Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

I already knew that the fictitious handkerchief was given by Feng Mingjing. Whether it was lost or not is another matter. Maybe it was Xiao Qingyin's doing, a series of schemes. I absolutely cannot fall for it.

Xiao Fengyi decided to guide her gently, letting her expose herself and reveal her relationship with Feng Mingjing.

"Things from the palace? I remember you weren't familiar with anyone in the palace, and when His Majesty punished you, no one pleaded for you. Who would give you a handkerchief? Perhaps... you took advantage of your trip to the palace to steal things, just like that?"

She deliberately shifted the blame, claiming the handkerchief was stolen, a sharp and incisive statement intended to provoke Xiao Qingyin.

Xiao Qingyin fell for the trap and hurriedly tried to prove herself, "That handkerchief was given to me by the Seventh Prince! I didn't steal it, sister, don't make things up!"

As soon as she spoke, Xiao Fengyi, Xuan Hua, and Zi Hua couldn't hide their smug expressions. A moment later, she finally realized she had said the wrong thing and immediately covered her mouth.

"Seventh Prince, why did he give you a handkerchief?" Xiao Fengyi handed the fish food to Xuan Hua and stepped forward to question him.

"It wasn't... the Seventh Prince... who gave it to me."

The words that had been spoken were like water spilled; there was no way to make amends. It felt like nothing I said would be right, so I could only lower my head and avoid the probing gaze.

Xiao Fengyi, however, was unwilling to let go of this golden opportunity and pressed her for an answer: "Sister, you have something to say to your older sister. You are in love with the Seventh Prince? The Seventh Prince cares about you very much. If there is any secret between you two... let Father ask the Emperor to grant you a marriage and let the lovers be united in marriage. What do you say?"

A secret affair? A private relationship? Marrying the Seventh Prince? Xiao Qingyin wanted to, but Feng Mingjing was unwilling. For the sake of the throne, Feng Mingjing refused to acknowledge this relationship before ascending the throne.

The pain of her previous life finally made Xiao Fengyi see the two of them clearly, and she couldn't help but despise her former self for being so slow-witted and so muddle-headed.

As a secret lover, the younger sister had been holding back for a long time, often subtly showing off their affection without the other woman noticing. It wasn't until the other woman came to show off in her empress uniform that she finally woke up from her dream.

Xiao Qingyin, realizing that her secret had been exposed, looked up and said, "Sister, if you don't want to return the handkerchief, that's fine. There's no need to wrong my innocence."

Xiao Fengyi had changed at some point, becoming unusually clear-headed. She even managed to steer the matter of the missing handkerchief towards her affair with the Seventh Prince, making her forget her original purpose for coming to Changyi Courtyard: to frame Zihua for stealing the handkerchief.

If she finds out about my relationship with the Seventh Prince, wouldn't I end up losing more than I gain?

"You yourself said that it belonged to the Seventh Prince. I was just making a reasonable deduction. How did it become that I wronged you?" Xiao Fengyi raised an eyebrow.

This person realized it so quickly?

Xiao Qingyin spoke without thinking, coming up with another excuse.

"Your Highness and I have no affair. I found that handkerchief."

Without Feng Mingjing's approval, she dared not acknowledge their relationship.

"Found it? How come it was found again?" Xiao Fengyi smiled without saying a word about this clumsy lie.

Xiao Qingyin felt increasingly unable to explain herself, so she simply stopped talking, and for a moment the surroundings became desolate.

The sound of a wooden fish being struck came from the quiet garden; upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was emanating from the Buddhist shrine.

At this time, the old lady was chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall.

Xiao Fengyi then understood why Xiao Qingyin and Lüshu could swagger into Changyi Courtyard; it turned out they had come to cause trouble while the old lady was chanting sutras.

Besides the two of them, other people also barged in.

"Fengyi, don't be so harsh on your sister."

Sure enough, whenever Xiao Qingyin was wronged, Feng Mingjing would inevitably appear at the Duke of Xiao's mansion.

