Xu Lingyu didn't rush to speak. She picked up the teacup beside her and met Xu Yunci's gaze helplessly, saying, "I have many palace duties, so she went to Consort An's place on my behalf."

Xu Yunci nodded thoughtfully. Now that the former Prince of Yan had revealed his ambitions, his rise to power could be described as short-lived.

The King of Zhao was different; even though everyone knew his purpose, he didn't reveal a single clue, and even treated the crown prince as before. Even if someone wanted to find fault with him, they had no way to do so.

It was no secret that the Prince of Zhao and Consort An and her son were estranged, so Xu Yunci had nothing to worry about. After all, Li Shiyue was going to leave Chonghua Palace, and Xu Lingyu's people would definitely be with her.

"Your Highness, a maidservant from Consort An's side requests an audience."

Xu Lingyu put down her teacup, her eyes filled with doubt. It was no wonder she was puzzled; during festivals in the palace, Consort An was rarely seen, let alone anyone around her.

Why would they come knocking on our door out of nowhere? Although she was puzzled, Xu Lingyu nodded, and the maid followed her in, kneeling down immediately.

"Consort An sent me to deliver a message: Princess Yichang has been taken away by people from Pixiang Palace, and they won't let anyone around her come back to relay the message."

The maid paused, then said, "The county princess left in a hurry and forgot to take the incense given to her by the Noble Consort. When I was ordered to chase after her, the county princess had already been taken away by the people from Pixiang Palace. After the Noble Consort found out, she specially sent me to find the Crown Princess."

"The Imperial Concubine?"

Xu Yunci almost couldn't sit still when he heard "Pixiang Palace," and he didn't care about anyone else; he was about to rush out.

"Erlang."

Xu Lingyu gave Xu Yunci, who was frozen in place, a deep look, then turned her gaze to the maid kneeling in the middle: "I understand. You may go back now."

Her maid understood and led the maid out.

"Elder sister, Pixiang Palace has always disliked her." Xu Yunci's voice was somewhat anxious. If the person in front of her was not her most respected elder sister, she probably would have rushed out long ago and wouldn't care about anyone else.

Xu Lingyu stood up, walked to Xu Yunci, and reached out to smooth out the wrinkles on Xu Yunci's clothes.

“I know, so I can go and bring her back. But you are a young man, are you going to rush to the Pixiang Palace for your daughter? Erlang, you are not that kind of impulsive person. If word gets out, your reputations will be affected.”

Xu Yunci raised her eyes and looked directly into Xu Lingyu's eyes without flinching: "Elder sister, Mother should have already told you that I want to marry Yan Yan as my bride."

Xu Lingyu didn't speak, withdrew her hand, and finally sighed, waving her hand: "Go ahead, I guess you're anxious too, and I can't keep up with you. You go first, no matter how much trouble it gets, with your older sister here, nothing will happen."

Pixiang Hall is the most spacious palace garden besides Kunning Hall, with a wider palace gate and an interior that exudes luxury.

Li Shiyue walked to the middle and looked at Consort Fu, who was sitting at the head of the table with her eyes closed, wearing an elaborate and luxurious lilac palace dress, with slender fingers adorned with crimson nail polish.

"I have met Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine, in Yichang."

A moment of silence fell. Consort Fu opened her eyes but remained silent, staring at Li Shiyue for a long time. Her gaze, which seemed to be smiling but was actually filled with a hint of coldness that was not easily detected.

"Rise, and offer the county princess a seat."

Consort Fu's voice carried a hint of languor. She sat on a rosewood chair covered with a brownish-yellow cushion, and her other hand rested casually on the ball-shaped cushion beneath it.

He sat up a little straighter, his gaze sweeping over Li Shiyue from head to toe with almost no attempt to hide it.

"The last time I saw the county princess, it was in a hurry, and I felt that she was exceptionally beautiful. Today, I see that it is indeed true. No wonder my son was defeated by you."

As expected, it was to avenge Princess Chunhui, which is not surprising at all.

Upon seeing the people from Pixiang Palace, Li Shiyue even guessed what Consort Fu meant by this. She did not speak forcefully, but nodded humbly and did not try to provoke Consort Fu.

To Consort Fu's surprise, she was actually a patient person. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and disdain. Thinking of her daughter who had been married off to a distant place, she could no longer contain her anger.

She has no sons, and for many years she has only had this one princess by her side. Fortunately, the emperor has favored her for more than ten years. Now she is being married off to a distant place at will. Moreover, recently, people in the palace have even learned to give the Pixiang Palace a hard time. She is a noble consort, and she has never suffered such humiliation.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You're quite good at arguing in front of the Emperor. Even when Chunhui was married off to a distant place, you were able to lend a hand."

Li Shiyue raised her eyes and said calmly, "The princess's marriage to a distant place was the Emperor's decision, and Yichang dared not object. As for the Imperial Concubine's suggestion to contribute, Yichang dared not accept it, after all, it was Yichang who almost lost his life."

"His Majesty is a wise and just ruler, and he has his own sense of justice. Is the Consort dissatisfied with His Majesty's decree? She shouldn't have told Yichang about it. Yichang is just a minor county princess, and she doesn't see His Majesty as often as the Consort."

Consort Fu's expression immediately turned displeased. Her words, which were simply stating the facts, were naturally interpreted by those who were interested and took offense.

The older maid beside Consort Fu glanced at Consort Fu's expression and shouted sternly, "How dare you speak ill of the Consort!"

Instead of being angry, Li Shiyue smiled and looked at the maid: "Aunt, what you said is not right. Yichang is just stating the facts. In front of the Imperial Concubine, Yichang would naturally not dare to lie. Aunt, do you mean that you think Yichang spoke ill of the Imperial Concubine, which is why the Imperial Concubine is displeased?"

"Yichang would never dare to speak ill of the Imperial Concubine. Although she is only a minor county princess, she must still observe the proper etiquette. The Imperial Concubine has not yet spoken, so why is Aunt so eager to condemn Yichang? People might think that Aunt has some dissatisfaction with the Imperial Concubine."

"This servant wouldn't dare!" The maid hurriedly knelt down, swallowing hard. Without even looking up, she knew about the warning gaze above her.

Consort Fu almost gritted her teeth as she smiled and said, "Princess Yichang is indeed quick-witted."

"The Crown Prince cannot enter..."

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance. Before Consort Fu could even speak, she saw Xu Yunci rushing in despite the obstruction, and then looked at Li Shiyue, who looked surprised. She couldn't contain her anger and shouted, "Xu Yunci, how dare you trespass into my Pixiang Palace!"

Xu Yunci glanced coldly at Consort Fu, whose face was slightly contorted with anger, then walked up to Li Shiyue with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Before he could speak, Li Shiyue shook her head.

"I wouldn't stoop to doing anything to a mere woman, what is Prince Xu doing?" Consort Fu stared at the two of them, thinking of her daughter who had been married off to a distant place, and felt extremely angry.

Consort Fu sneered. Since that's the case, there's no need to hold back. She sat back down and flicked her wide sleeves.