Return of the Phoenix Lady

In the Imperial Garden of the Palace, Concubine Yun and Han Xing walked side by side, chattering away, "Young Master, look! Over there is a flower unique to our Fire Nation, the Flame Flower, the color of fire. From afar, it looks like it's on fire, right? And over there, over there is..." Concubine Yun kept pointing out the plants in the Imperial Garden and introducing them to Han Xing, but Han Xing looked uninterested. She couldn't help but wonder, don't all those little girls love exotic flowers and plants? Like the Queen's niece, but this one clearly doesn't. No wonder she disguised herself as a man. She's so stunning! She has no sense of self-awareness that a woman should have! Concubine Yun thought disdainfully. She was just pure envy and jealousy!

Halfway through the introduction, Concubine Yun suddenly realized something: she didn't even seem to know the girl's name! So, she covered her lips with her hands and chuckled softly, saying, "Sir, look how confused I am. I still don't know your name." The implication was that Han Xing should quickly introduce herself so she could test her limits.

Unexpectedly, Han Xing just said lightly: "My surname is Liu." That was it.

Concubine Yun froze for a moment, then immediately regained her smile and said dryly, "So it's Master Liu!" In her heart, she cursed, "You damn girl, you'll die if you say any more! What are you pretending for? Wait until I get rid of you, and then we'll see what you're still so proud of!"

Then he continued to ask: "Mr. Liu, are you from my country?"

Han Xing glanced at Yun Fei and said, "So what if it is? So what if it isn't? Is there any problem?" He did not give a direct answer.

Concubine Yun waved her hands hastily, fearing she would leave a bad impression on Han Xing. She quickly smiled and said, "Master Liu, that's not right. I'm just curious. I've said too much. Please don't mind it, Master Liu, okay?"

Han Xing nodded indifferently, his expression unclear.

Concubine Yun was secretly annoyed that she was a little too hasty. This little girl was very alert. If she was not careful, all her efforts might fail. Forget it, there was no rush to deal with her anyway. But one day, she would trample this little girl under her feet!

After strolling for a while, Yun Fei, who usually stayed indoors, felt a little tired. Looking at Han Xing, who looked normal beside her, Yun Fei secretly gritted her teeth. This damn girl, she has been strolling for so long! Isn't she tired? But for the sake of her good impression, she endured it!

Time passed by minute by minute, and an old woman like Yun Fei, who was extremely lacking in exercise, had very little physical strength. She had been dragged away by Han Xing for so long today that she was almost unable to hold on. Finally, after seeing the pavilion she had walked past many times, Yun Fei could not resist the temptation and said, "Young Master Liu! Why don't we... why don't we go into the pavilion and rest for a while!" She secretly pounded her sore thigh, her eyes full of anticipation.

Looking at Concubine Yun like this, Han Xing sneered in his heart, with a faint smile on his face, he said: "This...how can it be? I haven't seen enough of the scenery in this palace! Is it okay for Concubine Yun to take me on a tour in person without taking a good look? Don't worry! I'm not tired! Let's go!" After saying that, without waiting for the stunned Concubine Yun to react, he walked straight across the pavilion again.

Concubine Yun almost bit her teeth off on the spot! This... this damn girl! She... she was doing this on purpose! She was trying to tire her to death! Concubine Yun cursed Han Xing's ancestors in her heart, and finally, at Han Xing's urging, she took a step forward and caught up with Han Xing. She warned herself again in her heart that for her plan! She would endure!

Yun Fei followed Han Xing in small steps. She originally thought that she would be exhausted to death today. Finally, after seeing several figures approaching from afar, she smiled.

"Your Majesty! I pay my respects to you!" Concubine Yun walked forward and bowed to the approaching empress.

"Well, get up." The queen said calmly, then looked at Han Xing. Countless fierce lights flashed in her eyes, but were quickly wiped away. She said with an arrogant and cold expression: "Empress Yun, who is this?"