In her previous life, she was too oblivious to notice.

While speaking for Xiao Qingyin, Feng Mingjing didn't forget to get closer to her, a truly disgusting act.

The woman, her clothes fluttering, moved away from Feng Mingjing without making a sound, and said coldly, "Seventh Prince, I am not familiar with you. Please do not teach me Fengyi. It would be bad if others misunderstood our relationship."

You're not familiar with him?

The cooked duck flew away, and the Seventh Prince showed a displeased expression.

Originally, he planned to enter after Xiao Fengyi and Chen Mu's sordid affair, but unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince suddenly appeared, disrupting all his plans.

He didn't like this feeling; he really disliked losing control of what he had in his grasp.

He heard that Xiao Fengyi was getting close to the Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince, and that the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince had also come to curry favor with him. All of these people made him feel threatened, which is why he came to the Duke of Xiao's mansion without thinking.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, he heard Xiao Fengyi asking about the handkerchief. The handkerchief was given to him by him and was a token of their love. How could he bear to let Qingyin suffer? He immediately forgot his original purpose and started to scold Xiao Fengyi.

Xiao Fengyi used to listen to him obediently, so why is she saying she's not familiar with him this time?

He could clearly sense Xiao Fengyi's affection for him, so was her current attitude a ploy to play hard to get?

"Fengyi, I heard that the Duke of Xiao's mansion is going to hold a banquet. I would like to play a duet with you for the old lady."

ensemble?

Feng Mingjing's little scheme was seen through by Xiao Fengyi at a glance.

He wanted to use the ensemble performance to make the emperor think that she was in love with him, to ask for his hand in marriage, to become the crown prince, to become the emperor, and then to kick her aside.

Didn't he do the same thing in his past life?

Suddenly, Xiao Fengyi realized something.

If she wants to completely get rid of Feng Mingjing, she must be completely clean at the source, so that Feng Mingjing can no longer entangle her.

How to do?

Would it be a good idea to expose his affair with that innocent woman in front of everyone?

If that's the case, then everyone will know that Feng Mingjing has an affair with the second young lady of the Duke of Xiao's mansion and that she's already taken. It would be wrong for them to keep bothering her.

Since the two were so deeply in love, Xiao Fengyi decided to help them out.

However, this matter must be carried out discreetly. First, give Feng Mingjing some sweetness and Xiao Qingyin some setbacks to make the two drift apart, and they will surely be exposed.

For the first time ever, Xiao Fengyi agreed, "Alright, I've heard that the Seventh Prince's zither skills are unparalleled in the world. I'd like to have a friendly match with him."

Women, indeed, cannot resist themselves.

If he and Xiao Fengyi played a duet in public, his father would surely think they were a perfect match, destined for marriage, and that he was destined to be with a woman of the Phoenix's destiny. Perhaps then, the emperor would pass the throne to him.

When Feng Mingjing heard the woman agree, he was extremely pleased and instantly forgot about Xiao Qingyin, who was feeling sad beside him.

Xiao Qingyin remained silent, but Lüshu, feeling indignant, brought the topic back to the handkerchief, "Your Highness, Zihua stole our young lady's handkerchief. Please do justice."

Zi Hua retorted without hesitation, "I didn't steal it!"

Why bring up handkerchiefs again? Feng Mingjing felt that Green Book was a downer.

After blocking Zi Hua, Xiao Fengyi bowed and said, "My maid would not steal anything. Please investigate, Your Highness."

“I know your maid is just like you, she wouldn’t do anything petty or despicable.”

Feng Mingjing's invitation to Xiao Fengyi to play the zither together had already displeased Xiao Qingyin, and the man's bias in siding with Xiao Fengyi only made her more displeased.

She, who had always kept a low profile, developed a competitive spirit and insisted that Zi Hua had taken her handkerchief.

“Your Highness, the handkerchief was lost in the kitchen. The old women said that Zihua took it, which is why I came to Changyi Courtyard to retrieve it. Please, Your Highness, make the decision.”