The female supporting role is really here to mess things up

After hearing her son's words, Concubine Duan's expression eased and she nodded to Madam Kong. Madam Kong immediately understood and stepped forward. "Master, the ground is cold, please get up quickly. Your body is precious and you can't stand kneeling." She slowly helped her own prince up.

After seeing her son standing firmly, Concubine Duan spoke again, "Didn't you help the eldest lady of the Lu family before? She is interested in you. How far have you two progressed so far? When do you expect to marry her?"

Xiao Ruixuan listened to the questions that came at him one after another, and felt a tightness in his chest. The image of the woman with the Phoenix fate and outstanding talent that he once liked became distorted, and he felt a little irritated. But he also knew that his mother asked this now, which meant that she had made a decision, and she would definitely force him to marry Lu Shiyao, so he bit the soft flesh on the right side and spoke.

"I want to go to the Imperial Master to confirm before taking action, in case something goes wrong and everything becomes irreversible."

Concubine Duan was also stunned when she heard this. Her son was right. He should have confirmed with the Imperial Master to ensure that everything was safe. Half a year ago, her son was not yet the Crown Prince, so he was naturally not qualified to do this. But now, only her son can legitimately interact with the Imperial Master. As for Xiao Yuebai... I don't know what happened between him and the Emperor... My thoughts were interrupted, and my previous anger had dissipated.

Then he thought that he could not regret his move and could not make any mistakes in a hurry. He raised his hand and waved.

"Then go early tomorrow morning. Mother doesn't want to force you. But now is not the time to relax. I'll give you a few more days to think carefully about what is most important to you. In a few days, the young ladies of each family will enter the palace to attend the birthday banquet of that bitch. That bitch must have called Lu Shiyao, so you should go with mother."

"Your son will take his leave. Mother, please go to bed early." After saying this, he walked back without even raising his head.

As soon as her son left, Concubine Duan let go of her dignity, slowly softened her body, and half leaned on the couch. Madam Kong hurried forward to comfort her.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince knows your painstaking efforts, but he is now in his prime and will inevitably be seduced by women. But he has always been sensible and listens to you the most since he was a child... When he inherits the throne in the future, everything will be fine."

Concubine Duan didn't react to what Madam Kong said, and kept thinking about her son's reaction in the palace today. He obviously valued the woman he had only met once. If she was not born in the royal family, how could she, as a mother, bear to hurt her son's heart? But... in the end, she closed her eyes tiredly.

Xiao Ruixuan returned to his residence and walked straight to the study. He reached out and picked up the painting he had carefully drawn on the table, slowly walked to the compartment of the inner hall, and then hung the painting on the wall. Looking up at the woman in the painting, he silently said in his heart that he would definitely find you, but you have to wait for me... He stood in front of the painting for a long time before leaving.

The next morning, Xiao Ruixuan, who had not slept all night, came to the Imperial Master's Mansion early. Unexpectedly, before Ah Xu's hand reached the copper ring at the door, the door had already been opened from the inside.

The little boy who opened the door stepped forward respectfully and saluted, "Your Highness, please come in. The Imperial Master is waiting for you." After saying that, he bent down and made a gesture for invitation to come in.

Xiao Ruixuan was not surprised that the Imperial Master had predicted his arrival. After all, the Imperial Master had never made a mistake! He raised his hand to signal the boy to stand up and then walked inside.

Passing through the gate, a bluestone path winds forward, with lush flowers and plants on both sides, emitting a faint fragrance. The stone lanterns beside the path emit soft light, and the lanterns are carved with exquisite patterns. The light projects mottled light and shadows through the hollows, adding a bit of mystery to the entire space.

Walking along the path, we came to the reception hall. The layout of the hall is elegant and solemn. There are exquisite palace lanterns hanging on the roof. The lights are swaying, emitting soft and warm light, like stars, illuminating the whole space. There is a long mahogany table in the hall, covered with a brocade tablecloth, on which are placed exquisite tea sets and some ancient books. There is also a bunch of blooming peonies on the table, with bright petals and fragrant flowers, adding a bit of beauty and vitality to the whole space.

On the walls around, there are several antique landscape paintings and calligraphy works, with smooth and charming brushstrokes, as if bringing the viewer into the ancient landscape. In front of the paintings are some classical furniture, such as sandalwood chairs, huanghuali tea tables, etc., each of which exudes classical charm and elegance.

