In the past, whether he called her Madam or Your Highness, Wei Rong felt it was perfectly normal, because it was her status, her title.

Before she could even process what Ling Xianru had said before, the word "Madam" carried a sense of presumptuousness, almost like a flirtatious jab.

—What exactly does "Ling Xianru" mean?

Perhaps he was just trying to trick her: "I don't understand what you're saying."

"The phoenix embroidery with pink and gold trim, should it be—?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Rong, no longer caring about propriety, leaned over and covered his mouth: "Shut up!"

Her face was as red as burning coals.

The fragrance of her cosmetics wafted over him, pure and unpretentious, making his gaze even more profound.

Their actions attracted the attention of people around them. A beautiful young lady and a handsome man, one shy and the other doting.

Overall, it's a very pleasing scene to the eye.

"I wonder what these young couple were up to, how did they manage to embarrass the young lady like that?"

"What do you know? Young people have plenty of fun."

Wei Rong withdrew her hand and vented her anger on those around her: "We're not husband and wife!"

Not a couple

The expressions on everyone's faces became even more subtle.

That doesn't seem right either. She's dressed like she's married, but she's not actually married to the man in front of her. But covering his mouth seems even stranger.

Distractions easily lead to mistakes; in her haste to grab the teacup, she ended up grabbing the teapot instead.

"hiss--"

"How is it?" Ling Xianru immediately moved the teapot away, and, without knowing where she got the courage, grabbed her hand and examined the scalded area.

Fortunately, it wasn't boiling water; it just got scalded red.

"Oh~" someone in the corner quipped, "So you really aren't a couple?"

Wei Rong tried to pull her hand back but failed. She glared at Ling Xianru, but the other party seemed oblivious. After accepting the ointment that Mo Yu handed over in time, she gave the person who was teasing her a cool look.

This glance was much more effective than Wei Rong's.

The Prime Minister's aura was so powerful that his warning gaze sent a chill down one's spine.

The teahouse was frequented by officials and nobles, whose demeanor was completely different from that of ordinary people.

The two men in front of them were far more outstanding than any princes and noblemen they had ever seen before, not only in their demeanor but also in their appearance, which was one in a million.

When the two are together, everyone sighs that they are a match made in heaven.

But this young master was clearly rather fierce.

Silence fell over the surroundings. He then lowered his head, took out the ointment, and gently applied it to the reddened area on Wei Rong with his fingertips.

"..."

The grip on her was strong, but the motion of applying the medicine was as light as a feather, causing no pain whatsoever.

From this angle, Ling Xianru's eyelashes are excessively long, covering her eyes that are always unfathomable, making one inexplicably feel that she is infatuated.

She flinched and pulled her hand back with a bit of force, causing the ointment to smear onto her wrist, which she smeared haphazardly.

Not right.

It's not right.

Wei Rong's thoughts were completely disrupted. Before she could sort things out, another guest arrived.

"Rong-meimei."