Chapter 61: Reward

Feng Bai Su didn’t come over, and Liu Gui Jun lost some of his interest as well.

Therefore, after sitting for a short while, Wei Jing Mo stood up and left.

Seeing Wei Jing Mo leave, Liu Tan, who was sitting on the side, immediately stood up as well. He bid farewell to Liu Gui Jun, saying, “Uncle, then Tan will go back first.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Liu Gui Jun waved his hand gently at him.

Liu Tan immediately strode towards the door.

“Cousin-in-law!”

As Wei Jing Mo walked out of Feiliu Palace, he heard footsteps coming from behind.

He stopped upon hearing the voice and turned around.

He saw Liu Tan lifting his skirt and running over.

“Is cousin-in-law going to the banquet hall? Shall we walk together?”

His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled at Wei Jing Mo.

Wei Jing Mo gave him a faint smile and replied, “Sure.”

The two walked side by side.

Liu Tan had impulsively called out to Wei Jing Mo earlier, but now that they were walking together, he didn’t know what to say.

If Wei Jing Mo hadn’t married Feng Bai Su, he thought the two of them might never have had the chance to walk together like this.

He secretly glanced at Wei Jing Mo beside him. His long black hair, smooth as silk, was simply fastened with a jade hairpin. His features were cold and clear, his skin as white as jade. Even standing quietly, he couldn’t hide the radiance emanating from him. Every glance and movement was full of grace.

Liu Tan’s eyes dimmed slightly. No wonder his cousin was so fond of such an outstanding person!

“Why does cousin keep looking at me?”

Wei Jing Mo seemed to have noticed his gaze and turned his head to look at him with a smile in his eyes.

“Nothing, nothing,” Liu Tan immediately turned his head away, his face reddening.

Being caught staring made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Hearing this, Wei Jing Mo didn’t say anything more, just smiled at him again before looking away.

Until they reached the entrance of the banquet hall.

As Wei Jing Mo was about to enter, Liu Tan suddenly gathered his courage and said, “Cousin… cousin-in-law, you must treat cousin well! I… I wish you happiness!”

After saying this, he ran inside like a little whirlwind.

Wei Jing Mo was stunned by Liu Tan’s sudden blessing, unconsciously stopping in his tracks. He was quite surprised.

He had thought this little cousin had called him to say something provocative. But after walking all the way together, he ended up blushing and giving his blessings.

He couldn’t help but curl his thin lips into a smile, finding this little cousin quite adorable.

Dong Qing and Dong Gua, following behind Wei Jing Mo, couldn’t help but look at each other in bewilderment, confused by Liu Tan’s behavior.

Seeing how this young master Liu had been staring at their master so intently earlier, they thought he was going to eat their master alive! But in the end, he ran away with a red face!

Wei Jing Mo paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile and continued walking inside.

At this time, Feng Bai Su came out from inside and walked up to Wei Jing Mo.

“Why are you standing here stupidly instead of going in?”

“Your Highness, why did you come out?” Wei Jing Mo was surprised to see her come out.

“I saw Liu Tan come in. I thought you two would come together. So I came out to see what was going on.”

As she spoke, she reached out to take Wei Jing Mo’s hand and walked inside.

At this time, except for the Emperor, Male Empress, and the noble gentlemen who hadn’t arrived yet, quite a few people had already gathered in the banquet hall.

The great defeat of the Southern Yi and their submission of a surrender letter had drawn the attention of many in the court to Feng Bai Su. They hadn’t expected this seventh princess to have such talent in leading troops and fighting battles!

Not only were these court officials paying attention, but the noble husbands in the back palace also gained a new understanding of Feng Bai Su.

Seeing Feng Bai Su suddenly walk out and then come back in holding Wei Jing Mo’s hand, with a gentle expression, everyone’s thoughts stirred.

The seventh princess had just shown her brilliance, and in the back palace, there was only Wei Jing Mo as the principal husband. The positions of the two secondary husbands were still vacant.

