Steward Li appeared to be yielding, but in reality, he didn't take the princess's words to heart at all. His respectful attitude left no room for criticism.
“You—” Zhao Xueqi naturally understood what Manager Li meant. She glared fiercely at the person in front of her, as if she could tear a bloody piece of flesh off him in the next second.
"Fine, you—you're deliberately trying to make an enemy of me, aren't you!" Zhao Xueqi believed herself to be a favored daughter of heaven. Since her rebirth, apart from the matter of her mother and younger brother, no one had ever been able to make her suffer at the hands of that woman.
Steward Li said, "Your Highness is too kind. This servant does not understand your meaning. Your Highness, please return. The Prince has ordered that we not disturb you."
Manager Li maintained the same attitude, which greatly angered Zhao Xueqi.
Zhao Xueqi: "What if I insist on going in!"
Zhao Xueqi wanted to force her way in; she would remember this grudge and deal with the old man later once she won Zhou Changling's heart.
Zhou Changling: "What are you all arguing about!"
Suddenly, a deep male voice broke the tense atmosphere. The study door opened, and Zhou Changling was seen standing there.
Steward Li was the first to realize that he had failed to stop Zhao Xueqi and had disturbed the prince's peace.
Steward Li said with a smile, "Your Highness, it was my doing. The Princess Consort wanted to force her way in, so I stopped her, but I didn't expect that it would still disturb Your Highness's peace and quiet."
Steward Li's meaning was clear: he did not fail to stop her; in fact, he did a good job of stopping her. It was all the Princess Consort's fault for trying to cause trouble, and he was completely innocent.
Zhou Changling glanced at him, looking at the old slippery fellow, who was just like an eel, able to argue from any angle and leaving no room for criticism.
However, now is not the time to deal with Manager Li's dereliction of duty, but rather with the woman in front of us.
Zhou Changling frowned, and those who knew him well knew he was very displeased: "What are you doing here?"
Zhou Changling's tone revealed a hint of indifference and an almost imperceptible anger. This aura instilled fear in everyone, and the servants present all knelt down, not daring to utter a sound.
Zhao Xueqi: "Your Highness, I just miss you. We're newly married, how can Your Highness not see me?"
Zhao Xueqi pretended to shed tears, but she genuinely felt wronged. She had used all her influence to help him rise to power and even went so far as to bring up evidence of the Prime Minister's Mansion's crimes.
Zhao Xueqi felt that Zhou Changling should love and respect her, just like in her dream, the two of them were in perfect harmony, like a pair of celestial beings.
Zhou Changling: "Someone, escort the princess back."
Zhou Changling remained unmoved. He beckoned, and the guards on duty at the door came forward. Zhou Changling signaled them to take Zhao Xueqi back to the backyard.
Zhao Xueqi panicked when she saw this. After all, in her dream, Zhou Changling fell in love with her after only a few meetings. Why was he so cold to her now? She was unwilling to accept it!
Zhao Xueqi loudly stopped her: "Wait—".
Zhou Changling grew even more impatient and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want to do?"
To Zhou Changling, she was a greedy and insatiable woman, and she was also stupid enough to cause the destruction of her own family. He didn't even want to look at her.
Zhao Xueqi: "Your Highness, this marriage was personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor. Aren't you afraid the Emperor will find out about this?"
Zhao Xueqi's voice was hoarse, indicating that this was her limit. Her biggest trump card, besides the Dark Guard Camp, was the emperor's decree of marriage.
Zhou Changling: "You want to use my father to pressure me?"
Zhou Changling stood with his hands behind his back. Hearing this, his eyes narrowed slightly. He hated this feeling of being restrained and threatened. All those who had threatened him in the past were no longer there.
Zhao Xueqi sensed the displeasure in Zhou Changling's tone, but she still resolutely refused to let go, because the dream indicated that the emperor would die in less than a month, and at that time, she would truly sit on the throne of empress.
I must win Zhou Changling's heart this month, because only an empress who has the emperor's favor can secure her position.
Zhao Xueqi tried her best to remain calm; she didn't want to provoke Zhou Changling right now.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xueqi put on a polite smile, as if what had just happened was an illusion: "Your Highness, I misspoke just now. I was only thinking of you. It was my fault."
Zhou Changling was not blinded by her appearance. After all, having seen Bai Lingxi's exquisite face, which was like that of a goddess, who else could enter his heart if he fell in love with such a woman?
Zhou Changling: "In that case, Your Highness, please go back and rest. I still have matters to attend to."
After saying that, he turned to Steward Li and said, "Aren't you going to escort the Princess back? Are you all standing here waiting for me to go myself?"
Steward Li: "Yes, Your Highness, this servant will escort the Princess back immediately."
Steward Li immediately realized what was happening and led his men to Zhao Xueqi, smiling as he said, "Your Highness, please."
Zhao Xueqi could only glare at him fiercely, tug at the handkerchief in her hand, and follow Steward Li back.
Zhou Changling felt nothing but annoyance towards Zhao Xueqi. He couldn't understand why someone could be so obsessed with the position of empress and pretend to have deep feelings for another man; it was truly laughable.
He returned to his study and looked at the various Bai Lingxi he had drawn—some smiling, some sitting, some jumping up happily—all were the beautiful figures in his mind.
Now he could only suppress his desires, the madness in his eyes was frightening, the obsession and madness combined to form an indelible ink in his eyes, he murmured: "You will definitely be mine."
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Taiji Hall.
Zhou Jin felt the pain emanating from his internal organs. He vomited blood, and looking at the pool of black blood on the ground, he knew that his time was coming to an end.
He had made most of his arrangements, bringing order to the government and consolidating military power. It was just a pity that he wouldn't be able to see his child's birth. He touched the box beside his bed, inside which were two imperial edicts.
One option was to pass the throne to Zhou Changling.
One of the gifts was a fiefdom granted to the unborn prince in Bai Lingxi's womb, along with a name: Zhou Chang'an if it was a boy, and Zhou Changle if it was a girl.
As for Xi'er, she will naturally follow the young prince to his fiefdom. I have also prepared troops and secret guards for her. If Zhou Changling cannot tolerate them, she must have the ability to protect herself.
Zhou Jin's face was withered and pale, and it was clear to others that he didn't have much time left. He dared not go to sleep, fearing that he would never wake up again.
Zhou Jin ordered that the palace be prepared overnight. He wanted to send Bai Lingxi there to rest during her pregnancy, so that she wouldn't worry too much about him. It would be better if she couldn't see him, as he was afraid that his appearance would frighten her.
Zhou Jin touched the sachet Bai Lingxi had given him, his eyes filled with reluctance. How could he dare to appear in front of her now? He could only look at the object and think of her.
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