Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

Feng Mingjing clenched his hands behind his back and sighed repeatedly.

How could I be so stupid as to be fooled by those maids of Madam Shen with just a few words!

What a shame!

Feeling uneasy under the Seventh Prince's gaze, Madam Shen once again covered her face with her fan.

It has to be said that she did come up with a terrible idea.

Xiao Fengyi raised an eyebrow, looking at the man with an unfriendly expression, a hint of a smile hidden at the corner of her mouth.

"Seventh Prince, has the origin of the Jade Pearl Powder been clarified? It wasn't scraped off from the Empress of Yong Kingdom's phoenix crown, nor is its origin unknown. Rather, it was given to me by Her Majesty the Empress. I believe Her Majesty the Empress is a woman of great understanding and would not blame me for scraping the little jade pearl because I was so eager to save my sister."

The Empress Dowager loves you the most and wishes you were her daughter-in-law. How could she bear to blame you...?

Feng Mingjing thought this to himself, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he covered his mouth.

He thought for a while, reluctantly hummed in agreement a few times, and then fell silent.

Seeing that he acquiesced, Xiao Fengyi covered the glass box decorated with the phoenix crown with the red velvet cloth in her hand, and then had Xuan Huazai carefully carry it back to Qingya Courtyard.

"Now that Your Highness has cleared my name, I will go back first and not disturb Qingyin's rest here."

She didn't want to stay at Fuyin Temple at all; it was so uncomfortable that she found a plausible reason to leave.

Now that Fengyi's innocence has been proven, Liu Shi no longer wanted to stay here. She said to Feng Mingjing, "Seventh Prince, I am still ill and need to go back to rest."

Given how Feng Mingjing treated her, there was really no need for her to stay here any longer.

Xiao Fengyi helped her grandmother, and the two of them left Xiao Qingyin's residence together, making the room feel much more relaxed.

As darkness fell, the imperial physician and the family physician examined Xiao Qingyin and said she was getting better. The imperial physician then took his leave, while the family physician went to the courtyard to have a maid prepare a topical ointment for her.

The imperial physician and the family physician left the room one after another, making the bedroom feel more spacious.

Xiao Qishan and Madam Shen sat by the bed looking at Xiao Qingyin, occasionally glancing at the Seventh Prince.

Madam Shen vaguely knew about the relationship between the Seventh Prince and her daughter, so she was not surprised that the Seventh Prince had no intention of leaving. In fact, she felt that the Seventh Prince cared about his daughter even more than she had imagined.

Therefore, Feng Mingjing felt much more at ease.

Xiao Qishan's attitude was not as detached as hers; he found it strange that the Seventh Prince did not leave.

Not only that, he also felt that even though the Seventh Prince was of noble status, he was still an outsider and should not stay in the boudoir of an unmarried girl.

He had to find a way to get rid of the Seventh Prince without him making a sound.

Xiao Qishan stood up from his bedside and said to Feng Mingjing, "Seventh Prince, it's getting late, why don't you..."

He felt he had made himself clear enough and that the other party should understand that he was telling them to leave.

But things didn't go as planned.

Feng Mingjing said to Xiao Qishan, "Duke Xiao, don't you eat at home? I'm a little hungry!"

Xiao Qishan's eyes widened suddenly. The Seventh Prince actually said he was hungry! Since the prince said he was hungry, he couldn't just kick him out.

Xiao Qishan clasped his hands and said, "Seventh Prince, this humble official will have the kitchen prepare food!"

Feng Mingjing didn't treat him like an outsider at all, waving his hand at him and saying, "Go quickly, don't keep me waiting."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qishan stood behind the Seventh Prince and looked at the back of his head, noticing that much of his hair had been shaved off. He then looked at Shen Shi with a puzzled expression.

Madam Shen also got up from beside the bed, walked to Xiao Qishan's side, and pulled him into the garden, saying, "Don't chase him away!"

After the two of them left the room, only Xiao Qingyin, who was lying on the bed, Feng Mingjing, who was sitting on the bed, and the maids and servants who were busy running around were left.

Xiao Qishan looked around the brightly lit room and, after confirming that Feng Mingjing hadn't done anything out of line, felt slightly relieved.

Then he pointed to the dark sky and looked at Madam Shen with a puzzled expression, "Seventh Prince is a man, and Qingyin is an unmarried girl. It's not appropriate for her to stay in a young lady's boudoir. What would it look like if word got out?"

Madam Shen quickly clung to Xiao Qishan, saying, "Master, have you forgotten about the Seventh Prince and Qingyin's duet at the Drunken Begonia Banquet? Everyone said their collaboration was flawless, a match made in heaven!"

Xiao Qishan had initially thought that Madam Shen would side with him, but her answer clearly didn't mean that. "Is there a hidden meaning in your words?"

Shen furtively pulled Xiao Qishan to a more secluded spot and whispered a reproach, "It's hard for you to be a father, don't you even know what your daughter is thinking?"

What's on my daughter's mind?

Xiao Qishan was stunned for a moment, unable to imagine it.

If he understood his daughter's feelings, he wouldn't have made the father-daughter relationship with Fengyi so strained.

Seeing Xiao Qishan's dull and clueless appearance, Madam Shen understood why he was always so oblivious to romance. She immediately sighed, "Your daughter likes the Seventh Prince, and the Seventh Prince likes your daughter too."

After a moment of reaction, Xiao Qishan said to Madam Shen, "Huh? So the Seventh Prince doesn't like Fengyi, but likes Qingyin, and Qingyin also likes the Seventh Prince?"

Of course, Madam Shen did not answer the question about the Seventh Prince's original preference for Xiao Fengyi. Instead, she embellished the story and said how he had taken a liking to Qingyin. "Master, don't you think about why the Seventh Prince came to the Duke's Mansion today, and why he went straight to Qingyin's room? Of course, it was to see his youngest daughter who had been beaten."

After her explanation, Xiao Qishan smacked his lips for a while and realized that it was indeed true.

"Ah, so the Seventh Prince likes Qingyin. That's a good thing."

Xiao Qishan felt that it would be good if Qingyin could be with a man who loved her in return, unlike himself, who was forced to marry Fengyi's mother and later forced to marry the woman in front of him.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but recall Xiao Fengyi's marriage to Prince Zhao. I wondered if Fengyi was willing or not. If Qingyin and the Seventh Prince got together, both of his daughters would have to marry into the royal family, and they would be from different generations.

With both daughters nearing their weddings, she began to worry about her son, Xiao Ye, who had not yet been chosen as a wife for the head of the family.

Xiao Ye was on duty today and wasn't home, so he didn't witness the tense confrontation between the Seventh Prince and Feng Yi.

Madam Shen nudged Xiao Qishan's arm and whispered, "Now that you know that the Seventh Prince and my daughter are in love, shouldn't you treat him to good wine and food? Don't let your ideal son-in-law run away."

Xiao Qishan pointed to the sky and said, "You're right. I'll go and get out my private stash of fine wines and spirits, and have a drink with the Seventh Prince under the moon."

After making that boast, he happily left the garden of Fuyinyuan.

Shen looked around and saw her husband preparing food and wine on one side, and her future son-in-law looking at her daughter with concern on the other. She couldn't help but feel a little satisfied, but she never thought that this satisfaction came after she had wronged Xiao Fengyi.