The two had been married for so long, yet there was still no movement in Wei Jing Mo’s body. They couldn’t help but set their sights on the position of Feng Bai Su’s secondary husband.

Feng Bai Su was unaware of the thoughts of those present. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t care.

She walked straight towards the princess’s seat, leading Wei Jing Mo by the hand.

As for Wei Jing Mo, being led by the hand in front of so many people made him feel somewhat shy.

His face tinged with a blush, and he couldn’t help but lightly bite his thin lip.

However, the hand held by Feng Bai Su didn’t let go, still being pulled along as they walked forward.

After Feng Bai Su led Wei Jing Mo to sit down, several other princesses had already taken their seats.

Seeing her personally lead him in, pulling out the chair and serving tea, they found her subservient behavior quite despicable.

Even Feng Bai Shao, who had once had thoughts about Wei Jing Mo, couldn’t help but feel disdainful.

They felt that Feng Bai Su’s behavior was losing face for them as princesses.

As for the principal husbands sitting beside them, seeing Feng Bai Su’s attentive and gentle manner, they couldn’t help but envy Wei Jing Mo.

The seventh prince consort certainly had some skills! To make the seventh princess care for him so much!

After a while, Feng Bai Wei arrived late with Shen Ruo.

Whether it was Feng Bai Su’s imagination or not, she felt that the gloomy air around Feng Bai Wei’s brows and eyes seemed to have deepened. She wondered what had happened to her these past few days.

Wei Jing Mo, sitting next to Feng Bai Su, couldn’t help but fix his gaze on Shen Ruo behind them as the two approached.

After more than two years of not seeing each other, the changes in Shen Ruo were so great that he almost didn’t recognize him.

The liveliness in his eyes was not only gone, but the depths of his eyes were filled with thick indifference and numbness. His whole aura had become gloomy.

When his gaze met Wei Jing Mo’s, his eyes were like a deep, still pond without any ripples. He glanced briefly before looking away.

Seeing this, Wei Jing Mo’s brows couldn’t help but furrow deeply, creasing into deep lines.

After the two were seated, the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat oppressive.

Especially for Feng Bai Su, who felt a gaze like that of a venomous snake constantly falling on her, sometimes there, sometimes not.

She couldn’t help but furrow her brows and look in the direction of the gaze, immediately meeting Feng Bai Wei’s somewhat gloomy black eyes. Hidden in those dark eyes seemed to be a barely noticeable hint of inquiry and scrutiny.

Seeing Feng Bai Su’s gaze turn towards her, she lowered her eyes, concealing some of her emotions.

Seeing this, Feng Bai Su couldn’t help but give her a deep look before turning her gaze away.

Feeling the gaze on her disappear, Feng Bai Wei lowered her eyelids, hiding the constantly changing thoughts in her eyes.

Ever since she had lost the position of Crown Princess time and time again, she began to have a nightmare.

At first, this nightmare was vague, with only fragmented and blurry scenes. Feng Bai Wei couldn’t see clearly, so she didn’t take it seriously.

Until these two years, when this nightmare she had started becoming clearer and clearer. When she could finally see clearly, she realized it wasn’t a nightmare, it could even be called a beautiful dream!

In the dream, after she transmigrated to this female-dominated country, she gained the Emperor’s attention and favor. She entered the Capital Garrison effortlessly and made a name for herself there, gaining the admiration of the Northern Frontier King. Afterwards, she married the Northern Frontier King’s eldest son without any difficulty, and the Emperor naturally passed the position of Crown Princess to her.

Everything that happened in the dream was exactly what she had idealized after her transmigration, and she even felt that this was how things should be.

More importantly, Feng Bai Su didn’t exist in the dream at all.

In the dream, the seventh princess had never been born, dying in the womb!

Feng Bai Wei didn’t know if it was because everything that had happened in reality had diverged from her plans one by one, that her obsession had become so deep that she had such a dream.

But for two long years, this dream played out every day and night, so real!

Feng Bai Wei gradually began to feel dazed.

