Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng looked around and indeed didn't see Han Shaomian. She smiled for a moment. Prince Duan had always stayed away from the struggles between factions within the court. He wouldn't attend banquets like today's in the past, and he certainly wouldn't attend today either.

As for the previous dinner at Prince Duan's mansion, it was merely to pave the way for Han Shaomian. However, Prince Duan had invited almost all factions in the court to the banquet, cleverly avoiding offending any of them.

"Participating is not a good thing, but not participating is not a bad thing either!" As everyone slowly walked towards the lake, Yun Qianmeng admired the natural beauty of the Sea Palace while answering Qu Feiqing's question in a cryptic way.

"That's true! It seems that Prince Duan is also an extremely smart person. He usually keeps a low profile, but he hardly offends anyone. Even..." Having said this, Qu Feiqing looked around and saw that there were no extra outsiders around, so she continued, "Even the Emperor and the Queen Mother have never expressed dissatisfaction with him!"

In the past, the Empress Dowager often summoned Concubine Qu. She naturally knew that among these factions, the one that the Empress Dowager and Emperor Yugan trusted the most was Prince Duan.

"Yes!" Yun Qianmeng replied calmly, her eyes brimming with smiles. Prince Duan had indeed done a great job in making everyone so carefree, even reassuring Emperor Yugan more than Chu Nanshan. However, compared to Chu Nanshan, who held military power, Prince Duan lacked the capital to threaten Emperor Yugan's throne.

"Miss Qu, logically speaking, you are the eldest daughter of the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion, and the one who can walk side by side with the Princess of Chu should be you! But now, such a position has been occupied by your cousin!" Wu Qinqin and Qu Jingqing were walking about ten feet away from Yun Qianmeng and the others. Seeing Yun Qianmeng, Qu Feiqing and Xiahou An'er talking and laughing arm in arm, Wu Qinqin was very unhappy. She glanced at Qu Jingqing beside her with a little disdain out of the corner of her eye, and said with a strong sense of sarcasm in her words.

How could Qu Jingqing not know Wu Qinqin's thoughts? Wasn't she trying to provoke him to go and humiliate Yun Qianmeng and Qu Feiqing? But now Chu Feiyang and Qu Changqing were both walking in front. He was not afraid of angering Yun Qianmeng and Qu Feiqing, but what if Chu Feiyang and the others knew about it? Thinking of the last time Qu Changqing ordered people to throw him and his mother out of the Fuguogong Mansion, Qu Jingqing's face suddenly became cold and said, "Madam Yuan is well aware that my father and Lord Qu are not born of the same mother!"

Qu Jingqing didn't say much else. After all, this was the Qu family's business, and there was no need to let Wu Qinqin, an outsider, laugh at him.

Wu Qinqin didn't care about her attitude. She just stroked her round belly gently with one hand and spoke slowly, "That being said, how could you know that Miss Qu was really getting along with the Princess of Chu? If they were really getting along, why didn't the Duke of Fuguo come to her house to care for her when she was still in the boudoir? If the Princess of Chu wasn't favored by the old King of Chu, I'm sure no one would pay attention to her today! Miss Qu, don't forget that the King of Chu holds great power. If he can establish a good relationship with the Princess of Chu, even if Concubine Qu is already seventeen years old, she can still get a good marriage! Oh, by the way, Miss Qu is a little older than Concubine Qu, this..."

Before Wu Qinqin could finish her words, she saw Qu Jingqing radiating anger. Then, his pace gradually quickened, and he walked straight towards the three people in front of him...

"Ouch..." Qu Feiqing felt someone hit her shoulder hard, her steps on the cobblestones became disordered, her right foot tilted slightly, and she almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Yun Qianmeng was quick to support her, otherwise Qu Feiqing would have been embarrassed in front of everyone today.

However, her low cry just now attracted the attention of the people in front. Most of them turned around to look, and when they saw that nothing serious had happened, they continued to move forward.

However, among these people, Han Che's behavior was the strangest.

Others would at most just look back, but he took a few steps back, staring at Qu Feiqing who was frowning slightly. He couldn't help but frown as well, and even half opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak out.

This abnormal behavior immediately caught Qu Changqing's attention. Following Han Che's gaze, he saw the figure of his younger sister. A hint of deep thought immediately appeared in his eyes, and when he turned to Han Che, there was a hint of consideration in his eyes.

There are differences between men and women. Even if a woman is stared at for too long by a man, her reputation will be damaged. Qu Changqing slammed his big hand on Han Che's shoulder, almost knocking the defenseless Han Che to the ground. Then he whispered a warning, "Prince Han, the Crown Prince is watching us. Let's go!"

"Ahem... Lord Qu, please!" Han Che keenly noticed the inquiry in Qu Changqing's eyes, immediately withdrew his gaze and turned around, instantly returning to his usual composure and spoke politely.

"How could you see the road? Didn't you see Sister Qu walking in front? Are your eyes on top of your head?" Xiahou An'er saw Qu Jingqing's ill intentions and, while supporting Qu Feiqing, she criticized Qu Jingqing. Deep down, she felt even more disgusted with Qu Jingqing. Just now, he had come to provoke her in Suiyi Garden, and now he had gone even further, actually starting a fight. It was no wonder that a woman like him hadn't married yet.

