"Your Majesty, I'm not! There's nothing between me and Jun Linyuan! Nothing!" Feng Wu shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Why are you so agitated? What are you trying to cover up?"
"I'm not!" Feng Wu felt like crying. She had jumped into the pit she had dug herself! Feng Wu wanted to smack her own head!
Emperor Wu smirked. Like hell I'm going to believe you. But he only darted an emotionless glance at Feng Wu. "All girls are in love with the crown prince. You're not that special."
Yes. Feng Wu could live with that conclusion from the emperor.
However... Master Bai interjected at that moment.
"I heard that His Royal Highness carried Miss Feng Wu on his shoulder."
Carry? On his shoulder?!
Those words didn't fit Jun Linyuan at all! Emperor Wu stared at Master Bai. "Are you sure?"
Feng Wu wanted to throttle Master Bai right there and then! What an evil man! He was the worst!
Master Bai was satisfied to see how flustered Feng Wu was. He made a show of pondering the question before answering it. "Your Majesty, I think that really happened, and it took place in World Tower!"
"Feng Wu?!" Emperor Wu stared at Feng Wu.
"Th- that was because..." Feng Wu was going to explain, but Emperor Wu had risen to his feet.
"You can call the crown prince 'cousin' from now on and that's my answer to the big favor you asked for." After giving Feng Wu one last grim look, he turned to leave.
Feng Wu mumbled, "...Cousin?" She didn't want to have Jun Linyuan as her cousin at all! She wanted to explain everything! However, she had lost that chance, because Emperor Wu had marched off.
That Master Bai! He was so cunning! Feng Wu clenched her fists.
"Find out what really happened," Emperor Wu said in a low but chilly voice.
Cining Palace.
Both Lady Northern Feng and Empress Dugu had stayed behind to keep the empress dowager company. And they were talking about Feng Wu as well.
Lady Northern Feng was praising Feng Wu and Empress Dugu was trashing the girl. As a result, the two women were about to start a row again. They only calmed down because Emperor Wu entered the hall.
"Your Majesty, Lady Northern Feng insists on having Feng Wu as her goddaughter. How about we just give the girl some money and stop this nonsense?" Empress Dugu disliked Feng Wu so much that the last thing she wanted was for her status to increase.
Lady Northern Feng wanted to retort, but Emperor Wu stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"If you insist on having her as a daughter, you can, but you have to wait after Her Majesty has fully recovered," said Emperor Wu casually. "Keep it quiet. Showing her around in the family will be enough."
Although Lady Northern Feng was a tough and willful woman, having grown up in the imperial palace, she was too good at reading faces. And she knew what His Majesty meant right away.
"...Alright." Lady Northern Feng felt sorry for Feng Wu and decided that she would make it up to her in the future.
"That girl is really pretty. Too bad she's crippled," said the empress dowager. "If she and Junjun somehow got together, she might give birth to a little crippled baby."
The old lady was frightened by her own imagination and waved her hands. "No, no, we can't let that happen! Yaya, try not to bring the girl here from now on. Okay?"
Lady Northern Feng was speechless.
Emperor Wu said, "Mother, please don't worry. I've warned her and the girl knows what to do."
Feng Wu had no idea that she had just been blacklisted as the "most unpopular person" by the royal family.