Yunxiaoyuan

Zong Zheng Xiaoting was in a good mood and savored the exquisite snacks.

The door was pushed open with a rough and angry force, and the door frame hit the wall with a loud bang due to the sudden inertia.

The sudden shock made Qingqing, Ningshuang and others stunned.

"Everyone, step back!" Situ Xunxiao's face was filled with anger.

Seeing Situ Xunxiao's expression, Zongzheng Xiaoting didn't want to hurt Qingqing and Ningshuang. "Leave. We two will handle the affairs of this palace and the prince."

"yes!"

Seeing that Zongzheng Xiaoting didn't care at all, Situ Xunxiao couldn't help but get angry. Before Qingqing and Ningshuang closed the door, Situ Xunxiao had already stepped in and grabbed Zongzheng Xiaoting's wrist.

Qingqing and Ningshuang were about to turn back in a hurry, but at a glance from Zongzheng Xiaoting, they retreated respectfully.

"Zong Zheng Xiaoting, you are busy taking care of yourself right now, how can you still have the mind to remind others?" Situ Xunxiao exerted a little force with his palm, unable to control his strength because of his anger.

"It seems that the prince is here to call for punishment?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting could not put on a nonchalant smile because of the force on his wrist, and his brows were tightly knitted. "Even if he is here to call for punishment, the princess of a country should be respected. Don't forget it, prince."

Zongzheng Xiaoting struggled to shake off Situ Xunxiao's hand. She kneaded her aching wrist with a frown on her face, and her tone became heavier. "If you have something to say, say it now!"

As Zongzheng Xiaoting's rude words came out, Situ Xunxiao stood there in disbelief. "You..."

"What? No one says that the princess can't talk like ordinary people! Even a dog will jump over the wall when it is cornered. You are cornering me and you don't even let me bite you!" Zong Zheng Xiaoting looked at Situ Xunxiao with an expression as if he was looking at an idiot.

"Only women and villains are hard to raise." Situ Xunxiao snorted coldly, "You should know why I am angry?"

"Your Highness, do you think that I have crossed your bottom line?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting asked in a neutral tone, still rubbing her wrist. However, the slight resentment on her face also impacted Situ Xunxiao's heart.

"Do you know that the consequence of angering Gong Yunluo is to give Gong Yunfei an opportunity to instigate her to cooperate with the Queen Mother? When he is angry, how could he remember that I want her, and protecting you is to protect my idea?" Situ Xunxiao's tone softened slightly, and he unconsciously took Zong Zheng Xiaoting's hand, took out a small medicine bottle from his arms, and gently rubbed it on Zong Zheng Xiaoting's wrist, and said in a weird and awkward way, "It's me who is impatient."

"Are you... afraid?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting looked at Situ Xunxiao's face. Under that disguise, there was clearly fear and terror.

"I don't want to face the feeling of powerlessness of wanting to protect but being unable to do so again. Besides, it is human nature to protect one's shortcomings. Now, we are on the same boat. If you touch you, you will be offending my reputation." Situ Xunxiao's eyes flashed.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting could see that he was not being sincere, but she knew very well that everyone had secrets in their hearts that they didn't want to be touched upon. Since Situ Xunxiao didn't want to say more, why should she bother to dig up his pain?

"What if I say that this is the effect I want?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting withdrew his hand, looked at Situ Xunxiao and asked with a smile.

"Is it appropriate to put myself on the edge of a knife?" Situ Xunxiao frowned, looking at his hands that suddenly became empty. He hesitated for a while before retracting his open palm.

Zongzheng Xiaoting shook her head gently, tilting her head to look at Situ Xunxiao, "When there is no threat in the war between women, men can control the war, but once someone else appears, it is difficult to control. In fact, it is the same for men, but men's feelings are deeper and more obscure than women's. Of course, it is normal for the prince, who has never been in true love, to have a misunderstanding."

"Are you teasing me?" Situ Xunxiao responded coldly.

"Whatever the prince says, that's what it is." Zong Zheng Xiaoting winked at Situ Xunxiao mischievously.

"Zongzheng Xiaoting, are you really sure?" Without giving Zongzheng Xiaoting a chance to continue making fun of him, Situ Xunxiao decisively changed the subject and brought the conversation back on track.

"That depends on whether my father wants to use you as a puppet or abandon me as a chess piece." Zong Zheng Xiaoting smiled confidently. "But, from what you know, when will you summon me if Gong Yunluo is in league with the Queen Mother?"

"The Queen Mother is always good at settling scores after the event. Since they still want to use you to find the Painted Concubine, then it's natural to punish you for multiple crimes at the same time. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?" Situ Xunxiao said with disdain, not hiding his disgust for the Queen Mother at all.

"If that's the case, then it's pretty much what I imagined." Zong Zheng Xiaoting muttered, "I originally thought that the prince would need to buy time!"

Is it the same as imagined? If anything goes wrong, should I delay time myself? Situ Xunxiao raised his eyebrows slightly, it seems that everything is under control.

As the night grew darker, Situ Xunxiao still maintained his habit of the past few days, which was to have meals with Zongzheng Xiaoting in Yunxiao Courtyard!

Gradually, the tense atmosphere between Situ Xunxiao and Zongzheng Xiaoting disappeared. The atmosphere became more and more harmonious, and the two of them became less wary of each other. They unknowingly changed the way they got along with each other, and Situ Xunxiao became more confident.

In the next three days, Zong Zheng Xiaoting naturally passed numerous tests and selected the right candidate for the Painter Consort, and selected Mo Lian. As for the remaining Xiang Bichi, Lin Yin, and Yin Yu, they stayed in Nanyuan to continue observing in order to confuse the audience as Zong Zheng Xiaoting had originally said.

The weather was fine on the day when the painted concubine was presented, and a long-planned conspiracy was waiting for her arrival.

When she entered the Empress Dowager's palace, the unusual atmosphere all around her naturally did not escape Zong Zheng Xiaoting's direct feeling. She pretended not to know that a storm was coming and saluted the Empress Dowager.

However, as expected, before he even sat down, the Queen Mother had already started questioning him in an arrogant manner.

"Princess Xiaoting is so capable!" The Queen Mother's face, which was very kind in the previous second, turned cold in this second.

However, after hearing her question, Zong Zheng Xiaoting showed no intention of getting up.

"I wonder what the Queen Mother is talking about that has made her so angry?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting never bought into the argument, but this aroused the Queen Mother's rage. However, before she could vent her anger, she was interrupted by the eunuch who was hastily sent by the Emperor. "The Queen Mother, the Prime Minister of Luozha Kingdom is here to visit. The Emperor has asked the Queen Mother to prepare a dinner tonight. Please invite the princess to meet him."

"What did you say?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting pretended to be surprised, "My grandfather is here?"

"Empress Dowager, even if an envoy comes, he must first..." Gong Yunluo said hurriedly, but was frightened away by the Empress Dowager's fierce gaze.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting ignored the Empress Dowager and the others and said to the eunuch, "Please come in, eunuch."

After he finished speaking, Zong Zheng Xiaoting left.