Chapter 22

  In the morning, Murong Feng woke up to find the sun shining brightly into his room, another crisp and refreshing autumn day. The air in ancient times was truly good, without a single speck of pollution, and breathing it in had a slightly sweet taste, with the freshness of leaves and the sweetness of flowers and grasses, which was really beneficial for one's health.

  Xiao Dezi hurried to the Fourth Prince's mansion, his face beaming with a smile like a flower. He conveyed the Empress Dowager's decree: Her Majesty was thinking of the Fourth Prince's consort and had already prepared breakfast for her in the Shangfu Palace, inviting her to come over. Suddenly catching sight of Sima Rui standing not far behind Murong Feng, he really jumped with fright - it was so early, yet Sima Rui could be seen at the Fourth Prince's mansion, a truly unexpected turn of events.

  Yan Yu went to Xiangfu Palace late last night and met with the Empress Dowager, saying that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess did not have the dispute everyone expected, but instead got along quite harmoniously and even had dinner together. The Empress Dowager was not particularly convinced, thinking Yan Yu was just trying to comfort her, so she had Xiao Dezi come to the Fourth Prince's residence to invite Murong Feng to her palace.

  Just as he was about to speak, the sound of horse hooves came from outside, getting closer and then fading away. Who is so bold as to dare make such a racket with their horse carriage in the imperial palace at this early hour?

  Simar furrowed his brow, and must have thought that it was Lao Er who had come back.

  Murong Feng followed Xiao Dezi to Xiangfu Palace, and Sima Rui naturally didn't want to idle around either. He wanted to follow them, but Xiao Dezi didn't dare say no.

  Two people walked into the Shangfugong, and saw the Empress Dowager talking to a young man. The young man was very tall, with dark skin, a slightly square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding an air of dominance, as if he were saying "who else but me".

  The empress's face was calm and gentle, chatting with him, when she suddenly saw Murong Feng and Sima Rui, and was taken aback. The appearance of these two people together was indeed beyond her expectations. Could it be that what Yan Yu said last night was really true, and not just to comfort herself?

  "Both of you have arrived, quickly take a seat." The Empress Dowager's joyful greeting, whether genuine or not, seeing the two of them appear together and still looking quite happy, was something that made her feel extremely delighted. "Come, Feng'er, come meet your second brother, Qiang'er. This is your younger brother Rui'er's newly wedded consort, Mu Rong Qingliang's third daughter, Mu Rong Feng."

  Simarong turned his head and saw Murong Feng standing there with a gentle smile, her dress was simple yet elegant and refined, unlike the other palace ladies who were overly made-up. Her face was clean and pure, with a warm expression that had a hint of indifference, just like the autumn scenery outside the window, it was very comfortable to look at.

  The notoriously incompetent Fourth Prince actually married such an outstanding woman. I heard that the Murong Royal Manor has a young lady who is famous for her beauty throughout the world, could it be this girl? But when people talk about it, it seems like the name is Murong Xue and not Murong Feng? It seems that every single person in the Murong Royal Manor is a beautiful woman.

  "Second Brother is good." Murong Feng muttered to herself, in this imperial palace she really only knew Sima Zhe and Sima Rui, who was this sacred Sima Qiang?

  Simar nodded, his eyes lingering on Murong Feng for a moment. He politely greeted his younger brother Sima Rui, "Fourth sister-in-law, hello. Fourth brother, long time no see, I didn't know you were already married. Second brother should offer congratulations to you."

  Simarui lazily glanced at Simaqiang, stretched out his hand to pull Murong Feng's wrist and sat down beside the Empress Dowager, saying indifferently: "Thank you."

  Even a fool can see that their relationship is not good, or rather, it's simply bad.

  The empress dowager, however, ignored the past and smiled: "Qiang Er, are you going to see your mother first or eat breakfast with your grandmother before leaving?"

  "Qiang Er, why don't you go visit your mother first and then come back to chat with Grandmother?" Sima Qiang's lips had a cold, determined look, his voice was full of energy. "Otherwise, I'm afraid that if Qiang Er is here, someone will lose their appetite. It's better for Qiang Er to come visit Grandmother another day."

  Murong Feng felt Sima Rui's hand suddenly tighten, a cold feeling spreading throughout her body. Despite the warmth of the room, Murong Feng still felt chilly.

  She looked up to see Sima Qiang staring at her, his words were directed at the Empress Dowager, but his gaze remained on her. There was a hint of playfulness in his eyes, as if he had discovered prey on the battlefield or suddenly spotted a target while advancing. However, it didn't make Murong Feng feel uncomfortable, and instead, there was more admiration in his gaze, seemingly without any ulterior motives. Deep within his eyes, there seemed to be a faint hint of a smile, making him appear extremely approachable.

  "Maple, you're infatuated!" Sima Rui said in a low voice, his hand tightening. "You can't even see straight, please spare some face for your husband. Your husband is me, and I'm the one who dislikes this kid the most. Can't you be infatuated with someone else?" Then he raised his voice, looking at Sima Qiang with a fake smile: "Second brother, this is my wife, not an enemy or prey on the battlefield. Why are you staring at her with such gleaming eyes? This little girl is timid and can't take frights, don't scare her into something."

  Simazhuan was slightly stunned, seemingly also discovering that he was a bit out of place, but did not make any explanations, and ignored Sima Rui's teasing, nodded to the crowd, and turned to leave.

  Simarui turned his head, his face only an inch away from Murong Feng's. "Murong Feng, remember this well: whether or not you fall in love with me is of no concern to me, but as the consort of Sima Rui, the only one you can love is me. Even if you don't love me, you can only accompany me alone. Don't harbor any illusions about having other romantic encounters in the palace; I am not as lenient as Sima Zhe."

  After finishing speaking, she stared into Murong Feng's eyes, and in a pair of peach blossom-like eyes, there was inexplicable worry and pain, as well as a cold demeanor.

  "What are you two doing? Do you still have me, this old lady, in your eyes?" The empress dowager joked with a smile.

  Simarui turned back with a smile and said with a sly face: "I'm cultivating feelings with my concubine, to see if I can fall in love with this little girl. Isn't that right, Murong Feng?"

  Murong Feng smiled slightly, but his foot trampled heavily on Sima Rui's foot. Looking at the Empress Dowager, he said softly: "Yes, your grandson said that he wants to try and see if he can accept Feng'er. With the imperial edict from Grandmother, he said he doesn't dare to act rashly, lest he provoke Grandmother's anger and there won't be any good outcome."

  Simarui was caught off guard and got kicked right in the gut. This time, Murong Feng really put his strength into it, and all the anger in his heart was released with this one kick. Simarui involuntarily let out a "Ah yo!" and turned to look at Murong Feng, just about to get angry, but saw that Murong Feng's face was filled with the joyful and triumphant smile of someone who had succeeded in playing a prank, his eyes sparkling like those of a child, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of affection. He looked at him as if he were stupid, and let out a soft sigh, muttering to himself: "Murong Feng, can you please be fair to me?"

  Murong Feng was taken aback, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

  "Alright," the empress dowager said with a smile, gazing at the two of them, her voice pretending to scold, "You two go eat and flirt somewhere else, don't stay here bothering me, are you trying to annoy me on purpose?"

  As soon as these words came out, Sima Rui and Murong Feng both blushed and lowered their heads.

  Simarui stole a glance at Murong Feng, seeing that her pretty face had already turned red with shame, making her look even more delicate and charming, like a flower, and elegant as an orchid. In his heart, he felt warm and fuzzy, inexplicably feeling happy.