Shi Lan nodded. When she first saw Princess Jingyue, she was no less surprised than the Empress, but now she had recovered and replied seriously, "It is indeed Princess Jingyue. Moreover, I heard her maid call her Queen. She must have married someone."
"queen?"
Hai Ling raised an eyebrow. If Ruan Jingyue had indeed married a king of some country, then it wouldn't be surprising that she came to Nanling Kingdom. After all, she was a princess of Nanling Kingdom, and it was said that Ruan Jingyue was also born to Consort Xiao. Consort Xiao was deeply favored by the former emperor of Nanling Kingdom and gave birth to Ruan Jingyue and Prince Min. Now that Prince Min had become the emperor of Nanling Kingdom, Ruan Jingyue, the most favored princess of the royal family, would naturally rise in status and enjoy even greater honor and prestige.
"Please let her in."
Hai Ling forced a smile, but there was no real joy in her eyes.
Shi Lan went out to invite someone in, but Shi Mei called out with some concern, "Your Highness, I didn't expect Ruan Jingyue to appear at this time. We must be careful."
The Emperor crippled one of Ruan Jingyue's arms that day, and she probably won't let it go easily. I didn't expect to encounter this woman during my trip to Nanling Kingdom. It seems I need to be careful.
"I will be careful, don't worry."
Is it Ruan Jingyue? If she were to choose her, given her status as the Empress of the Northern Lu Kingdom, why would she be afraid of her?
As the two were talking, footsteps sounded at the door, and they both stopped and looked over at the same time.
Four or five people entered through the hall door. The woman at the head of the group was elegant and haughty. Most importantly, her skin was as white as snow, her eyes as bright as stars, and her cherry lips were a touch of red. She wore a crimson silk dress, like all the women of Nanling Kingdom, with a low-cut bodice that revealed her cleavage. She was graceful and alluring, with every gesture exuding a bewitching beauty. This woman was none other than Ruan Jingyue, who had once longed to marry Ye Lingfeng in Beilu Kingdom. Today, she was completely different from the woman of that time. Back then, she was beautiful and pure, but now she was beautiful and bewitching, possessing a breathtaking beauty, like a poisonous datura flower.
Not only that, but her eyes were also misty, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.
As soon as she walked in, she opened her mouth with an elegant and sexy voice.
"Jingyue heard that the Empress of Beilu had come, so she came to pay her a visit."
"Princess Jingyue, you're too kind. Please have a seat."
Although she had heard from Shi Lan that Ruan Jingyue's maid called her something like "Queen," she didn't know what kind of queen she was, so she didn't know how to address her and instead called her "Princess."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Jingyue's maid came out and replied politely.
"Reporting to the Queen of Beilu, this is the Queen of our fiefdom. Our King dotes on her and has bestowed upon her the title of Queen with a flower in her hair."
Fengguo. Hailing raised an eyebrow. She knew about this country. It was located on an island diagonally opposite Nanling Kingdom. It was not a large country, but it had always been independent. Because Fengguo was surrounded by the sea and had no ties with other countries, it had always lived in peace with Nanling Kingdom.
Unexpectedly, Ruan Jingyue married the king of the Feng Kingdom and was even bestowed the title of Queen with Hairpin Flower, which shows that he dotes on her.
However, with this woman's looks and cunning, becoming a favored queen would be a piece of cake. But since they've run into each other this time, trouble is likely to ensue, so she should keep a close eye on her.
"So you are the Queen who wears flowers in her hair. Please have a seat."
Hai Ling nodded and smiled in response. Ruan Jingyue's eyes sparkled, and she sat down.
Shi Mei immediately ordered tea to be served, and then Ruan Jingyue dismissed the maids she had brought. Hai Ling, seeing her movements, guessed that she had something to say to her alone, so she also waved for Shi Mei to leave.
Shi Mei was a little uneasy, but seeing that her master had given the order, she didn't say anything more and withdrew.
