Everything that happened at the Princess's Estate would find its way to the Lantai Palace.
When the shadow guards reported that Xiao Man had stayed in Wen Mohan's room, Feng Moran sat by the window for an entire day. The sun had already begun to set when the Empress finally entered the Lantai Palace, and he hadn't moved.
"Your Majesty, you are here," the attendant official bowed respectfully.
Seeing Feng Moran sitting quietly by the window, the Empress knew him clearly. "Tomorrow is the selection ceremony for the Princess's consort. Are you participating, A'Ran?"
Feng Moran moved his stiff neck. "The consort selection ceremony? Are you sure?"
The Empress poured a cup of tea and handed it to Feng Moran. "The announcement has been made. The response is far greater than I imagined."
Feng Moran put down the teacup. "It seems those two can't sit still any longer."
"This is thanks to the official document Xiao Man sent out," the Empress's eyes flashed with a hint of anger. Xiao Man was difficult to control, and to this day, she didn't even know how much power Xiao Man actually held. She had originally thought Xiao Man would suffer a heavy blow after leaving the capital, but instead, it was her own people who were severely injured. This left her feeling like a fishbone stuck in her throat.
"Your people have suffered quite a bit of disadvantage, haven't they?"
Hearing this, the Empress's lips curled into a mocking smile. "As if your people came out ahead. A'Ran, although Xiao Man's temperament is far from your sister's, both are people who cannot tolerate an iota of injustice. Moreover, the student has surpassed the master. This girl is far more ruthless than your sister."
Feng Moran did not reply. Xiao Man was indeed ruthless, which was why she had been able to dominate the capital of Yushang for so many years. In many matters, she was decisive, possessing a boldness that even men couldn't match. For some reason, lately, he had been seeing the shadow of another person in Xiao Man. Intelligent, decisive, forbearing, and ruthless. To achieve her goals, she could be humble and accommodating, or she could be decisive and ruthless. She was, in his mind, his most outstanding creation. For some reason, that familiar yet strange feeling always surfaced in his heart.
"She's not like Xian'er. She's very much like another disciple of mine," Feng Moran said softly. In his life, he had taken two disciples. Xiao Man was the future Empress he had poured all his efforts into cultivating, while Duguman was the most outstanding chess piece he had trained – a chess piece that could make the four kingdoms tremble!
"Another disciple?" The Empress wasn't fully aware of Feng Moran's affairs. She only knew that capturing Xiao Man meant capturing his lifeline. Feng Moran could betray anyone, but he couldn't betray Xiao Man. Perhaps this was his retribution.
"If our positions weren't so contradictory, she would truly be an exceptionally outstanding disciple," Feng Moran said slowly. "For some reason, I feel that Man'er is becoming more and more like her. She has decisiveness, ruthlessness, cunning, and strategy..."
Feng Moran fell silent. This wasn't just being "like" her; it was as if she were another Duguman! Feng Moran gave a wry smile. He had always hoped Xiao Man would take over Duguman's forces, and he had been secretly guiding everything. After Xiao Man truly took control of Duguman's forces, he began to regret it. It was like a canary he had carefully raised had suddenly broken free from its cage and soared into the sky, no longer listening to him. This made him, who always had everything under control, somewhat flustered.
"I heard the Fourth Princess is going to guard the border?" Feng Moran asked softly.
A flicker of an unreadable emotion crossed the Empress's eyes. She signaled for someone to serve the meal and spoke in a calm, unhurried tone. "That child has always been ambitious. Recently, Yushang and Yunqi have been restless, so she volunteered to go to the frontier. As a mother, how could I refuse my child's request?"
Feng Moran nodded noncommittally. Looking at the table laden with exquisite dishes, he felt he had no appetite. He wished he could have had the light fish and congee that Xiao Man used to make. He couldn't even remember when he had last eaten a meal prepared by Xiao Man.
Seeing the distant look in Feng Moran's eyes, the Empress personally served him a dish. "I heard Xiao Man stayed the night at Mingyue Pavilion. It seems that childhood sweethearts and their innocent affections are indeed something extraordinary."
Feng Moran picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. "It's bland and tasteless. It seems the imperial chefs in the palace are nothing special."
"Come, give the chef who prepared tonight's dinner thirty strokes of the cane."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Feng Moran remained unmoved, his eyes filled with coldness, making his handsome face appear even more refined and frosty.
"Today, I received an official letter from Yunqi. The Young Emperor of Yunqi will be arriving in Bianjing soon. A'Ran, why do you think he is coming?" Su Dan Novel Network. When Xiao Man was still the eldest daughter of Yushang, the Young Emperor of Yunqi had proposed to her. If it hadn't been for the unrest within Yunqi, Xiao Man would likely have already been in the Young Emperor's grasp.
Feng Moran raised an eyebrow and looked at the Empress. "If Your Majesty has something to say, please say it directly."
The Empress smiled, her eyes twinkling. "She is, after all, your junior. She has always regarded you as a father. This is an insurmountable gap."
Feng Moran narrowed his eyes. "Is Your Majesty teaching me how to behave?"
"A'Ran misunderstands. I'm merely saying that Xiao Man is still young and her heart is not yet settled. She likes young men, those who are still in their youth. Look at us, we are almost forty years old." The Empress sighed with a hint of envy. "Looking at these young people in their prime, I truly feel a little envious."
"Find a way to lure Nangong Yu here," Feng Moran said after a moment of silence, his voice gentle as he issued a command.
The Empress poured him a cup of wine. "Tomorrow is the consort selection ceremony. Those who should come, and those who shouldn't, have all arrived. I have set the stage for the play. As for how the play will unfold, that is their business."
Feng Moran picked up the wine glass and toyed with it, not drinking. Perhaps due to the previous incident, he had developed a psychological shadow.
"Is A'Ran doubting me?"
Feng Moran swirled the wine glass in his hand. "In what aspect?"
The Empress smiled, a smile full of hidden meaning. "In all aspects, of course. If A'Ran is dissatisfied with anything, please tell me. I will certainly satisfy A'Ran."
Feng Moran's brows furrowed tightly, and he moved away from the Empress. When Xiao Man acted coy with him, she was charming and adorable, filling him with affection and an involuntary desire to dote on her. But when the Empress acted coy, it gave him goosebumps and made him extremely uncomfortable.
The Empress also noticed Feng Moran's repulsion and immediately sat up straight. She took the wine glass from Feng Moran's hand and drank its contents in one gulp. "They all say women are heartless. In my opinion, men are the most heartless. When they no longer like someone, that person can do no right, and even living is wrong."
"You're being unreasonable."
"Would Xiao Man be unreasonable?"
"She..." Feng Moran wanted to say that Xiao Man would never be unreasonable, but then he recalled Xiao Man crying and asking him what she had done wrong. Xiao Man had been truly heartbroken then, but he didn't understand. He often punished her, so why had she cried so sadly that time?