"Mother," Su Qi said without hesitation, stepping in front of them. "Mother, take this pill."
"Lady, please eat it," Mu Yunxuan urged, holding the elixir to her lips.
"I already said I'm fine," Su Zimo replied calmly.
"You can't just say it's fine when you can't see the road anymore. Do you want everyone to worry about you?" Mu Yunxuan roared angrily.
"Eat it." Mu Yunxuan didn't give Su Zimo a chance to think too much and fed the pill directly into her mouth.
Su Zimo opened her mouth and swallowed the pill without any adverse reactions.
Watching their backs, Jun Lintian sneered inwardly. Su Zimo, did you do something wrong? Don't you feel any guilt in your heart, standing in front of me, the victim? Hatred swelled within him, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was still the same woman who was infatuated with him six years ago. He couldn't see a trace of that person in her calm face.
But no matter how much a person changes, their nature remains. Su Zimo, I don't believe that you don't have a place for me in your heart.
At that moment, Jun Zixi, Mu Yufeng, and Mu Yunhan approached them.
Su Qi stared fixedly at Jun Zixi, gently biting her tender lips.
"Qi'er, Li'er, you two brothers are amazing!" The proud gentleman chuckled, finally letting the world know that they were his grandsons.
Su Li remained unmoved, standing aside in silence.
"Thank you, Grandma, for your praise!" Su Qi responded, acknowledging the genuine affection from Su Qi's grandmother. He looked up at Su Zimo.
"Su Zimo, I will withdraw my claim on you. I won't interfere in your and Mu Yunxuan's affairs anymore. The position of the Lady of the Holy Palace, I won't pursue it. My mother is waiting for you to return to Cloud City together."
After considering it, Jun Zixi decided that it was better to give in and step back than to lose her son and grandson. She could have it all by compromising.
"Zixi, you're right. With Su Zimo's abilities, she is more than qualified to be the Lady of the Holy Palace," Mu Yufeng said, looking at Su Zimo. He could see that his son truly cared for her.
"Just because you agree doesn't mean I agree. Between Mu Yunxuan and me, we're just acquainted," Su Zimo said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Mu Yunxuan's eyes turned dark and gloomy.
Murong Shaofeng, however, felt a slight sense of relief.
"Look at you, so ignorant! With your bad temper, it's no wonder the old lady can't like you." Jun Zixi, who had convinced herself to accept Su Zimo as her daughter-in-law, felt her face burn from the rebuff. She immediately dropped her pretenses.
"Zixi," Mu Yufeng called out helplessly.
"Did I say something wrong?" Jun Zixi challenged.
"Even if we have children together, there are no feelings between us..."
"Shut up, you damn woman!" Mu Yunxuan finally couldn't bear it and angrily shouted.
Did she dare to say that she didn't have any feelings for him? She just couldn't admit it to herself.
Qing Feng approached and whispered a few words to Mu Yunxuan.
Mu Yunxuan's already gloomy face filled with anger.
In a secret voice, he instructed Qing Feng, "Use the Xuan Hades Palace's identity. Make Jun Lintian suffer until he doesn't dare to return to the sect. Let him fend for himself."
"Yes, Holy Lord," Qing Feng replied and quickly retreated.
Mu Yunxuan turned around, coldly glancing at Jun Lintian. How dare he make a move on his woman? He would pay with his life...
"Li'er, Qi'er, there are still a few days before the shop opens. Father will take your mother out for a break." Without waiting for Su Li and Su Qi to respond, and regardless of whether Su Zimo agreed or not, he instantly disappeared with her.
"Mother," Su Li felt a surge of anger. Wasn't their father afraid that their mother would be even more upset?
"Forget it, I don't care about them anymore," the gentleman huffed, frustrated with his son's stubbornness. With just a few words from his son, winning Su Zimo's heart seemed impossible.
"Mother, father, you should go back first!" Mu Yunhan suggested.
Perhaps giving the elder brother and sister-in-law some alone time would help their relationship progress faster.
"Alright then! Remember to enter the palace and ask your uncle to find out the events of today and explain them to Qi Er. The gentleman gave some final instructions and then instructed Su Qi and Su Li to accompany Mu Yufeng back.
Once they left, Murong Shaofeng spoke up. "How could Mu Yunxuan force Mother? He didn't even ask her and just took her away," he said coldly, a departure from his usual gentle demeanor.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. My elder brother always acts with caution. He simply took his sister-in-law out to relax, and when she's in a better mood, they will naturally return," Mu Yunhan reassured, aware of Murong Shaofeng's feelings for his sister-in-law.
