The little bun seemed to sense her emotions and quietly grabbed one of her fingers, weakly calling out, "Mother Consort?"
The simple two words were filled with concern for Lu Qingwan.
Lu Qingwan lowered her head and smiled at the little bun, "Mother Consort is fine. Have Yuan eaten breakfast? Is your tummy hungry?"
The little bun shook his head obediently, "Yuan has eaten breakfast, not hungry."
"That's good. Today is Grandpa Emperor's birthday. Yuan must be good. Mother Consort will play with you to your heart's content later!"
The little bun was overjoyed and nodded heavily, sitting even straighter.
Rumors reached Lu Qingwan's ears at this moment.
A group of noble daughters, seemingly whispering, actually wished they could shout into her ear.
"Did you hear? Xiliang brought a princess for marriage negotiations this time. Who do you think that Flying Phoenix Princess will choose?"
"What Flying Phoenix Princess, that's the notorious female general Xie Shiluan from Xiliang. Her goal is clear; she's aiming for the Regent King."
...
The group stretched their necks to look at Lu Qingwan as they spoke.
Seeing Lu Qingwan's lack of reaction, they added another dose, "Indeed, this Flying Phoenix Princess is a true tigress from a renowned military family, with generations of famous generals in her ancestry, and she herself is formidable.
It is said that the conflict in Xijiang and with Marquis Lu this time was due to her. Such a person, other than the Regent King, she probably wouldn't set her sights on anyone else, right?"
"That's true. But a Xiliang female general matching our God of War Regent King is not bad!
It's just that I wonder if some people understand the bigger picture. After all, a dignified princess, she couldn't possibly be a concubine, right?"
To put it all together, they not only wanted to inform Lu Qingwan that Feng Xiwu was being targeted but also to make her voluntarily give up her position as Princess Consort.
Chi Yaoyao was so angry she wanted to jump, but Lu Qingwan stopped her. Chi Yaoyao immediately became furious, "Why are you stopping me? Didn't you hear what nonsense they're spouting?
I think they're just jealous of how well the King treats you, trying to sow discord!
That so-called Flying Phoenix Princess, claiming to be here for a marriage alliance, who doesn't know she's just a tribute girl? Whomever His Majesty tells her to marry, she'll marry. You displacing her as the Regent King's Princess Consort, does she have the qualifications for that?!"
Lu Qingwan had known for a long time that Chi Yaoyao was fiercely protective of her, but hearing this, she was so shocked she covered her mouth.
"Don't talk nonsense. What they say is their business. The Flying Phoenix Princess hasn't done anything yet. Don't let your anger consume you; it's not worth it!"
Whatever they discussed in private was one thing, but once Xie Shiluan was involved, it became a matter of state relations between two countries.
Lu Qingwan knew Chi Yaoyao meant well, which made her even more worried that her pure nature would be exploited.
Although Chi Yaoyao was simple and impulsive, she wasn't truly foolish. She belatedly covered her mouth, feeling lingering fear, and still felt indignant.
"No, what they're saying is too unpleasant. The matter isn't settled yet, and they're already asking you to give up your position as Regent King's Princess Consort. What do they think of you?"
"They say what they want. Feng Xiwu won't listen to them, so what should I be afraid of?"
To prevent Chi Yaoyao from exploding again, Lu Qingwan simply pulled her to sit beside her. "Calm down, don't attract attention.
Prince Ning, Prince Jing, and Prince Chen all do not have official Princess Consorts. If you attract too much attention, His Majesty and the Imperial Consort might impulsively bestow you in marriage upon one of them, and then you'll be finished!"
Chi Yaoyao's father, Grand Scholar Chi, was a Grand Scholar of the Hall of Benevolent Governance and held the position of Minister of Rites. Her background was more than sufficient to be a Princess Consort.
The moment Lu Qingwan said this, Chi Yaoyao was so startled she shut her mouth.
Meanwhile, the group of noble ladies, seeing that their gossip had yielded no reaction from the person concerned, lost interest and felt awkward.
They were about to come forward and further provoke Lu Qingwan when a sharp announcement interrupted them.
"His Majesty arrives!"
"Her Imperial Consort arrives!"
"The Regent King arrives!"
...
Amidst the calls of announcement, the people in the main hall of Chonghua Palace knelt, Lu Qingwan included.
"Long live the Fifth Emperor, long live, long live, long live!"
The three calls of 'long live' echoed inside and outside the grand hall. Before Emperor Jingyou spoke, the entire hall was silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
But at this moment, the little bun beside them suddenly cried out in pain and then seemed to lose his balance, falling forward. Lu Qingwan quickly caught the child, but the cups on the nearby table fell to the ground.
Everyone was alarmed. On such an important festival as the Emperor's Birthday, to break something before the banquet even began was a great omen of misfortune, and Lu Qingwan was doomed!
Emperor Jingyou's face also darkened slightly. "Regent King's Princess Consort, what is happening?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, ever since Your Majesty's fiftieth birthday was known, this humble subject has lost sleep preparing a birthday gift for Your Majesty.
Just now, seeing Your Majesty, I became excited and wanted to present the gift early. I did not expect to become so flustered that I stumbled, disturbing Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Knowing it was an excuse, Emperor Jingyou did not intentionally make things difficult for her.
"You will have an opportunity to present your birthday gift later. Being so excited, I thought that without the Regent King by your side, you wouldn't even deign to perform a proper bow to me!"
Emperor Jingyou then teased, "Xiwu, why don't you go and attend to your Princess Consort? If I keep you here any longer, my Emperor's Birthday will be replaced with misfortune!"
"Thank you, Imperial Brother, for your concern!"
Feng Xiwu bowed respectfully to Emperor Jingyou, accepting his teasing.
Emperor Jingyou then announced loudly, "All ministers, rise!"
Everyone stood up. Lu Qingwan took the opportunity to scan the crowd but found nothing unusual.
As Feng Xiwu returned to her side, he asked directly, "What happened?"
Emperor Jingyou's birthday gift was his own responsibility; there was no need for Lu Qingwan to interfere.
Moreover, Lu Qingwan had been busy with various matters lately and hadn't paid attention to the Emperor's Birthday. When she suddenly mentioned giving a gift, he knew something unexpected must have happened.
"Father King, I'm sorry!"
The little bun said weakly, "It was Yuan who couldn't kneel steadily. Mother Consort was holding Yuan, so she accidentally broke the cup."
Though the child was young, he was still the Crown Prince of the Regent King's manor. Those who taught him were learned scholars, so he was not foolish.
Lu Qingwan, afraid the little one would be frightened, gently stroked his head. "Yuan, don't be scared. It's alright now, isn't it? Uncle Emperor isn't blaming us, is he?"
"But Yuan didn't fail to kneel steadily on his own."
The little bun pouted aggrievedly, "When Yuan was kneeling, the muscles in my calves suddenly ached, and then my legs went numb."
Lu Qingwan immediately grabbed the little bun's wrist to check his pulse, asking, "How is it now? Are your legs still numb?"
The little bun nodded weakly, "Yes, numb, and a bit painful."
Feng Xiwu waited for her to let go before speaking, "How is it?"
"Someone used a sharp object to hit his pressure points."
Lu Qingwan's face turned ashen. "To deal with me, they attacked such a young child. They are less than beasts!"