The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

"The Queen is really thoughtful." Hua Fei gently stroked the gold thread on the Zhaifu with her slender fingers, which flowed like broken gold in the sun. "But I am more concerned. If there is a problem with this position..."

She suddenly stopped talking, her eyes moving with a hint of probing, her fingertips curled slightly in her sleeves, "Can you withstand the scrutiny of the ministers?"

The air was filled with the scent of incense. Suddenly the queen stood up, her golden skirt sweeping across the jade tile floor.

She walked to the window and pushed open half of the carved wooden window. The spring breeze outside the window swirled in the Queen's palm. "You have to try it to know if you can handle it."

The Queen's fingertips brushed across the jade pot on the windowsill. "Just like this Yao Huang and Wei Zi, it looks delicate, but its roots are deep-rooted." She suddenly increased her strength, "Even the strongest wind and rain can't shake it."

Hua Fei's face changed slightly, and then she smiled brightly, but a hint of gloom flashed in her eyes: "The Queen's metaphor is quite interesting."

Yang Qi stood beside the screen with his head down, feeling the tense atmosphere among everyone. The three people in the hall looked gentle on the surface, but in fact, there were undercurrents.

There was a gentle smile on the queen's lips, but there was an unmeltable frost in her eyes; Concubine Hua's eyebrows were curved like peach blossoms in March, but the corners of her eyes were as taut as a fully drawn bowstring; the fifth prince stood still with his eyes lowered like a pool of still water, but his fingertips were silently stroking the jade ring in his sleeve.

Hua Fei took the gilded box from the maid beside her. A cold light flashed through the box. "Oh, by the way, the emperor said that we need to add some color to the Hundred Flowers Banquet."

When the box was handed to the queen, it made a slight clinking sound. "This is the lottery book specially prepared by the fifth prince."

"I remember." The Queen weighed the box and suddenly chuckled, her fingertips slowly running across the gilded patterns. "The Fifth Prince's confinement order has just been lifted, and Concubine Hua has arranged this job for him?" Her eyes swept over Yuan Ruiyin's tense jawline.

"It is my duty as a son to share the worries of my mother." Yuan Ruiyin bowed, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.

Just as Concubine Hua was about to speak, Rong Pei's clear voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived--"

The queen's face suddenly looked happy, and when she turned around, her skirt fluttered like a butterfly.

However, in stark contrast to the Queen, Hua Fei and Yuan Ruiyin both stood there stiffly, as if frozen in place.

Especially Yuan Ruiyin, his knuckles were clenched tightly in his sleeves, and they had turned white due to excessive force.

Originally, Yuan Ruiyuan's trip to Jiangnan was a great opportunity for them.

If Yuan Ruiyuan could be eliminated in Jiangnan without anyone noticing, the current situation would definitely be completely reversed.

Now, there is no need to plan such a dangerous thing.

It's a pity that man proposes, God disposes. Who could have thought that Yuan Ruiyuan was so unfathomable? Not only was he a scheming man, but even the guards around him were incredibly skilled in martial arts.

The assassination attempt arranged in Jiangnan this time not only did not cause any harm to Yuan Ruiyuan, but instead caused all the hidden forces of the Fifth Prince and the Bai family in Jiangnan to be killed.

When he thought of this, Yuan Ruiyin felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife and the pain was unbearable.

The Bai family has worked hard in Jiangnan for so long, but now they have been completely wiped out because of his grand plan. How can he not feel heartbroken?

However, now that things have come to this, he can only grit his teeth and place all his hopes on the planning of this Hundred Flowers Banquet. Only success is allowed, failure is not!

The moment Yuan Ruiyuan stepped into the palace gate, Yang Qi couldn't help but feel a tightness in her heart. These days, all she thought about every day was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

I don’t know if it was a coincidence today, or if the Queen Mother deliberately arranged it, but the person I had been thinking about day and night these days was wearing the same color clothes as me - a light blue brocade robe, shining with a similar luster in the sun.

Even Yuan Ruiyuan was stunned when he saw Yang Qi. If this was a coincidence, it was too coincidental.

His eyes swept across Yang Qi's slightly red ears, and Yuan Ruiyuan's lips curled up in an almost imperceptible arc. Such a coincidence was quite interesting.

"Mother." Yuan Ruiyuan walked in front of the queen, and his sleeves fluttered like crane wings as he saluted.

The Queen quickly stepped forward and held his arm, her fingertips trembling: "My son, get up quickly."

She looked up and down at the prince's thin face, and her eyes instantly turned red. "My son has lost a lot of weight since the trip to Jiangnan."

Yuan Ruiyuan smiled helplessly. His mother was kind and would say this every time they met. Thinking of what his father had said to him before, Yuan Ruiyuan couldn't help but frown.

This time, the successful resolution of the Jiangnan issue became evidence of his growing power in the eyes of his father.

Looking at Yuan Ruiyin standing beside him, Yuan Ruiyuan smiled, but his eyes were cold: "Fifth brother, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Are you here today to pay your respects to our mother?"

Seeing the Crown Prince in such a perfect state, Yuan Ruiyin smiled modestly, but his fingers tightened slightly: "It's been a long time since I last saw you, and I miss you so much.

I came here today because I was worried about the Queen Mother's many things, so I specially prepared a lucky draw book for the Hundred Flowers Banquet for her."

Yuan Ruiyuan nodded slightly to Concubine Hua, "It's thanks to Concubine Hua that she thought of holding this Hundred Flowers Banquet, otherwise we brothers would have to wait until some time before we can meet again."

He suddenly took a half step forward, and his sleeves created a breeze that brushed across Yuan Ruiyin's cheek. "Fifth brother is indeed a filial son. As soon as his confinement was lifted, he was already worrying about the auspiciousness of the Hundred Flowers Banquet for our mother. It seems that I, his own son, have failed in my duty."

"Your Highness, you are joking." Yuan Ruiyin's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "It is my duty as a minister to share the worries of my mother. But Your Highness, I heard that there are rioters in Jiangnan. Fortunately, Your Highness is a lucky person and nothing will happen to you."

Yuan Ruiyuan approached slowly, his shadow covering Yuan Ruiyin, and his voice was as deep as a cold spring: "Rampage? Fifth brother, I'm afraid you are mistaken. Why would the people attack me?"

He tapped Yuan Ruiyin's chest with his fingertips, "Or...the pawns planted by the Bai family or those Qingliu in Jiangnan dare to touch even me, the crown prince?"

Yuan Ruiyin's pupils shrank slightly, and then he smiled nonchalantly, "Then my brother must have heard it wrong. I have been confined to the mansion for a while, and I only heard about what happened when His Highness went to Jiangnan from hearsay."

Concubine Hua suddenly chuckled, breaking the tense atmosphere: "Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that there are still many things to deal with in the palace, so I will take my leave first." As she saluted, the gilded armor drew a cold light on the cuffs.