Was the outcome in the dream what she should have had? Was it because of this seventh princess, who shouldn’t have existed in the dream, that changed the course of reality, causing everything to go against her now? If she didn’t exist, would everything develop as it did in the dream?

Once this thought took root, it grew wildly in her heart like spring weeds, impossible to suppress!

A cold, dark light flashed through Feng Bai Wei’s pitch-black pupils.

—

About a cup of tea’s time later, the Emperor, Male Empress, and several noble gentlemen finally entered.

Seeing this, everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, “We pay our respects to Your Majesty! Male Empress! Noble gentlemen! We wish you ten thousand blessings and golden peace!”

After the Emperor, Male Empress, and several noble gentlemen were seated, they noticed that there was actually a man sitting beside the Emperor. This person was the much-discussed High Mage.

Everyone looked at the Male Empress seated on the right side, then at the High Mage seated on the left side. Their expressions became somewhat indescribable.

They hadn’t expected the Emperor to value this High Mage so much!

And they didn’t know if it was their imagination, but they felt that this High Mage’s aura was too similar to the Male Empress! If they only saw the back view, they might have mistaken them for the same person!

Looking at their faces, even with the Male Empress’s exquisitely applied makeup, it was still difficult to hide the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the weariness on his face. As for this High Mage, his appearance exuded youthfulness everywhere, clearly in the prime of his life.

After noticing this point, and seeing the Emperor’s somewhat intimate attitude, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

On the high platform, seeing the Emperor’s smiling face as she looked at the High Mage, the Male Empress’s expression became somewhat unpleasant. He couldn’t even maintain the facade of the principal consort!

Especially when his gaze fell on the High Mage who had a somewhat similar aura to him, he felt even more disgusted, as if he had swallowed a fly!

He couldn’t help but laugh coldly in his heart, feeling that the Emperor’s display of favoritism over so many years was somewhat ironic!

This celebration banquet could be said to have everyone harboring their own thoughts.

Perhaps except for the Emperor, no one else’s mind was truly on this celebration banquet.

It wasn’t until the banquet ended that the Emperor seemed to remember to reward Feng Bai Su.

“This time our dynasty has greatly defeated the Southern Yi barbarians! This is cause for celebration!”

She lowered her gaze to look at Feng Bai Su below, and spoke, “Little Seven! You’ve made a great achievement this time! Is there anything you want?”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Su immediately stood up and walked forward, kneeling on one knee: “In response to Mother Emperor, your daughter doesn’t dare to take credit arrogantly! This great defeat of the Southern Yi, your daughter merely contributed a little effort.”

“Oh?” The Emperor seemed to be in a good mood, even having the heart to joke, “It’s rare to see Little Seven so modest!”

“But defeating the Southern Yi is indeed your merit! Merit should naturally be rewarded! How about this.”

The Emperor thought for a moment and said, “The Imperial Guard is short of a commander, from now on you’ll go to the Imperial Guard!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present became somewhat subtle.

The Imperial Guard was different from the Capital Garrison, unlike the Capital Garrison’s broad and general duties, the Imperial Guard’s responsibilities were more specific. They only had one task, which was to protect the imperial palace and the Emperor’s safety.

It seemed inconspicuous, but those who held this position were all trusted by the Emperor!

It seemed the Emperor was really going to start relying heavily on the seventh princess!

After hearing the Emperor’s words, the faces of several princesses became somewhat ugly.

They hadn’t expected Feng Bai Su to suddenly gain Mother Emperor’s favor!

For a moment, the gazes falling on her became somewhat hostile.

As for Feng Bai Su, she accepted everyone’s gazes with an unchanged expression, replying in a steady voice, “Yes! Your daughter accepts the command!”

When leaving the imperial palace, the Emperor also bestowed many gold, silver, and jewels to Feng Bai Su, which were carried back to the seventh princess’s mansion in several large carts. This caused quite a discussion in Phoenix Feather City!

Feng Bai Su also thoroughly made a name for herself in Phoenix Feather City, becoming a topic of conversation for everyone during their leisure time!