Feng Xuxu looked at the excited Emperor with suspicion, becoming even more alert as her mind raced.

Seeing Feng Xuxu’s growing suspicions, the Emperor gave an embarrassed laugh and coughed, "Ahem, it’s nothing really. If he has that Jade Pendant with him, it will surely fend off evil and bring him back safe and sound."

What he said seemed reasonable at first, but upon further thought, wasn’t it just a roundabout way of probing for the whereabouts of the Jade Pendant?

"That would be wonderful. Chen will certainly return safely, God willing," she said, clasping her hands and closing her eyes to pray.

After hearing this, the corner of the Emperor’s eye twitched, and he gripped the armrest of his chair more tightly, forcing a stiff smile, "That’s good, that’s good," while feeling a chill in his heart and casting his eyes downward to hide the cold light in them.

After listening to him, she subtly raised an eyebrow and let go of her hands, opening her eyes to sweep away the worried expression from her face, revealing a half-smile as she looked up at the Emperor. "Thank you for the information, Your Majesty. Otherwise, I really would have been unaware of the significant power of this Jade Pendant."

Upon hearing her words, the Emperor forced a smile with a deep meaning, and said to Feng Xuxu, "Indeed, my brother’s luck has always been extraordinarily good." Even in death, he wouldn’t let me have my way. Frustrating, hateful.

Feng Xuxu simply smiled, her hand resting on her belly, her thoughts unknown.

With a heavy sigh, the Emperor bowed his head and fell silent.

Feng Xuxu glanced from the corner of her eye and slightly narrowed her eyes, resting her arm on the small teatable and turning to look, "Why does Your Majesty sigh so heavily?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The Emperor, with his head bowed and seeing that she took the bait, put on an act of being troubled, "Ever since the Prince went missing, some Ministers have started to make troublesome comments, creating difficulties I find hard to resolve."

Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, Feng Xuxu was also taken aback. If the Prince went missing and the Ministers were unaffected, they wouldn’t bother, but what could be bothering them to the point of giving the Emperor such difficulties? Feng Xuxu quietly contemplated, turning every cell in her mind, beginning with Eunuch Shi preparing to disrespect the Emperor, to the guard causing trouble, the Emperor’s inquiries about the Jade Pendant, and now to the issues the Emperor found difficult to solve. She had no choice but to think harder. This continued probing, what was the cause?

"Your Majesty reigns supreme, is there truly anything you cannot solve?" Feng Xuxu batted her phoenix eyes, looking at the Emperor with an air of naïveté.

Dugu Han, seeing Feng Xuxu’s expression, sneered inwardly, thinking she was not as clever as he had assumed, that her previous avoidance of his probes must have been mere coincidence.

"It’s challenging for the Emperor, indeed. The matter concerns my brother, and I must handle it delicately to avoid public outrage. It wouldn’t do to act rashly," he replied.

"This concerns my husband? What could possibly provoke such public outrage?" Feng Xuxu felt an even greater sense of foreboding upon hearing the Emperor’s words.

"It’s an issue of military authority. Now the Ministers are saying that since Dugu Chen is dead, the military authority should be taken back and reassigned."

After the Emperor finished speaking, the great hall fell silent, save for the occasional chirping of a bird from the tree outside. Outside the hall, Xuan Yue and Tian Yi exchanged glances, their hearts pounding with nervousness, their palms sweating in fear that the Princess, in a moment of impulsiveness, might give up the strong and valiant army that the Prince had painstakingly built over ten years with his life.

What those outside the room were considering, Feng Xuxu inside had also thought of, and even more extensively and far-reaching.