"Brother Huang, look at them. They're husband and wife. Where do they want to go? Look at Brother Huang's expression. It seems like he cares about the owner of Mingyue Villa!"
A playful and sarcastic voice came, and Murong Shaofeng didn't even bother to raise his eyes. He already knew who was approaching.
"Mind your own business. You'd better not meddle in the affairs of this palace," Murong Shaofeng retorted coldly.
Tension filled the air, and everyone present could sense the brewing conflict between them.
"Ah, here comes the arch-nemesis of you and your royal brother," Mu Yunfan remarked, looking at Murong Xingchen with a gloating expression.
"Hey! Can't we have a pleasant conversation? Is that an arch-nemesis? That's your royal brother's dear friend, my dear friend," Murong Xingchen said with heavy irony. He couldn't have imagined that King Yu would arrive so early, making this year's Haoyue Kingdom even more eventful.
"Just look at you, born into the royal family, plagued by internal strife. Is that really a good thing?" Mu Yunfan asked casually.
"Do you think everyone's life is as good as yours?" Murong Xingchen retorted, glaring at him.
"So, it's King Yu. What a lack of respect," Mu Yunhan nodded, along with the others.
He Yunting stood behind Murong Shaofeng, his gaze cold as he awaited Murong Zeyu's arrival. There couldn't be anything good where this person appeared, and he knew him well.
The corners of Murong Zeyu's lips lifted slightly, and his eyes flickered.
"Second Prince, there's no need to be formal."
Then he looked at He Yunting. "Butler He, it's been a long time. Shall we invite King Ben to the new mansion?"
"Second Wangye, our master is not at the mansion, so Yunting can't act on behalf of the master." Although He Yunting didn't say it explicitly, the message was clear.
"Li'er, Qi'er, Shao Feng, let's return to the estate."
After He Yunting and the others left, the smile on Murong Zeyu's face vanished completely, replaced by a twisted expression of anger and resentment. The man in dark green attire standing by his side glanced at him and couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine. It seemed that Wang Ye was extremely furious.
Murong Zeyu cast a sidelong glance at him. "Yiyun, what did you see?"
"King Yu, long time no see." Jun Lintian approached.
"Yiyun, report back." Murong Zeyu quickly instructed.
"Yes." Yiyun respectfully stepped aside.
Jun Lintian stood across from Murong Zeyu, and the gloom and cunning on their faces mirrored each other.
"Congratulations on your newfound freedom, Third Prince."
Upon hearing this, Jun Lintian's eyes turned dark. His story had spread across the four kingdoms, so it wasn't surprising that King Yu was aware of it.
"There's still about half a month until the Qingguo Ceremony, and King Yu has come quite early this year," Murong Zeyu remarked, changing the subject.
"Who would've thought that the matters of Haoyue Kingdom would catch King Ben's attention? The owner of Mingyue Villa, who has always conducted business only at the border, unexpectedly returned to the capital of Haoyue Country. And today, she brought a great surprise to King Ben. She turns out to be the former fiancée of the Third Prince, and the Third Prince's letter of withdrawal was just a half-hearted retreat. Moreover, the business of Mingyue Villa has surpassed that of Cloud City in recent times."
Upon hearing this, Jun Lintian's heart stung sharply. Who wouldn't know about it? Su Zimo had been concealing her true strength to wait for the letter of withdrawal. But upon reflection, he felt that something was amiss.
"Wang Wangye, I still have matters to attend to. I'll take my leave."
Seeing the regret on Jun Lintian's face, Murong Zeyu couldn't help but feel a sense of irony. Now he knew what regret felt like, but it was too late. Jun Lintian had been easily manipulated by a woman, and it seemed that his path to the throne would be arduous.
"King Yu, please!"
Murong Zeyu didn't say anything more, and he departed with Yiyun.
"Wang Ye, should we head back to the estate or go to Qunfang Pavilion?"
"Today, let's first return to the estate. You can go to Qunfang Pavilion and send a message to invite Yafu to come over," Jun Lintian suggested.
"Yes, I will go, my lord."
"Wang Ye, now that you have regained your freedom, it's time to enjoy the pleasures of life. The girl from Qunfang Pavilion, Yafu, has a natural charm. However, compared to Su Zimo, she still falls short," Ji Yu, Lan Jie, Ji Rui, and He Lanmin, who hadn't left yet, approached them.
Ji Yu intentionally provoked Jun Lintian, wanting the whole world to acknowledge Su Zimo and her family. For more than twenty years, Ji Yu had been admired by countless people, but he had been repeatedly ridiculed by the Su family brothers. Especially today, he had been embarrassed, and from now on, who would remember that Ji Yu had once been a prodigy surrounded by an aura of greatness since his childhood?