"Who allowed you to do this? Without my consent, you can't touch her."
Jun Lintian fiercely grabbed Jirui's neck and asked coldly.
"Hehe!" Jirui sneered, looking at Jun Lintian with a mocking expression, showing no fear of his threat.
Mockingly, she said, "Jun Lintian, don't tell me you've only just realized that you like Su Zimou! Don't forget, Su Zimou is already Mu Yunxuan's woman. Even if you try everything to get her, she will be a woman defiled by others. And are you so confident that Su Zimou will come back to you?"
Upon hearing this, Jun Lintian abruptly released Jirui. She was right. No matter how hard he tried, Su Zimou would never return to his side. Moreover, today, in order to escape from him, she had drugged him, and now she had targeted his "sister."
He knew very well about many things deep down, but because of his unwillingness, he remained obsessed.
No, he knew he should give up, but he couldn't. There was a kind of love that had no future, but his heart had long been unable to withdraw.
"If you want to get Su Zimou, you can only cooperate with me."
As if she could see through Jun Lintian's thoughts, Jirui seized the opportunity to propose.
Jun Lintian looked at her.
After a while, he asked, "How do we cooperate?"
"Hmph! Today is the celebration of the kingdom, right? I want you to do everything possible to make Su Zimou embarrassed. As long as you can trouble Su Zimou, my heart will be at ease."
Every time Jirui mentioned Su Zimou, she was filled with hatred.
"Don't even think about it. You better hand over Xi'er right now, or don't blame me for not being polite."
Jun Lintian rejected Jirui's proposal without hesitation.
"My lord, you better think twice before rejecting me. Mu Yunxuan has already found out about today's events. Now, it's uncertain whether Su Zimou and Xi'er are enjoying themselves in that palace. If my lord wants to bring the beauty back, you need to have your life intact. And don't forget, my lord, you have meddled with Mu Yunxuan's woman."
Seeing Jirui's obvious remarks, Jun Lintian naturally understood Mu Yunxuan's temper. Once Su Zimou was safe, he would undoubtedly begin his revenge.
"My lord, you should think carefully. There are plenty of beautiful women in the world. Why focus only on Su Zimou?" Jirui continued to entice. She understood Jun Lintian's temperament. When matters concerned life and death, he would naturally consider doing what was necessary.
"Speak up! What's your plan?" After a while, Jun Lintian coldly spoke up.
"My lord, it is said that a hero overcomes enemies, but a saint overcomes oneself. A hero defeats enemies, but a saint has no enemies. Your decision, I admire it."
Jirui flattered with a delighted expression.
"Enough nonsense. What plan do you have? Just say it."
Jun Lintian looked out the window with a cold tone.
Although his expression was harsh, in his mind, he couldn't help but recall everything Su Zimou had done for him today.
The sternness on Jun Lintian's face flickered and disappeared. Perhaps it was time for him to make a decision.
"My lord, don't worry. There's not much time left until the kingdom celebration. Your task is to wait and help me when the time comes. My lord should act accordingly during the banquet. I will send you the detailed plan through a secret communication."
"Then, I'll leave this matter to you. I'll take the first step." Jun Lintian gave Jirui a cold glare and left quickly.
"My lord, rest assured, leave it to me." Jirui said confidently, watching Jun Lintian's figure and smiling brightly.
Suddenly, Jirui's smile faded, and her face turned terrifyingly dark as she thought about the outcome of this plan.
"Su Zimou, if I don't kill you, I won't give up." Her frustrated muttering revealed her true intentions.
"These two scumbags just won't give up."
Su Zimou looked at the smug expression on Jun Yaoxi's face, feeling an itching hatred.
"Meng'er, don't worry. I'll take care of them later."
Mu Yunxuan also had a gloomy expression. He didn't expect this woman to be Jirui instead of Jun Yaoxi.
"Don't be too happy yet. Didn't you say that Qingfeng had led people here? Look, it's been quite a while, and they haven't found them here. From this, we can deduce that Qingfeng has just brought people over and hasn't discovered them yet."
Su Zimou never underestimated her enemies. She didn't think Jirui would be easy to deal with.
"In that case, let's expose Jirui's impersonation of Jun Yaoxi. That alone is enough to make her suffer multiple deaths."
Su Zimou pondered for a moment and said, "To expose Jirui, the important thing is to find out where Jun Yaoxi is."
"Meng'er, do you think Jun Yaoxi is still alive?"
"Judging from her expression and Jun Lintian's submission, I don't need to think twice to know that Jun Yaoxi is still alive. If Su Zimou didn't have that trump card in her hands, she wouldn't dare to act so arrogantly in front of Jun Lintian."
Su Zimou lowered her head and contemplated. She had to reveal the true identity of that woman before she could strike back.
