"Then, this old servant will go and convey the message that we will meet again after the Dowager Princess has finished her afternoon nap?" Granny Wang bowed and asked for instructions.

"Okay, that's fine."

Consort Xiao closed her eyes, looking drowsy.

Granny Wang brought a thin quilt and carefully covered her with it before leaving. She then ordered Cuiping, the palace maid who had been following Consort Xiao, to go to Huinuan Pavilion to deliver a message.

Ji Fengyao hadn't even started eating lunch when Granny Cui led Cuiping in: "Your Highness, this is Cuiping, the head maid of the Dowager Consort. Cuiping has come to deliver a message on behalf of the Dowager Consort."

Dowager Consort?

Ji Fengyao seemed to have heard someone mention that the old lady who didn't care about anything lived in this mansion. Judging from what everyone was saying, she was probably the Ninth Prince's mother.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Cuiping bowed to Ji Fengyao with perfect decorum, her face expressionless, like an emotionless human sculpture, her voice devoid of any emotion: "The Dowager Princess requests Your Highness to proceed to Ningxi Hall immediately for questioning."

"Now?" Ji Fengyao was stunned, looking at the dishes that were only half served on the table.

“Yes, Your Highness, please,” Cuiping said, stepping aside to make way for Ji Fengyao.

“But our young lady hasn’t eaten yet…” Just as Xique was about to speak up for Ji Fengyao, Cuiping glared at her.

Cuiping was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and she was meticulous in everything from head to toe, from her hairstyle and clothing to her expression and demeanor.

Xi Que felt that the way she was being looked at was like that of someone who had been dead for many years. A chill ran from her toes up her spine to the top of her head, making the usually audacious Xi Que shut her up.

"Filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, and trustworthiness are the foundation of being a subject and daughter-in-law. Your Highness should not keep the Dowager Consort waiting for too long," Cuiping said in a cold tone. After speaking, she bowed even lower and said, "Your Highness, please."

Seeing her like this, Ji Fengyao had a bad feeling. Even the coldest person is still a person, and it's impossible for them to be completely devoid of emotions. Cuiping's deliberate behavior suggests that the Empress Dowager's summons was likely not for anything good.

Lin Shuang was worried that Xi Que might cause trouble if she went with her. As Ji Fengyao was about to leave, she took the initiative to come closer and said, "Your Highness, I have never met the Dowager Consort since I entered the manor. I would like to go with you."

“Alright,” Ji Fengyao nodded.

"Miss……"

Xi Que was unwilling to listen and wanted to argue further, but Ji Fengyao said sternly, "Listen to me," so she had no choice but to stay.

Upon entering Ningxi Hall's courtyard, Ji Fengyao didn't see many people, but the garden was full of flowers, red, blue, and purple, all in very bright and eye-catching colors.

Upon arriving at the inner courtyard, Cuiping asked Ji Fengyao and Lin Shuang to wait in the courtyard while she went inside to give her reply.

Ji Fengyao and Lin Shuang stood under the scorching sun for about half an incense stick's time before Cuiping finally came out of the room. She spoke quietly and expressionlessly, saying, "The Dowager Consort has just fallen asleep after taking the calming soup. Your Highness, please move to the main hall to rest first."

Did you just fall asleep after taking the calming soup?

They invited her over right before mealtime, first subjecting her to the scorching sun, then giving her a cold bench to wait on. Having gone to such lengths, Ji Fengyao knew perfectly well that the Dowager Consort was deliberately trying to torment her.

However, the Dowager Consort was, after all, the Ninth Prince's mother, and Ji Fengyao knew nothing about her. She could only endure it for the time being. She could always repay her mother's debts later, and then she would take her revenge on the Ninth Prince.

The relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law has always been difficult!

Ji Fengyao raised an eyebrow and sat down obediently in the main hall.

Cuiping ordered someone to serve tea and then left, leaving only Ji Fengyao and Lin Shuang in the large main hall, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.