Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

Xiao Fengyi was taken aback. Even the Emperor knew about their affair; this was a huge scandal.

"Your Majesty... he agreed? He didn't doubt your intentions?"

She remembered that the emperor was very superstitious. In his previous life, he valued her highly because of her destiny as a phoenix, and wanted her to be his daughter-in-law. He even made all his sons know that being with her could lead to becoming the crown prince, which attracted a group of princes to throw themselves at him and fawn over him.

Will Feng Xingye's request for a marriage alliance arouse His Majesty's suspicion? Will His Majesty suspect that his younger brother harbors ambitions to become emperor?

Xiao Fengyi stared into the man's eyes, so close they shimmered with amber light, and suddenly felt a surge of emotion. He was risking the Emperor's apprehension by asking for a marriage decree.

What's wrong with her? She was clearly very resistant to this marriage before, so why is she suddenly so moved?

“He agreed, and he’ll have to draft an imperial decree when he gets back. You can’t refuse.” Feng Xingye said a lot of things in a humorous way, but he avoided mentioning whether the emperor was wary of him marrying the woman of the Phoenix’s destiny.

"I..." Xiao Fengyi hesitated, bit her lip, and finally voiced her thoughts, "Will His Majesty suspect you of having disloyal intentions?"

Disloyal intentions?

The man scoffed, "My elder brother is a man of deep thoughts, hard to fathom, and don't try to guess, it's unreliable."

He seemed to have mentioned the Emperor's attitude, but then again, he didn't. In any case, Xiao Fengyi was filled with apprehension.

In short, based on her experience in her previous life, the emperor's bestowal of a marriage must have had ulterior motives, perhaps to incite the princes to vie for the throne.

She dared not think about it, dared not imagine what kind of trouble Feng Xingye and she would encounter next.

Feng Xingye took the medicine bowl away and comforted him, "Don't worry, we can pretend to get married, and then divorce after we've resolved this problem. We can go our separate ways peacefully and each find our own happiness. You can marry whoever you want..."

She doesn't want to marry anyone, that's her true feeling, but can she say it out loud?

"I... this is fine too."

Xiao Fengyi felt that Feng Xingye's actions might be a temporary measure, since they had a common enemy. "Ninth Imperial Uncle, we can cooperate. Once the Great Cloud Sea is peaceful and the Yellow River is calm, we will divorce!"

"You really want a divorce?"

After teasing Xiao Fengyi, the man continued, "When I brought you back from Baoguo Temple, His Majesty's spies saw us. I never expected him to come to Prince Zhao's residence. However, in order to cover up the fact that the Seventh Prince used Xia Huichun to frame you and prevent him from getting involved, I have resorted to this desperate measure to ask for a marriage decree."

She asked for a marriage decree in order to cover up the fact that she and Feng Mingjing lived together in a cave.

Xiao Fengyi understood Prince Zhao's arrangements more and more.

He didn't want the Emperor to misunderstand, and for him to be entangled with the Seventh Prince again. If this matter were to be revealed, His Majesty might bestow a marriage upon someone else.

Moreover, even though Xiao Fengyi was the victim, Feng Mingjing is His Majesty's son. If His Majesty were to be told directly that his son had done these despicable things, who would be in deep trouble?

As dusk settled, Feng Xingye said to her, "Alright, you should rest now."

As she was about to get up, Xiao Fengyi grabbed the man's wrist. "Your Highness, my grandmother and maid are still at Baoguo Temple, and they are very likely still in Feng Mingjing's hands. Can you help me... save them?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Fengyi was about to get out of bed and kowtow to Feng Xingye, but she was stopped in the end.

The man said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I've already asked Yue Qi to handle this matter. He will bring the old lady of the Xiao family and her maid to you safe and sound soon."

"Great kindness needs no words of thanks." Upon hearing these words, Xiao Fengyi's eyes welled up with tears that were about to fall, but the heavy weight in her heart finally lifted.

Her grandmother and two maids were framed and killed by Xiao Qingyin and Feng Mingjing in their previous life. She was really afraid of repeating the same mistake if they fell into their hands again this time.

Feng Xingye took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, you should go to sleep."

Tonight, after yet another farewell, the man finally covered her with the blanket, blew out the lamp, and left.

Xiao Fengyi still had a lot to say to him, but she didn't say it. She could only lie in bed in the dark, listening to the man's footsteps as he left and the sound of the door closing.

The next day, Xiao Fengyi finally saw her grandmother, who was still alive and well, as well as Zihua and Xuanhua. The group hugged each other and cried uncontrollably.

Zi Hua cried uncontrollably, "Waaaaah... Miss, we've finally seen you."

Xuan Hua felt mostly guilty. "Miss, I'm so sorry. It was my negligence that allowed those bastards to put the medicine in my potion while I was brewing it!"

The old grandmother said nothing, but just watched her silently weep.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault that you've been dragged into this. I swear, I will never put you in danger again, and... I will absolutely not let Feng Mingjing get away with this," Xiao Fengyi comforted her.

If Liu had said these bold words elsewhere, she would have had her mouth covered, but here in the Prince Zhao's residence, she could say whatever she wanted.

Liu glanced at the handsome man standing behind her, then turned her gaze to her granddaughter.

"Fengyi, we were kidnapped by the Seventh Prince, but fortunately, Prince Zhao sent people to rescue us. Encountering this isn't the worst thing; the most important thing is to use this experience to see what kind of person Feng Mingjing is, and then stay away from him!"

"Grandmother, I remember!" In fact, she had already seen through Feng Mingjing in her previous life, and paid a heavy price for it. The old lady in her previous life had never supported her being with Feng Mingjing, but she didn't listen. Now that she was given a second chance, she would listen to whatever her grandmother said.

Lady Liu gently stroked her hand and instructed her, "You must remember His Highness Prince Zhao's kindness and find an opportunity to repay him. A nation will remember a person's kindness for a thousand years. Never be an ungrateful person."

My grandmother was indeed a female general who fought on the battlefield when she was young. She was open-minded, upright, and never forgot the kindness of others.

"Grandmother, I remember!"

When Xiao Fengyi bent down to stand up, she was so weak from the poisoning that she almost couldn't stand up. Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, Prince Zhao walked over to her and helped her up.

Feng Xingye said to Madam Liu, "Madam, we saved Xiao Fengyi because she was useful. There is no need for you to be grateful to me or even repay me."

This person was so direct and frank, not at all avoiding anything, which left Liu somewhat taken aback.

However, Lady Liu was used to big occasions. "Your Highness Prince Zhao, no matter what, you have saved Fengyi many times, and I am still grateful to you."

As she was speaking, Xiao Fengyi was about to stand up and bow to the valiant man, but he pressed her shoulder down, preventing her from doing so.

"Madam, you have made great contributions to protecting Dayun, so there is no need for you to bow to me, a junior."

He spoke very humbly this time, referring to himself as "I" instead of "this king," showing genuine respect for the old lady.

The man became Xiao Fengyi's support, allowing her to stand firm. With such a powerful person by her side, Xiao Fengyi felt much more at ease and kept looking at the man.