Concubine Yun didn't answer. Instead, she said excitedly, "Your Majesty, it's so tiring to chat here! Why don't we go into the pavilion and sit down and chat?"

The Queen looked at Concubine Yun's strange expression, then finally nodded and said, "Yes."

Concubine Yun then turned around and said to Han Xing, "Master Liu, why don't I take you out for a nice stroll some other day? I just happened to meet the Empress today, so why not have a good chat with her?"

Seeing this, Han Xing finally nodded.

Concubine Yun was as if she had been pardoned and could finally rest!

In the pavilion, the Queen and Concubine Yun were sitting beside the round table, while Han Xing was leaning against the pavilion pillar and sitting at an angle on the edge of the pavilion. Compared with the Queen and Concubine Yun who were sitting upright at the round table, she was less restrained and more relaxed.

The Queen and Concubine Yun didn't know what to say when they saw this. After all, she was now the emperor's guest of honor, not to mention that they wanted to please her.

Concubine Yun finally sat down on the chair, and after relaxing her stiff legs for a while, she began to introduce, "Your Majesty, this is your Majesty's distinguished guest, Young Master Liu. Since I have nothing to do today, I will take Young Master Liu out for a stroll on your behalf."

After saying that, she introduced to Xinghan, "Young Master Liu, this is the Queen of our Fire Country. Although she looks cold, she is actually warm-hearted. She will take care of you." Concubine Yun lied without blinking.

"Young Master Liu." The queen, who was "cold on the outside but warm on the inside," spoke.

Han Xing looked up and motioned for her to continue.

The Queen's expression turned cold again. She was the Queen of a great country, and even His Majesty had to give her some respect. Now, this bastard's son dared to be so rude to her! She exhaled softly, her expression returning to calm. Then she spoke, "I am the head of the harem. Since Young Master Liu is in the harem, I have an obligation to understand your identity. I am also very curious about your identity. How could His Majesty treat you so differently? I hope Young Master Liu can help me understand this."

Han Xing raised her eyebrows. This queen was indeed much stronger than Concubine Yun, and also much more treacherous. So she smiled faintly in response and said, "Your Majesty, are you doubting Your Majesty's judgment? Could it be that Your Majesty would treat someone as a distinguished guest without distinguishing between good and bad?"

Upon hearing this, the Queen remained calm and nodded calmly, saying, "This is not my intention. I am simply worried that Your Majesty might accidentally trust someone else and cause unnecessary harm. Master Liu, can you understand my good intentions?"

"His Majesty is relieved of a lot of worries to have a virtuous wife like you to manage the harem." Han Xing smiled lightly.

"Mr. Liu, you are too kind. This is what I should do." The queen's expression showed a hint of pride.

Han Xing noticed this with his sharp eyes, then sighed and said with regret: "It's a pity that His Majesty's heart doesn't seem to be with the Empress!"

The queen's eyes immediately flashed with cold arrows. Han Xing couldn't help but sneer when he saw this. This queen was dark and cunning. Her only weakness was that she fell in love with someone who didn't love her, which doomed her to a tragic love life.

As if this wasn't exciting enough, Han Xing continued, "Your Majesty has done so much for His Majesty, you must love His Majesty very much! It's a pity that His Majesty is now obsessed with Concubine Yun. I really admire Your Majesty's tolerance and magnanimity. You can treat your biggest rival in love with a normal heart!" His words seemed to be expressing regret, but in fact they were mocking her cowardice.

Han Xing's words obviously worked. Seeing the queen gnashing her teeth in anger, Han Xing felt refreshed.

Then, the queen said in a voice that she tried hard to keep calm, "I feel a little unwell, so I'll go back to the palace first." After saying that, she left in a hurry without even looking at Han Xing and Yun Fei's expressions. It seemed that she wanted to go back to the palace to have a good outing.

Concubine Yun watched the Queen leave in defeat, feeling both gloating and worried. She was worried that even the Queen had failed and was almost being sowed into discord. So how could she gain the trust of this little girl?