Chapter 19: The Empress is Kind and Gentle, the Malicious Would Inevitably Scheme Against Her

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Su Nuan picked up a piece of green bean cake and ate it deliciously. Then, she mumbled, “I’ve been good. The Emperor treats me very well.”

Mu Chengxun nodded, and the chamber grew silent once again.

A few moments later, Mu Chengxun continued, “Ah Nuan, are you still blaming me for what happened? I know that you’re still angry at me, but you also know that I had no choice. Pinting is weak and sick, and she suffers from heart disease. She fell into my arms that day because she fainted from a heart attack.”

Su Nuan continued to listen indifferently, but she was able to guess what had happened.

Isn’t this how books would describe white lotus1?

They’re always weak and sick. They have a shady relationship with the man that the female protagonist liked. Then, they’ll suddenly collapse and somehow fall into his arms..

Mu Chengxun… He can’t even notice her little trick. What’s the use of being handsome if he doesn’t have a brain?

My host made the right choice to marry the tyrant. It’s just pitiful that she’s so unlucky.

“Oh,” she replied faintly, “I’m not blaming you. When are the two of you getting married? Did Father grant you marriage?”

Mu Chengxun’s expression seemed a little off. He didn’t answer Su Nuan’s question. Instead, he said, “Ah Nuan, I know you’re still blaming me, but it’s really not what you think. You misunderstood…”

“Oh. Well then, do you like Su Pinting?”

Her question stunned the other party immediately.

“You’re not saying anything… that means you do like her,” Su Nuan continued with a nod.

A palace maid came in and knelt in front of Su Nuan. “Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess of Yun Nation requests an audience.”

When Mu Chengxun heard this, he immediately frowned. “Why is Pinting here?”

So the white lotus is here. I want to see her acting with my own eyes.

“Let her in,” Su Nuan said.

Soon, a 15-year-old girl in a white dress entered. She was pretty but not stunning. When Su Nuan saw that the host’s rival was not as beautiful, she felt like there was nothing much more to look at.

It was obvious that Su Pinting realized the difference in their class too. Her face stiffened for a moment. She went forward and said, “Pinting greets Your Majesty.”

She bowed slightly, looking weak and delicate. Although she was not very attractive, her fragility made it easy to elicit a man’s desire to protect her.

Su Nuan could tell from Su Pinting’s eyes that she had too many tricks up her sleeves—unlike the Eldest Princess, who was pure and weak. Su Nuan stared at her silently. She didn’t allow her to rise. Instead, she sighed, “You look sorrowfully beautiful every time I see you, Fifth Princess.”

Su Pinting’s body swayed slightly, and Su Nuan saw the flash of worry in Mu Chengxun’s eyes.

They are a match made in heaven.

Su Pinting said gently, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. You must have misunderstood my relationship with General Chengxun. I came here today to personally explain that General Chengxun loves you, my sister.”

“Call me Your Majesty. I am now the Empress of the great Shang Nation.”

Su Nuan straightened in her seat and looked straight ahead at Su Pinting.

As expected, the white lotus has an even uglier expression on her face.

Su Nuan suddenly said, “By the way, did you both know that I was almost killed the day after I married into Shang Nation?”

According to Zhen Zhu, the Third Princess was arrogant and domineering because she was the direct descendant of the Empress. However, she had married far away from Shang Nation, so she was unlikely to be overbearing. As for Su Pinting, she was very scheming.

She could have threatened Zhen Zhu to harm me.

Of course, that was just her wild guess.

Since Zhen Zhu and her family were now safe, she was not afraid to pursue the matter.

As expected, Su Pinting and Mu Chengxun exclaimed, “How did this happen?”

Mu Chengxun looked her up and down, and pressed, “Are you hurt, Empress?”

“Of course not. Otherwise, why would I be sitting here talking to you? Luckily, Big Brother Emperor is wise and powerful. He caught the person who wanted to harm me.”

Su Nuan couldn’t hide the joy in her voice.

Su Pinting looked unhappy. She didn’t think Su Nuan would survive for so long after she had been given away to the tyrant. She didn’t expect to see her alive and kicking today.

But so what? Even if an Emperor of an enemy country dotes on her, he’ll get sick of her sooner or later. Once he gets sick of her, that head of hers won’t stay on her body.

She only came to witness Su Nuan’s tragic state. But it didn’t matter even if she did not see it now. After all, she expected her to die tragically in the end.

When Feng Junyi walked into Fengqi Palace, he heard the little girl complimenting him happily. His tense expression eased a little, and he motioned Eunuch Wang to keep quiet as he strode in.

Su Nuan noticed Feng Junyi’s arrival at first glance. She immediately stood up from her seat and hurried forward, gushing happily, “Your Majesty, why are you here?”

Upon hearing this, Su Pinting and Mu Chengxun knelt on the ground.

Su Pinting felt a wave of sourness in her heart when she heard how Su Nuan spoke to the Emperor. She took a peek at the Emperor of Shang Nation and saw a slender and handsome man with skin as fair as snow standing before her.

Su Pinting felt like she had stopped breathing altogether. When compared to Mu Chengxun beside her, she also felt like he was much inferior.

She only knew that the Emperor of Shang Nation was a 13-year-old cruel youth. She did not expect him to be so handsome.

“I have come to see the Empress. It seems like you’re meeting some old friends.”

Su Nuan’s eyebrows twitched. Feng Junyi had walked in without making a sound; she didn’t know how long he had been listening. But then again, she remembered that she did not say anything about losing her head. She was relieved.

Feng Junyi walked and sat on the chair that Su Nuan had been sitting on. He coldly stared at the two people kneeling in front of him. He continued indifferently, “What were you talking about just now? Continue—pretend that I don’t exist.”

The muscles on Mu Chengxun’s face twitched.

How could I pretend that you don’t exist if you’re staring right at me?

Feng Junyi took a sip of tea and repeated, “Continue.”

Su Nuan noticed that the cup of tea that Feng Junyi had just picked up was the same one she had drunk from. She wanted to inform him, but unexpectedly, he paused for a moment after lifting the cup and then drank from it directly.

Mu Chengxun overlapped his hands before his chest. “I came to visit the Empress.”

Feng Junyi wore his usual cold expression on his face.

Su Nuan looked at two people in front of him, combined with what she had just heard, and understood what had happened.

“But I just heard that you all were talking about the incident where someone tried to murder my Empress. I discovered that that person was from Yun Nation.”

Mu Chengxun was shocked by his words.

Didn’t he just ask us to pretend that he didn’t exist? Why is he asking about this now?

Su Pinting hastily said, “Maybe my sister remembered wrongly. She is the Princess of Yun Nation. Why would anyone harm her?”

“You’re wrong. She is now the Empress of the great Shang Nation. The Empress is kind and gentle; the malicious will inevitably scheme against her.”