Chu Qianli had barely finished speaking when her jaw suddenly tensed.
Then came a sharp, throbbing pain.
She widened her eyes, staring intently at the man who had appeared before her in an instant!
This man's Qinggong had reached the realm of perfection.
In the blink of an eye, he had moved from a dozen steps away to block her path.
His fingers tightened on her jaw.
Feng Yexuan's grip intensified, and her face was immediately forced up by his hand.
Pain!
It hurt so much that her brows furrowed tightly!
But she still bit her lip, refusing to show weakness in front of him!
Even though his terrifying internal energy was forcing her to the brink of spitting blood!
"Don't think you can do whatever you please."
Feng Yexuan's cold eyes were like a bottomless, dark abyss, as chilling and terrifying as hell itself.
Chu Qianli remained silent.
The pain rendered her speechless!
But even in her silence, her eyes were filled with stubbornness.
Feng Yexuan let out a cold snort before suddenly releasing her.
"Don't let me see you acting recklessly again, or I'll make you pay!"
He left.
His retreating figure was indescribably cold and heartless.
After smiling at Chu Qianli, Yu Linglong quickly followed him, "Yexuan, I'll accompany you to the Empress Dowager's palace."
He did not refuse.
Yu Linglong immediately quickened her pace, walking beside him.
A smile played on her lips, a mixture of surprise and relief.
He finally didn't like Chu Qianli anymore.
Her chance had finally come.
Chu Qianli, left behind, did not rush to leave. She leaned against a nearby tree, silent, lost in thought.
Feng Mingzhu, who had been hiding behind the archway, only dared to come out with the little palace maid after Feng Yexuan had walked far away.
"Why did you have to offend Fourth Brother? Don't you know that all the younger members of the palace fear Fourth Brother?"
She walked up to Chu Qianli, then paused before continuing, "Right, I am Princess Feng Mingzhu. I know you, Xuan Wangfei... um, former Xuan Wangfei."
She paused again, then added, "You know, you're quite famous among us princesses! I've admired you for a long time... Huh? Why aren't you speaking?"
Chu Qianli continued to lean against the tree, her thin lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a word.
Feng Mingzhu tilted her head, observing her, "Oh dear, you don't look well. You... you seem unwell... Wow! What are you doing?"
Chu Qianli could bear it no longer. She turned her head and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Her legs went weak, and she almost fell to her knees.
It was Feng Mingzhu's quick reflexes that helped her up, "Dingdong, what are you waiting for? Hurry and help!"
The little palace maid named Dingdong was clearly frightened by the sight of Chu Qianli spitting blood.
At the Ninth Princess's call, she immediately snapped back to attention.
She hurried over and, along with Feng Mingzhu, helped Chu Qianli to a stone bench nearby.
Feng Mingzhu took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Chu Qianli's lips, "How are you? Do you want me to summon the imperial physician?"
Chu Qianli remained silent; she couldn't utter a single word at the moment.
Feng Yexuan's internal energy had disrupted her breathing.
It was already a feat that she had managed to hold on until now, only spitting blood after the scoundrel had left.
And to make matters worse, Feng Mingzhu was chattering beside her, preventing her from even resting quietly.
Seeing her silence, Feng Mingzhu became flustered and quickly said, "Dingdong, go find an imperial physician quickly!"
"Yes!" Dingdong stood up, ready to leave.
Chu Qianli frowned deeply and said hoarsely, "...No... don't, let her... come back."
Dingdong hesitated, looking at Feng Mingzhu.
Feng Mingzhu could only look at Chu Qianli, "You've spat blood, are you sure... you don't need an imperial physician?"
However, if an imperial physician were called, it might alert the Emperor or the Empress Dowager, and it would be difficult to explain the situation. .oγg
Fourth Brother held great power in the palace.
Anyone who crossed him would suffer.
Chu Qianli, a former princess consort who had been discarded, could not contend with Fourth Brother.
"Are you sure it's okay? Why don't you come with me to the Princess's Quarters? I'll have my physician take a look at you?"
"No need." Chu Qianli took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Finally, she managed to regain some composure.
"I'm fine."
She raised her hand and wiped her lips, only to realize that the bloodstains had already been cleaned.
She raised her eyebrows and looked at the girl beside her, who claimed to be the Ninth Princess. She was beautiful and graceful.
However, unlike other meticulously dressed princesses, her attire was casual, lacking any princely airs.
"Ninth Princess?" Chu Qianli sounded somewhat doubtful.
"What? Do I not look like a princess?" Feng Mingzhu looked down at herself.
It was fine, she just wasn't wearing formal attire.
She shrugged, "Those formal outfits are so troublesome to wear. Don't mind my plain clothes, I'm very rich! My birth mother left me a lot of money, I'm not poor at all!"
Chu Qianli felt a slight urge to laugh.
This Ninth Princess was indeed completely different from the other princesses she had met.
Who would boast about their wealth like this, not fearing that others would covet it?
"How are you? You still look quite pale."
Feng Mingzhu tilted her head, watching her.
After resting for a while, although Chu Qianli's complexion was still pale, her breathing seemed to have eased considerably.
Feng Mingzhu sighed softly and said, "We've heard about your situation with Fourth Brother. Why didn't you tell Fourth Brother that you were injured? And earlier, it was clearly Yu Linglong who was in the wrong."
After thinking about it, Feng Mingzhu became somewhat angry!
"That Yu Linglong, relying on the Empress Dowager's favor, acts like a tyrant in the palace! I'm just waiting for someone to deal with her sooner or later!"
Chu Qianli still said nothing.
The palace was a place of gossip, and words could lead to disaster.
She was not familiar with Feng Mingzhu and did not know her well.
There was no need to say much.
"Why are you being so tight-lipped? Are you still angry with my Fourth Brother?"
Feng Mingzhu shook her head and sighed, "Look at you, you must have a bad temper too, stubborn and proud, and you don't know how to act spoiled in front of Fourth Brother!"
"If you had acted like Yu Linglong earlier, Brother might have believed you. You could have shown him your injuries, or even spat blood in front of him!"
"Why did you hold back?"
"If you had spat blood in front of him, he might have pitied you! Girls should learn to show weakness, then men will cherish you more. Look at that Yu Linglong!"
"Why would I need a man's pity?" Chu Qianli said dismissively.
Feng Mingzhu frowned and looked at her.
After a long moment, she shook her head helplessly, "Forget it. The target is Fourth Brother, it's better to be safe than sorry. Just avoid him when you see him, and don't provoke him, and you'll be fine."
Feng Mingzhu helped her to her feet and looked at her attire, then shook her head again.
"You're here for the Empress's banquet too, right? Looking at you, you're dressed even more plainly than I am! And you dare say I don't look like a princess!"
"Let's go, I know where the banquet is, I'll take you... Oh dear, Fourth Brother and Yu Linglong are also returning. Tonight, don't provoke Fourth Brother again! If he gets angry, he won't even show respect to the Empress Dowager, let alone the Empress. Be careful!"