The Lord God is kneeling on the washboard again

Xuan Xiao glared at Nalan Qin fiercely. If it wasn't the empress dowager's birthday today, he would have strangled her to death for humiliating his beloved concubine in such a way.

His eyes were practically spitting fire, that furious glare threatening to burn Nalan Qin. Xuan Xiao's chest heaved violently, his knuckles turning white from the force of his clenched fists.

"Nalan Qin, you vicious woman!" Xuan Xiao gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for the Queen Mother's sake, I would make you pay a heavy price for your words and actions today!"

Nalan Qin was not intimidated by his anger at all. Instead, he raised his chin and stared back stubbornly, "Prince Xiao, you are so confused about right and wrong. You have been bewitched by this vixen. You are totally beneath your dignity!"

Xuan Xiao was further angered by her words and took a step forward, as if about to attack. Seeing this, the people around him hurried forward to dissuade him.

"Your Highness, calm down. Today is the Queen Mother's birthday. You must not act impulsively."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please don't ruin the Queen Mother's good mood because of a momentary anger."

Xuan Xiao took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and fiercely swung his sleeves: "Nalan Qin, I have made a note of this account, and I will settle it with you later!"

After saying this, he hugged the still sobbing concubine and comforted her, "Don't be sad, my dearest, I am heartbroken to see you crying."

Xuan Xiao's voice was soft and full of pity. He gently stroked the concubine's back, trying to soothe her sorrow.

The beautiful concubine leaned in Xuan Xiao's arms, her sobs gradually becoming smaller, but she still said with grievance: "Your Highness, I have never been humiliated like this. If it weren't for Your Highness, I really don't know what I would do."

Xuan Xiao hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear: "Don't worry, I will protect you. No one will bully you again."

The beautiful concubine nodded slightly, put her arms around Xuan Xiao's waist, and said coquettishly: "Your Highness is so good to me. I will serve you for the rest of my life."

Xuan Xiao raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a doting smile: "This prince will not let you suffer any injustice, don't cry and hurt yourself."

Everyone at the banquet was pointing fingers at Xuan Xiao and his concubine. This Prince Xiao was too much. He actually protected a concubine like this and simply didn't take Princess Xiao seriously. Princess Xiao was the daughter of a famous family after all.

"Prince Xiao's behavior is really inappropriate. Princess Xiao is of noble birth, how can she be compared to a concubine like this? Yet he is so partial to one and unfair to the other." A noble lady in gorgeous clothes said softly, her eyes full of sympathy for Princess Xiao.

"That's right, Princess Xiao is usually dignified and virtuous, but she is treated so coldly. It's really heartbreaking." The lady next to her echoed with an indignant look on her face.

"Prince Xiao has been bewitched by that vixen and has totally disregarded the feelings of his wife. He is truly foolish." An old man shook his head and sighed, expressing great dissatisfaction with Prince Xiao's behavior.

"Princess Xiao is also pitiful. She is treated like this after marrying into the palace. The family's reputation is completely lost." A young lady whispered, her eyes full of regret.

"Hmph, this concubine only used some despicable means to seduce Prince Xiao. How can she be compared with Princess Xiao?" A young man said angrily, speaking up for Princess Xiao.

The crowd's discussion grew louder, filled with accusations against Prince Xiao and sympathy for Princess Xiao. Meanwhile, Princess Xiao sat to the side, her face pale, biting her lip tightly, suppressing the grievance and anger in her heart, trying to maintain a calm exterior.

Xuan Xiao shouted loudly: "What do you know? This prince and Fei'er are the ones who truly love each other!"

His face was full of stubbornness and determination, and his eyes revealed unquestionable affection.

When everyone heard what he said, there was an uproar.

"True love? Your Highness, are you confused? This is against etiquette!" A minister couldn't help but say.

"Prince Xiao, as a prince, you should respect etiquette and laws. How can you ignore the feelings of your wife because of personal feelings?" Another official also advised.

Xuan Xiao glared at him, "Etiquette? Why should I ask others to judge my feelings? How can you vulgar people understand the true love between Fei'er and me?"

"But my lord, Princess Xiao comes from a noble family and has a dignified character. How does she feel about you being so partial to your concubine?" an old man said with deep sorrow.

Xuan Xiao snorted coldly: "So what? In my heart, there is only Fei'er. Her status is unmatched!

Nalan Qin had no expression. She didn't like Xuan Xiao, the hypocrite. If it wasn't for her master's cause, she would have wasted every second of her time even looking at Xuan Xiao.

She stood there quietly, her posture erect, her eyes cold and resolute. She thought to herself, "If it weren't for the mission assigned by my master, how could I, Nalan Qin, be so hypocritical and deceitful as to flatter him and endure all this trouble?"

The surrounding clamor and turmoil seemed to have nothing to do with her, her mind completely unconcerned with the trivialities of the banquet. To her, everything before her was but a passing cloud; only her master's cause was paramount.

Nalan Qin's heart is filled with a sense of mission. In order to achieve her goal, she can endure all grievances and unhappiness. In her heart, Xuan Xiao is just a chess piece that can be used, an obstacle that must be faced in order to achieve her great cause.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and restored her cold expression, ready to deal with any situation that might occur next.

Nalan Qin choked up and said, "Your Highness, do you hate me so much? I asked His Majesty to grant us the marriage, so I..."

Her voice trembled, tears glistened in her eyes, full of grievance and unwillingness.

"I married into the palace with great joy, thinking of living with you as an equal and accompanying you for the rest of my life. But now, you are so cold and heartless to me. Am I so unbearable in your heart?" Nalan Qin's tears slid down her cheeks, and her pitiful appearance made people feel pity.

"I have devoted myself to this family and abided by the code of conduct for women. I have never made any mistakes. But you trample on my sincerity. Your Majesty, is your heart made of stone?" She became more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice became a little sharp.

The people around were attracted by Nalan Qin's crying and cast sympathetic glances at her. Xuan Xiao frowned, his face full of impatience.

"Enough! Stop pretending here. It makes me upset." Xuan Xiao shouted angrily.

Nalan Qin trembled, as if she had suffered a huge blow. She looked at Xuan Xiao in despair and muttered to herself, "It turns out that all this was my wishful thinking..."

The Queen Mother angrily said, "That's enough! This is disgraceful!"

The Queen Mother's voice resounded throughout the banquet hall, filled with immense majesty and anger. Her face was terribly gloomy, and her eyes revealed a stern reproach.

"Today is my birthday, but you are making so much noise here, totally disregarding the dignity of the royal family! Xuanxiao, as a prince, you should be careful with your words and actions. How can you be worthy of our ancestors' legacy by doing such a ridiculous thing?" The Queen Mother glared at Xuanxiao, her tone becoming increasingly harsh.

Xuan Xiao was dissatisfied when he heard this, but he did not dare to openly disobey the Queen Mother. He could only lower his head and whispered, "Queen Mother, please calm down. I know I was wrong."

The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "It's good that you know you are wrong. Don't act so recklessly again and lose the dignity of the royal family!"

Seeing the Queen Mother's anger, everyone fell silent, not daring to speak a word. The banquet hall was suddenly filled with silence, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.