The fact that the Queen was awake was no surprise to anyone.
For a long time, the only person who could stop the King from making decisions was the Queen, not only because of her powerful maternal clan but also because of the King-Beating Whip she held.
Now, she was awake!
Everyone felt they had found their backbone.
Pei Ji systematically arranged everyone, "Everyone, please return. Second Brother will still need time to return."
Moreover, he was dusty from the road and needed to rest.
"Then how long will the Crown Prince selection ceremony be postponed?" Old Master Wu asked the question on everyone's mind.
Pei Ji could not make the decision, "This needs to be decided after Father and Mother discuss it."
The crowd asked no further questions and left one after another.
Only then did Pei Ji look at Pei Lie, his face filled with uncontrollable excitement, suppressing himself with all the composure he possessed, "Big Brother, Mother is truly awake? I want to see her!"
"Wait!"
Pei Ji looked at Pei Lie in confusion, "What?"
Pei Lie frowned slightly, put away the King-Beating Whip, and said, "Mother is weak. It's best not to disturb her for now, and besides, there's a mess to clean up here."
He glanced around the hall; the decorations were still up.
Pei Ji sighed, enduring the urge to see his mother, "Alright, then I'll stay here to tidy up. You go see Mother, and remember to tell her that once I'm done, I'll come to see her!"
"Understood."
Watching Pei Ji's retreating back, Pei Lie sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Pei Xi escorted the enraged King back to his room. After a few comforting words, he immediately headed for Shen Qingqing's room.
He still knocked on the door unhurriedly and calmly, three times.
"Enter."
Pei Xi pushed open the door and stood at the entrance without coming in, "You must be very pleased."
Shen Qingqing wore a faint smile on her face, "Pleased is not the word, I'm just in a good mood. What, is Fourth Prince in a bad mood?"
"Asking the obvious," Pei Xi snorted coldly.
Shen Qingqing's lips curved upwards, her mood extremely pleasant, "Because Second Prince is returning? But aren't you fearless?"
She touched her chin, mused for a moment, and then exclaimed "oh" as if she had suddenly realized something.
"Or is it that you're also worried that when Pei Xing returns, you won't be able to smoothly inherit the throne? So, our Fourth Prince also has something to fear."
Pei Xi's expression turned grim for a moment, then he slowly smiled.
"Do you think you've won this round?"
His expression looked somewhat strange, as if he wasn't worried at all, as if everything was under his control. Shen Qingqing asked calmly, "Looking at your expression, you don't seem worried at all about Second Prince's return... Did you win him over too?"
"You think too highly of me."
Pei Xi neither admitted nor denied it, only saying with self-deprecation.
Shen Qingqing walked to the sofa and sat down, raising a hand, "Aren't you coming in for a chat?"
Pei Xi walked in boldly and sat opposite her. Seeing the teapot on the table, he touched it with his hand.
"It's cold."
He looked at the guards at the door and berated, "What kind of service is this? Is this how you treat my guest?"
The guards immediately said in a low voice, "Apologies."
Shen Qingqing clicked her tongue, "Stop pretending. If you truly considered me a guest, you wouldn't have locked me up."
"I didn't lock you up," Pei Xi waved his hand, dismissing the guards. "I've always treated you as a distinguished guest, even letting you go out. If I had locked you up, you wouldn't have this treatment."
Shen Qingqing rolled her eyes at him.
"Pei Xi, I advise you not to harbor any more foolish fantasies. With Pei Lie, Pei Ji, and Pei Xing, what percentage do you think your chances of ascending the throne are?"
Pei Xi lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable, "How will I know if I don't try?"
Shen Qingqing shook her head, "You are simply deluded."
"Isn't life like this? Effort yields reward. If I want to obtain something, I naturally have to pay a price."
Pei Xi's brows were handsome, and he looked incredibly good when he smiled.
It was a pity that Shen Qingqing was not in the mood to appreciate it, "I'll say this once. If you stop now and undo the poison for those people, everyone can let it go. But if you insist on continuing this path, you might never have another chance."
Pei Xi didn't need this so-called opportunity and said dismissively, "Miss Shen, before you advise me, I'd like to advise you too."
"What is there to advise me about?"
"You could consider being with me."
As soon as he said this, the air suddenly turned cold. Fu Jingshu's gaze at him became sharp, and he said word by word, "Are you looking for death?"
Pei Xi rubbed his arms and shrugged regretfully.
"Alright, alright. Since you're unwilling to listen, I won't say anything more. Miss Shen, you can't stop me."
"That's not necessarily true. Pei Xing is returning, after all."
"Do you trust a man you've never met that much?" Pei Xi provocatively sowed discord with malice.
Shen Qingqing glanced at Fu Jingshu. When his gaze fell upon her, it was still gentle, completely unfazed by the other's words.
"I just think that if the three brothers join forces, your chances of winning are slim." Shen Qingqing was not familiar with Pei Xing, but she had heard others describe him as a mysterious and powerful second prince. If he were to stand with Pei Lie and Pei Ji,
The isolated Pei Xi would undoubtedly lose.
Seeing her place so much trust in Pei Xing, Pei Xi felt a surge of anger, "You are humiliating me!"
Shen Qingqing was startled, not understanding, "How have I humiliated you? I'm just stating facts, please don't slander me."
"You'd rather believe someone you've never met than believe I can win!" Pei Xi was a highly competitive person. Despite his often gentle demeanor, his inner competitiveness and rebelliousness had never disappeared.
Shen Qingqing was somewhat surprised, "Is it strange that I don't believe you can win?"
They were on opposing sides from the start!
Pei Xi paused. The anger faded, and a smile reappeared on his face, but this time, his smile was different from usual.
The gentleness was gone, replaced by a hint of coldness.
"Then I'll let you see who the ultimate winner will be."
He turned and left.
After the door closed, Shen Qingqing couldn't help but say sarcastically, "This person truly won't give up until they reach the Yellow River, and won't shed tears until they see the coffin."
Her enchanting eyes were filled with defiance, making her look even more proud and beautiful.
Fu Jingshu put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. His lips moved close to her ear, and he whispered in a breath,
"Let's resolve all of this as quickly as possible."
"Okay."
Shen Qingqing turned and threw herself into the man's embrace. She closed her eyes, appearing to be asleep. On the other side of the monitor, the butler watched, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
The door was pushed open, and Pei Xi entered, "How was it?"
The butler shook his head, "He didn't say anything."
...
Meanwhile, the King was furious.
He couldn't sit still in his room, so he went to visit the Queen. Pei Lie was not present at the time, and the guards dared not stop the King, so they let him in.
To his surprise, upon entering, he saw the Queen lying in bed.
She was in the same position as before, with no change.
He realized something was wrong and quickly asked the guard at the door, "Didn't the Queen awaken? Why has she fallen asleep again?"
The guard was taken aback, "The Queen never woke up."