The Imperial Master was standing in the middle of the reception room, his white hair looking like the silver at the top of a snowy mountain. His white hair sparkled in the sun, falling like a waterfall, carrying traces of time and the accumulation of wisdom.

Although his face was full of the vicissitudes of life, his eyes were bright and sharp, as if he could see through all the vanity in the world. His eyes were deep and bright, revealing endless wisdom and insight, as if he could see through people's hearts and everything.

He was tall and straight, with a long robe fluttering in the wind, like a wise man descending from the immortal world. Seeing the prince in a python robe approaching from a distance, he showed no other expression. He walked forward to greet him slowly, his gait was calm and steady, and every step revealed calmness and majesty, as if every step was measuring the length of time and the depth of history.

He stopped and bowed until they were two steps apart. "Your Highness the Crown Prince is well. I have already asked Heaven a few days ago. The thing you want to know already has an answer, and I will follow Heaven's will to tell you the news." As he spoke, he handed a folded paper to Xiao Ruixuan.

Although Xiao Ruixuan somewhat understood what the Imperial Master meant, he still hesitated to take the paper. He slowly unfolded it and checked the contents. "Both daughters of the Lu family have the destiny of phoenixes, one rises while the other falls." After reading these two lines of words, Xiao Ruixuan looked up at the Imperial Master in surprise, and then couldn't help but speak.

"The eldest daughter of the Lu family has the fate of a phoenix, so they can be considered a match. But the other daughter of the Lu family has no talent or virtue, and her character is a bit... how can she also have the fate of a phoenix?" When Xiao Ruixuan mentioned Lu Qingxi, he couldn't help but frowned.

The woman's face was blurry in his mind, and he vaguely felt that she looked average. Her appearance was secondary, and her character was really terrible. Whether it was the self-defeating behavior at the poetry meeting or the malicious frame-up by the Princess's Mansion, he could not have a good impression of her.

The Imperial Master saw that the Crown Prince in front of him disliked the second daughter of the Lu family, and knew that the Crown Prince was going to choose the eldest daughter of the Lu family. He thought that this might be God's will, and spoke lightly.

"At present, the luck of the eldest lady of the Lu family is still stronger than that of the second lady. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can protect her to some extent. As for the second lady of the Lu family, if you want to suppress her luck, you need to reduce her contact with people in the palace as much as possible."

After hearing what the Imperial Master said, Xiao Ruixuan's heart skipped a beat. The Imperial Master was not a talkative person and was always neutral. However, these few words hinted that helping Lu Shiyao was in his own interest. He looked up at the man in front of him.

His eyes were as deep as an ancient well, bright and indifferent. There was no warmth in his eyes, as if they were a lake covered with ice and snow. His eyes revealed an attitude of detachment, as if all the prosperity and disputes in the world had nothing to do with him. His face was still cold, without a single extra expression. His lips were tightly closed, and he just stared at you indifferently, as if he had no intention of speaking again.

He knew that he would not be able to learn more from the old immortal in front of him, but what he knew now was enough. He thought about it and felt relieved. The woman he liked now was not between the two of them, but if he had to choose between them, Lu Shiyao would be more suitable for him. Besides, the position of the future mother of the country was not for a woman with bad behavior.

After calming down, he clasped his hands in front of his chest and made a false salute to the imperial teacher.

"Then I will not bother you any more, Master. Goodbye." After receiving the other party's return gift, he turned around and left.

The Imperial Master looked at the direction the prince left and shook his head, then took out another piece of paper with words written on it from his sleeve. Knowing that the owner of this piece of paper would definitely not come to his house, it seemed that he had no choice but to leave the house.

Xiao Ruixuan, who had just come out of the Imperial Master's Mansion, gave orders to Ah Xu as soon as he walked out of the Imperial Master's Mansion. He whispered several words in Ah Xu's ear, and after the two of them confirmed that they had given clear instructions, they left separately, one on the left and one on the right.

Within half a day, Xiao Ruixuan received a translucent jade ring from Ah Xu. He put the jade ring in front of his eyes and examined it carefully. "The color is good, and the carving is also fine. This is a good piece of jade, but it's a pity."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand to signal Ah Xu to come to him, "Send someone from the Shangshu Mansion to keep an eye on her, and send two secret guards outside the Duke's Mansion to keep an eye on her, but they have to stay far away. If she comes back before the palace banquet, notify me immediately."