C20

"Oh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhou Ruo'an with a surprised expression. He said with a smile that was not a smile, "I've long heard that the eldest daughter of the Lord Zhou family was born with a cowardly character. However, it seems that isn't the case today."

Zhou Ruo'an's expression did not change when she heard this evaluation, but Zhou Fu did not have his composure. He clenched his teeth and stood out.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty," Zhou Fu said straightforwardly, passing by Zhou Ruo'an with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, "My daughter has been agitated recently."

The emperor glanced at Zhou Fu, who was kneeling on the ground, and the excitement on his face disappeared.

"Stimulation?" "I never knew that a stimulated person could awaken the ability of a leader," the Emperor said coldly as he glanced at him.

Although Zhou Fu was in a difficult situation, Zhou Ruo'an didn't have any intention of helping him. He just stood quietly beside Zhou Fu, looking at everything.

A trace of admiration quickly flashed across the emperor's eyes for Zhou Ruo'an's exquisite facial features. However, this praise was not enough to resist his fear of Ling Tianwang.

"You're in the Conquest now?" the Emperor asked.

Zhou Ruo'an nodded disapprovingly as she did not see the worry that was subconsciously revealed in Ling Tianwang's eyes.

"Oh?" The emperor intentionally dragged out his words, looking at Zhou Ruo'an with a strange gaze. "Then are you the only woman in the southern army?"

The moment he said that, it caused an uproar.

The chastity that the dynasty looked at Zhou Ruo'an with was due to the requirement of the women, not to mention the fact that Zhou Ruo'an lived with so many soldiers.

"Your Majesty is overthinking." Ling Tianwang walked forward two steps without hesitation with a faint smile and said softly, "My Southern Army has already gathered hundreds of thousands of people. There are also many women who cook in the living quarters, and Zhou Ruo'an is not the only one."

The moment that the emperor saw Ling Tianwang step forward, his expression immediately darkened. Listening to him explaining to Zhou Ruo'an, he suppressed his anger.

"In the end, it's Ning Wang's army," the emperor mocked with a smile that wasn't a smile. "It's Zhen's fault for being ignorant and ill-informed."

After he said that, the atmosphere suddenly became strange. Everyone unconsciously held their breath and looked expressionlessly at the confrontation between Ling Tianwang and the emperor.

Although the emperor was sitting on a wheelchair, he was constantly breathing heavily. His ordinary face looked even uglier. On the other hand, Ling Tianwang was tall and slender and looked very relaxed.

The ministers standing below had their own thoughts, unknowingly, they had already taken their place.

Zhou Ruo'an glanced at Ling Tianwang with a complicated expression. She took two steps forward and quietly blocked the path between the Emperor and Ling Tianwang.

"Although I was training with those soldiers, I didn't live together with them," Zhou Ruo'an explained with an expressionless face. "I wonder who was the one who secretly spread these rumors, even His Majesty has heard of them."

Although Zhou Ruo'an's expression was calm, she couldn't deny his sarcastic tone towards the Emperor.

The ministers who had just regained their senses were once again frozen on the spot, dumbstruck as they stared at the skinny figure.

"Who is this person?" "How dare you speak to the emperor like that?" This thought constantly echoed in their hearts.

"It's over," Looking at Zhou Ruo'an's back, a trace of malevolence flashed across Zhou Fu's eyes as he subconsciously muttered to himself.

As expected, those ministers soon remembered Zhou Fu's words and their gazes all landed on him.

The heavy explanation made Zhou Fu lower his head. He wished that he could learn invisibility and quickly disappear from everyone's sight.

None of the three people standing there noticed the magnificent scene below. The emperor glanced at Zhou Ruo'an with a bit of anger. His heart, which had softened due to her delicate appearance, once again stiffened.

"This must be Ling Tianwang's scheme!" The Emperor thought to himself as he fiercely shot him a glance before flicking his sleeves and leaving.

"Withdraw!" Chief Eunuch, who was standing on the side, shouted, then chased after the bright yellow figure.

"Thank you for your help earlier," Zhou Ruo'an said in a low voice after hesitating for a moment.

Ling Tianwang looked at him disapprovingly, while his eyebrows were raised as if he was writing about the wind.

"To me, this is just a small matter. You don't need to put it in your heart," Ling Tianwang said with a serious expression.

Zhou Ruo'an chuckled and glanced at him teasingly as she walked away with a smile.

"Let's go," Zhou Ruo'an said softly.

"Is it cousin Zhou Family?" At the entrance of the palace, Soong Ci quickly stood in front of Zhou Ruo'an, blocked his way and asked with a smile.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her, Zhou Ruo'an frowned slightly. It took a long time for the original owner's identity to be known.

So this was the Third Prince that Zhou Ruoyan had in mind. He looked handsome and had some ability to attract bees and butterflies. Zhou Ruo'an rubbed her chin as she evaluated in her heart.

"Third Prince," Zhou Ruo'an said softly, her expression very calm.

Ling Tianwang raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile that was not a smile, "I wonder if Third Prince is doing anything while he is in front of us?"

As if he had just seen Ling Tianwang, Soong Ci nodded at him, "Ning Wang."

With that, Ling Tianwang quickly shifted his gaze back to Zhou Ruo'an and said, "Imperial Mother wants to see you. I wonder if you have the time."

"Zhou Fei?" Thinking about this person, Zhou Ruo'an could not help but panic. It was the original owner's emotions that kept surging.

"I'm sorry," Zhou Ruo'an shook her head and refused without a second thought. "I need to go back and guide them in their training. I'm afraid I don't have much time."

Soong Ci's expression immediately stiffened. The color of his face kept changing, making him look very comical.

He claimed that he was blessed by the heavens and had lived his entire life under the praise of others. This was also the first time he had never been rejected by anyone because of his status.

Soong Ci wanted to get angry, but when he thought about Zhou Ruo'an's performance in front of the emperor, the anger in his heart quickly vanished.

She had such an amazing personality! Soong Ci thought in his heart as he looked at Zhou Ruo'an with a heated gaze.

Zhou Ruo'an couldn't understand his mood change at all. She tilted her head and asked, "I wonder if Third Prince has anything else?"

"Just call me Cousin, there's no need to be so unfamiliar with the place," Soong Ci said softly. He stepped back cleanly to the side, leaving enough space for Zhou Ruo'an to pass.

Zhou Ruo'an quickly disappeared from the palace gate as if she did not hear anything.