"Meng'er, what do you think about this? The time for the kingdom celebration is approaching. Why don't we go there first and let Zimo and the others search inside the palace? Since that woman dared to make a move in the palace, Su Zimou must also be there."
"Good idea. Let's go there first."
Before the kingdom celebration began, they had to appear in the palace. Inside the kingdom hall, many ministers and princes from various regions were already seated, and envoys from various countries had gathered.
After Su Zimou and Mu Yunxuan entered, they found the position for the Mu family. As soon as they entered the hall, they caught everyone's attention.
Seeing Su Zimou unharmed, Nalan Wenhao and the others felt relieved.
Once Su Zimou took her seat, she felt two pairs of eyes fixed on her. Following those gazes, she saw Murong Shaofeng in his white robe sitting diagonally opposite, looking at her with deep, concerned eyes.
The other pair of eyes belonged to Murong Zeyu, who wore a black robe and looked at her with a playful and malicious gaze.
Su Zimou glanced at them and withdrew her gaze, greeting Jun Zi Xi and Mu Yufeng.
When Su Zimou entered the celebration, Jun Lintian had noticed her. She was dressed differently from before. Earlier, she wore a purple dress, but now she was dressed in crimson attire, her figure outstanding. Unlike other noble ladies who often needed maids to support them, she stood tall with her familiar phoenix eyes shining brightly.
Jun Lintian couldn't understand why, even though he had cut off his feelings, his attention was drawn to Su Zimou as soon as she entered.
Jun Lintian stared at Su Zimou, making Mu Yunxuan extremely displeased. He glared back at Jun Lintian, and only then did Jun Lintian avert his gaze.
"Meng'er, where are Qier and Li'er?" Su Zimou looked around but couldn't find her two sons.
"Sister-in-law, Qier and Li'er are with the Emperor. They'll come over with him later."
"What happened?" Su Zimou knew that after she got into trouble, Qier and Li'er must have encountered some problems as well.
Just as Su Zimou was about to inquire about the reason, Emperor Haoyue, the Empress, and their son, the Imperial Prince, entered the celebration. Everyone bowed and paid their respects.
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
The resounding echoes filled the Qingguo Hall with respect and reverence.
Emperor Haoyue and the Empress walked to the main seats and took their places. After scanning the hall with sharp eyes, Emperor Haoyue spoke with a gentle yet dignified voice, "Thank you, ambassadors and esteemed guests, for overcoming the long distance and hardships to attend this celebration that symbolizes peace. I raise this cup of fine wine to toast to the lasting friendship between Haoyue Kingdom and the noble countries. May our nations prosper and our people live in peace. Let me take the first sip."
Upon hearing Emperor Haoyue's words, the guests stood up and raised their wine cups.
While standing up, Su Zimou silently criticized the despotic imperial system and swiftly downed her cup of wine.
"Ambassadors and esteemed guests, please be seated. Today, let us gather in joy, leaving behind the formalities," Emperor Haoyue said with a smile.
At this moment, Su Li and Su Qi approached Su Zimou.
"Mother."
"Mother, are you alright?"
Su Li asked with concern.
"Li'er, Mother is fine. Please take a seat."
Su Zimou adjusted her posture to make room for her two sons to sit beside her.
"Grandfather, grandmother, uncles, and aunt."
Su Li and Su Qi politely greeted the Mu family.
"Li'er, Qi'er, come over here by Grandfather and Grandmother." Jun Zi Xi couldn't stop smiling when he saw Su Li and Su Qi.
Mu Yufeng felt the same way.
Su Zimou gestured to them, indicating for her sons to go over.
Reluctantly, the two brothers walked towards Jun Zi Xi.
At that moment, Murong Shaofeng stood up and approached the Emperor, bowing respectfully. "On behalf of the Star-Moon Kingdom, I offer my sincere congratulations to Haoyue Kingdom and wish for lasting peace and prosperity between our nations."
After speaking, he took out a small red booklet from his sleeve and raised it with both hands. "Emperor Haoyue, as a gesture of sincerity from the Star-Moon Kingdom, I present this gift as a symbol of eternal friendship between our nations."
Under Emperor Haoyue's signal, Qin Gonggong stepped down from the steps and received the gift list, presenting it to Emperor Haoyue.
Emperor Haoyue took a glance and said, "The Star-Moon Kingdom's sincerity is commendable. Your Highness and the two princes should have a few more drinks today."
"Thank you, Emperor Haoyue, for your generous hospitality." After exchanging a few pleasantries, Murong Shaofeng returned to his seat.
Next, representatives from the other three nations entered the hall to offer their congratulations for the celebration.
Su Zimou looked around and noticed that the representatives from Zisang Kingdom were the Crown Prince and the Princess. It seemed that every nation attached great importance to the Qingguo celebration.
While Su Zimou was contemplating, a woman approached the center of the hall.