Chu Qianli followed the Prince of Xiaoyao to his seat.
After sitting down, she immediately regretted it.
Although the hateful glances from all around were indeed quite stress-relieving, the pressure from the man opposite her instantly surged.
Even without him casting a single glance her way, Chu Qianli still felt utterly exhausted!
"Miss Chu, are you feeling unwell?" Feng Wuya suddenly asked.
Seeing her fidgeting as if on pins and needles, a peculiar glint flashed in his eyes.
As Chu Qianli looked up, she happened to catch that fleeting light in his eyes.
So, he had come to witness the spectacle between her and Feng Yexuan.
The legendary Prince of Xiaoyao, renowned for his detached elegance and disinterest in worldly affairs, unexpectedly possessed such a mischievous side!
Were all members of the royal family so malicious?
The discomfort she had felt moments ago vanished in an instant.
Chu Qianli said indifferently, "Your Highness asked me to sit with my ex-husband. Isn't it normal for me to feel uncomfortable?"
Ex-husband!
She dared to utter this title so openly in front of Prince Xuan!
The glint in Feng Wuya's eyes became even more pronounced.
This girl… no, upon closer inspection, she was merely a young lass of fifteen or sixteen.
Her courage was truly astonishing.
He had only brought her here out of curiosity about his fourth imperial brother's reaction.
Now, Feng Wuya found himself genuinely developing an interest in this young girl.
"I heard you injured your shoulder, Miss. How is it now? If this arm isn't treated soon, it looks like it will be rendered useless."
As he spoke, he kept observing Feng Yexuan's face from the corner of his eye.
Unfortunately, Prince Xuan's face remained utterly expressionless.
"Fifth Imperial Brother! Why did you bring Li'er here?"
Feng Mingzhu finally managed to shake off the ladies of the manor who were pestering her and quickly approached Feng Wuya.
As she looked up, her spine straightened immediately, and the playful smile on her face turned entirely serious.
She walked up to Feng Yexuan and respectfully called out, "Fourth Imperial Brother!"
"Sit," Feng Yexuan's indifferent voice was as usual.
"Yes!" Feng Mingzhu cautiously shifted her steps, choosing a spot as far from Feng Yexuan as possible.
'Accidentally,' she sat down beside Chu Qianli.
"Fifth Imperial Brother!"
"You know each other?" Feng Wuya glanced at the two of them.
"Of course…"
"We met once in the imperial gardens." Chu Qianli wished to avoid any association with the royal family at this moment.
Now, all she had to do was wait for the Empress to arrive and the banquet to begin, after which she would leave quietly, trying her best not to attract any attention.
"What's wrong? How can our relationship be described as just meeting once? We're practically sworn to each other!"
If she hadn't known Chu Qianli had injured her shoulder, Feng Mingzhu would have already placed her hand on her shoulder.
Fortunately, just as she was about to reach out, she remembered.
Feng Mingzhu cautiously glanced at Feng Yexuan, who was quietly drinking without speaking.
She deliberately said, "Little Li'er, I've seen you vomit blood. Wouldn't you say we're sworn to each other? If I hadn't helped you in the imperial gardens earlier, you might have fainted on the ground and been ignored."
"I suppose I saved your life, didn't I? And you still say it was just a chance encounter?"
"Miss Chu vomited blood?" Feng Wuya was somewhat surprised by this.
"Yes, I don't know who injured Little Li'er earlier. When I saw her, she was alone in the imperial gardens, spitting blood, and she hadn't alerted anyone."
"But she spat quite a lot!"
Feng Mingzhu said this purely to observe her fourth imperial brother's reaction.
However, Feng Wuya listened with genuine pity.
"Why didn't you summon an imperial physician?" he asked Chu Qianli.
This young girl, injured to the point of vomiting blood, was still maintaining such a calm demeanor in front of everyone.
As if nothing had happened!
Her temperament was a bit too stubborn!
A young lady, didn't she know how to show weakness?
"Yi Dao," Feng Wuya called out.
At this moment, he had no mood to observe Feng Yexuan's reaction. A life was at stake, and saving people was paramount!
Yi Dao, who was standing guard not far behind, quickly stepped forward. "Your Highness, your subordinate is here."
"Summon Imperial Physician Sun."
"No need." Although the topic was constantly revolving around her, Chu Qianli had no intention of paying attention.
If it weren't for the trouble of summoning another imperial physician, which would cause too much of a stir, she would have preferred to remain invisible.
"I am a physician myself, and I know my body. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness!"
"My sisters from the Duke's mansion are all here, and I need to go and greet them. Your Highness, please excuse me."
Chu Qianli wanted to get up and leave.
Feng Mingzhu was a little anxious and instinctively pulled her back. "It's quite nice here, why don't you…"
Chu Qianli's expression changed instantly.
Pain! The pain made her brow furrow instantly furrow, and she almost couldn't help but let out a groan.
Seeing this, Feng Wuya's expression immediately sank. "Mingzhu, you've pulled her wound!"
Feng Mingzhu reacted abruptly, immediately letting go, her face full of guilt. "I'm sorry, I forgot! You… you're acting so calmly, most people wouldn't know you were so seriously injured!"
This 'most people,' of course, referred to Feng Yexuan sitting opposite them.
Why did her fourth imperial brother still show no reaction?
Did he truly no longer care about his former princess?
Feng Mingzhu really wanted to study his expression closely, but her fourth imperial brother's face, as unchanging as an iceberg for ten thousand years, showed no expression at all.
She wondered what kind of heart her fourth imperial brother had, didn't he feel any pity?
"I'm sorry, Little Li'er, I truly forgot."
Feng Mingzhu was genuinely remorseful.
She didn't know how seriously Chu Qianli was injured, but she had personally seen her vomit blood.
At this moment, she could no longer focus on testing her fourth imperial brother. She said sincerely, "Little Li'er, why don't you come back to the Princess's Courtyard with me and let an imperial physician take a look?"
"...No need." Chu Qianli gasped for breath and said coldly, "I myself…"
"A physician cannot treat themselves. Don't you understand this principle, Miss Chu?"
Feng Wuya was truly somewhat helpless with this young girl.
He didn't know if she was sulking with his fourth imperial brother or if she was truly that stubborn.
Injured to this extent, why wasn't she quickly having an imperial physician examine her? What if her arm was completely ruined later?
Just as Chu Qianli was about to refuse, her gaze caught sight of a slender figure slowly approaching in the distance.
No, there were two.
Qin Liuyan, pulling Chu Huaiyu, quickened her pace upon seeing Chu Qianli seated.
Soon, they arrived in front of everyone.
Chu Huaiyu was pushed towards Feng Yexuan, almost bumping into him.
Feng Yexuan's brow furrowed slightly, and he flicked his long fingers.
Chu Huaiyu was immediately pushed back by a force that was neither light nor heavy.
However, the palm strike was not strong; she only took a step back and did not fall.
She had heard that Prince Xuan was ruthless and cold-blooded, but he showed her at least some tenderness.
Otherwise, she would have already fallen to the ground.
Chu Huaiyu felt a little grateful and quickly inclined her body, saying softly, "Huaiyu greets Prince Xuan, and greets Prince of Xiaoyao."