The Rebirth of Li Fei: The Strongest Palace Fighting System

Although my words were meant to excuse Prince Guo, I was actually secretly adding fuel to the fire, making the Emperor more suspicious of the relationship between Prince Guo and Zhen Huan.

"Lady Li is wrong this time. Of course, Bi agreed."

Unexpectedly, Su Peisheng, who was standing by, suddenly interrupted and cleverly smoothed things over:

"Your Majesty, Prince Guo is usually very busy with government affairs, so how can he often see the ladies in the palace? Prince Guo naturally cannot remember the name of Bi Yingying. Just now, on the way to pick up Prince Guo to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, Prince Guo accidentally picked up this small statue. I saw that the statue was so lifelike and it looked exactly like Bi Yingying herself. I recognized it at a glance. Prince Guo was kind-hearted and said that since the statue was so carefully carved, its owner must be very worried to lose it. So he kept it and planned to present it to Your Majesty later so that Your Majesty can return it to its rightful owner."

Upon hearing this, Prince Guo seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and quickly agreed:

"Yes, yes. Eunuch Su is right. It's this Bi Yingying. Eunuch Su just told me on the way who the owner of this little statue is. However, I rarely see this Yingying and am not familiar with her, so I forgot her name for the moment."

As I listened to Su Peisheng and Prince Guo singing the same tune, I couldn't help but secretly admire Su Peisheng's wit and Prince Guo's adaptability.

After hearing Su Peisheng's explanation, the emperor carefully examined the small portrait in his hand. His expression gradually relaxed and he smiled.

"Yes, yes, this is indeed a very similar person to Bi Yingda. Seventeenth brother, you may not know that this Bi Yingda is the younger sister of Concubine Xi, who you will soon bring back to the palace. The two look quite similar, and I almost made a mistake just now."

Upon hearing this, Prince Guo secretly rejoiced and quickly echoed:

"It seems that my brother is so obsessed with Concubine Xi that he even mistook someone who looks similar to him."

The emperor sighed softly, his eyes showing some tenderness and expectation:

"No matter how much I miss her, she will be back tomorrow. Concubine Xi has been away for many years, and I have always remembered her kindness. Now that she is finally returning to the palace, I am very relieved."

Then, the emperor handed the small statue in his hand to Su Peisheng and instructed:

"Go and return this little statue to Bi."

"Whoo."

Su Peisheng responded respectfully, took the statue, and turned to leave.

The emperor turned to look at Prince Guo again, his tone filled with solemnity and trust:

"Then I'll have to trouble you tomorrow, Seventeenth Brother. I know you always do things prudently, and I feel very relieved to have you go and take Concubine Xi back to the palace."

"Serving my brother is what I should do. I will do my utmost to ensure Concubine Xi's safe return to the palace."

Thanks to Su Peisheng's witty response, the incident involving the "small statue" was resolved so easily. I couldn't help but feel resentful.

I originally thought I could use this opportunity to expose the affair between Prince Guo and Zhen Huan, thereby preventing Zhen Huan from returning to the palace and regaining her favor. However, I never expected that Su Peisheng had become Zhen Huan's ally, helping her speak up and resolve crises.

I suddenly thought of someone - Cui Jinxi! Cui Jinxi was Zhen Huan's personal maid and her confidant.

Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi had an unusual relationship. Now thinking about it, it must be because of the deep affection between Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi that Su Peisheng spared no effort to protect Zhen Huan, even at the risk of offending the emperor, to exonerate Zhen Huan.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment and powerlessness. I had thought my carefully planned scheme would succeed in one fell swoop, but I hadn't expected Su Peisheng to show up midway and disrupt my entire plan.

Now, Zhen Huan is about to return to the palace, but I have fallen into a passive situation because of this failure.

I bowed slightly and saluted the Emperor and Prince Guo.

"I will take my leave. I wish the Emperor and the Prince all the best."

......

"Empress Xi returns to the palace—"

A sharp and drawn-out report broke the long-silent air of the Forbidden City, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

Zhen Huan, the woman who was once as close to me as a sister but with whom I parted ways due to a trick of fate, finally stepped into this magnificent yet ruthless palace again.

She was dressed in a magnificent gown embroidered with gold and phoenixes. The pattern of a phoenix spreading its wings, delicately outlined with gold and silver thread, shone brightly in the sunlight, as if she were the phoenix, about to be reborn from the dead. The garment was a deep, noble crimson, a symbol of her status while also revealing a subtle sadness, like the complex and ever-changing nature of her fate.

The headdress is intricate, surrounded by pearls and jade. Every pearl is round and full, and every piece of jade is emerald green. They dance among her black hair, as if they are the brightest stars in the night sky, setting off her still pure and elegant face, but with a bit more calmness and indifference accumulated over the years.

She walked slowly along the bluestone-paved imperial path, each step steady and yet seemingly carrying a weight of immense importance. The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids bowed their heads in greeting, none daring to look directly at the woman who had once left the palace for spiritual practice and now returned in glory as Consort Xi.

The Imperial Road seemed to have lost its color with her arrival, its splendor now hers alone. The wind blew, seemingly telling stories of the past, and every step Zhen Huan took was a step on memories. Past events of love and hate, sisterly affection, betrayal and forgiveness, swirled through her mind like a revolving lantern.

I watched all this quietly, feeling mixed emotions.

Xiao Tao stood beside me, her bright eyes flashing with curiosity and confusion. She could sense the turmoil in my heart:

"Your Majesty, Zhen Huan is really back. She looks so powerful."

Xiao Tao whispered, her words full of childlike innocence, but she also inadvertently touched the softest part of my heart.

Yes, Zhen Huan is back, bringing with her aura and an unfinished destiny. How should I deal with it?

Looking back on the days before leaving the palace, Zhen Huan and I went from initially supporting each other to later suspicion and estrangement, and finally to becoming enemies. Every step was so difficult and so heartbreaking.

Back then, we were both young, unaware that the struggles within the palace walls were far more complex than we'd imagined. Even less so, we understood that sometimes, to survive, we had to sacrifice precious things, including friendship. Now, she has returned a victor, while I, still struggling to survive in this deep palace, what will our future hold?

Zhen Huan's return to the palace undoubtedly threw a huge stone into this peaceful palace, and the ripples quickly spread to every corner.