Chapter 147 is not in the same league.

Empress Xue's barrage of questions made Song Yi's face turn pale instantly.

Anxiously explaining, "Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding. Ke'er is not someone who doesn't know the rules."

She would never bully the princess.

Empress Xue's face turned ashen.

"What do you mean, Madam Song? Are you accusing Princess Zhaoning of lying again?"

Song Yi quickly shook her head.

"That's not what I meant..."

Li Mu grabbed Song Yi's hand, shook his head at her, and gestured for her not to argue.

Then he cupped his hands and said to Empress Xue, "Your Majesty is right. If my daughter really bullied the princess, it must be because my husband and I failed to raise her properly."

Not to mention the Empress, even I am angry to hear this. The princess is of noble birth and her status is so high.

If she dares to bully the princess, I will be the first to punish her upon my return!

Empress Xue pursed her lips, her expression softening slightly.

"What you're saying makes some sense."

Li Mu looked at Princess Zhaoning with righteous indignation.

“Princess, don’t be afraid. Tell me how Li Nanke bullied you. When she comes back in a little while, I will let you bully her back in the same way.”

Princess Zhaoning leaned against Empress Xue's chest, her gaze darting away.

Empress Xue nodded, "It is necessary to ask clearly, lest you later think that I am biased and only protecting my own daughter."

"Your subject dares not!"

Li Mu looked at Princess Zhaoning with a kind smile.

"Please speak, Princess."

Princess Zhaoning picked at her fingers, stammering.

"She yelled at me and told me to shut up and not say anything. I was hungry, cold, and tired. Couldn't I even shout a few words?"

Li Mu looked furious.

"Of course! How could she be so mean to the princess? That's going too far! It's absolutely outrageous!"

Princess Zhaoning breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him agree with her.

The grievances I felt at that moment welled up again, and I spoke with a bit more arrogance.

"She also made me gather dry grass and wouldn't give me any sour dates to eat."

Empress Xue was heartbroken.

"Did you hear that? Zhao Ning is a princess! How dare Li Nanke order the princess around to gather hay and even withhold her food? It's utterly lawless!"

Li Mu's expression was solemn.

"This is utterly lawless! They must be severely punished!"

"By the way, Princess, what was she doing when she asked you to gather hay?"

Princess Zhaoning felt completely relaxed when she saw that Li Mu was on her side.

I blurted out instinctively, "She's gathering firewood to start a fire."

Li Mu frowned, his face full of disapproval.

"Even if it was to prepare for a fire, you shouldn't have made the princess gather hay, and you even withheld her sour dates."

Wait a minute, where did you get these sour jujubes from?

Zhao Ning: "Li Nanke climbed up the tree to pick them. We were so hungry, so she climbed up the tree and picked a handful of dates."

She's so stingy, she only gave me four dates, and I... I just said a few words to her, and she got angry and snatched the dates back.

Li Mu's expression was furious.

"That was indeed wrong of her. She only gave four dates to the princess. Even if she had worked hard to climb the tree to pick them, she should have given them all to the princess."

Empress Xue frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy upon hearing these words.

Just as he was about to ask more questions, Li Mu spoke first.

"Oh dear, you two didn't fall into the Bian River! The princess must be terrified in the water, right? The Bian River has a very strong current!"

"I heard the princess can't swim. Did she choke on water?"

Princess Zhaoning nodded, looking aggrieved.

"I choked, I choked on a lot of water."

"But so many Imperial Guards went into the water and couldn't find you, and you yourselves ran ashore."

"The princess is truly remarkable. At such a young age, she remained calm in the face of danger. Even after falling into the water, she only swallowed a few mouthfuls. She is clearly blessed by heaven and destined for endless good fortune."

Princess Zhaoning was so pleased with the praise that she couldn't help but share the story.

"It was alright, but the current was too strong. When I fell in, I felt myself sinking immediately and swallowed a lot of water."

But Li Nanke could swim, and she pulled me out of the water. We were both swept downstream by the current.

Just as we were about to sink, Li Nanke grabbed a piece of wood and lowered me down with him.

We clung to the log and floated to a bend in the river. It was terrifying there; there were water snakes, and one almost bit me.

Li Nanke used a stick to drive away the water snake and pulled me up.

Princess Zhaoning had never experienced anything so thrilling in her life, and she spoke of it at length.

They were completely unaware that Empress Xue's expression had already changed.

"Zhaoning, you said Li Nanke saved you?"

Empress Xue couldn't help but interrupt Princess Zhaoning, grabbing her arm and pressing her for answers.

Princess Zhaoning looked up at her, pouted, and nodded.

With a touch of a little girl's spoiled arrogance, she said, "She saved me, but she also bullied me."

The pampered little princess, who had been spoiled since childhood, didn't understand the gratitude of being saved and the quarrels and squabbles between little girls were on completely different levels!

Empress Xue could not pretend not to understand, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

That afternoon, she went from being filled with worry and despair upon learning that her daughter had fallen into the water, to suddenly seeing her daughter return safely and hearing her daughter's incessant crying, her worry and despair turned into anger.

In his anger, he didn't bother to ask who saved Zhaoning; he was only focused on getting revenge for his daughter who had been lost and found again.

Now that I've calmed down, and I'm listening to what Zhao Ning is saying, I gradually realize that something is wrong.

Li Nanke rescued Zhao Ning from the turbulent Bian River. The two little girls, aged seven or eight, climbed ashore, cold, hungry, and exhausted.

Li Nanke started a fire and gathered firewood, then asked Zhao Ning to gather some dry grass.

Li Nanke climbed a tree to pick dates and gave Zhao Ning four of them, but later, because the two of them quarreled, he took them back.

This is just a squabble between two little girls!

Even though she thought Zhao Ning was a noblewoman, at this moment she couldn't say that Zhao Ning should sit and let Li Nanke serve her!

After all, they saved Zhao Ning's life!

"I will strictly discipline my daughter from now on, and if such a thing happens again, I will report it to the authorities so that she will not offend the princess again."

If Your Majesty is still not satisfied, you may name your punishment, and I will carry it out.

Li Mu said with a respectful expression.

Empress Xue pursed her lips and snorted coldly.

"Alright, stop acting with me here. Do you think I can't tell you're using a feigned retreat as a tactic?"

"Ha, Li Mu, how dare you try to trick the princess into revealing information!"

Li Mu bowed, but his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Majesty, I dare not. I simply believe that my daughter is not an unreasonable person, just as Your Majesty the Empress believes that the princess would never lie."

As it turned out, the princess was not lying.

There are just some things that weren't said!

Empress Xue was taken aback and felt somewhat displeased.

"Alright, I know you want to say that your daughter saved Zhao Ning, but it was your daughter who dragged Zhao Ning into the water today."

"Alright, considering she saved Zhaoning and Zhaoning is safe and sound, I won't hold your family accountable."

The smile on Li Mu's face vanished.

"If Your Majesty says so, please forgive me for disagreeing!"