Ding Chen’s knees bent, and with a thud, he knelt down.
“Your Highness, your subordinate is loyal to you without question, but your subordinate believes the madam’s words have merit.”
Ding Chen knew he was beyond forgiveness, but all of this was for His Highness!
“Your Highness, if you truly barge in, you will be the one beaten tonight!”
Being beaten was merely a superficial consequence; the deeper implication was the sentiment of the subjects.
News of Prince He being beaten tonight would undoubtedly spread quickly.
The subjects would surely ponder that Prince He was not even as important to the Emperor as a deceased concubine.
This single piece of news could generate multiple implications.
Firstly, Prince He was likely not very important in the Emperor’s eyes.
Secondly, if even his deceased mother was so important, then Prince Xuan’s standing in the Emperor’s heart was self-evident.
Prince He being beaten with a board tonight was unequivocally good for Prince Xuan.
But if even Prince Xuan were beaten, then this advantage would vanish instantly.
“Your Highness, the madam is far-sighted and acts for your sake.”
In the study, only Ding Chen and Feng Ye Xuan were present.
The others did not dare to eavesdrop and stayed far from the study.
The fact that their Prince’s residence had gained a “madam” was still known to very few.
Tonight, it was the “madam” who had ordered Ding Chen to deliver false news to him, tricking him into believing Chu Qian Li had returned to the manor, which led him to believe that the person who intruded into Rong Hua Palace was not Li Er.
What chilled Feng Ye Xuan was that she could even persuade Ding Chen. In the future, would she be able to easily win over all his subordinates under the guise of “acting for his own good”?
“Your Highness…”
“You may go,” Feng Ye Xuan waved his hand.
Ding Chen knew he had made a mistake. If His Highness punished him, he might feel somewhat better.
But for His Highness to act like this…
Ding Chen felt a pang of distress.
Finally, he kowtowed, got up, and left.
The moment the study door was closed, a trace of unreadable melancholy dyed Feng Ye Xuan’s eyes.
From behind the study screen, a black figure slowly emerged.
Feng Ye Xuan paid no attention, remaining seated quietly.
The woman in black’s gaze deepened, and she said displeasedly, “When did my son become so impolite? Not even greeting your mother?”
“What exactly do you want?” Feng Ye Xuan raised his eyes, meeting her gaze. “You want my princely manor? I’ll give it to you.”
“What do I want your princely manor for?”
Exactly as Chu Qian Li had guessed, the woman in black before Feng Ye Xuan was his “deceased” mother, Hua Rong.
Hua Rong looked at her lifeless son, her displeasure growing heavier.
“You already know who you are, you know everything, so why are you still in such a dejected state? Do you truly not care about anything anymore?”
“Or perhaps, you only care about that woman who has become an ugly monster now?”
“Mother, it has nothing to do with her?”
“Nothing to do with her?”
The temperature on Hua Rong’s face rapidly dropped, and a murderous glint ignited in her eyes.
“If I hadn’t had Ding Chen send you false news tonight, would you have barged in before Feng Qi He?”
Feng Ye Xuan remained silent.
Hua Rong continued, “So, this woman has become so formidable that she can influence your every decision?”
“Mother!” Feng Ye Xuan’s eyes darkened, knowing what she was about to say.
His expression turned cold, his words firm: “I have agreed to what you asked me to do, but you also promised not to touch her! I hope you…”
“Then what if,” Hua Rong slowly stood up, staring at him coldly, “I insist on touching her? Do you intend to kill your own mother?”