Changkun Palace was the residence of the empress, and only the empress could sit on the phoenix throne in the main hall of Changkun Palace.

  But at this moment, sitting on the phoenix throne was none other than the infamous Noble Consort Wu, known for her arrogance and overbearing behavior.

  She sat high above, looking down at the future master of this phoenix throne, Lin Di, who knelt before her. At that time, Lin Di was just a low-ranking maid without any noble title, and she was only the future empress, while Wu Shi was already a first-rank imperial concubine.

  Empress Wu was actually very stunning, her beauty was the kind that moved people's hearts, radiant and dazzling, shining brightly on others. Although she was already over thirty years old and no longer young, time had been kind to her and left no marks on her face, not even a single fine line.

  She has a pair of narrow and long phoenix eyes, which add to her heroic spirit and momentum, making people feel that she should be high above, accepting the worship and admiration of all.

  At this moment, she was looking at Lin Xiao with a pair of narrow and long phoenix eyes that were sharp and piercing. Her gaze was disdainful, mocking, and flaunting. Her hand was placed on the armrest of the phoenix throne, her slender and delicate index finger tapping gently on the dragon pattern on the armrest, and there was also an air of complacency about her.

  And she seemed to have forgotten to call out, letting Lin Xiao and Li Shi Zhuang Shi and others kneel there, kowtowing to her.

  This is a battlefield that belongs to the Lin and Wu families, or rather, it belongs to Lin Yu and Wu Guifei. Outsiders are not willing to get involved in this battle that could turn them into cannon fodder at any moment. Compared to letting them enter the battlefield to fight, they would rather stand by, drink tea, watch the show, or observe. Therefore, no one reminds Wu Guifei of her improper behavior while sitting on the throne, nor does anyone remind her to let Lin Yu and others get up.

  After a good while, roughly the time it takes to burn an incense stick (about 5 minutes), Empress Wu seemed to have finally remembered something. She shifted her body on the phoenix throne, changed her sitting posture, narrowed her long and narrow eyes, and said indifferently: "Get up."

  Lin Yan and others thanked him, then stood up. Mrs. Li was old, her legs were numb after kneeling for a long time, Qi Shi and Zhuang Shi supported her to stand up.

  Empress Wu shifted her gaze to Lin Xiang, curved the corners of her mouth and said: "Is this Miss Lin, the fourth daughter? Come forward and let me take a look."

  Zhuang's heart was worried, and he moved his lips, just about to speak up.

  Li pulled her hand back and told her with his eyes: "Let her handle it herself."

  Lin Xuan's face was filled with a smile, without any signs of worry or fear. She looked straight at Wu Guifei with her bright and beautiful eyes, then slowly walked up the steps, stopped in front of Wu Guifei, and slightly bowed to pay her respects.

  Lin Ke stood while Wu Guifei sat on the throne, but Lin Ke, standing, was taller than Wu Guifei, who was sitting. It seemed as if Wu Guifei had to look up at Lin Ke, which made Wu Guifei frown in dissatisfaction. However, she didn't want to get up from the throne either. So, she raised her eyebrows and looked at Lin Ke with an even more majestic and severe demeanor, saying: "By reason, you are the emperor's designated empress, and this throne should be yours. But today, the Winter Solstice banquet in the palace, the emperor let me preside over it, so I'm sitting here today. Miss Lin, do you think I should yield this throne to you or continue sitting to host the Winter Solstice banquet?"

  The Changkun Palace was silent, as if no one could hear Wu Guifei's difficulties, and it seemed that she was saying something very ordinary. Even Li Shi and Qi Shi were standing there with a calm expression, not speaking out to help. The only one who showed a worried look on her face was Zhuang Shi.

  Lin Yan smiled slightly, her smile always made people feel a subtle flavor, like the thin morning mist, with dewy moisture and vagueness. She replied in a soft and delicate voice: "Your Majesty asks me this way, I, as a humble servant girl, cannot answer. Your Majesty should ask the Emperor instead, for he is the master of the imperial palace, naturally it's up to him to decide who sits where."

  Wu Guifei looked at Lin Xiao, and Lin Xiao also smiled and stared straight at Wu Guifei. Although she was only a fourteen-year-old girl, she did not show any fear or anger in the face of Wu Guifei's overbearing attitude. She seemed to have seen through Wu Guifei's weakness and helplessness beneath her haughty demeanor, as if she had already understood her character. Having accompanied the emperor for over a decade, giving birth to the second prince, and exhausting all means with the Wu family to obtain the position of empress, only to return empty-handed in the end. Apart from being able to slightly embarrass Lin Xiao on such occasions, Wu Guifei actually had no other way.

  This Lin Di made Wu Guifei think of that woman who had been suppressing her from the Wang Fu to the Imperial Palace, and even after she died, she left an indelible mark in the Emperor's heart, unable to be driven away or erased, leaving only these women discarded outside the Emperor's heart to watch with envy.

  So from the very beginning, Lin Ke had made Wu Guifei dislike and even detest her, because she shared the same surname as that woman, because she took away the position that Wu Guifei had been striving for her whole life but could never get, and also because of Lin Ke's calm and composed demeanor at this moment.

  Empress Wu sneered and smiled, saying: "Fourth Miss is indeed eloquent."

  "My daughter has been tongue-tied since childhood, I'm afraid she will bring laughter to Your Majesty."

  The Empress Wu continued, "Speaking of which, this palace and the Fourth Miss are not meeting for the first time either. This palace remembers that in those years at the Wang Mansion, the Fourth Miss often played with the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Miss used to like chasing after the Emperor, calling out 'Uncle Uncle' as she followed closely behind him. Now that the Fourth Miss is about to be established as Empress, perhaps there were already signs back then, did the Fourth Miss have feelings of admiration for the Emperor even back then? Thinking about it now, the original Empress should be at peace, she couldn't live to accompany the Emperor in ruling the world, but now her niece will take her place and share with the Emperor the prosperity of the world, the original Empress's heart must be filled with joy and comfort."

  Lin He made a shy expression and said, "When I was young, I didn't understand anything. If I chased after the emperor, it was probably just because he had my favorite pastries in his hand. As for my aunt..." Lin He paused, put on a solemn expression, and then spoke in an unyielding tone: "She married the emperor at a young age, served the previous emperor with filial piety, and was obedient to the empress and concubines. Her virtues were exemplary, and her accomplishments were renowned. The emperor praised her as a good assistant, and the officials praised her as a virtuous empress. Although she did not live out her years and died young, history will not forget her achievements, the emperor will not forget her virtues, and her great deeds will be passed down to future generations for thousands of years. Her name will be engraved in the annals of history alongside the emperor's, becoming a model for wise rulers and virtuous empresses!"

  Empress Wu looked at Lin Xiang, listening to her say these grandiose words, constantly giving Lin Xian high praise. After a while, she said: "Fourth Miss says she's not good with words, but look how eloquent she is."

  Lin Xiao raised her eyes and looked at her: "Isn't that what the noble concubine thinks?"

  Empress Wu did not speak and shifted her eyes away.