Seeing the Empress's exasperated appearance, the Emperor's eyes grew colder and colder.

The Empress also sensed something was wrong. She quickly looked up at the Emperor, forcing a smile, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. I just felt... I felt..."

"Consort Li has arrived!"

Outside, Eunuch Cai's voice rang out.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the Emperor expectantly, hoping he could teach her a lesson so she wouldn't lose face.

However, the emperor didn't even glance at her.

When Consort Li arrived with Yang Bingbing and Yang Shuishui, she saw the Empress kneeling on the ground. She was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to go in or not.

"What are you standing there for?" the Emperor said impatiently. "Bring me the things."

Consort Li coughed lightly, pushed Yang Bingbing and Yang Shuishui forward, and then asked, "What's wrong with the Empress?"

"Hmph." The Emperor glanced at the Empress. "Get up."

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief, slowly rose, and whispered, "Does Your Majesty think I said something wrong?"

"Why don't we let Consort Li be the judge?"

"Hehe, alright, then let Consort Li be the judge!" The Emperor put down the things Yang Bingbing and Yang Shuishui were carrying, then looked at Consort Li, "Tell me, what do you think of the Empress's decision to marry Tuantuan to the Third Prince?"

"What?" Leng Zhizhi was stunned. "Marry the Third Prince? Of course not!"

Leng Zhizhi cursed the Empress in her heart. Wasn't this pushing Tuantuan into a fire pit?

"Tell me, why not?" The Emperor asked, glancing at the Empress with a mocking smile.

Leng Zhizhi raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty, you know my temperament. I say what I mean. If I offend you or the Empress, don't blame me."

The Empress quickly replied, "Of course I won't blame you. Just say what you have to say!"

"Fine!" Leng Zhizhi looked at the Empress and said, word by word, "Tuantuan is kind, intelligent, and clever. You could say that all the best words in the world can be used to describe her. How can such a person be confined in a cage like the palace? Tuantuan should roam freely outside. She belongs to freedom! If you ask who in this world is worthy of her? I would say, no one!"

"If we really had to find one, it would only be someone as outstanding as Nan Xiao."

"Your Majesty the Empress is talking about the Third Prince? I'd like to ask, what makes the Third Prince worthy of us? Even if he were to become the Emperor, let alone just a prince, he would still be unworthy of Tuantuan!"

"Your Majesty and Empress, you should give up on this idea as soon as possible. Tuantuan doesn't think much of the Third Prince. You may treasure him, but he means nothing to us."

The Empress was so angry that she trembled all over. She never expected that Leng Zhizhi would say that her child was not as good as Bai Tuantuan!

“We also think Tuantuan is amazing,” Yang Bingbing said softly. “Tuantuan knows so much—medical skills, martial arts. Run’er isn’t good enough for Tuantuan…”

Yang Shuishui quickly nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right, Tuantuan is the most amazing person I've ever met!"

The Emperor snorted coldly and looked at the Empress: "Did you hear that? You think your son is the best? A concubine? You expect Tuantuan to be grateful to a concubine? On what grounds? Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

"What? A concubine?" Leng Zhizhi suddenly raised her voice and looked at the Empress. "Empress, what are you thinking?"

The Emperor stood up, looked at the Empress, and said, "I'll make this clear! The Crown Prince will always be the Crown Prince, and he will never be Yang Run!"

The Empress's face turned deathly pale. She looked at the Emperor in disbelief and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Run'er is also your son. How can you say such a thing about him... Besides, in what way is Run'er inferior to the Crown Prince..."

"Your Majesty!" Leng Zhizhi's face was full of anger. "The Crown Prince is also your son! How can you be so biased?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress was taken aback.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes: "I know that you have put more effort into Run'er because of his poor health, but the Crown Prince is also your son. You ignored him back then, and he became the Crown Prince in the hearts of the ministers through his own efforts. Now you want to make his own brothers kill each other. What are you really thinking?"

"Empress, I only thought you were biased towards Run'er, but I never expected you to be so stupid!" The Emperor looked at the Empress with extreme disappointment. "For the sake of you being the Crown Prince's birth mother, I will not do anything to you, but if you go too far, I will not hesitate to separate the mother from the child!"

The Empress's heart sank. She looked at the Emperor in disbelief, about to say something, but was interrupted by Leng Zhizhi: "Your Majesty, why don't you hurry up and thank the Emperor? Your Majesty should think twice before you act in the future. Some things, if said or done, will damage the Crown Prince's affection for you."

"Both are my flesh and blood, Your Majesty, please think of me!"

As she spoke, Leng Zhizhi patted Yang Shuishui and Yang Bingbing's heads: "Don't be afraid, your mother loves you both!"

Yang Shuishui and Yang Bingbing blushed and hugged Leng Zhizhi.

Upon seeing this scene, the Emperor's expression softened somewhat. He waved his hand and ordered Eunuch Cai to escort the Empress out.

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Take a look at Shui Shui and Bing Bing's paintings, what do you think? They were painted with Tuan Tuan's guidance!"

As Leng Zhizhi finished speaking, Yang Shuishui and Yang Bingbing both looked up expectantly.

Suppressing his anger, the Emperor picked up the two paintings and his eyes lit up: "These were painted for the isolated island?"

"Yes, Tuantuan wrote to say that they wanted to design their own houses. The two girls spent almost half a month drawing them out. As soon as they finished, they said they wanted to see their father, the Emperor. So, Your Majesty, would you like to give some advice?"

The Emperor examined it carefully and said with a smile, "How could I know anything about these things? The painting is quite good, though. I never imagined my two little princesses had such talent in painting. Not bad!"

"By the way," the Emperor said, looking at Leng Zhizhi, "I think what you just said is quite good."

Leng Zhizhi looked at the Emperor with a puzzled expression: "What did Your Majesty say?"

"Nanxiao and Tuantuan." The Emperor slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Although Tuantuan is only a county princess, everyone knows the power behind her. Even if I strip the Bai family of their official positions, it is still acceptable for them to give Tuantuan the position of a concubine."

"Overestimating yourself!" Leng Zhizhi rolled her eyes, showing no leniency whatsoever just because he was a prince.

The Emperor sighed helplessly, "At least give me some face and be a little more tactful!"

"To put it more tactfully, I'm afraid Your Majesty won't understand." Leng Zizi curled her lips. "So, you think Nan Xiao and Tuan Tuan are a good match?"

"I do have that idea, but both children have their own ideas, and you can't force a relationship!" The Emperor sighed.

Leng Zhizhi laughed: "Your Majesty, you're overthinking things! Those two are quite capable; if they're really plotting something, they might just get burned!"