"Princess Xiahou, don't you see how wide this road is? The three of you have taken up the entire road, leaving everyone else to walk on the dirt? Although you are of noble status, the ladies and ladies who came today are also of high status. Why do you have to bully others by relying on your position as the Prince of Chu's Mansion?" Qu Jingqing had been simmering with anger for a long time. He had finally found an opportunity and naturally could not let it go. "Besides, Madam Yuan is pregnant. Do you really expect her to make way for you?"

Of course, Qu Jingqing was no fool. Using her status to challenge the status of the Princess of Chu was definitely out of the question. Since Wu Qinqin had the audacity to stir things up in front of her, she naturally couldn't just sit there and watch. Besides, the Chen Palace was extremely useful. Everyone knew that Prince Chen was obsessed with Yun Qianmeng, and the two palaces were at loggerheads over Yun Qianmeng.

Wu Qinqin was so angry when she heard Qu Jingqing's words that she almost got her nose twisted. She was walking well in the back, but she was still dragged into this. She hurriedly asked the maid from the Sea Palace to help her walk quickly forward, and said with a smile: "I am pregnant, so it doesn't matter if I walk slowly!"

This sentence made Qu Jingqing glare at him angrily, but Wu Qinqin just smiled and didn't give any reply.

"Cousin, are you okay?" Yun Qianmeng supported Qu Feiqing for a long time. Seeing her right foot gradually touching the ground and standing properly, she began to ask.

"It's okay!" After standing for a while, Qu Feiqing felt relieved and felt no severe pain in her ankle. She smiled at Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er.

Seeing that Concubine Qu was alright, Yun Qianmeng turned her gaze towards the two people standing behind her. A faint smile graced her face, but her eyes were as cold as snow. "Speaking of status, Miss Qu is indeed the lowest among the guests here today! It's only natural that you should be the last one to leave. Why do you harbor such resentment? As for Madam Yuan, since you're pregnant, you should do some good deeds for the sake of your unborn child. Don't end up like Miss Su, who didn't get married in time and ended up with more harm than good!"

Yun Qianmeng warned the two people as soon as she opened her mouth. Qu Jingqing's face turned red and white, and he felt humiliated by Yun Qianmeng's ridicule of his status.

Wu Qinqin looked even uglier, and she held her belly tightly with both hands, not allowing outsiders the chance to touch her belly.

Seeing that the two men had calmed down, Yun Qianmeng turned around and walked forward again.

"Sister Qu, are you okay?" As he was walking, he saw Han Yu coming over and asked with concern.

"It's okay!" Qu Feiqing raised her eyes and smiled at Han Yu.

"I'm glad you're okay! My brother and Lord Qu were very nervous when they heard the noise just now!" Han Yu secretly glanced at Yun Qianmeng and had to add Qu Changqing into the conversation.

Upon hearing this, Qu Feiqing did not react much. Instead, Yun Qianmeng looked at Han Yu who was surrounding her cousin with a half-smile in her eyes. Then she looked forward and saw that Han Che and her cousin had already walked to the lake. A group of people were standing on the green grass and talking, probably waiting for the boat from the Sea King's Palace to come over.

"Prime Minister Han is a handsome man. I wonder if he has any candidate he likes? If not, I know a few top ladies from wealthy families who can help to make some connections!" Yun Qianmeng retracted her gaze and stared at Han Yu beside her with clear eyes. Seeing that her attention was always on Qu Feiqing's feet, she spoke casually.

Upon hearing this, Han Yu's smile faltered slightly, and she immediately looked at Yun Qianmeng, completely baffled. Her brother had clearly already expressed his feelings to Princess Chu, so why was she asking this question again?

"Miss Han, don't worry. With Prime Minister Han being such a talent, I won't rush to find him a daughter of a wealthy family!" Yun Qianmeng spoke again while Han Yu was stunned, a hint of amusement in her eyes. Han Che was really going to great lengths, keeping his own thoughts to himself, even sending his younger sister to ask after his cousin's well-being. His intentions were good, but it was a pity that this beautiful woman would never consider such an aspect.

Yun Qianmeng's eyes were clear and piercing, yet they held a shrewdness and penetrating power that made one dare not look directly at them. This caused Han Yu to slowly lower her eyes and whispered back, "Thank you, Princess! However, my father and mother will make the final decision on my brother's affairs. Yu'er dare not get involved!"

Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but nod, and said with a hint of meaning, "Indeed! How can a younger sister be allowed to participate in my brother's marriage? Isn't that right, Miss Han?"

Hearing this, Han Yu's heart tightened, and he immediately understood the true meaning of the Princess Chu's words, but he could only nod.

Yun Qianmeng's words naturally had her reasons. The Yugan Emperor was already showing signs of a murderous spree, having recently summoned numerous important officials. Han Che, the Left Prime Minister he had personally nurtured, was naturally perceived by outsiders as being on the Yugan Emperor's side. While Yun Qianmeng knew of Han Che's feelings for Qu Feiqing, they were limited to his relationship with her. Naturally, she couldn't allow someone whose alignment was unclear to have too much contact with her family, lest they invite a traitor into the family.

Seeing Han Yu's face as pale as a frost-bitten eggplant, Qu Feiqing was curious as to why she cared so much about her. However, this was the Sea King's Palace, with many eyes and ears. Qu Feiqing couldn't help but smile and said to Yun Qianmeng, "Look, the boat is coming!"

Everyone looked as they were told, and saw a large ship slowly approaching the lake.

Xiahou An'er looked over along with everyone else, only to see Hai Chenxi standing behind the Sea King. His eyes, which couldn't distinguish between good and evil, were staring at her intently, unlike everyone else's...