Then Emperor An asked, "The Empress entered the city too late yesterday, and I did not arrange a good place for her to stay. Why don't we move out of the inn today and stay at the Honglu Temple?"

The Honglu Temple was the place where the An Kingdom specifically received foreign envoys. When the third prince of Southern Qi and his envoys came before, they should have been arranged to stay there as well. However, for some reason, the third prince of Southern Qi took the initiative to request to stay in the East Palace, and Emperor An had no choice but to agree.

Now that Empress Yueyao and the Holy Maiden have arrived, arranging for them all to stay at the Honglu Temple is the best option, at least in terms of safety, there is no need to worry.

However, Murong Xi smiled and waved his hand in refusal: "Your Majesty, when I was in Yueyao Kingdom, I lived in the palace every day, and I actually longed for the lives of the common people outside the palace."

Emperor An, Su Moyan, and Su Mowu all nodded. As members of the royal family, they deeply resonated with Murong Xi's words.

"So, since we've come all this way to Jingzhou, if we were to stay in official accommodations like those provided by the Court of State Ceremonial, dealing with their officials every day would not only be tiring for them, but also tedious for me. Wouldn't it be better to stay in a restaurant and experience the daily life of the people of Jingzhou? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Murong Xi spoke eloquently and sincerely, and Emperor An somewhat agreed with her ideas, but still hesitated and said, "But what about the conditions in this restaurant..."

“Your Majesty, because I entered the city in a hurry last night, the inn where I stayed was indeed rather mediocre. However, I have also heard that there is a nationally renowned restaurant in Jingzhou called Wenxiangju. It is among the best in Anguo in terms of both environment and cuisine and service.”

As he spoke, Murong Xi turned slightly to the side, finally confronting Jing Zhe again after their parting in Liangzhou: "I just heard that this Wenxiangju is owned by President Jing. Then I would like to trouble President Jing to personally arrange for me to stay at your Wenxiangju, would that be alright?"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Murong Xi spoke to Jing Zhe in an extremely gentle tone, a stark contrast to her aloofness in Liangzhou. Even Jing Zhe felt a little nauseous listening to her, let alone the others.

"Um...this..."

To be honest, Jing Zhe really didn't want to agree.

He personally requested not to attend court because he didn't want to have any further entanglements with Murong Xi—the Empress was wonderful, but he dared not!

If we let her move into Wenxiangju, wouldn't their entanglement deepen even further? Now that she's already moved in, who knows what other trouble she might cause later?

After some hesitation, Zhu Xinning stepped forward.

"Your Majesty need not seek him out. I will arrange for you to stay at the Fragrant Abode!"

Zhu Xinning looked at Murong Xi and said gracefully.

"This must be Zhu Sheren, the most talented woman in Jingzhou, right?"

Murong Xi stared directly at Zhu Xinning, and the confrontation between the two women officially began.

"Let's not trouble Zhu Sheren. Since the manager of Wenxiangju is here, wouldn't it be more convenient to talk to him?"

"Although he is the manager of Wenxiangju, he has been away from Jingzhou for some time. During this period, it has been my sister Xiaoyu and I managing Wenxiangju, so it will be more convenient for you to find me."

"Although he left Jingzhou, he's back now, isn't he? Now that he's back, wouldn't it be better if he were in charge of Wenxiangju?"

“I am his second sister, so it’s the same whether I take charge or he takes charge.”

"You're just his second sister, but that doesn't represent him, does it?"

When he said "just his second sister," Murong Xi deliberately emphasized it, as if he was reminding Zhu Xinning of something.

Zhu Xinning's eyes flashed with a fiery intensity.

Murong Xi, however, remained calm and composed, showing no stage fright.

"If I say it's possible, then it's possible!"

“You are just his second sister, not him.”

"Then you can ask him if I can."

"Okay, then let's ask him if you can."

As they spoke, they both looked at Jing Zhe.

"..."

Jing Zhe was dumbfounded.

What an unexpected battleground!

On one side was his second sister, who was also his woman, and on the other side was the beautiful empress with whom he had had intimate contact. Although, in terms of their relationship, he should support his second sister without hesitation, for some reason, he couldn't bear to let Murong Xi lose face in front of so many people.

Oh, men, your name is shameless!

"Jing Zhe has made a mistake, but simply not attending court is a bit too lenient a punishment! I intend to keep him here and give him a proper talking-to in the council hall, so Jing Zhe probably won't be able to leave the palace for a while! As for the matter of going to Wenxiang Residence, in my opinion, it's best if Consort Zhu takes the Empress there!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhu Xinning bowed and agreed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Murong Xi did not insist and bowed in greeting.

Jing Zhe looked at Emperor An with gratitude, who had unwittingly defused the chaotic situation and saved his life...

"In that case, let's adjourn the court! Lord Zhu, please take the Empress to Wenxiang Residence to settle down."

Then, with a sharp glare, he said to Jing Zhe, "And you stay here. Go to the council hall. I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

"I obey the decree!"

Jing Zhe was moved to tears.

"Your Majesty, please."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Zhu."

The two women were laughing and talking, but Jing Zhe, who was standing to the side, felt a cold wind blowing in his head, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination...

...

After the ministers had all left and the guard general Sui Shouren closed the palace gates, only Emperor An and Jing Zhe remained in the Golden Palace.

"Your Majesty, shall we go to the council chamber?"

What do you think?

The two looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter.

At this moment, Jing Zhe was no longer the reserved person he had been in court, and he smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping me out of that predicament!"

Emperor An pointed at him: "You know I'm helping you out of a predicament, don't you? The moment you appear before me, a whole host of troubles begin to appear!"

"How about Your Majesty stop requiring me to attend court in the future, so as to avoid causing Your Majesty any more trouble?"

Jing Zhe asked cautiously, trying to find the answer.

"you--"

Andi glared at him: "Dream on!"

He then burst into laughter: "You, Jing Zhe, you've been away from the capital for so long, and you're already trying to quit now that you're back?"

"Your Majesty, I didn't want to either, but there was no other way."

"Isn't that your fault? What exactly happened between you and this Empress Yueyao, or what did you do to her that made her so hung up on you?"

Emperor Andi asked curiously.

"Your Majesty, you are wronged! I merely saved Empress Yueyao's life. Who knew she would become so interested in me because of it... Alas, sometimes it's not good for a man to be too outstanding!"

Jing Zhe shrugged and sighed, looking particularly helpless.

"..."

Emperor An was taken aback at first, then remained silent for a moment before shaking his head with a wry smile and exclaiming, "It really is you! After all these days, your skin has only gotten thicker!"

"Your Majesty, are you praising me?"

"Well, if that's what you think—then so be it!"

"..."

Jing Zhe touched his nose, no longer wanting to discuss this topic...

————