"Father."
Hai Ling called out first, and Ji Cong knew that it was his daughter who had come in. He looked up at Hai Ling, and a warm feeling appeared on his face.
"Why did Ling'er come here?"
"I heard that Father has returned, so I came to see him."
Hai Ling didn't directly ask Ji Cong about Ruan Jingyue's stabbing, as that would only upset Ji Cong.
"Yes, Ling'er is so thoughtful. Come, sit down and talk with your father."
"good."
Hai Ling responded and called to Fu Yue outside the door: "Fu Yue, brew two cups of tea and bring them in."
"Yes, miss."
Fuyue quickly brewed tea and came in, then left. Hailing picked up the teacup and smiled at Ji Cong: "Father, are you unhappy?"
"No," Ji Cong tried to hide it, but Hai Ling smiled and said, "Why does Father lack confidence in himself? He even locked himself in the study."
As soon as Hai Ling spoke, Ji Cong knew that his daughter already knew about what happened last night. His old face couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. He had lost face in front of his daughter, having failed twice in a row. The last time could be attributed to an inside traitor among Feng Zixiao's people, but what about this time? If Princess Jingyue was injured again, people would probably say that he had problems with his abilities. The emperor trusted him and sent him to the post station to take on the responsibility of protecting the envoy. Although there was only Princess Jingyue of Nanling Kingdom in the post station, he dared not be careless. But who would have thought that someone else would still succeed in the end.
"I never expected that Father would fail again and again."
There was a hint of shame and indignation in her words. Seeing her father's distress, Hailing quickly said, "Father, you have too little confidence in yourself. You should believe that your plan is correct."
"I did nothing wrong, so why was Princess Jingyue injured?"
Ji Cong was somewhat confused, but Hai Ling smiled and said, "Father has forgotten what happened when Feng Zixiao was first assassinated. What's different this time? It's just a play. Why should Father worry?"
"acting?"
Ji Cong understood somewhat, a glint of insight flashing in his eyes, but doubts still lingered.
Is it worth hurting yourself to put on a show?
"Whether it's worth it or not depends on how others see it. Don't forget why Princess Jingyue came to Beilu this time. She came with the wishes of the Emperor and Empress of Nanling Kingdom. If she returns empty-handed, she will lose face. Besides, someone as proud as her probably won't allow herself to go back like this. That's why she started to think about it. As for Ruan Xihao coming to the Ji residence, it was probably her idea too."
"That Princess Jingyue is quite cunning."
Ji Cong sighed. It turned out it wasn't his fault; the other person had stabbed him. Where could he possibly defend himself? Even if the other person committed suicide, there was nothing he could do.
"Father, don't worry. The Emperor isn't stupid; he can see through things."
As Hailing spoke, she rubbed her stomach, looking hungry: "Daddy, I haven't had breakfast yet, let's eat together."
Upon hearing that his daughter hadn't eaten breakfast, Ji Cong immediately felt distressed. In addition, Hai Ling had helped him resolve his inner conflict, so he immediately ordered the people outside the door: "Someone, bring in breakfast."
"yes."
Someone answered from outside the door, and Fuyue and the others immediately went to inform the kitchen to heat up the breakfast before bringing it in.
Ji Cong finally calmed down and stopped being angry or upset. He and Hai Ling sat happily in the study and ate breakfast together. Everyone in the Ji family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Imperial Palace.
In the Empress Dowager's Cixi Palace.
After the morning court session, the Emperor came to pay his respects, and the Empress Dowager spoke to him about Princess Jingyue.
"Your Majesty, Princess Jingyue is injured. Won't Your Majesty go and see her?"
The Empress Dowager saw through Jingyue's thoughts; she was determined to marry Feng'er.
To be honest, the Empress Dowager was naturally happy to see such a beautiful and outstanding woman love her son, and also had a powerful background. She also liked the young lady from the Ji family very much, so she hoped that the two of them would enter the palace together. Unfortunately, her son did not think so.
"Didn't they say you were fine once you woke up?"
Ye Lingfeng didn't care about Ruan Jingyue at all. If it weren't for her status as a princess of Nanling Kingdom, he would have had her driven away long ago. The fact that she was still here was only because of some consideration for her status.
Ye Lingfeng completely ignored what his mother was thinking. Not only did he ignore her, he was also very annoyed. Even when he paid his respects to the Empress Dowager these past two days, his expression was somewhat unfriendly, and the Empress Dowager dared not say anything more.
This son is beyond her control; there are many things she cannot do as she wishes, and this is all she can do.
"She is, after all, a princess of a nation, and she was injured in our palace. Shouldn't His Majesty visit her?"
"We should visit her. Ji Cong has defended that post station so well that it's completely impenetrable, yet someone still has their eye on her. Just how powerful must that person be?"
Ye Lingfeng stood up, not wanting to discuss the topic any further.
However, the Empress Dowager took his words to heart. After thinking for a moment, a look of understanding flashed in her eyes. No wonder she had felt something was strange before. Logically speaking, Ji Cong, as a veteran general, should not have had such a thing happen to him. Although Feng Zixiao was assassinated before, it was because there was a traitor in his life, so he was caught in a machination. What was it this time? So that's how it is. But this also shows that Ruan Jingyue is capable of anything for her son.
"son."
The Empress Dowager wanted to offer some words of advice, but Ye Lingfeng didn't give her a chance to speak. He stood up and walked out of the hall. After a few steps, he stopped and looked at the Empress Dowager.
"Mother, wait until Ruan Jingyue is feeling better before asking her whether she wants to choose someone from the Northern Lu Kingdom for a marriage alliance or return to the Southern Ling Kingdom."
Her firm stance made it clear that she was not welcome here.
The Empress Dowager said nothing, but glanced at one side of the hall, where Ruan Jingyue, pale-faced, emerged from behind the curtain.
Even her long white dress couldn't mask the paleness of her face. She never expected Ye Lingfeng to be so heartless and ruthless towards her. With Ye Lingfeng's abilities, he couldn't possibly be unaware that she was behind the curtain in the main hall, yet he still uttered cruel words without expression, which further demonstrated that the man didn't take her seriously.
Ruan Jingyue burst into tears, and the Empress Dowager quickly ordered the nanny beside her to help her sit down.
"Princess, you are not fully recovered yet, please rest and recuperate."