After Jingxi finished speaking, she wiped away the tears she had forced out and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Miss Mu, please don't take offense. I just heard that you and the prince are engaged, so I came to tell you about the past. After all, I live in the palace and have no one to confide in. Seeing that the prince has settled down, I am relieved."

This isn't a casual conversation; it's a demonstration.

When Jingxi learned that the emperor had bestowed the wooden statue, which he regarded as a treasure, upon a woman, he couldn't sit still and came to inquire.

She had also heard that she was the regent's betrothed, so of course she had to find out which woman could win the regent's favor.

To her surprise, she was stopped when she arrived at the side hall. Fortunately, shouts came from inside the side hall, which allowed her to enter amidst the chaos.

Once she saw the person, Jingxi didn't want to leave and insisted on chatting with Mu Tiantian.

With nothing else to do, Mu Tiantian decided to see what tricks Consort Jing was up to.

I never expected to end up listening to a play.

"I never imagined that the Imperial Concubine had so many connections with the Emperor and the Prince." Mu Tiantian looked like she really believed it. "Then could the Imperial Concubine tell me more about the Prince so that I can learn more about him?"

Seeing that she hadn't really upset her, Jingxi figured she was probably just pretending not to care, so she added fuel to the fire, saying, "When I entered the palace, I heard that the Prince had been seriously ill for a month, and his old ailment had even relapsed. Miss Mu, you must take good care of him and not let him be too heartbroken over me again..."

Thud—

Before he could finish speaking, the door was pushed open forcefully.

Long Xinghuang stood outside the door with a dark expression. Jingxi hurriedly stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

"Didn't I say that Miss Mu needs quiet? Who allowed you to let people in!" Long Xinghuang roared, and all the palace servants kneeling in the room trembled.

Mu Tiantian remained calm. Qi Tong had previously told her that Long Xinghuang was walking towards her, so she deliberately let Jing Xi continue.

It is said that since Xia was brought back to the palace two days ago, she has been subjected to caning and is still lying in the prison unable to get up. Meanwhile, Consort He Siyue was slapped in the face and her mouth is still so swollen that she cannot be seen by anyone.

Jing Xi's remarks were really hitting Long Xinghuang's sore spots, especially since he had given orders that no one was allowed to come and disturb them, yet she insisted on coming in.

Long Xinghuang is most bothered by those who disobey his orders.

Presumably, the punishment for this Consort Jing will not be any better than that of the other two.

"Jingxi, I remember giving an order that no one is allowed to disturb Miss Mu in the side hall. Are you taking my words as a joke?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not. I just happened to be passing by and heard screams coming from the side hall. I rushed in to check in a moment of panic," Jingxi hurriedly explained. "It was Miss Mu who said she felt bored in the side hall, so she asked me to stay and talk to her."

"A scream?" Long Xinghuang glanced at Mu Tiantian with some concern.

Mu Tiantian had one hand behind her back, seemingly rubbing something, and explained, "There was a mouse earlier, and I was so scared that I screamed."

As for the claim that they actively tried to retain him, that's pure nonsense.

“However, Consort Jing, I remember I specifically reminded you that the Emperor decreed that no outsiders were allowed to enter, but Consort Jing said that the Emperor dotes on you and wouldn’t care about such a small matter. You insisted on staying, and I didn’t find the side hall stuffy at all.” Mu Tiantian spoke the truth; she didn’t want to be Jing Xi’s shield.

Upon hearing this, Long Xinghuang's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Jingxi, are you aware that recently the Holy Maiden disobeyed my decree and left the palace without permission, showing disrespect to me, and was punished with thirty strokes of the cane and imprisoned?"

Jingxi looked up in alarm. Did the Emperor mean to punish her?

“Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. The Empress Dowager also knows me well. I dare not lie.”

Long Xinghuang's face turned quite ugly when he saw that she had actually brought up the Empress Dowager. "Even if Miss Mu really wants to keep you, shouldn't you leave? You don't take my words to heart at all, and now you're using the Empress Dowager to pressure me. What, do you mean that my words as the ruler of a country don't carry as much weight as the Empress Dowager's?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not." Jingxi was frightened.

She had never been punished when she caused trouble for Xia before, because of the Empress Dowager's influence, so she thought she would be fine this time too.

I never expected him to get so angry.

Long Xinghuang glanced at her, his tone softening, "I just heard you say that you were very unwilling to enter the palace. I was the one who separated you from the Regent. If I didn't grant your wish, wouldn't I become the villain?"

"Your Majesty, I was just talking nonsense. I hope you will have mercy." She said this to upset Mu Tiantian.

Moreover, she was confident that Long Xinghuang wouldn't hold such a small matter against her, because he had never cared about her at all.

But seeing his furious expression now, she felt uncertain.

"Nonsense? So, does that mean Consort Jing is spreading rumors?" Long Xinghuang questioned.

"Your Majesty, I dare not... How could I..."

"Guards, Consort Jing has disobeyed the imperial decree. Take her away and give her twenty strokes of the cane." Before Jing Xi could speak, Long Xinghuang gave the order, and then said with a regretful expression, "My beloved consort, please don't blame me. The Holy Maiden and Consort He have both made mistakes and have been punished by me. I can't just favor you. Otherwise, how can I explain to them? I hope my beloved consort understands me."

Long Xinghuang looked up and said coldly, "Take him away."

No matter how Mu Tiantian looked at it, she felt that he was trying to establish his authority over her.

It seems he is not only dissatisfied with Long Fantian, but also with the Empress Dowager, otherwise he wouldn't have treated Jingxi this way.

Jingxi was taken away.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

Long Xinghuang walked up to Mu Tiantian and asked, "Is the wooden figure finished? Take it out."

"Didn't you say you'd come to pick it up tomorrow? I just realized I'm still missing a little bit, how about tomorrow..."

Before Mu Tiantian could finish speaking, Long Xinghuang went around behind her and snatched the wooden statue.

The face of the figure was painted with ink, turning it into a messy cat's face, which she then rubbed into a dark, smudged mess with her hands.

Even so, it is still evident that the figure is very exquisite, with both the carving of the facial features and the technique being extremely similar to the wooden figures on his shelf.

Mu Tiantian's heart began to pound; she hoped that Mu Tiantian wouldn't be blamed for this.

Seven Strategists quipped: "Didn't we just give up? We're not afraid. At worst, we'll just forfeit our world points."

Mu Tiantian: [Go ahead, we should still try to earn these points.]

It's best not to court disaster if you can avoid it.

"Your Majesty, I accidentally spilled ink on it just now and didn't wipe it clean. Let me wipe it again." Mu Tiantian chuckled and reached out to take the wooden figure back, but it wouldn't budge.

"Oops, you accidentally spilled ink in a circle? And it's so evenly done." Long Xinghuang pointed at the circle drawn on the little figure's eye and said sarcastically, "This ink is quite good at spilling. Why don't you teach me, Miss Mu, how to spill it like this?"