Moreover, with so many people present, just as she was about to refuse, she saw Yang Zhao step forward and "drag away" her second brother, while Uncle Shou was pulled out by Aunt Zhang, who was covering her mouth and giggling.
Although she knew they wouldn't be far away, the thought of being alone in a room with Prince Ding made her feel uneasy all over.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Xiao Tingyi heard the displeasure in her tone.
"You are unhappy? Because you are alone with this King?"
"Your Highness jokes, how can it be being alone? My second brother is still outside the door."
Countless men and women in this Eastern Capital city wished to forge some connection with this Prince Ding, yet she was unwilling.
If nothing else, she had finally waited for the Wen family's extermination. She did not want any mishaps at such a time.
Bowing her head slightly, she appeared to be waiting for a reprimand, much more discreet than when she had been pulling Feng Er's hem.
Xiao Tingyi's lips curved into a faint smile, and then he remembered something.
Thus, he suddenly asked.
"When did you become enemies with the Wen family?"
His certain tone made Feng Jinyao gasp. How could he possibly know about this?
For a moment, her heart became flustered. Recalling all the past events, the coincidences piled up, and it was clearly a deliberate arrangement.
No wonder the matter of the Wen family was exposed and dealt with so quickly, and then cleaned up so thoroughly.
It must have been related to the person before her!
Suddenly, she understood and looked directly at Xiao Tingyi for the first time.
"So, was the matter of the Wen family instigated by Your Highness from behind the scenes?"
"Yes."
His answer was extremely crisp, making Feng Jinyao seem petty for not showing her true face.
Xiao Tingyi also looked back at Feng Jinyao. Her eyes were exceptionally beautiful, clear and intelligent.
At this moment, her gaze towards him held not only panic but also a hint of apprehension.
Recalling that he had only met her a few times and had never shown any frightening demeanor in front of her, why was she so afraid of him?
She even seemed to want to escape!
On this point, Xiao Tingyi had never understood why.
Noble ladies were either ethereal or dignified, yet she seemed to harbor immense resentment and fierceness in her heart, especially regarding the Wen family. The fluorescent powder did not look like it was accidentally applied.
Thinking of this, Xiao Tingyi continued to speak.
"You need not worry that this King will betray you. On the matter of the Wen family, you and I are on the same boat."
Feng Jinyao was helpless. She was not worried about Prince Ding betraying her; she was worried about Prince Ding targeting her because of it.
Although the matter of the Wen family was coming to an end, the Liang family, the Wei family, and the Ninth Prince, which of them did not have Feng family blood on their hands, including the eldest princess of Changlin!
Her path was destined to be arduous and allowed no room for carelessness.
To involve such a powerful figure at this time was not a good thing for the situation she was manipulating.
After a pause, she replied.
"Your Highness is overthinking. I merely happened to get some fluorescent powder on my hand rope. I was not the one who cheated, nor was I the one who exposed the cheating. This humble lady is just a daughter of the inner chambers who wishes for a peaceful life and does not deserve Your Highness to say so."
What did he mean they were on the same boat? She was not competing for fame and fortune in the imperial court, so why would she get on his boat!
"You are indeed stubborn. It matters not, you will eventually be willing to speak to this King about this matter."
Her confident tone made Feng Jinyao somewhat exasperated. She completely failed to understand the purpose of Prince Ding keeping her here to talk today.
"There is one more thing today that this King needs to remind you of. Try to avoid calculating against the Wei family. Duke Wei is not as foolish as Wen Jingsong. If you worry about him catching any missteps, the Wei family's retaliation will not be easy to handle."
His words were filled with concern and advice for her, but to Feng Jinyao, they sounded somewhat jarring.
Reborn, she was no longer the timid person she was in her previous life. Naturally, she understood the principle of taking things slowly. She was not in a hurry to deal with the Wei family, but Prince Ding's words seemed to imply that she was incapable and should avoid provoking them.
Therefore, Feng Jinyao, who originally intended to stay away from Prince Ding, became even more displeased.
However, she still had to put on a show.
She respectfully said to Xiao Tingyi, "Your Highness speaks wisely."
This submissive and humble demeanor made Xiao Tingyi even more interested.
Given the personalities of their three siblings, they were all ones to get to the bottom of things. He could make Feng Jinxu and Feng Jinlin obey his orders, but with Feng Jinyao, he could only persuade her kindly.
Firstly, they were not in a subordinate relationship, so it was not appropriate to give direct orders.
Secondly, he did not want to give Feng Jinyao a feeling of being forced, which would not be conducive to the future development of their relationship.
However, the words coming from his mouth, coupled with his usual cool tone, did not seem that way to Feng Jinyao.
One wanted to speak but couldn't find a topic, while the other wanted to escape and refused to cooperate a few more words.
This private conversation thus ended stiffly. When Feng Jinyao and her brother left, their expressions were not good.
Seeing this scene, Aunt Zhang frowned and asked Xiao Tingyi.
"Your Highness, what did you say to frighten the young lady like that? This old servant fears she will never visit again."
Xiao Tingyi was silent, and he couldn't help but ponder his wet nurse's words.
Had he really frightened her?
It shouldn't be!
A woman who could devise numerous methods to deal with enemies ten times stronger than her with a single sweep of her knife, how could she be frightened by his few words?
It was Uncle Shou who "kindly" reminded him.
"This third young lady will come of age at the end of the month. I hear that many ladies from good families have visited Madam Feng to propose marriage, but there's no definite answer yet. If Your Highness is truly interested, then act quickly, or no one will save any tea for you."
When he heard the word "marriage proposal," Xiao Tingyi paused his tea-drinking hand.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he said indifferently to Yang Zhao.
"Investigate which families are interested, and give them something to do, so they stop staring at the Feng family every day."
"Yes!" Yang Zhao replied with a suppressed smile.
Actually, he didn't need to worry even if he didn't say this. The Feng family still had two elder brothers above them, especially the second Feng, who had been inseparable from his sister these days. When I dragged him away just now, his eyes were almost spitting fire.
The hostility was so strong that it was as if nothing could grow within ten li.
Aunt Zhang sighed, "Your Highness, don't always hide behind the scenes and make arrangements. You need to be more open, invite the young lady for an outing, and get to know her better. If you always have a cold face, even the best girl will be afraid of you."
Then she said to Uncle Shou, "Don't just think about watching the fun of His Highness all day! Don't you have a good relationship with the third young lady? Ask her to come over more often, and give her and His Highness opportunities to talk!"