In the main hall of Luohua Pavilion, Ruan Jingyue waited until no one was around before abruptly abandoning her bewitching smile. Her eyes sharpened and became ruthless. She slowly put down the teacup in one hand and then touched the gauze on her other arm. Because the sleeve of the gauze had previously covered one hand, she hadn't noticed it. But now, with Ruan Jingyue's movement, she could clearly see that the arm under the gauze was actually a support, and on the support was an iron hand.
Upon seeing the iron hand, Hai Ling's heart sank. She recalled the day when Ye Lingfeng broke Ruan Jingyue's hand, and her eyes turned slightly cold.
Not knowing what Ruan Jingyue wanted to say, he simply looked at her indifferently.
Ruan Jingyue raised her light gauze sleeves and slowly looked up at Hai Ling. Her face was contorted with rage, completely devoid of her previous beauty, and she spoke in a sinister tone.
"Ji Hailing, tell me, who should I ask for my arm back? I did nothing wrong, yet my arm was cut off, forcing me to marry a forty-year-old man as my empress. Tell me, who should I ask to settle all this?"
As she finished speaking, a dark light welled up in her eyes, and a misty dampness appeared on them. Back then, she was the beloved princess of Nanling Kingdom, and the most beautiful woman in the eyes of the world. She only wanted to marry Ye Lingfeng and become his empress because she liked him. Was that wrong? Because of this, she lost an arm and could only serve as the empress of a forty-year-old man who had been with countless women. Her heart was bleeding. If it weren't for losing her arm, she would not have married that old man.
Unexpectedly, she saw her enemy again today. Since ancient times, enemies have always been extremely hostile when they meet, so as soon as she heard the news, she came to visit her.
Her appearance was meant to tell her that the arm wouldn't have been lost in vain.
"Is the Queen of the Hairpin Flower here to settle old scores?"
Hai Ling did not comment on the matter of breaking Ruan Jingyue's arm that night, after all, it was under those circumstances, and besides, Ruan Jingyue had insulted her, so Ye Yi broke her arm in a fit of anger. Although it was cruel, it was in his nature.
Today, Ruan Jingyue appeared, wanting to settle old scores. She had nothing to say and could only offer compensation.
Thinking of this, Hai Ling smiled and looked at Ruan Jingyue. If she wanted to settle old scores, she would make amends.
"So you know what to do?" Ruan Jingyue laughed, her previous ruthlessness and bloodlust vanishing, replaced by a bewitching smile. She exuded charm and allure as she lowered her sleeves, which she had previously raised. "Everyone in the world says that the Empress of Beilu is exceptionally intelligent. Well then, I'd like to meet her."
"No problem."
Hai Ling nodded, and Ruan Jingyue had already turned and left, uttering two words indifferently: "Farewell."
"Serve Mei, and see off the Queen who wears flowers in her hair."
After seeing Ruan Jingyue off, Shi Mei and Shi Lan rushed in. Both of them looked rather grim. Shi Lan anxiously said, "Your Majesty, I never expected that Ruan Jingyue, who was rescued that day, would become the queen of some fiefdom, or even the 'Flower-Haired Queen'."
The word "bestowed" alone shows how much the king of the fiefdom doted on this queen.
Unexpectedly, they met here by chance. When they came to Nanling Kingdom, they never thought about this. If they had known earlier, they would have never let the Empress bring the little prince here, no joke.
After Shi Lan finished speaking, Shi Mei also looked anxious. This was no joke; one wrong move and it could be troublesome.
No one knows what Ruan Jingyue's situation has been like these past two years. Now, looking at her foxy appearance, she is even more attractive to men than before. Her scheming is probably deeper now. In the past, this woman's scheming was not mature enough, otherwise she would not have fallen for Zhaoyang Wang Fengyao's trap. But now it seems that she is truly scheming.
"Your Majesty, do you think we should be on guard against this woman and send people to keep an eye on her movements?"
Shi Mei asked for instructions, but Hai Ling shook her head: "No need, just be careful."
We don't know Ruan Jingyue's true intentions right now. If we rashly send people to monitor them and they are discovered, we might be accused by some people with ulterior motives. If something happens in the future, things will be hard to say.
No one spoke in the living room. Hailing waited and waited, but Xi Liang didn't come. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Xi Liang? Why didn't he come to see her?