Shi Lan thought for a moment, then said calmly, "I'm afraid it's difficult. Feng Zixiao isn't such an incompetent or stupid person. Actually, he's just often angered by Miss. But he's actually quite capable."
Hai Ling squinted and thought carefully. Feng Zixiao was indeed a good emperor who loved his country and its people. She heard that as soon as he ascended the throne, he dealt with state affairs day and night and regarded the people's affairs as the most important thing. If he sat firmly on the throne, she believed that the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty would have an increasingly better life.
It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this struggle between him and the Jiang family.
Originally, with Xi Lingfeng, Bai Ye, and Wei Lin under his command, he wasn't too afraid of Jiang Batian. But who knew that at the last moment, Bai Ye would disappear, and the Bai family army would vanish into thin air? Feng Zixiao would lose a left-hand man, leaving only the Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng. But she had heard Shen Ruoxuan say that Xi Lingfeng was also going to do something important, and this feeling was so similar to when Bai Ye left. Could it be that Xi Lingfeng was also going to leave the Great Zhou Dynasty?
If that's the case, no matter how capable Feng Zixiao is, she probably won't be able to deal with Jiang Batian.
"Okay, let's not think about it too much. Let's go to sleep, it's late."
Hai Ling stretched lazily, told the maids to rest, and instructed Shi Mei to stay in the room to take care of her, while Shi Lan and Yan Zhi rested in the side hall outside.
The palace lanterns shone brightly, and the inner palace was completely silent.
Shi Mei couldn't sleep and kept tossing and turning. Hai Ling asked her curiously, "What's wrong, Mei'er?"
"I'm thinking about what Shen Ruoxuan said. He said that Master is going to do something big. What kind of big thing could it be?"
"Go to sleep. If he wants you to know, he will," Hailing comforted her. Shimei responded and then closed her eyes.
As the night deepened, both of them fell into a deep sleep.
In the darkness, a faint, delicate fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.
Shi Mei woke up with a start. She was very familiar with the fragrance, so she quickly sat up and respectfully called out, "Master."
A flash of white light appeared, and another person entered the room. That person was none other than Xi Lingfeng, the master of Shimei. However, this time, he did not disguise himself but revealed his true appearance. He had a stunningly beautiful face that even women would admire, and his every move exuded a domineering kingly aura. The air around him condensed into one, as cold as ice.
"Master, what brings you here?"
Shi Mei spoke in surprise, but Xi Lingfeng waved his hand, signaling Shi Mei to leave.
Shi Mei dared not say anything more, bowed and retreated, carefully guarding the door.
Inside the room, there was a light, pleasant fragrance, a kind of intoxicating scent that wouldn't harm anyone, so the young lady wouldn't wake up for a while.
Not knowing why the master had appeared at this time, Shi Mei looked completely bewildered.
Inside the bedchamber, Xi Lingfeng's tall figure slowly walked to the bedside, and he gently sat down. A smile appeared on his exquisite features, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable, gazing intently at the woman on the bed, who was curled up asleep, unaware that she was being watched.
"Ling'er, I need to leave here temporarily and head to Beilu. I will come back for you once everything is settled. I believe you will take good care of yourself."
In truth, he didn't want to leave her, and even wanted to take her with him. However, seeing that the emperor of Beilu was seriously ill and the court was in chaos, if he took her with him, firstly, she was the empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and if Feng Zixiao found out, he would definitely cause trouble for him, thus affecting his plans. Secondly, and most importantly, he couldn't let anyone know that she was someone he cared about, otherwise she would become a thorn in someone else's side, and the danger would be even greater. He couldn't be 100% sure of success, so he couldn't rashly take her back to Beilu.
So leaving her here is fine.
Because Feng Zixiao is currently dealing with Jiang Batian, it's impossible for him to touch her yet.
As Xi Lingfeng thought, he held Hai Ling's hand, his gaze growing increasingly deep. He slowly leaned down and placed a kiss mark on her neck, a mark that was clearly visible under the light.
Because Xi Lingfeng had applied a kind of medicine to his lips, the hickey couldn't be removed unless the medicine was washed off.
"Ling'er, I believe that with this, Feng Zixiao will not touch you for the time being. I will come back to pick you up as soon as possible."
After Xi Lingfeng finished speaking, he reached out and touched Hai Ling's cheek before getting up and striding out.
Outside the door, as soon as Shi Mei saw him come out, she hurriedly and respectfully called out to him, "Master?"
"Take good care of her. I need to go back to Beilu. Once everything is arranged, I will come to pick her up in person."
"Yes, sir, don't worry."
Shi Mei respectfully accepted the order, and Xi Lingfeng left in a flash.
Shi Mei entered the palace. There was still a faint fragrance inside, but it was very faint and would disappear in a while. This kind of intoxicating fragrance was generally undetectable to ordinary people.
Just before dawn, a commotion suddenly broke out in the palace.
"Catch the assassin! Catch the assassin!"
The guard's voice was loud and shrill, quite jarring.
People in all the palaces woke up, many of them trembling with fear, wondering where the assassins would go or whether they would come to their own palaces.
Everyone in Zhengyi Palace woke up except for Hailing, who was still fast asleep.
Shi Mei told everyone not to disturb the Empress, saying that she should sleep a little longer. In fact, she knew very well that the reason why Hai Ling hadn't woken up was because of the sleeping incense that the master had put on her during the night. Although the incense was gone, its effects hadn't worn off yet, which was why she was sleeping so soundly.
However, a group of people rushed to the gate of Zhengyi Palace, and the person in the lead was none other than Emperor Feng Zixiao.
Outside the palace gates, eunuchs and palace maids knelt on the ground, unsure of how to react.
Feng Zixiao ignored him and instead looked at Commander Zhao, the palace attendant behind him: "Did you see the assassin enter Zhengyi Palace?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I followed him and saw him enter the Zhengyi Palace."
"Alright, search the area around Zhengyi Palace. Remember, do not enter the Empress's palace. I will go in and take a look."
No matter how much he disliked that woman, she was still his empress. There was no reason for him to let the guards break in and search her; otherwise, it would become a laughing stock.
"Yes, Your subordinates obey."
The commander of the guards led the palace guards in, sneaking inside and searching everywhere.
Feng Zixiao then led several eunuchs straight to Hailing's bedroom.
Outside the palace, Yan Zhi and the others were still unaware of what had happened. They sent a maid to investigate, but no one came. They all craned their necks to look, until they saw the Emperor approaching. Yan Zhi, Shi Lan, and the others were shocked and wanted to turn back to report to their master, but the Emperor had already strode over.