Chapter 31

  "I didn't see Mu Rong Feng showing any dissatisfaction with this marriage." Sima Qiang hesitantly asked.

  "This girl is strange, and her strangeness lies in this: it's said that to avoid marrying Sima Rui, she once begged her parents, even to the point of risking her life, but still couldn't change their arrangements. Alas, it's also pitiful. This girl has been living with her grandmother since childhood, so she didn't gain her parents' favor, which is why they used her as a substitute for Mu Rong Xue, who was deeply loved by her parents." Liu Fei slightly furrowed her brow, "Actually, I find it strange too. Mu Rong Feng is not inferior to Mu Rong Xue in any way, so why has the Mu Rong Wang Fu only ever mentioned Mu Rong Xue's beauty, but never spoken of Mu Rong Feng's equally charming appearance? What's even stranger is that after she married into the Fourth Prince's estate, she seemed calm and resigned, as if she had accepted her fate. She didn't show any signs of sadness or grief. However, she has gained the affection of both the Empress Dowager and the Empress, especially the Empress Dowager - it's rare for someone to receive such favor from her. When I saw her appear with Sima Rui today, I really thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. You don't know that this old Fourth Prince rarely spends the night at the Fourth Prince's estate; he's often out and about, even openly going in and out with a courtesan. It's truly rare to see him in the palace."

  Simar smiled faintly, "The child's eyes have always been good. That day I saw her, I felt that she was intelligent and elegant, absolutely not an ordinary woman. It's just a pity to be with Old Fourth, such a useless person, it's really a pity."

  The empress was somewhat tired and said to her son, "I'm exhausted, you go take a look elsewhere, it's been a long time since you returned to the palace, go take a look at your sister."

  Simazhong strongly backed out respectfully.

  Walking along a winding stone path, I saw a woman standing in front of a cluster of flowers. Her moon-white dress fluttered gently in the breeze, and her long black hair was adorned with a cold jade pin. Her delicate face wore a pure and genuine smile, faintly, as if real or illusory.

  In front of her was a cluster of blooming chrysanthemums, and it seemed that a pink butterfly was flying triumphantly on the flowers, enjoying its freedom. Probably due to fatigue, it quietly landed on a golden yellow chrysanthemum. The woman was slightly leaning forward, wanting to catch it, but looked a bit afraid, probably fearing that the butterfly would suddenly fly up and startle her. So she hesitated, yet couldn't help but follow her heart's desire, looking very lovely in the process.

  Suddenly, the wind blew and the flowers moved, the butterfly spread its wings and flew away. The woman seemed to be startled, her mouth uttering a soft cry of surprise, and she said in a gentle scolding tone: "Bad butterfly, you scared me, I actually didn't dare catch you."

  Simarong's figure moved, and he was already standing in front of Murong Feng. Murong Feng, who had just been startled by a butterfly, was again startled by Simarong's sudden appearance. "Ah!" she softly exclaimed.

  "Don't be afraid, it's me." Sima said with a strong smile, stretching out his hand, the butterfly was quietly lying in the palm of his slightly rough large hand.

  Murong Feng only then saw the person clearly, and smiled lightly, with a hint of surprise, saying: "It's you, what a coincidence. Is Liu Niangniang's condition better?"

  "Thank you for your concern, miss." Sima Qiang felt inexplicably relieved when he saw Murong Feng, and his words carried a hint of unbridled candor. "My mother's health has never been great, and she gets dizzy and uncomfortable with just a bit of stimulation. After resting for a few hours, she'll be fine."

  "That's good." Murong Feng looked at the butterfly in Sima Qiang's hand, wondering why it didn't take this opportunity to fly away, and didn't notice Sima Qiang's eyes suddenly becoming lively.

  It wasn't until the butterfly flew away that Murong Feng let out a soft sigh, raised his head and looked at Sima Qiang with clear eyes. "Actually, Liu Niangniang truly loved you deeply to be so heartbroken. To have such a mother is truly fortunate."

  "Yes." Sima Qiang sighed softly, his expression suddenly becoming perplexed and melancholic. "It's all because I was too impulsive, otherwise Mother wouldn't have had to humiliate herself for me.

  Murong Feng gazed at the beautiful butterflies flitting about among the flowers, thinking to himself: These ancient butterflies are all so clean and beautiful. I used to think that the air in the countryside was exceptionally good, but it seems I was wrong. The air here in ancient times, untainted by any pollution, is truly wonderful, making every breath feel refreshing.

  Just then, Sima Qiang's tone suddenly turned sorrowful, and he blinked his eyes, before smiling wryly and saying: "How strange, I thought you weren't really fond of Murong Xue. Could it be that I was mistaken?"

  Simarong was taken aback, gazing at Murong Feng's radiant and pure smile, feeling somewhat inexplicably embarrassed. Could it be that this young lady had already seen through everything?! Did she know that he wasn't really interested in marrying Murong Xue, and that his mother hadn't gone to see the Emperor solely because of her desire for him to marry Murong Xue?! He felt a bit uneasy, but tried to cover it up. "Why did you say that, miss?"

  Murong Feng smiled slightly, "I'm just guessing, based on my intuition. The Second Prince has always been guarding the border and rarely returns to the palace, so he must not have seen Murong Xue before. How could the Second Prince possibly like Murong Xue without even seeing her? In fact, it's not necessarily a bad thing that the Second Prince didn't win over Murong Xue."

  "What's going on? Am I not good enough for her?" Sima Qiang asked with a smile.

  "Xiaoxue is a beautiful woman, but also delicate and fragile like fine porcelain. If you really take her to the border, I'm afraid you won't even have time to command the battle, she's a beauty who needs someone to devote their heart, wealth, and energy to protect her well. Tell me, in a war-torn border, where would a commander find the time to deal with such a woman?" Murong Feng said with a mischievous smile, his words half-true and half-false.

  Simarong was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh, "Why would I want to marry her?"

  Murong Feng still smiled and said half-truthfully: "I'm not you, how would I know your mind? Asking questions like this isn't quite fair."

  "Haha," Sima smiled brightly, his bright personality, cultivated from years of being stationed at the border, showing no restraint for a moment. The laughter revealed a rich and mellow masculine aura, "Interesting answer, not bad. I indeed didn't decide to ask Father Emperor for her because I liked Murong Xue, but rather because I heard that Father Emperor had placed an unmarried woman in the Warm Jade Pavilion, and this woman was also the renowned number one beauty of the Great Xing Dynasty. I was worried that Father Emperor would become infatuated with her beauty and neglect the people of the world, so I decided to take this woman away."

  Murong Feng smiled faintly, "Now that she is the emperor's favored woman, even if you're worried, you'll just have to accept it. I'm not saying this because I'm Xiaoxue's sister, but Xiaoxue is actually a very simple-minded woman. She likes the emperor and there's nothing wrong with that. Think about it, Xiaoxue is a young woman who has just fallen in love for the first time, while the emperor is a mature, stable, and charming man. It's not surprising that they like each other when they meet, perhaps it's fate. Why worry so much? Do you really think Xiaoxue has the power to change the course of events? The emperor has been with many women before, how could he possibly give up his empire for just one beautiful woman? How many people can love beauty but not their kingdom?"

  Simarong was stunned again, how could this woman look so calm?