Being caught red-handed is like sneaking a snack in class and then turning around to make eye contact with the head teacher – that's incredibly awkward.

The air seemed to freeze.

Xi'an's toes couldn't resist starting to work. Not knowing what to scratch, she decided to scratch a three-entry-three-exit mansion to relieve the itch.

Shen Jiao felt uneasy under the gazes of the brother and sister.

Thinking that since there was no time to escape, I might as well bite the bullet and say hello?

This eerie atmosphere always needs to be broken by someone.

Shen Jiao immediately put on a fake yet beautiful smile, the kind of smile used in social situations: "...What a coincidence, you two are here to admire the flowers too?"

Murong Chen said coldly, "Your Majesty, there are no flowers here."

Shen Jiao: "..."

Yes, she realized it too after she finished speaking. All she could see were roads and buildings, but not a single flower.

This excuse sounds good, but it's not useful at all. It's just a way of showing how to make the slap in the face more resounding.

But words spoken are like water spilled; once spoken, further explanation or denial would only make things more awkward. So, Shen Jiao decided to remain silent.

Even a fool could tell that Murong Chen would continue his nagging, but to everyone's surprise, he had just opened his mouth to write a thousand words in a sarcastic tone.

Murong You glanced at him and suddenly said, "But there are small grasses."

For some reason, Shen Jiao understood the Ninth Princess's implication: flowers and plants are all one family, and appreciating plants is the same.

Was Murong You speaking up for her?

Why?

She was clearly not familiar with the Ninth Princess.

"Where did this grass come from? Xiao Jiu, are you going to go against me even at a time like this?"

Murong glared at him, her expression saying, "We're all in the same boat. How can you help outsiders? We must stand on the same front and fight the enemy together!"

Shen Jiao didn't see any grass either.

"I didn't. Fifth Brother, if you don't believe me, see for yourself."

Murong You pointed to a patch of green in the corner of the wall that could be easily overlooked if one didn't look closely; it was indeed a stubbornly growing weed.

"..." Murong Chen's brow twitched.

Seeing this, Shen Jiao praised, "Ninth Princess has a good eye! This little grass survives in the cracks; its vitality is truly tenacious!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind swept by, and the tenacious wild grass was uprooted and blown away by the wind.

Murong You: "..."

Shen Jiao: "..." Is she being impulsive today?

I thought to myself, "Little grass, I praised you so sincerely, and you actually slapped me in the face like this?"

Do I really have no pride?

However, perhaps because she had experienced so many awkward moments in such a short period of time, Shen Jiao found herself feeling alright amidst the awkwardness.

However, most of the others didn't share her mindset, causing the atmosphere that had just become lively to fall into an eerie silence again.

Since no one is saying anything, let's disperse. Let's leave this room for now so we can meet again in the future.

Unexpectedly, just as Shen Jiao was about to leave, Murong Chen spoke up first.

He didn't say much, just chuckled twice: "Hehe, surviving in the cracks, hehe, how tenacious."

Extremely sarcastic.

Shen Jiao didn't care. Hehe, so be it. It's not without reason that people were angry when she was caught eavesdropping.

Although she looked down on Murong Chen, that old philanderer, one thing is one thing, and she, Shen Jiao, as the Empress Ji Yan, was broad-minded!

As a loyal servant, Kexi'an could not bear to see his mistress suffer any injustice.

She had been pretending not to listen, but now she didn't care anymore. She quickly caught up with the "runaway" weed, brought it back, and replanted it!

The movements were performed in one smooth motion.

Perhaps afraid of being blown away by the wind again, she picked up a rock about the size of her head and placed it on top of it.

Xi'an patted the dust off her hands and gave Murong Chen a smug look that said "absolutely tenacious."

Murong Chen was stunned, and his face immediately turned as black as coal.

Shen Jiao was worried that he would make trouble for Xi An, but he said with a forced smile, "I didn't expect Your Majesty the Empress to have such a leisurely and elegant taste. Instead of admiring the Imperial Garden in the palace, you came all the way to admire a weed that would be trampled to death if you didn't look closely."

The tone was very pleasant and gentle at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the emotions conveyed were extremely sarcastic and unpleasant.

Speaking in such a tone at such an old age is really unpleasant. If Shen Jiao had the fiery temper of a tyrant, she would have already shoved him into the toilet and flushed him away.

Murong Chen spoke tactfully, but her face clearly showed that "the Empress, a dignified woman, actually committed such a despicable act as eavesdropping."

Shen Jiao: "..."

Although she didn't do it on purpose, it was indeed wrong of her not to turn around and leave immediately after hearing it.

At this point, admitting your mistake and apologizing won't hurt you.

Just as Shen Jiao was about to speak, Murong You said slowly and deliberately, "Fifth Brother, what you said is really unpleasant. To each their own. What right do you have to talk about the Empress? After all, aren't you the same, with your own unique taste?"

These words were practically a direct insult to Chen Yu, followed by a brutal and humiliating verbal attack, and even included Murong Chen in the insults.

Shen Jiao clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking, "The Ninth Princess is truly majestic!"

Xi'an gave a thumbs up again.

Murong Chen's eyes widened in anger, clearly not expecting his younger sister to repeatedly disrespect him in front of outsiders.

"Murong You, you..."

"What do you mean 'you'? What do I mean 'me'?" Murong You rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, please wake up. This is Great Yan, not Liang. As the Empress of Great Yan, every inch of Great Yan belongs to her. What's wrong with her taking a walk on her own territory? Absolutely nothing!"

Her expression was serious: "We are the ones who are at fault. It was clearly our own carelessness in speaking! How can you say it's Your Majesty's fault! Your Majesty is not at fault!"

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