The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction when she saw that the matter had been resolved satisfactorily.
"From now on, we shall all live in peace. No one is allowed to harbor any ill intentions. If I find out, I will not let them off lightly."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she glanced at west Yan. west Yan knew perfectly well that her aunt was warning her, so she quickly lowered her head.
In the main hall, west Yan's younger sister, west Yuan, ran up to Hai Ling with a charming smile and looked at her.
"Sister Ji, please don't blame my sister. She didn't mean to hurt me. I apologize to you on her behalf. Please don't be angry."
"It's okay, it's all over now."
Hai Ling looked at west Yuan and realized she didn't seem to be faking it. Besides, she was only thirteen or fourteen years old. If she could act like that, it would be truly amazing. However, in Hai Ling's opinion, the girl was quite innocent, which made her not dislike her.
Seeing Hai Ling's indifferent expression, west Huan felt a little depressed: "Sister Ji, do you not like me? Why are you unhappy?"
Hai Ling shook her head. Since her mother's death, she had always been indifferent because she felt that people's hearts were too cold and sometimes the living were much more terrifying than the dead. So her emotions were always indifferent, and she did not dislike west Yuan.
"No, Miss west is overthinking it."
"Sister, you can call me Xiyuan, or Yuanyuan is fine too. I'll call you Sister Ji."
"OK."
Hai Ling didn't refuse. The Empress Dowager at the head of the hall looked at the scene below and was very happy. She glanced at Xi Yan and her eyebrows involuntarily rose. This niece is really troublesome. She is not as worry-free as Yuan'er.
Inside the main hall, west Yuan was talking happily when a eunuch rushed in from outside the hall. It was Xiao Luzi, the emperor's personal eunuch. As soon as Xiao Luzi entered, he bowed to the Empress Dowager, then flicked his whisk and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this servant has been ordered by the emperor to come and escort Miss Ji to the Imperial Study for an audience."
"oh."
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, understanding dawning on her. This son must have heard about Miss Ji being brought into the palace by her, and fearing that she would make things difficult for the young lady of the Ji family, he sent Xiao Luzi to take her away.
"Yes, Miss Ji, go ahead. The Emperor wishes to see you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Hai Ling rose and greeted the Empress Dowager, then exchanged a few words with west Yuan before leading her people out of the main hall and following Xiao Luzi to the Emperor's study.
In the main hall of Cining Palace, west Yuan watched Hai Ling leave with a smile on her face. When she turned around, she saw her sister staring at her with a dark expression, and west Yuan was startled.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
west Yan sneered: "Are you still a daughter of the west family? Your sister is just me. What sister are you claiming to be with that Ji Hailing?"
"you?"
west Yuan was speechless. She looked at her aunt at the head of the table. The Empress Dowager immediately turned cold and looked at west Yan. west Yan's scalp tingled and she quickly lowered her head.
The Empress Dowager sighed, "When will you ever become a little smarter?"
The Emperor likes her so much, why are you provoking her? Aren't you just making trouble for yourself? To be honest, she also wants the Xi family to enter the palace, but knowing that Feng'er likes that girl, she doesn't say anything. What are you, Xi Yan, doing making a fuss? If the Emperor hadn't been considerate of her yesterday, he probably would have given her a good beating.
Hailing followed Xiao Luzi and the other eunuchs to the Imperial Study.
Inside the study, everyone was waiting outside. After Hai Ling bowed, she sat down and looked at Ye Lingfeng, who was sitting upright behind the dragon desk. His beautiful features were filled with concern as he looked her up and down, as if he was afraid that she might be injured.
Are you alright?
"It's nothing," Hai Ling shook her head, but as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She realized that she hadn't had breakfast that morning before being brought to the palace by the Empress Dowager. She was probably in pain because her stomach was empty.
When Ye Lingfeng, who was sitting behind the dragon table, saw that her face was pale and her body was hunched over, he was shocked. He strode over to Hai Ling's side, reached out and carried her out to find the imperial physician for treatment, regardless of her wishes.
Hai Ling, fearing that his large movements might alert others and that she might be accused of making a mountain out of a molehill, quickly stopped Ye Lingfeng.
"I'm fine, I'm just hungry."
Are you hungry?
Ye Lingfeng raised an eyebrow and called out towards the study door, "Someone, bring in some snacks and breakfast immediately."
"Yes," Xiao Luzi replied, and immediately began to hurriedly order someone to serve the meal.
The emperor sounded very anxious; if the message was delivered too slowly, he might be punished.
Inside the study, Ye Lingfeng carried Hai Ling to the desk where he had been sitting, gently wiped her forehead, and then asked with concern, "Are you sure you're hungry? Are you alright?"
Seeing how much he cared about her, Hailing's heart skipped a beat, and an overwhelming emotion welled up inside her, flowing out like water.
However, he quickly lowered his head and suppressed his anger, then slowly asked, "Your Majesty sent someone to fetch me. Is there something you need?"
"Let's talk about it after you've eaten something."
Anxiety flickered across Ye Lingfeng's radiant face as he involuntarily called out coldly, "Why aren't they here yet?"
The people outside were already in a flurry of activity, and Xiao Luzi responded from outside, "Coming, coming."
As he spoke, he led four or five palace maids to bring breakfast into the study. Ye Lingfeng reached out and removed all the memorials from the dragon desk, making room for the palace maids to set out pastries and food. He then waved for everyone to leave.
Xiao Luzi led his men away and then gave instructions to the palace maids.
"Don't talk about what just happened, or you'd better watch out."
"Yes, Eunuch Zhou."
Xiao Luzi waved his hand with satisfaction, telling everyone to leave. He did this to ensure everything went smoothly. Right now, the Emperor hadn't made the Ji family's daughter his Empress, or rather, the Ji family's daughter was unwilling to marry him. In fact, the Emperor was eagerly waiting for her, but unfortunately, she didn't want to marry him.
The young lady of the Ji family is also an oddball, but regardless, since their identities are still uncertain, it's best to say less about some things.
Inside the study, Ye Lingfeng had no idea about Xiao Luzi's cunning schemes. He was only focused on feeding Hailing and also reminded her with concern.